The Executive Director (Development) has submitted a report inviting Cabinet to note the recommended revisions to Oxford’s Economic Strategy following the recent consultation and to recommend adoption of the document.

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.     Note the recommended changes to the Consultation version of Oxford’s Economic Strategy as set out in Appendix 3 to this report; and

2.     Adopt and publish the revised version of Oxford’s Economic Strategy at Appendix 1.

The Executive Director (Development) had submitted a report inviting Cabinet to note the recommended revisions to Oxford’s Economic Strategy following the recent consultation, and to recommend its adoption.

In introducing the report the Leader highlighted that the Strategy had been developed over a long period of time, had involved conversations with Members and stakeholders, and sought to embed the values of the Council.  It did not set out new plans or proposals for transport, housing, or employment sites but rather it reflected on what was already planned across those areas and sought to ensure that work with partners on delivery was done in as inclusive a way as possible in order that everybody could benefit from the wealth and economic growth which existed in the City.  It also reflected the well-known problems of economic and social division within the City, and lack of affordable housing, and was complementary to other strategies and workstreams both at City and County level.  The points which had been raised by Scrutiny with regard to making improvements to consultations were accepted: improving engagement with local communities and local business was an existing aim, and would be further progressed as part of the work of the Strategy. The Council had already sought to improve representation of local business with the various bodies with which it worked in developing and delivering the Strategy, and to ensure that the representation was reflective of the City. 

Matt Peachey, Economic Development Manager, clarified in relation to paragraph 10 of the report that points and challenges contained in the table within that paragraph were not all from ‘Transform Oxford’s Economic Strategy’ (TOES),  but had come from individuals or other organisations which had referred to TOES’ literature or had raised related issues.  It had not been intended to suggest that TOES was involved with generating misinformation. 

Cabinet resolved to:

1.      Note the recommended changes to the Consultation version of Oxford’s Economic Strategy as set out at Appendix 3 to the report;

2.      Adopt and publish the revised version of Oxford’s Economic Strategy at Appendix 1, with authority to make any minor amendments required before publication delegated to the Head of Regeneration and Economy in consultation with the Leader.

Cabinet, at its meeting on 15 June 2022, will consider a report from the Director of Development on Oxford’s Economic Strategy.

Cllr Susan Brown, Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy and Partnerships, and Matt Peachey, Economic Development Manager, have been invited to present the report and answer questions.

The Committee is asked to consider the report and may wish to make recommendations to Cabinet.

Evelyn Sanderson from Trust for Oxfordshire’s Environment addressed the meeting. She said that 80% of respondents to the consultation had felt that the Strategy had not fully captured the issues. In her view this feedback had been either dismissed or addressed only in minor ways in the report before the Committee. Oxford had 99% employment and jobs growth in sectors such as life sciences would only serve to exacerbate inequality. The Strategy would also not support the aim of achieving net zero by 2040. Only one individual who identified as being from a BAME group had responded to the consultation. Members had insufficient time to digest the report prior to its adoption by Cabinet and it should be deferred to enable further engagement and work on the aims of the Strategy and to ensure that it would be coherent, deliverable and fit for the future.

Councillor Susan Brown, Leader and Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy and Partnerships, introduced the report and clarified that the Strategy aimed to address existing planned growth, as set out in Local Plans, and ensure that growth would be inclusive. The Strategy reflected a range of other strategies related to housing, planning, etc. but was focused specifically on the economy. The work on the Strategy had started pre-pandemic and there had been a good level of engagement from residents and stakeholders. The context was that notwithstanding the national economic challenges, Oxford’s economy was growing strongly and this was clearly evident, for example in the increasing demand for workspaces. It was necessary for the City to plan for the growth that was happening.

The Economic Development Manager added that the Council had done its best to listen to the consultation feedback. The inclusion and zero carbon themes had been well supported but the global theme less so, and efforts had been made to make this clearer. Oxford had a globally significant and impactful economy and it was about making that impact positive, it wasn’t about greed or globalisation. Lots of work was underway to manage growth in an inclusive way, such as the Meanwhile in Oxfordshire programme, the Oxford Living Wage, affordable workspaces, the Oxford flood alleviation scheme, and community employment benefits from major developments such as Oxford North. It was accepted that there was a need to engage better with BAME groups and young people in particular.

In discussion it was noted that:

·         Consulting on strategy documents was inherently difficult so the Council used a Citizen Panel to test consultation approaches and there had also been workshops offered, but poorly attended. There was a need to consider different ways of engaging with diverse groups.

·         The term “affordable housing” could be taken to mean different things and it was important to clarify that the Council was primarily talking about social housing and, to a lesser extent, shared ownership and keyworker housing schemes.

·         The existing pressure on the city’s infrastructure was a concern although the city was the most sustainable location for growth within the county, as a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9