The Head of Community Services has submitted a report to approve the signing of full Twin City agreements with Wroclaw, Ramallah and Padova and agree the criteria for the formation of additional international links.

Recommendation: That the City Executive Board resolves to:

1.    Approve the Oxford-Wroclaw Twin City agreement signed in Wroclaw in October 2018;

2.    Endorse the Oxford Polish Association as the formal volunteer community Link for the Wroclaw twinning relationship;

3.    Approve the signing of full Twin City agreements with Ramallah and Padova;

4.    Delegate authority to approve the final wording of the full Twin city agreements to the Head of Community services in consultation with the  portfolio holder for Culture and City Centre and the Head of Law and Governance;

5.    Approve how we use the £23,000 budget allocation for twinning projects; and

6.    Approve the criteria and process for selecting future international links as set out in paragraph 26 of this report.

The Head of Community Services had submitted a report to approve the signing of full Twin City agreements with Wroclaw, Ramallah and Padova and agree the criteria for the formation of additional international links.

The Board Member for Culture and City Centre, Councillor Clarkson, introduced the report, which had been  the culmination of a great deal of work over the previous year and the slow and steady building of relationships with Wroclaw, Ramallah and Padova over time.

The benefits of twinning arrangements should be for the whole city, not just for cultural links between small groups. The example was  given of an opportunity which had been given for a group of young people to travel to Bonn to take part in a football event, many of whom would not otherwise have had the opportunity to travel abroad; the trip had had a profoundly positive effect  on them.

As the arrangements for twinning expand so it would be desirable for the Council to focus on providing a strategic lead and for community links to make many of the detailed arrangements. Thought might also be given to hosting events involving more than one linked City at a time.

Councillor Turner left the room at 6.50 when the Board moved to consider the recommendations.

The City Executive Board resolved to:

1.    Approve the Oxford-Wroclaw Twin City agreement signed in Wroclaw in October 2018;

2.    Endorse the Oxford Polish Association as the formal volunteer community Link for the Wroclaw twinning relationship;

3.    Approve the signing of full Twin City agreements with Ramallah and Padova;

4.    Delegate authority to approve the final wording of the full Twin city agreements to the Head of Community services in consultation with the  portfolio holder for Culture and City Centre and the Head of Law and Governance;

5.    Approve how we use the £23,000 budget allocation for twinning projects; and

6.    Approve the criteria and process for selecting future international links as set out in paragraph 26 of this report.