Decisions

Decisions

Use the search options at the bottom of the page to find information regarding recent decisions that have been taken by the council’s committees and officers.

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Decisions published

25/11/2019 - Kashmir ref: 1834    Recommendations Approved

Decision Maker: Council

Made at meeting: 25/11/2019 - Council

Decision published: 04/12/2019

Effective from: 25/11/2019

Decision:

Councillors Lloyd-Shogbesan left at the start of this item.

 

Councillor Altaf Khan, seconded by Councillor Wade, proposed the submitted motion as set out in the agenda and briefing note.

 

After debate and on being put to the vote the motion was agreed.

 

Council resolved to adopt the following motion:

 

This Council supports the calls of the Oxford Kashmiri/Pakistani community to take notice of the humanitarian crisis intensified since 5th August 2019 when the Indian government revoked Article 370 of the Constitution thus abrogating the special status granted to Kashmir.

 

This Council notes that:

·         eight million people in the valley of Kashmir are completely disconnected from the rest of the world due to curfew imposed by the Indian government;

·         the enforced disappearances of civilians, the state-endorsed sexual violence of women by armed forces and the overall prevalence of human rights violations in the region worsens;

·         the consequences of the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A along with the lockdown is aimed to demolish Kashmiri identity and bring about a demographic change against the wished of the people of Kashmir;

·         thousands of Kashmiris including political leaders, both pro-freedom and mainstream, have been imprisoned without lawful justification;

·         the number of children abducted from their homes is estimated by Indian human rights activists is about 13,000;

·         the ongoing communications black-out is causing disruption for medical agencies and distress for the families.

 

This Council affirms that:

Jammu and Kashmir is a UN mandated disputed territory and the people of Kashmir must be given the right to self-determination as provided by the UN charter and UN resolutions.

It endorses the UN High Commissioners’ demand to send a fact-finding Mission to Kashmir as demanded in OHCHR reports of June 2018 and July 2019.

 

This Council resolves:

1)      That the international community including our incoming Government should ask the Government of India to lift all restrictions, ensure restoration of all human rights and fundamental freedoms and allow access to all aid agencies and international observers to obtain an independent estimate of this crisis situation.

2)      The global community through the United Nations should invoke preventative diplomacy to prevent a military conflict between India and Pakistan in the interests of international peace and security and to ensure that the curfew enforced since 5th August should be lifted to guarantee the security and even the lives of the Kashmiri people.

3)      To ask group leaders to write jointly to the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, Oxford's incoming MPs and MEPs supporting this motion.

 

This Council acknowledges the brave and principled work of Oxford’s Kashmiri/Pakistani community and wider diaspora to push for accountability over the many decades of human rights violations and crimes against the Kashmiri people by the Government of India;

 

and asks the Leader/Chief Executive of the Council to write to the relevant U.K. Government Ministers in the Home and Foreign Offices, and to the city’s incoming MPs, asking:

1)      The UK government to condemn the use of force, rape and other human rights violations of the Kashmiris.

2)      The Home Office to provide sanctuary to Kashmiri people seeking safety from the oppressive regime in Indian Occupied Kashmir.

3)      The city’s MPs to write appropriate letters to the Home Office and Foreign Office representing the demands set out in this motion.

 


25/11/2019 - Mental Health ref: 1833    Recommendations Approved

Decision Maker: Council

Made at meeting: 25/11/2019 - Council

Decision published: 04/12/2019

Effective from: 25/11/2019

Decision:

Councillor Iley-Williamson arrived and Councillors Fry, Pressel and Tidball left during this item.

 

Councillor Bely-Summers, seconded by Councillor Upton proposed the submitted motion as set out in the agenda and briefing note.

 

After debate and on being put to the vote the motion was agreed.

 

Council resolved to adopt the following motion:

 

The 2012 Health and Social Care Act opened the NHS to private companies, allowing them to bid for big contracts and sue the NHS if they didn’t get it.

The NHS is being dismantled piece by piece. This is compounded by the longest spell of austerity cuts in living memory and a lower investment in health compared to other EU countries.

Oxfordshire CCG is a serial under-funder of Mental Health services. It persistently spends well below the national average figure of 13.9%. For the people in Oxford it means rationing and difficulty accessing services for those who need it at a time when public awareness of mental illness is increasing and the rate of Oxfordshire pupils suffering from mental health problems tops national average (see Oxford Mail 8/10/19).

Unite which represents 100,000 members in the Health service have pointed out that psychological therapies have lost about 90% of their most senior clinicians since 2007 and that the trend needs to be reversed to prevent mentally ill people falling through the care net. Consultant psychology posts in adult psychology have recently been reduced by a third. The expectation is that less qualified staff will do more complex work with people who have serious mental health problems.

Oxfordshire Unison Health branch has highlighted the following:

Ø  a shortage of Mental Health nurses in psychiatric wards.

