Item 15a) Motion: Bus Fares

Cllr Gant: stated that, after considering advice from the Monitoring Officer, he would not take part in the item relating to Bus Fares and indicated that he would leave the room during the consideration of that item.

Cllr Lygo: stated that he would not take part in the item relating to Bus Fares; he made the declaration on the basis of public perception and indicated that he would leave the room during the consideration of that item.

Item 12: Questions on Notice from Members of Council (CM3: City Allotments)

Cllr Hollingsworth: stated that he was the chair of the Cripley Meadow Allotment Association; he made the declaration for reasons of transparency; it was not a pecuniary interest and Cllr Hollingsworth was not required to leave the room during consideration of that item.

Cllr Clarkson joined the meeting.

Minutes of the ordinary meeting of Council held on 3 October 2022.

Council is asked to approve the minutes as a correct record.

Council agreed to approve the minutes of the ordinary meeting held on 03 October 2022 as a true and correct record.

The Head of Law and Governance has been notified of resignations from committees and changes of membership requested by group leaders.

Council is asked to make the following appointments to committees.

·         Scrutiny Committee - Councillor Railton to stand down and Councillor Hunt to replace her.

·         Standards Committee - Councillor Diggins to stand down and Councillor Rehman to replace her.

Any further proposed changes will be circulated with the briefing note or notified at the meeting.

Council agreed to appoint with immediate effect:

·         Scrutiny Committee – Councillor Railton to stand down and Councillor Hunt to replace her.

·         Standards Committee – Councillor Diggins to stand down and Councillor Rehman to replace her.

·         Audit and Governance Committee – Councillor Munkonge to stand down and Councillor Railton to replace him.

Announcements by:

1.     The Lord Mayor

2.     The Sheriff

3.     The Leader of the Council (who may with the permission of the Lord Mayor invite other councillors to make announcements)

4.     The Chief Executive, Chief Finance Officer, Monitoring Officer

The Lord Mayor gave thanks to councillors who attended the Remembrance Sunday Service and highlighted his appreciation for the performance by the bag piper. On attending the celebration of St Clement's Church 900th anniversary, he commented on the many charitable works, funded by the Dawson Family Trust, which helped to provide accommodation for the winter night shelter in St Clement’s.

The Lord Mayor advised Council of upcoming Christmas events including the Lord Mayor's & Councillors Christmas Reception on the 12th of December 2022 and the Lord Mayor's Christmas Carol Concert on the 18th of December 2022, and encouraged councillors to attend.

The City Rector addressed Council on the season of advent and the concept of waiting well. He gave thanks to the Council and the City Council Staff for their work on the determination of the venues for the winter night shelter which would help house the City's homeless guests. He highlighted the anniversary of the birthday of William Blake and shared two of his quotes.

The Sheriff was pleased to have attended the opening of the City of Oxford College's new technology campus in Blackbird Leys, which brought higher education to the area for the first time. He advised Council that he met students of the campus who were dedicated to their work. He also advised that he had the duty and the pleasure to admit fourteen people to the Freedom of the City alongside the Lord Mayor, some of whom had been waiting for two years due to the cancellation of public events during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Leader of the Council advised Council of a potential special meeting of Council immediately prior to the next Council meeting in January 2023, in order to make some Freedoms of the City. She asked councillors to update their diaries and advised that further announcements would be made in due course. She added that the meeting in January would fulfil the formal process required and a more celebratory event would follow in March 2023.

Public addresses and questions to the Leader or other Cabinet member received in accordance with Council Procedure Rules in the Constitution relating to matters for decision in Part 1 of this agenda.

Up to five minutes is available for each public address and up to three minutes for each question. Questions must be less than 200 words.

The request to speak accompanied by the full text of the address or question must be received by the Head of Law and Governance by 5.00 pm on Tuesday 22 November 2022.

The briefing note will contain the text of addresses and questions submitted by the deadline, and written responses where available.

A total of 45 minutes is available for both public speaking items. Responses are included in this time.

There were no addresses or questions.

The Head of Regeneration and Economy submitted a report to Cabinet on 19 October 2022 seeking endorsement of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) Investment Plan, allocation of budget and delegated authority to enter contract with Government for delivery of the plan on behalf of Oxford City Council.

The Cabinet minutes dated 19 October 2022 are available at item 10a.

Councillor Susan Brown, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy and Partnerships will present the report and present the Cabinet’s recommendation.

Recommendation: Cabinet recommends that Council resolves to:

1.    Establish Capital and Revenue budgets in accordance with paragraph 21 of the report.

Council considered the report from the Head of Regeneration and Economy seeking endorsement of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) Investment Plan, allocation of budget and delegated authority to enter contract with Government for delivery of the plan on behalf of Oxford City Council.

Cllr Brown, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy and Partnerships introduced the report and proposed the recommendation.

