None

When the chair agrees, the public can ask questions about any item for decision at the meeting for up to 15 minutes.  Questions must have been given to the Head of Law and Governance by 9.30am one clear working day before the meeting (email executiveboard@oxford.gov.uk or telephone the person named as staff contact).  No supplementary questions or questioning will be permitted.  Questions by the public will be taken as read and, when the Chair agrees, be responded to at the meeting.

Full written questions with answers were distributed as a supplement before the meeting. Questions were asked on:

1.    Commissioning Advice Services 2015-18 (minute 45) by Sue Tanner (Rose Hill & Donnington Advice Centre) and Fran Bennett (Agnes Smith Advice Centre)

2.    Integrated Performance Report Quarter 1 2014/15 (minute 47) by Nigel Gibson

The Board noted the public questions.

When the chair agrees, Councillors can address the Board about any item for decision at the meeting for up to 3 minutes.  Addresses must have been given to the Head of Law and Governance by 9.30am, one clear working day before the meeting (email executiveboard@oxford.gov.uk or telephone the person named as staff contact).  The Board Member who has political responsibility for the item for decision may respond or the Board will have regard to the points raised in reaching its decision.

No Councillors addressed the Board.

Scrutiny committee reports will be submitted to this meeting in a supplement agenda.

The Scrutiny Committee’s recommendations on the Integrated Performance Report for Quarter 1 2014/15 (minute 47), Treasury Management Annual Report (minute 48), Oxford Growth Board (minute 49) and Business in the Community – Working in Partnership (minute 50) were discussed during the Board’s discussion of the items.

The Head of City Development has submitted a report which outlines the designation of the Headington Neighbourhood Forum.     

Officer Recommendations: That the City Executive Board designates the proposed Headington Neighbourhood Forum as a neighbourhood forum for the Headington Neighbourhood Area.

The Head of City Development submitted a report (previously circulated, now appended) which detailed the designation of the Headington Neighbourhood Forum.

Cllr Price, Executive Board Member for Corporate Strategy, Economic Development and Planning presented the report

The City Executive Board resolved to designate the proposed Headington Neighbourhood Forum as a neighbourhood forum for the Headington Neighbourhood Area.

 The Head of Customer Services has submitted a report which seeks approval of a new service specification for commissioning advice services.

Officer Recommendations: That the City Executive Board:

1.  Approve the specification for commissioning advice services as set out in Appendix 1.

2.  Agree that the identification of the priority area to be included in the service specification together with the associated outcomes and measures are delegated to the portfolio holder for Customer Services and Social Inclusion and the Head of Customer Services to agree with the commissioned advice agencies prior to 1 October 2014.

The Head of Customer Services submitted a report (previously circulated, now appended) which sought approval of a new service specification for commissioning advice services.

Cllr Susan Brown, Executive Board Member for Customer Services and Social Inclusion presented the report.

The Head of Customer Services outlined one change to the report, in paragraph 12; the first sentence should read “For 2015/16 the priority area will be in line with the Council’s Financial Inclusion Strategy”

Cllr Tanner said the discussion should focus on teaching people how to spend money well rather than telling them how to spend their money. Personal catastrophe causes people to get into debt rather than financial mismanagement.

Cllr Seamons asked how the Board was to monitor the outcomes. Cllr Price said a monitoring report would come back to CEB once the priority areas and measures had been agreed.

The City Executive Board resolved to:

1.  Approve the specification for commissioning advice services as set out in Appendix 1.

2.  Agree that the identification of the priority area to be included in the service specification together with the associated outcomes and measures are delegated to the portfolio holder for Customer Services and Social Inclusion and the Head of Customer Services to agree with the commissioned advice agencies prior to 1 October 2014.

The Head of Business Improvement and Technology; has submitted a report which details a proposed new telephony solution which will deliver the telephony savings assumed within the Medium Term Financial Plan and request delegated authority to award a contract to deliver the solution.

Officer Recommendation: That the City Executive Board gives project approval and delegated authority to the Director of Organisational Development and Corporate Services to award a new telephony contract. 

The Head of Business Improvement and Technology submitted a report (previously circulated, now appended) which will deliver the telephony savings assumed within the Medium Term Financial Plan and request delegated authority to award a contract to deliver the solution.

Cllr Turner, Executive Board Member for Finance, Asset Management and Public Health presented the report. He explained it would be an effective cost saving measure which would free up funding for other projects.

The City Executive Board resolved to give project approval and delegated authority to the Director of Organisational Development and Corporate Services to award a new telephony contract.

The Heads of Finance and Business Improvement and Technology have submitted a report which details Council’s finances, risk and performance as at the end of Quarter 1, 30th June 2014

Officer Recommendations: That the City Executive Board:

1.    Note the projected outturn for finance and performance as at the end of the first quarter of 2014/15 and also the risk position as at 30th June 2014;

2.    Recommend to Council the approval of a £160,000 capital investment in a Heavy Goods Vehicle Testing Facility.

3.    Recommend to Council the bringing forward of a £2 million capital investment in Homelessness Property acquisitions from 2015/16 to 2014/15 with the balance of the £10 million budget being profiled £2 million each year over four years from 2015/16.

The Heads of Finance and Business Improvement and Technology submitted a report (previously circulated, now appended) which detailed the Council’s finances, risk and performance as at the end of Quarter 1, 30th June 2014.

Cllr Turner, Executive Board Member for Finance, Asset Management and Public Health presented the report. His response to the scrutiny report is attached.

