Agenda and minutes

Agenda and minutes

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Speaking at a Council or Committee meeting

Venue: Oxford Town Hall, St Aldate's, Oxford

Contact: William Reed, Democratic Services Manager 

Items
No. Item

73.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Councillor Smith

74.

Declarations of Interest

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

Minutes:

No declarations of interest were received

75.

Public Questions

When the chair agrees, questions from the public for up to 15 minutes – these must be about the items for decision at the meeting (excluding the minutes) and must have been given to the Head of Law and Governance by 9.30am on a day so that there are at least two clear working days 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.

Minutes:

There were no public questions..

76.

Scrutiny Committee Reports

The following scrutiny committee reports will or may be been submitted to this meeting:-

 

Minutes:

No reports were submitted.

77.

Medium Term Financial Strategy 2013-14 to 2016-17 and 2013-14 Budget for Consultation - A Fair Future For Oxford pdf icon PDF 302 KB

Report of the Head of Finance attached.

 

This report will present the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy for 2013/2014 to 2017/2018, and the 2013/2014 Budget for consultation.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Head of Finance submitted a report (previously circulated, now appended) concerning the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy for 2013/2014 to 2016/17. It also presented the 2013/14 Budget for consultation.

 

Councillor Ed Turner introduced the Budget and explained the background.   He highlighted the fact that the Council has delivered £7 million of efficiency savings, which was a testament to the hard work and commitment of staff across the organisation.  Overall, officers had now done a great job in preparing a budget that reflected priorities laid out by Councillors.

 

Councillor Price pointed out that the Budget before the Board was a budget until 2016/17, and that of necessity it contained assumptions about Government funding. It contained some contingencies and aimed to be realistic. As well as being about money, the budget reflected political priorities, in that it sought to tackle the worst problems of deprivation within the City, and to defend poorer communities in an effective manner.

 

Councillors Coulter, Sinclair and Curran all commended the budget for its commitment to both the elderly and the young within Oxford.

 

Councillor Jean Fooks asked for further information about the Dial A Ride Scheme. Councillor Turner explained that the money in the budget for this was a contingency to enable officers to negotiate an increased service for Oxford – the City Council would invest only for services additional to those provided by the County Council.

 

In answer to a question, Lindsay Cane (Legal Services) confirmed that any agreement between the County Council and District Councils about the Dial a Ride service was a contractual one – there was no statutory duty for District Councils to be involved with this.

 

In answer to further questions from Councillor Fooks, Councillor Turner explained that it was not possible to provide outturn figures for the current year’s budget because the year had not yet finished. Councillor Curran added that, as far as Educational Attainment was concerned, it had been intended to have 10 schools participate, however 12 had shown interest, of which 3 had not yet signed up to the scheme (mostly because of personal changes at the school).  A briefing about the Youth Ambition Programme had recently gone out, and bids for the Social inclusion Fund would open shortly.

 

Councillor Turner further explained the various means (both electronic and other) by which the Council would consult with residents and stakeholders about this budget.

 

Resolved

 

That the following is recommended to Council:-

 

a)     Agree the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy for 2013-14 to 2016-17 and the 2013-14 General Fund, Housing Revenue Account and Capital budgets for consultation as set out in Appendices 1-7 of the report;

b)     Agree  to consult on an increase in Council Tax of 2% for 2013/14 as set out in paragraph 28 of the report;

c)      Agree to consult on an increase in council housing rents for 2013/14 of 4.61% utilising the national  convergence formula, as set out in  paragraph 61 of the report;

d)     Agree to consult on an increase in council  ...  view the full minutes text for item 77.

78.

Consultation Corporate Plan 2013-17 pdf icon PDF 92 KB

Report of the Head of Policy, Culture and Communications attached.

 

This report will present a refreshed Corporate Plan for consultation approval.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Head of Policy, Culture and Communications submitted a report (previously circulated, now appended) concerning the Corporate Plan 2013/17, and seeking approval to authorise its release for consultation.

 

Councillor Bob Price presented the report to the Board, explaining that the consultation period would run from 20th December 2012 until 30th January 2013. He thanked Peter McQuitty for his work on this document. Councillor Price also offered Councillor Fooks, as Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, the opportunity to add her signature to the final version.

 

Resolved to:-

 

(1)    Agree copy and targets for the main body of the Corporate Plan 2013/2017;

 

(2)    Authorise its release for consultation.

 

 

79.

Rose Hill Community Facility pdf icon PDF 12 MB

Report of the Head of Corporate Property attached.

 

This report seeks consideration and approval of either the proposed improvement works to the existing Community Centre and Pavilion as detailed herein, or that the provision of a new build and integrated Community Centre, Pavilion and Advice Centre as detailed herein be the preferred option for the reprovision of an integrated Community facility for Rose Hill

Minutes:

The Head of Corporate Property, the Communities and Neighbourhoods Manager and the Head of Leisure and Parks submitted a report concerning the preferred option for the future delivery of community, recreation and associated facilities at Rose Hill.

 

Councillor Ed Turner presented the report to the Board. He explained that a consultation day had been arranged at Rose Hill, it attracted a total of 587 votes from all age groups, and that there was overwhelming support for a new community facility at Rose Hill (Option 1 in the ballot).

 

Councillor Curran thanked Ward Councillors for their valuable input. He also paid tribute to the Communities and Neighbourhoods Team that had worked so hard.  It had been refreshing to see young people, in particular, so interested and so involved with the consultation day.

 

Resolved:-

 

1)      To note the contents of this Report, particularly the preferences expressed by the Community in terms of the future provision of Community facilities in Rose Hill;

 

2)      To approve Option 1, the provision of a new build and integrated Community Centre, Pavilion and Advice Centre as detailed herein as the preferred option for the reprovision of an integrated community facility for Rose Hill;

         

3)      That the approved new build option be on the basis that it contains a social club provision on the ground floor, in a location and to a specification to be agreed;

 

4)      To note that detailed due diligence in respect of the existing Community Centre and Advice Centre sites will progress with a view to the obtaining of planning consent for residential development.        

 

 

80.

Future Items

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.

Minutes:

Nothing was raised under this item.

81.

Matters Exempt from Publication

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.

Minutes:

None