An update report on the establishment of a lottery to raise money for good causes

Following the CEB meeting in March 2017, CEB requested that the Executive Director for Organisational Development and Corporate Services bring a further report to City Executive Board following soft market testing for an External Lottery Manager and engagement with the voluntary and community sector to understand the appetite for and implications of setting up the lottery.

The Executive Director for Organisational Development and Corporate Services submitted a report which proposed to set up an Oxford Lottery to ease growing demand on the Council’s open and small grants programmes.

Councillor Brown, Board member for Customer and Corporate Services presented the report.

The City Executive Board resolved to:

1.    Request that the Executive Director for Organisational Development and Corporate Services bring a further report to City Executive Board following soft market testing for an External Lottery Manager and engagement with the voluntary and community sector to understand the appetite for and implications of setting up the lottery.

On 9 March 2017, the  City Executive Board delegated authority to the Head of Housing and Property, in consultation with the Board Member for Housing and the Chief Finance Officer, the discretion to revise the intended programme of use associated with the 2017/18 Homelessness Prevention budget.

The Head of Housing and Property submitted a report which approved the allocation of homelessness prevention funds, with the purpose of meeting the objectives of the Homelessness Strategy.

Councillor Rowley, Board Member for Housing presented the report.

The City Executive Board resolved to:

1.            Approve the allocation of Homelessness Prevention funds to commission homelessness services as outlined in paragraph 28.

2.            Agree that any savings from 2016/17 budget allocations for Homelessness Prevention activities are, at the end of the financial year considered to be carried forward to fund necessary and additional services in 2017/18 and 2018/19 including those items as outlined in paragraph 22-27.

3.           Delegate authority to the Head of Housing and Property, in consultation with the Board Member for Housing and the Chief Finance Officer, the discretion to revise the intended programme of use associated with the 2017/18 Homelessness Prevention budget.

At its meeting on 9 March 2017, CEB delegated authority to the Chief Executive, having notified in advance the Board Members for Finance, Asset Management and Public Health, and Housing, to approve any property purchases over £500,000 for the Homeless Accommodation Property Investment project.

The Executive Director for City Regeneration and Housing submitted a report which requested officer delegation for property purchases over £500,000 for the Homeless Accommodation property investment project which would otherwise require City Executive Board approval for each transaction.

Councillor Turner, Board Member for Finance, Asset Management and Public Health presented the report.

The City Executive Board resolved to:

1.            Delegate authority to the Chief Executive, having notified in advance the Board Members for Finance, Asset Management and Public Health, and Housing, to approve any property purchases over £500,000 for the Homeless Accommodation Property Investment project.

Following on from a successful referendum, Oxford City Council is now required to adopt, or 'make' the Headington Neighbourhood Plan.

The Head of Planning and Regulatory submitted a report to consider the Examiner’s Report, approve modifications to the Headington Neighbourhood Plan and agree that the Headington Neighbourhood Plan is submitted to a referendum.

Councillor Hollingsworth, Board Member for Planning and Regulatory Services presented the report. He thanked officers and members of the Headington Neighbourhood Forum for their work on the Headington Neighbourhood Plan.

The City Executive Board resolved to:

1.            Approve the Modifications to Policies in the Headington Neighbourhood Plan as recommended by the Examiner’s Report (January 2017).

2.            Approve the factual modifications that have been made for the purpose of correcting errors and approve the factual modifications relating to textual changes in the introductory chapters or in terms of the justification for the policies in the Headington Neighbourhood Plan.

3.            Agree that the Headington Neighbourhood Plan (as modified in the form at Appendix 3) is submitted to a referendum.

Finalisation of lease and licensing agreements with the LATCo covering the LATCo companies’ occupation of relevant Council premises and use of Council resources.

The Head of Direct Services has submitted a report which presents the business case and seeks approval for the establishment of a Local Authority Trading Company.

Councillor Turner, Finance, Asset Management and Public Health presented the report. He thanked senior officers and union representatives for their work towards the establishment of the company.

The Board noted the exempt appendix to this report which contained legal opinion about the creation of a trading company.

The City Executive Board resolved to:

1.            Agree in principle the setting up of a Local Authority wholly owned trading group of companies (‘the company’) from April 2017.

2.            Delegate authority to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Council’s statutory officers and Board member for Finance, Asset Management and Public Health, authority to set up an appropriate company structure, including:

•      Selection of the name of the company(s)

•      Approval of the type of company, the articles of the company and the size and composition of its board

•      Recommending to the Shareholder Committee appointments to the posts of Managing Director, Directors, Company Secretary and Non-Executive Directors of the company

•      Preparation  of a shareholder’s agreement to be entered into between the company and the Council for consideration by the Shareholder Committee

•      Ensuring that the company holds appropriate insurances and/or benefit from insurances that the Council holds

3.            Agree that new externally traded work is managed and accounted for through the new company once appropriate arrangements are in place and it is practical to do so.

4.            Approve provision of an initial loan of £250k for working capital at state aid compliant interest rates.

5.            Delegate authority to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Council’s statutory officers, to undertake further work and report back to the City Executive Board on matters including:-

•      Which services should be transferred or not and if so into which part of the structure principally having regard to the financial impact on the Council.

•      Which if any staff should transfer from the Council to the Local Authority Trading Company.

•      Client side arrangements as appropriate.

6.            Note the establishment of a Shareholder Committee (comprising the members of the City Executive Board) which will represent the Council as shareholder in the company.

To consider the Council’s Capital Strategy for 2017/18.

The Head of Financial Services submitted a report which presented the Capital Strategy for approval.

Councillor Turner, Board Member for Finance, Asset Management and Public Health presented the report.

The City Executive Board resolved to:

1.            Approve the Capital Strategy 2017/18-2020/21 as attached at Appendix A to the report.

Quarterly reports detail the Council’s finances, risk and performance as at the end of each financial quarter for 2016/17 and may include recommendations on consequential changes to the budget.

The Heads of Head of Financial Services and Business Improvement submitted a report which updated Members on Council’s finances, risk and performance as at 31 December 2016.

Councillor Turner, Board member for Finance, Asset Management and Public Health presented the report. He thanked Oxford City Council staff for their hard work in continuing to provide high quality services to the citizens of Oxford despite the current uncertainty over the structure of local government in Oxfordshire.

The City Executive Board resolved to:

1.            Note the projected financial outturn and current position on risk and performance as at the 31 December 2016

2.            Note the transfer to HRA reserves of £0.700 million as at the 31 December 2016