Apologies were received from Councillors Price, Brown and Clack.

Councillor Turner clarified that members of the public could not record the meeting. He appreciated the interest in the meeting, and indicated that officers would explore the possibility of providing an audio recording of City Executive Board meetings in future.

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.

No declarations of interest were received

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 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.

Written questions from a member of the public were received.  Those questions with answers were distributed at the start of the meeting. They are attached to the minutes as Appendix 1.

Low Emission Strategy

This report was considered by the Board on 10 July and, in relation to the Strategy, the Board resolved as follows:-

“To agree the recommendation in the report and to ask the Board Member, Cleaner Greener Oxford to take the Low Emission Strategy to the Carbon and Natural Resources Board for the purpose contained in the recommendation”.

The Scrutiny Committee submitted a report (previously circulated, now appended) concerning its comments and recommendations on the Low Emissions Strategy and Air Quality Action Plan.

The Board noted that at its meeting on 10 July it had resolved to agree the recommendation in the report and to ask the Board Member, Cleaner Greener Oxford to take the Low Emission Strategy to the Carbon and Natural Resources Board for the purpose contained in the recommendation.

Councillors who were not members of the Board requested to speak on one item on the agenda.  The addresses are referred to at the relevant minute item.

Report of the Head of Environmental Development.

The Board is RECOMMENDED to adopt the Low Emission Strategy.

The Head of Environmental Development submitted a report (previously circulated, now appended). Councillor John Tanner (Board Member for Cleaner Greener Oxford) presented the report to the Board and provided some background and context.

Councillor Jean Fooks addressed the Board. She welcomed the action plan to put into place what was a very ambitious strategy, and spoke about carbon financing and a freight exchange hub. Councillor Craig Simmons also addressed the Board, broadly welcoming the action plan, but observing that further information was needed about the means of both the delivery and the financing of it. He added that he believed that the strategy could usefully have been considered first by the Carbon and Natural Resources Members’ Board

Councillor Ed Turner commented that energy efficiency in private rented housing would be a challenging matter, but that officers had now obtained some EPC data from rented properties which would provide the Council with some insights.

Councillor John Tanner believed it would be possible to make progress as there was money that utility companies must spend on environmental improvements and saving customers’ money. He recognised that there were some good landlords who were keen to respond, but there were others who were less interested. It was important to reduce the carbon footprint across Oxford.  He felt it would be possible to establish a freight exchange hub on the ring road, but it would be important for Oxfordshire County Council to work with the City Council on this. He encouraged officers to work on reducing carbon emissions across the Council.

Resolved:-

(1)   To adopt the Low Emission Strategy;

(2) To agree the recommendation from Scrutiny, namely to support the setting of the Low Emissions Strategy and ambitions, but to require early reference of the document to the Carbon and Natural resources Members’ Board, so that gaps on data, resources and financing can be discussed and a robust action plan produced.

Report of the Executive Director for City Services.

The Board is RECOMMENDED to delegate to the Executive Director Community Services the authority to enter into an appropriate contract with the public sector body identified in the Not for Publication Annex attached hereto for the supply of various building services works.

The service provision would follow the principles set out in this report, and would be intended to optimise the contribution to Council overheads while minimising the risk to the Council. 

The Executive Director, Community Services, submitted a report (previously circulated, now appended).  Cllr Ed Turner presented this report to the Board.

Resolved:-

(1)   To delegate to the Executive Director Community Services the authority to enter into an appropriate contract with the public sector body identified in the Not for Publication Annex attached to the report for the supply of various building services works;

(2)   Further to delegate to the Executive Director Community Services authority to approve extensions to work where it is on the same basis as currently agreed;

(3)    To note that the service provision would follow the principles set out in the report, and would be intended to optimise the contribution to Council overheads while minimising the risk to the Council.

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.

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 to exclude the press and public from the meeting during consideration of the items in the exempt from publication part of the agenda in accordance with the provisions in Paragraph 21(1)(b) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (England) Regulations 2000 on the grounds that their presence could involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as described in specific paragraphs of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 and that, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information.

Summary of business transacted by the Board after passing the resolution contained in minute 43

The Board received and noted the contents of not for publication appendix to the reports at agenda item 7 (minute 44 refers).

This paper is a not for publication appendix to the report at agenda item 7.

It contains information concerning the proposed contract for building maintenance works with a public body.

The public interest in maintaining the exemption from publication is in order not to compromise commercially sensitive information.

The Board received and noted the contents of not for publication appendix (previously circulated, now appended) to the report at agenda item 7 (minute 41 refers).

The Board decided not to release the appendix from confidentiality because the information contained within in was, and remained, commercially sensitive.