Ø  the recruitment and retention crisis being made worse by high cost of living in Oxfordshire.

Ø  overcrowded wards are creating stressful environments, hampering recovery.

Ø  the lack of decent housing and supportive placements prevents rapid discharge.

Ø  the lack of adequate community services to support people in crisis leading to readmission.

Put under pressure from politicians, local people, councillors and campaign groups , the county council reversed its decision over a £1.6 million cut in the Mental Health budget earlier this year but we will need to do much more just to stand still as our population grows.

 

Therefore

1)    We call on the Leader of the City Council to write to the Secretary of State to urge them to increase Mental Health funding to meet national target and address the needs of the population.

2)    We call on the Systems Leaders Group for the Buckingham, Oxfordshire and West Berkshire Integrated Care System (BOB ICS) to ensure they will consult the local population on decisions made regarding Mental Health provision.

3)    We request a clear line of accountability to be outlined by BOB ICS to ensure that the public has confidence in its decisions.

 


25/11/2019 - Setting an Oxford Living Rent ref: 1832    Recommendations Approved

Decision Maker: Council

Made at meeting: 25/11/2019 - Council

Decision published: 04/12/2019

Effective from: 25/11/2019

Decision:

With Council’s consent this item was taken before the break.

 

Councillors Corais and McManners arrived during this item.

 

Councillor Wolff, seconded by Councillor Rowley proposed the submitted motion as set out in the agenda and briefing note.

 

After debate and on being put to the vote the motion was agreed.

 

Council resolved to adopt the following motion:

 

This Council notes

1)    the high cost of rent within the private rented sector within the City;

2)    that it has limited influence on the private rented sector rental values;

3)    that it has a duty under the Homelessness Reduction Act to do what it can to prevent homelessness including helping those who are not in priority need from losing their home;

4)    the success of the Oxford Living Wage campaign in raising awareness of low pay and encouraging more employers to pay a living wage;

5)    that the Mayor of London has set and published benchmark London Living Rent levels for every neighbourhood in the capital. These are based on a third of average local household incomes and adjusted for the number of bedrooms in each home.

 

Council therefore agrees to:

1)      ask Cabinet to commission a report to explore the idea of setting and publishing an annual ‘Oxford Living Rent’ for the private rented sector with a view to exerting influence on the rental market within Oxford.

2)      write to the incoming Government after 12 December asking for the power to establish and enforce local rent controls..

 

The Oxford Living Rent should be calculated using a methodology that utilises existing, annually published data using research from organisations such as the Joseph Rowntree Foundation who have studied this in some detail.

This motion does not prescribe the method to be used but notes that various options exist and should be evaluated for their relevance to Oxford and their alignment with the values of this Council.

 

 


25/11/2019 - Motions on notice ref: 1831    Recommendations Approved

Decision Maker: Council

Made at meeting: 25/11/2019 - Council

Decision published: 04/12/2019

Effective from: 25/11/2019

Decision:

Council had before it seven motions on notice submitted in accordance with Council procedure rules and reached decisions as set out below.

 

Council resolved to adopt the following motions as set out in these minutes:

 

a)    Setting an Oxford Living Rent

b)    Mental Health

c)    Kashmir

 

The following motions were not taken as the time allocated for debate had elapsed:

 

d)    Long Service Awards

e)    International Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons

f)     Greening the city centre

g)    Tourism management

 


25/11/2019 - Appointment to Committees ref: 1817    Recommendations Approved

Decision Maker: Council

Made at meeting: 25/11/2019 - Council

Decision published: 04/12/2019

Effective from: 25/11/2019

Decision:

Council noted that the Leader had appointed Councillor John Tanner as the Substitute Member on the Thames Valley Police and Crime Panel.

 

There were no changes to committee memberships.

 


25/11/2019 - Minutes ref: 1816    Recommendations Approved

Decision Maker: Council

Made at meeting: 25/11/2019 - Council

Decision published: 04/12/2019

Effective from: 25/11/2019

Decision:

Council agreed to approve as a true and correct record the minutes of the ordinary meeting held on 7 October, subject to a correction to the last sentence in Minute 45: ‘…initial investment of between £4 and £5m.’

 


25/11/2019 - Council and Committee meetings programme May 2020 - May 2022 ref: 1822    Recommendations Approved

To agree the programme of Council and Committee meetings from Annual Council in May 2020 to Annual Council in May 2021
To agree an indicative programme from Annual Council in May 2021 to June 2022.

Decision Maker: Council

Made at meeting: 25/11/2019 - Council

Decision published: 04/12/2019

Effective from: 25/11/2019

Decision:

Council considered a report of the Head of Law and Governance setting out a programme of Council, committee and other meetings for the 2020/21 and 2021/2022 council years (11 May 2020 to 31 May 2022 inclusive)

 

Councillor Brown, the Leader of the Council, presented the report and answered questions. She moved the recommendations, which were agreed on being seconded and put to the vote.