Cllr Simmons, Chair of the Scrutiny Committee highlighted the loss of subsidy related to benefit over payments. The Head of Customer Services said she had already taken action to avoid claw back and that the position have been adversely affected by the removal of council tax benefit from the calculations. This will be common to all local authorities.

Cllr Price said that the separation of the Council tax benefit from the housing benefit made the figures appear worse than they actually were. The benefit team’s performance was the best it had ever been.

The Blackbird Leys Swimming Pool is within budget and is on target for completion by the end of the year, which is pleasing.

The City Executive Board resolved to:

a.    Note the projected outturn for finance and performance as at the end of the first quarter of 2014/15 and also the risk position as at 30th June 2014;

b.    Recommend to Council the approval of a £160,000 capital investment in a Heavy Goods Vehicle Testing Facility.

c.    Recommend to Council the bringing forward of a £2 million capital investment in Homelessness Property acquisitions from 2015/16 to 2014/15 with the balance of the £10 million budget being profiled £2 million each year over four years from 2015/16.

The Head of Finance has submitted a report which sets out the Council’s treasury management activity and performance for 2013/2014.

Officer Recommendation: That the City Executive Board note the report.

The Head of Finance submitted a report (previously circulated, now appended) which detailed the Council’s treasury management activity and performance for 2013/2014.

Cllr Turner, Executive Board Member for Finance, Asset Management and Public Health presented the report. He highlighted the subject of ethical investments to comply with Council’s recommendation. His response to the Scrutiny Committee’s report is attached.

Cllr Simmons, Chair of the Scrutiny Committee asked the Board to consider a more flexible approach to the capital programme to avoid slippage. A delay in one programme shouldn’t cause a delay in other programmes.

Cllr Price said it was great news that the Council should get all its investments back from the Icelandic banks.

The Board noted that the Total Borrowed estimate for 31 March 2014 in Table 5 of the report should be £249,000M not £238,000M.

The City Executive Board resolved to note the report.

The Executive Director of City Regeneration and Housing has submitted a report which details the terms of reference of the Oxfordshire Growth Board and to make an appointment to it.

Officer Recommendations: That City Executive Board:

1. Approves the City Council becoming a member of the Oxfordshire Growth Joint Board and the draft Terms of Reference appended to this report.

2. Appoints the Leader of the Council as the City Council’s representative on the Board and any other Executive Member as substitute, to be determined by the Leader of the Council.

The Head of Executive Director of City Regeneration and Housing submitted a report (previously circulated, now appended) which detailed the terms of reference of the Oxfordshire Growth Board and to make an appointment to it.

Cllr Price, Executive Board Member for Corporate Strategy, Economic Development and Planning presented the report. He explained that the Board would be a joint committee under the Local Government Act 1972 and would therefore comply with all meeting requirements of the act (like any other council committee) and would be open to the public. Not all partners have equal status; the local authorities have full voting rights while the University and other partners are non-voting representatives.  Oxford University is heavily engaged in the partnership while other partners are less so.

Cllr Simmons, Chair of Scrutiny Committee outlined Scrutiny’s concerns around getting timely access to the Growth Board’s agendas so that effective scrutiny work could be done.

The Chief Executive said that West Oxfordshire District Council is clerking the meetings of the Growth Board and will be publishing the agendas and minutes on their website. He would ask for a list of proposed meeting dates to be presented to members and for a link to the Growth Board’s agendas to be added to the Council’s website.

Cllr Tanner congratulated Cllr Price and the officers on the work done.  He asked how transparent the Board was going to be. It was agreed that keeping all members informed of Growth Board decisions was critical to enabling proper scrutiny.

Cllr Brown asked for a members’ briefing on how the Growth Board fits with other partnership bodies and how members could stay informed and engage with decisions being made.

The City Executive Board resolved to:

1. Approve the City Council becoming a member of the Oxfordshire Growth Joint Board and the draft Terms of Reference appended to this report.

2. Appoint the Leader of the Council as the City Council’s representative on the Board and any other Executive Member as substitute, to be determined by the Leader of the Council.

The Head of Human Resources and Facilities; has submitted a report which details the background to the development of the Business in the Community programme which seeks to foster business links with Oxford cluster schools.          

Officer Recommendations: That the City Executive Board endorse the partnership connection with Cherwell School under the Business in the Community initiative.

The Head of Human Resources and Facilities submitted a report (previously circulated, now appended) which detailed the background to the development of the Business in the Community programme which seeks to foster business links with Oxford cluster schools.    

Cllr Price, Executive Board Member for Corporate Strategy, Economic Development and Planning presented the report.

Cllr Simmons, Chair of the Scrutiny Committee presented the Scrutiny report. He said that Scrutiny thought it was an excellent scheme and highlighted the focus on career advice.

Cllr Simms raised the concern of civics not being taught in schools and the reluctance of young people to vote. She asked whether this scheme could be a way to engage young people in civics and introduce them to how local/ central government operated.

Cllr Brown was concerned that some schools had stopped offering career advice and she endorsed any scheme that would offer career advice to young people.

Cllr Price said that the County’s skills deal was looking into re-creating an Oxford Career Scheme.

The City Executive Board resolved to endorse the partnership connection with Cherwell School under the Business in the Community initiative.

Minutes of the meeting held on 3 July 2014

Recommendation: The City Executive Board NOTES the minutes of the meeting held on 3 July 2014 as a true and accurate record.

The Board resolved to APPROVE the minutes of the meeting held on 3 July 2014 as a true and accurate record.