Agenda and minutes

Agenda and minutes

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Speaking at a Council or Committee meeting

Venue: Oxford Town Hall, St Aldate's, Oxford

Contact: Lois Stock, Democratic Services Officer 

Items
No. Item

33.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Councillors Altaf Khan, Baxter (Councillor Humberstone substituted) and Clarkson (Councillor Darke substituted).

34.

Declarations of Interest

Members are asked to declare any interests they may have on items contained in this agenda.

Minutes:

None

35.

Work Programme and Report Back on Committee's Recommendations pdf icon PDF 66 KB

Contact Officer: Pat Jones (Principal Scrutiny Officer), Tel 01865 252191, phjones@oxford.gov.uk

 

Background Information

Scrutiny Committees work each year within a programme agreed by Councillors. This item will appear on all future agendas to allow members to see progress on the work programme items, and plan agenda for future meetings.

 

Attached is the current work programme that was agreed by Councillors at an informal meeting in July.

 

 

Why is it on the agenda?

This item is presented here to allow the Committee to agree lines of enquiry for future meetings; take an overview of progress, and gauge support for, and Councillor interest in, the items agreed.

 

 

Who has been invited to comment?

The Principal Scrutiny Officer will present the report and answer questions.

 

 

What will happen after the meeting?

The Chair and Vice-Chair will continue to monitor the Committee’s work programme and report to future meetings.

 

 

 

Minutes:

Pat Jones introduced this item to the Committee.

 

In answer to a question, she clarified that the issue of community engagement would very largely be covered by items concerning young people and the progress of Area Forums.

 

The Chair, Councillor Campbell, reported that, accompanied by Councillors Jones and Lloyd-Shogbesan, he had attended a workshop on the emerging health structures and their possible impact upon voluntary organisation. He invited his fellow Councillors to draw attention to any themes which they had noted as important.

 

Councillor Lloyd-Shogbesan noted particularly impacts on young people and educational attainment. There was allowance in the City Council budget for extra funding for educational attainment, but this must be seen as in addition to County Council funding and not a substitute for it. Councillor Campbell replied that the Leader, Councillor Price, was fully aware of this, but even so it would be advisable to re-draw this concern to his attention.  Pat Jones added that Councillor Price wished to see joint Scrutiny/Executive monitoring of the spending of this money.

 

Councillor Jones felt that there was, in the new health structures, potential to consider issues ion a holistic way, and he was keen to see how the 3 delivery boards would work together.

 

The Committee noted that Councillors Jones and Sinclair would present its report on public health to City Executive Board on 4th April.

 

Leading on from this, Councillor Campbell observed that it would be useful for the Director of Public Health to give an annual report to the City Council, much along the lines of the Chief Constable’s report.  It would be important for the Council to understand the new health structures and the new boards, and the means by which the Council could feed in to them.

36.

Select Committee update - Young People pdf icon PDF 32 KB

Contact Officers: Lois Stock (Democratic and Electoral Services Officer) Tel 01865 252275, lstock@oxford.gov.uk; Pat Jones (Principal Scrutiny Officer), Tel 01865 252191, phjones@oxford.gov.uk

 

Background Information

The Select Committee looking at issues around helping young people into work, education or training had its first meeting last month.

 

A short briefing note identifying the main issues and any gaps in evidence is attached.

 

 

Why is it on the agenda?

To allow the Committee to:

 

·        Consider the main points raised;

 

·        Decide how it wishes to take the issue forward and in particular how it wishes to engage with young people and other organisations.

 

 

Who has been invited to comment?

 

Pat Jones (Principal Scrutiny Officer) will introduce this item.

 

 

 

What will happen after the meeting?

 

The work of the Select committee will continue in line with the wishes expressed by the Committee.

 

 

 

Minutes:

Pat Jones introduced this item to the Committee.

 

The select committee had decided that it needed to talk with young people before it went much further, in order to gather their views and opinions. This would be done gradually over a period of approximately 6 months.

 

In principle, the select committee panel had agreed:-

 

·        To talk to as many young people as possible in a “focus/discussion group” format;

 

·        To recognise that some groups may have particular issues that would be better discussed away from more general discussions;

 

·        To get the most from discussions to be honest about what we can and cannot do and be prepared to “build a relationship”;

 

·        To engage young people on their  patch rather than expect them to come to the Town Hall;

 

·        To use the “Hubs” and the various area-based initiatives and programmes to supplement the views of young people.

 

The focus groups would be organised around the 2 “Hub Areas”within the city with a pre determined script that allows some flexibility.

 

Questions to be asked included:-

 

·        What do you do with your day and time?

 

·        What opportunities do you use or know about to support access to training and work?

 

·        Where is your life at the moment and do you have a “plan”?

 

·        What are the limitations on your ambitions?

 

·        What have you done so far?

 

·        What would help?

 

·        What would you change if you could?

 

·        Which support providers do you use?

 

For discussions organised around specific groups some time would be spent exploring the particular issues faced by the group as seen from their point of view. It was hoped to facilitate about 4 discussion groups and “getting to know you” sessions.

The population of the discussion groups still needs more thought, and the Panel would take advice from the consultation officer and officers in Housing and Communities. The initial view is that a mixture of young people would be needed, for example young people who:-

 

·        Have worked but are currently unemployed;

 

·        Are NEET;

 

·        Are about to leave school or are “out of school” and so will be looking for work or training shortly.