 

Council resolved to:

1.    approve the programme of Council, committee and other meetings attached at Appendix 1 for the council year 2020/21;

2.    approve the programme of Council, committee and other meetings attached at Appendix 2 for the council year 2021/22;

3.    delegate authority to the Head of Law and Governance, in consultation with Group Leaders, to make changes to this programme, in the event that there is a decision by Council to change the committee structure or remit which impacts on the programme of meetings; and

4.    delegate authority to the Head of Law and Governance to set dates for additional training and briefing sessions for members, and, in consultation with the Head of Business Improvement, to set meetings of the Appointments Committee and Investigations and Disciplinary Committee (should they be required).

 

Lead officer: Andrew Brown, Jennifer Thompson


25/11/2019 - Appointment of independent persons 2019 ref: 1820    Recommendations Approved

The Localism Act 2011 requires Oxford City Council to appoint one or more Independent Persons to assist the Monitoring Officer in dealing with complaints about councillors’ standards of behaviour and alleged breaches of the Members’ Code of Conduct. 

In addition, The Local Authorities Regulations 2015 require the Council to invite relevant Independent Persons to join the Investigation and Disciplinary Committee to consider evidence and provide advice on the course of action to follow whenever there is the prospect of dismissal of a statutory officer of the Council (these are the Chief Executive, Chief Finance Officer and Monitoring Officer).

Council will be asked to approve the appointment of up to four Independent Persons for a period of five years to July 2024.

 

Decision Maker: Council

Made at meeting: 25/11/2019 - Council

Decision published: 04/12/2019

Effective from: 25/11/2019

Decision:

Council considered the Monitoring Officer’s report published with the agenda and a supplementary report published after the agenda, asking Council to approve the appointment of the council’s independent persons for a term of five years to 30 November 2024 following a formal recruitment exercise.

 

Councillor Aziz, the Chair of the Standards Committee, presented the report. She moved the recommendations, and asked Council to appoint the individuals named below. This was agreed unanimously on being seconded and put to the vote.

 

Council resolved to:

1.    approve the appointment of Chris Ballinger, Andrew Mills-Hicks, Jill McCleery and Osama Raja as the council’s independent persons for a term of five years to 30 November 2024; and

2.    delegate authority to the Monitoring Officer to make the necessary arrangements.

 

 

Lead officer: Catherine Phythian


25/11/2019 - Urgent decision report on Housing Infrastructure Funding (HIF) - Osney Mead Innovation Quarter. ref: 1821    Recommendations Approved

The funding is for delivery of new infrastructure at Osney Mead to enable the first phases of redevelopment of the Osney Mead Innovation Quarter to take place in line with the emerging Local Plan. This decision ensures the funding is secured following an urgent deadline given by Homes England to finalise contracting. They have stated that all outstanding funding awards must be contracted ahead of October 31st to avoid the risk of funds being withdrawn. It should be noted that £4.35m is the last piece of funding secured for the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme. The remaining £1.738m funds pedestrian and cycle routes linking Botley, Hinksey, Osney Mead and Oxpens alongside a wider pool of funds.

 

Decision Maker: Council

Made at meeting: 25/11/2019 - Council

Decision published: 04/12/2019

Effective from: 25/11/2019

Decision:

Council considered the record of the urgent officer decision taken by the Executive Director (Development) on 31 October 2019 to enter a contract with Homes England to secure £6.088m for infrastructure to enable new development at Osney Mead Innovation Quarter under the Housing Infrastructure Fund Marginal Viability Scheme, and a recommendation to amend the capital budget to include these funds in the Council’s capital programme.

 

Councillor Brown, the Leader of the Council, presented the report and answered questions. She moved the recommendations, which were agreed on being seconded and put to the vote.

 

Council resolved to:

 

1.    note the urgent officer decision taken by the Executive Director (Development) on 31 October 2019 to enter a contract with Homes England to secure £6.088m for infrastructure.

 

2.    approve the inclusion of a budget of £6.088m in the Council’s capital programme for Osney Mead Infrastructure enabling works.

 


03/09/2019 - Implementation of an Electric Vehicle Strategy with Associated Infrastructure to support Targeted Improvement of Air Quality. ref: 1813    Recommendations Approved

To enter into a 30 year lease agreement with Pivoted Power LLP for the substation at Redbridge Park and Ride on a peppercorn rent.

Decision Maker: Officer Executive Decisions Group

Decision published: 22/11/2019

Effective from: 03/09/2019

Decision:

Decision to award a contract to EB Charging Ltd that runs until 31st March 2022 at a maximum cost to the council of £228,250.

 

Wards affected: (All Wards);

Lead officer: Tim Sadler