The recommendation was agreed on being seconded by Cllr Turner, Deputy Leader (Statutory) and Cabinet Member for Finance and Asset Management and put to the vote.

Council resolved to:

1.    Establish Capital and Revenue budgets in accordance with paragraph 21 of the report.

The Executive Director (Development) submitted a report to Cabinet on 16 November 2022 seeking approval for a works contract to refurbish/repair the Gasworks Pipe Bridge situated between Friars Wharf and Baltic Wharf; authority for the Executive Director (Development) to award a contract; and approval of the spend of identified funds for the funding of the contract.

The Cabinet decision will be reported in the Briefing Note. The draft minutes of the meeting will be available on the Cabinet meetings webpage.

Councillor Ed Turner, Deputy Leader (Statutory) and Cabinet Member for Finance and Asset Management will present the report and present the Cabinet’s recommendation.

Recommendation: Cabinet recommends that Council resolves to:

1.    Approve a virement of £1.82 million from the existing stock condition budget to fund the works to the gasworks pipe bridge, including reimbursement of c£185k feasibility cost incurred to date.

Council considered the report from the Executive Director (Development) seeking approval for a works contract to refurbish/repair the Gasworks Pipe Bridge situated between Friars Wharf and Baltic Wharf; authority for the Executive Director (Development) to award a contract; and approval of the spend of identified funds for the funding of the contract.

Cllr Turner, Deputy Leader (Statutory) and Cabinet Member for Finance and Asset Management introduced the report, proposed the recommendation and answered questions.

The recommendation was agreed on being seconded by Cllr Hollingsworth, Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Delivery and put to the vote.

Council resolved to:

1.    Approve a virement of £1.82 million from the existing stock condition budget to fund the works to the gasworks pipe bridge, including reimbursement of £185k feasibility cost incurred to date.

The Head of Corporate Strategy submitted a report to Cabinet on 16 November 2022 seeking approval of Oxford City Council’s submission of a bid to Government under the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund 2.1 bidding round seeking funding towards a retrofit programme for around 300 council homes.

The Cabinet decision will be reported in the Briefing Note.  The draft minutes of the meeting will be available on the Cabinet meetings webpage.

Councillor Linda Smith, Cabinet Member for Housing will present the report and present the Cabinet’s recommendation.

Recommendation: Cabinet recommends that Council resolves to:

1.    If the bid is successful, grant approval for the release of up to £6.050 million of HRA capital funding required for match funding under the terms of the SHDF 2.1 scheme in accordance with the estimated spend profile in paragraph 24 of the report.

Council considered a report from the Head of Corporate Strategy seeking approval of Oxford City Council's submission of a bid to Government under the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund 2.1 bidding round seeking funding towards a retrofit programme for around 300 council homes.

Cllr Linda Smith, Cabinet Member for Housing introduced the report, proposed the recommendation and answered questions.

The recommendation was agreed on being seconded by Cllr Chapman, Cabinet Member for Citizen Focused Services and put to the vote.

Council resolved to:

1.    If the bid is successful, grant approval for the release of up to £6.050 million of HRA capital funding required for match funding under the terms of the SHDF 2.1 scheme in accordance with the estimated spend profile in paragraph 24 of the report.

The Head of Paid Service (Chief Executive) has submitted a report asking Council to note the decision taken by the Head of Paid Service using the urgency powers delegated in Part 9.3(b) of the Constitution.

Recommendation: That Council resolves to:

1.    Note the decision taken as set out in the report.

Council received a report from the Head of Paid Service (Chief Executive) asking Council to note the decision taken by the Head of Paid Service using the urgency powers delegated in Part 9.3(b) of the Constitution.

Cllr Brown, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy and Partnerships introduced the report, proposed the recommendation and answered questions.

The recommendation was agreed on being seconded by Cllr Turner, Deputy Leader (Statutory) and Cabinet Member for Finance and Asset Management and put to the vote.

Council noted the decision taken as set out in the report.

Cllr Latif joined the meeting.

This item has a time limit of 15 minutes.

Councillors may ask the Cabinet Members questions about matters in these minutes.

Minute 70 – Botley Road Retail Park Development Brief

In response to a question from Cllr Fouweather, Cllr Hollingsworth, Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Delivery advised that the Environment Agency said that the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme (OFAS) would not change the boundaries of the various flood zones in Oxford. He explained that it would lessen the risk of flood in areas that are protected within the site, however most of the site would be within a 3b flood plain. He added that a 3b flood plain was defined in the NPPF as undevelopable for housing and the Environment Agency had not indicated that the flood plain boundaries would change, but it was of the view that the OFAS would reduce the likelihood of flood.

Minute 71 - Draft Housing, Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2023-28

In response to a question from Cllr Roz Smith, Cllr Linda Smith, Cabinet Member for Housing stated that the consultation on the strategy was now live and accessible online.

To follow in the briefing note.

