Apologies were received from Councillors Bance and McManners.

Board Members are asked to declare any personal or personal prejudicial interests they may have in any of the following agenda items.  Guidance is contained at the end of these agenda pages.

No declarations of interest were made.

When the Chair agrees, members of the public may ask questions – up to 15 minutes in total is allowed for this item.  Questions must be about items on the agenda and the actual wording of the question(s) must be given to the Head of Law and Governance by 2.00 pm on the working day before the meeting (email: executiveboard@oxford.gov.uk or telephone the person named as staff contact).

Full written questions together with answers were distributed at the start of the meeting. These are appended to the minutes.

Report of: Head of Leisure and Parks

Lead Member: Councillor Timbs

To request the Board to endorse Fusion Lifestyle’s Annual Service Plan for the management of the Council’s leisure facilities for 2011/12.

The Head of City Leisure submitted a report (previously circulated, now appended) requesting the Board to endorse Fusion Lifestyle’s Annual Service Plan for the management of the Council’s leisure facilities for 2011/12.

Councillor Tanner said that he particularly welcomed the reduction in Carbon emissions from the City’s leisure facilities. He also added that the authority as a whole had achieved the 25% target in terms of overall carbon reduction. This position was welcomed by the Board.

Resolved to:-

(1)   Endorse the Fusion Lifestyle Annual Service Plan for 2011/12;

(2)   Request that further work is done to address levels of staff dissatisfaction amongst Fusion staff; and

(3)   Instruct officers, for future reports of this type, to ensure that risks are presented in a more detailed and meaningful way.

Report of: Head of Corporate Assets

Lead Member: Councillor Turner

To advise Members of the outcome of the detailed tendering exercise undertaken for the procurement of a co-investment partner, and to seek approval and confirm the preferred bidder with a view to the Council entering into a Joint Venture vehicle, as detailed in the Report, with that preferred bidder.

The Head of Corporate Assets submitted a report (previously circulated, now appended) advising the Board of the outcome of the detailed tendering exercise undertaken for the procurement of a co-investment partner, as well as seeking approval and confirmation of the preferred bidder with a view to the Council entering into a Joint Venture vehicle, as detailed in the report, with that preferred bidder.

Resolved to:-

(1)   Note the contents of the report, particularly the structure, detail and process of evaluation that had been undertaken;

(2)   Note the outcome and conclusions of the value-for-money comparator work undertaken;

(3)   Approve the selection of Grosvenor Developments Ltd (‘Grosvenor’) as the preferred private sector co-investment partner;

(4)   Grant delegated authority to the Executive Director, Regeneration and Housing to authorise the Council’s entry into a limited liability joint venture partnership (“LLP”) with Grosvenor, the principles of the LLP to be consistent with the provisions of the Heads of Terms attached to the report in the Not for Publication appendix;

(5)   Agree that upon establishment of the Joint Venture to authorise the transfer of the Council’s freehold interest in the site to the LLP on the terms as set out in the report, and the Not for Publication Appendix, and otherwise on detailed terms and conditions to be approved by the Head of Corporate Assets;

(6)   Confirm the appointment of the Chief Executive, the Executive Director Regeneration and Housing and the Corporate Director Finance and Efficiency as the Council’s three representatives on the Board of the Joint Venture;

(7)   Confirm the appointment of an appropriate number of officers of the Council to serve as members of the Executive Project Group of the LLP, to be appointed by the Executive Director Regeneration and Housing;

(8)   Agree the placing of any voluntary notice in regard to the procurement exercise as is considered appropriate to give adequate notice of the Council’s selection of its co-investment partner; and

(9)   Agree that St Modwen will be held as the preferred under-bidder, subject to a further report back to the Board before any action is taken in this respect.

Report of: Head of Corporate Assets

Lead Member: Councillor Turner

To seek approval to agree not to determine the existing Development Agreement in respect of the Westgate Centre before 31 December, 2011

The Head of Corporate Assets submitted a report (previously circulated, now appended) seeking approval to agree not to determine the existing Development Agreement in respect of the Westgate redevelopment before 31 December 2011.

Resolved to:-

(1)   Note the progress of discussions with Crown Estate and Land Securities as detailed in the Report; and

(2)   Authorise officers to reach agreement with the Crown Estate and Land Securities (collectively the Westgate Oxford alliance) that neither the Council nor the Westgate Oxford Alliance will exercise its right to terminate the Development Agreement (without the consent of the other) in regard to the Westgate redevelopment project prior to 31 December 2011, and to delegate to the Head of Corporate Assets the authority to enter into appropriate documentation to record this agreement.

Report of: Head of City Development

Lead Member: Councillor Cook

To approve the Sites and Housing Development Plan Document Preferred Options Document for consultation

The Head of City Development submitted a report (previously circulated, now appended) seeking approval of the Sites and Housing Development Plan Preferred Options document for consultation.

Resolved to:-

(1)   Approve the Sites and Housing Development Plan Preferred Options document for consultation; and

(2)   Authorise the Head of City Development, in consultation with the relevant Executive Board Member(s), to make any necessary editorial corrections to the document and to agree the final version before publication.

This item is included on the agenda to give members the opportunity to raise issues on the Forward Plan or update the Board about future agenda items.

Nothing was raised under this item.

Minutes of the meeting held on 13 April 2011

The minutes of the meeting held on 13 April 2011 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

If the Board wishes to exclude the press and the public from the meeting during consideration of any of the items on the exempt from publication part of the agenda, it will be necessary for the Board to pass a resolution in accordance with the provisions of Paragraph 21(1)(b) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2000 on the grounds that their presence could involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as described in specific paragraphs of Schedule I2A of the Local Government Act 1972.

The Board may maintain the exemption if and so long as, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

Resolved, without going into confidential session, to:-

(1)   Approve as a correct record the not for publication section of the minutes of the meeting held on 13 April 2011; and

(2)   Note the contents of a not for publication annexe to the report at agenda item 5 (minute 5 refers)