 

The Panel hope to identify these young people through:

 

·        The various programmes running in particular areas (SHOUT, Include, Blitz);

 

·        The Positive Futures Programme;

 

·        The Hubs;

 

·        Programmes in the 2 Academies;

 

·        Various cultural groups and connections

 

Jackie Yates (Director of Finance) reminded the Committee that Housing and Communities already carried out work with young people, and there was also the ongoing apprenticeship scheme and the funding for educational attainment issues.  The Chair agreed that it was important to avoid duplication of work already in hand.

 

Councillor Wilkinson asked that attention be paid to ensuring (as far as possible) gender balance when establishing discussion groups with young people. The Committee agreed that this was important, but noted that it could be difficult to achieve, as much depended on who was willing to talk to the select committee.  There had been no discussion about incentives to encourage young people to take  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36.

37.

Housing stock de-designation - 1st year review

Contact Officer: Pat Jones (Principal Scrutiny Officer), Tel 01865 252191, phjones@oxford.gov.uk

 

Background Information

 

The Committee agreed with the City Executive Board a 5 year plan to de-designate some of the council housing stock held for the over 50s.

 

Part of this agreement was for the Panel guiding this work to conduct a review of progress at the end of the first year.

 

 

Why is it on the agenda?

The extract below show the details agreed for the review

 

Extract from City Executive report from the Scrutiny Committee

 

“Yearly Review

 

a)     It is important to outline now clearly the 5 year plan for properties considered for de-designation.  It allows all to know the outline plan and use this knowledge when considering and making allocations.  This plan however will be subject to a yearly review.  Below is the minimum proposal for review and includes the general scope alongside some of the detail considerations that would be expected as a minimum

 

General Scope – A review of the whole scheme each year to consider if properties should be rescheduled earlier or later.  In considering this to be clear that the expectation is that individual difficulties in properties should be tackled quickly and positively and not used as a lever to undermine the whole scheme.

 

Issues for detail consideration (minimum requirement) – The following information and tests will be considered and made objectively by a review:

 

·        The current age profile of tenants within blocks

·        The allocations made within the previous year.  The profile of new tenants, the sustainability of these tenancies and any  negative affects that can be associated directly with the allocation

·        Actions taken to solve problems and the effectiveness of these

·        The positive results of the scheme and any particular reasons or actions that can be associated with these that can be applied elsewhere

·        The views of Tenants Representatives "

 

Who has been invited to comment?

 

Pat Jones (Principal Scrutiny Officer) will give an oral update to the Committee on progress to date.

 

 

What will happen after the meeting?

 

The member review group will consider the findings.

 

 

 

 

Minutes:

With the agreement of the Chair and Committee, Barrie Finch made a short statement concerning the role of a former tenant representative on the housing stock de-designation panel.

 

In response, the Chair, Councillor Campbell, stated that the point was noted, but that it was the responsibility of the Committee and the de-designation panel to decide who it wanted to serve on this panel.

 

Pat Jones the introduced this item to the Committee and explained the background to it.

 

In 2009, the Committee had agreed to establish a panel to consider the number and type of properties that were currently designated to be let only to those people over the age of 40. This excluded sheltered accommodation, which had been reviewed separately. The review came about because of a large mismatch between the low amount of 1 bedroom accommodation that was available to single tenants and couples under the age of 40, and the large number of such households that were in housing need.

 

City Executive Board agreed that de-designation of such properties should begin in April 2011, and should be phased in over 5 years with progress to be reviewed annually.  This was the first such review.

 

Pat Jones informed the Committee that there had been no issues with re-lets, which had gone smoothly. Having said that, there had not been a large number of re-lets to date, and it might be more useful for scrutiny to become involved at the end of the second year, when properties that had been more “difficult” (for various reasons) came up for letting.

 

The Committee resolved to:-

 

(1)    Welcome the outcome of the first review, expressing pleasure that the de-designation programme had worked so well and that there had been no anti-social behaviour  problems reported to CANAcT  as a result of it;

 

(2)    Recognise that  only a small percentage of properties had been re-let to date;

 

(3)    Ask that a further review be carried out at the end of the second year of the programme.

38.

Area Forum development

Contact Officer: Pat Jones (Principal Scrutiny Officer), Tel 01865 252191, phjones@oxford.gov.uk

 

At 6.45 or immediately following this meeting there will be a meeting of the Area Forum Panel.  This meeting is set to:

 

·        Consider the views of the Area Forum Panel.

·        Agree the public recommendations that will be made to the City Executive Board and Council on this issue.  

 

The papers for this meeting have been circulated separately.  

Minutes:

Resolved to note that the Area Forum Panel (to which all members of the Committee were invited) would meet at 6.45pm immediately following the current meeting, in order to:-

 

(1)       Consider the views of the Area Forum Panel;

 

(2)       Agree recommendations that could be made to City Executive Board and Council on this issue.

39.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 63 KB

Minutes of the meeting held on 12th March 2012 are attached.

Minutes:

Resolved to confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 12th March 2012.

 

Minute 28: It was noted that Sharon Highton worked with the Oxford Spires Academy.

40.

Dates and Times of Future Meetings

The following dates have been programmed for meetings:-

 

18th June 2012

15th October 2012

3rd December 2012

4th February 2013

15th April 2013

 

All meetings have been programmed to start at 6pm

Minutes:

Resolved to note the list of future meeting dates.