Common report to all Oxfordshire Councils.

Council is asked to consider the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal(the Deal) announced by Government in the November Budget, which provides £215 million of additional Government funding for Oxfordshire, along with a package of planning freedoms and flexibilities for the Oxfordshire authorities. 

Council is recommended to:

1.    Agree to the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal (the Deal)

2.    Agree the Delivery Plan (attached as Appendix 2 to this report) as the basis for the Deal; noting that elements will be updated as detailed work programmes develop.

3.    Delegate authority to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader and the Growth Board, to make minor changes to the Delivery Plan that may be required to secure agreement with Government.

4.    Delegate authority to the Chief Executive, in consultation with Leader and the Growth Board, to agree the Year 1 affordable housing delivery programme, phasing and processes specified in the Delivery Plan.

5.    Appoint Oxfordshire County Council as the accountable body in respect of the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal.

6.    Delegate authority to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader and the Growth Board, to review the terms of reference of the Growth Board and agree any amendments and any appropriate inter-authority agreements required to support the Delivery of the Housing and Growth Deal.

7.    Delegate authority to the Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader to take any other decisions arising from agreement to the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal, until the revised terms of reference of the Growth Board are in place.

8.    Agree to participate in the preparation of a Joint Statutory Spatial Plan (JSSP) for Oxfordshire in accordance with the timescales set out in the Delivery Plan and in accordance with Section 28 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (Districts only). The milestones for progressing the JSSP being contingent on Government delivering the Planning Freedoms and Flexibilities as described in the Delivery Plan.

Council considered the report, the outline of the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal (the Deal) announced by Government in the November Budget, which provides £215 million of additional Government funding for Oxfordshire, along with a package of planning freedoms and flexibilities for the Oxfordshire authorities, and a detailed Delivery Plan to be agreed by the Oxfordshire Partners, Homes England and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

Councillor Price (the Council’s executive member on the Growth Board and Chair of the Growth Board) introduced the Deal and the delivery plan.

He thanked the officers at the City Council for their work with partner authorities leading to the award of the Deal and the delivery plan before Council for agreement, his fellow council leaders for their collaborative work, and Lord Adonis at the National Infrastructure Commission for his support.

In the introductions and in answer to questions he drew Council’s attention to a number of point including:

·         the JSSP was expected to be completed in 2020, subject to the requirements of the awaited new draft National Planning Policy Framework;

·         the Deal complemented work on affordable housing, transport capacity, infrastructure, and work on rail links across the Oxford- Cambridge corridor and facilitated the delivery of housing, the majority of which was already agreed and in Local Plans, and economic growth;

·         the Growth Board had agreed a list of key major infrastructure projects (in the Oxfordshire Infrastructure Strategy) and local authorities would be looking at aligning available sites and deliverable infrastructure to bring development forward quickly. Flexibility, deliverability, and ongoing investment were crucial to reducing unplanned development particularly in the rural areas, speeding up delivery and reducing costs;

·         proposals for the Oxford- Cambridge corridor including housing, roads and rail links would require high levels of commitment from local authorities and partners and high investment from central government;

He proposed and Councillor Brown seconded agreement to the Deal and the delivery plan and the recommendations as set out in the report.

Councillor Gant proposed amendments to the delivery plan and the recommendations, seconded by Councillor Wade:

On housing:

1)            that the list of innovative models at para 4.6.2 of the Delivery Plan includes the phrase “and other models”

2)            that the terms used for types of tenure in para 4.4.2 of the Delivery Plan are defined

On governance add two recommendations to the 8 listed on the report:

3)            (agree) that our representative on the Growth Board tables at the next Growth Board meeting on behalf of this council, a proposal to set up a Scrutiny and Oversight process, fully in the spirit of constructive challenge and engagement which is given such weight in Local Government legislation

4)            (agree) that this Council makes a report on the work of the Growth Board a standing item at full council, with an opportunity to question our representative and submit comments agreed by this council to the Board, for consideration and a written response

Councillors noted that the detailed delivery of the proposals in the plan would incorporate the substance of points 1 and 2; and noted comments that the scrutiny function in 3 could perhaps be arranged through discussion with partner authorities and that reporting to Council on progress with the Deal would be useful.

After debate, Councillor Gant withdrew amendments 1, 2 and 3.

On being put to the vote, amendment 4 was declared lost.

Councillors noted that

After debate, noting the comments and concerns about the required balance of funding and the long term impact of growth on Oxfordshire, and on being put to the vote, Council resolved unanimously to accept the recommendations in the report

Council resolved to:

1.    Agree to the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal (the Deal)

2.    Agree the Delivery Plan (attached as Appendix 2 to this report) as the basis for the Deal; noting that elements will be updated as detailed work programmes develop.

3.    Delegate authority to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader and the Growth Board, to make minor changes to the Delivery Plan that may be required to secure agreement with Government.

4.    Delegate authority to the Chief Executive, in consultation with Leader and the Growth Board, to agree the Year 1 affordable housing delivery programme, phasing and processes specified in the Delivery Plan.

5.    Appoint Oxfordshire County Council as the accountable body in respect of the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal.

6.    Delegate authority to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader and the Growth Board, to review the terms of reference of the Growth Board and agree any amendments and any appropriate inter-authority agreements required to support the Delivery of the Housing and Growth Deal.

7.    Delegate authority to the Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader to take any other decisions arising from agreement to the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal, until the revised terms of reference of the Growth Board are in place.

8.    Agree to participate in the preparation of a Joint Statutory Spatial Plan (JSSP) for Oxfordshire in accordance with the timescales set out in the Delivery Plan and in accordance with Section 28 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (Districts only). The milestones for progressing the JSSP being contingent on Government delivering the Planning Freedoms and Flexibilities as described in the Delivery Plan.