Minute 85 – West End and Osney Mead Supplementary Planning Document

In response to questions from Cllr Smowton, Cllr Hollingsworth, Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Delivery emphasised that the SPD illustrated additional details to existing plan policies and did not create new plan policies for new bridges. He stated that the bridge from the Oxpens site to Osney Mead on the SPD was the bridge in the Local Plan.

Minute 84 – Housing Infrastructure Funding for Osney Mead Revised Implementation Arrangements

In response to a question from Cllr Smowton, Cllr Hollingsworth, Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Delivery advised that the report stated the money was being reallocated to use on the bridge with future packages of money to fund the path work.

Questions on notice from councillors received in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11.11(b).

Questions on notice may be asked of the Lord Mayor, a Member of the Cabinet or a Chair of a Committee. One supplementary question may be asked at the meeting.

The full text of questions must have been received by the Head of Law and Governance by no later than 1.00pm on Wednesday 16 November 2022.

These, and written responses where available, will be published in the briefing note.

Cllr Sandelson joined the meeting.

48 written questions were asked of the Cabinet Members and the Leader, and these and written responses were published before the meeting.

These along with summaries of the 17 supplementary questions and responses asked and given at the meeting are set out in the minutes pack.

Council agreed to consider item 14 next on the agenda before the 30min break and then return to the agenda as listed.

The Chair of the Scrutiny Committee has submitted a report which updates Council on the activities of scrutiny and the implementation of recommendations since the last meeting of Council.

Council is invited to comment on and note the report.

Council had before it the report of the Scrutiny Committee Chair.

Cllr Smowton, Chair of the Scrutiny Committee, introduced the report, proposed the recommendation and provided updates on the recent activities of Scrutiny since the last meeting of Council. He advised that the new Climate and Environment Panel would meet in the near future and gave thanks to Panel Members, and Cllr Pegg, who came forth with the idea.

The recommendations were agreed on being seconded by Cllr Diggins and put to the vote.

Council noted the report.

The meeting broke for 30 min at the conclusion of this item.

This item will be taken at or shortly after 7.00pm

Public addresses and questions to the Leader or other Cabinet member received in accordance with Council Procedure Rules in the Constitution and not relating to matters for decision in Part 1 of this agenda.

Up to five minutes is available for each public address and up to three minutes for each question. Questions must be less than 200 words.

The request to speak accompanied by the full text of the address or question must be received by the Head of Law and Governance by 5.00 pm on Tuesday 22 November 2022.

The briefing note will contain the text of addresses and questions submitted by the deadline, and written responses where available.

A total of 45 minutes is available for both public speaking items. Responses are included in this limit.

Council heard one question and Cllr Brown, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy and Partnerships provided a verbal response.

The question and response are set out in full in the minutes pack.

1.      Address by Linda Newbury – Plant-based food and sustainable farming motion

The Lord Mayor thanked the speaker for their contribution.

This item has a time limit of 60 minutes.

Motions received by the Head of Law and Governance in accordance with the rules in Section 11 of the Constitution by the deadline of 1.00pm on Wednesday 16 November 2022are listed below.

Cross party motions are taken first. Motions will then be taken in turn from the Labour Group, Liberal Democrat Group, Green Group in that order.

Substantive amendments to these motions must be sent by councillors to the Head of Law and Governance by no later than 10.00am on Friday 25 November 2022so that they may be circulated with the briefing note.

Minor technical or limited wording amendments may be submitted during the meeting but must be written down and circulated.

Council is asked to consider the following motions:

Introduction

a)    Bus Fares (proposed by Cllr Hollingsworth)

b)    Campsfield House (proposed by Cllr Gant, seconded by Cllr Goddard)

c)    Fixing Oxford’s Water (proposed by Cllr Jarvis, seconded by Cllr Bely-Summers)

d)    End Tory Cost of Living Crisis (proposed by Cllr Aziz, seconded by Cllr Upton)

e)    Support Small Business Saturday on December 3rd (proposed by Cllr Fouweather, seconded by Cllr R Smith)

f)      Plant-based Food and Sustainable Farming (proposed by Cllr Dunne, seconded by Cllr Hollingsworth)

Cllr Djafari-Marbini joined the meeting.

Council had before it six motions on notice submitted in accordance with Council procedure rules and reached decisions as set out below.

Motions agreed as set out below:

a)    Bus Fares, as amended (proposer Cllr Hollingsworth, seconder Cllr Upton, amendment proposer Cllr Smowton, seconder Cllr Fouweather)

b)    Campsfield House (proposer Cllr Gant, seconder Cllr Rawle, amendment proposer Cllr Dunne, seconder Cllr Djafari-Marbini)

Motions not taken as the time allocated for debate had finished:

  c) Fixing Oxford’s Water (proposer Cllr Jarvis, seconder Cllr Bely-Summers)

  d) End Tory Cost of Living Crisis (proposer Cllr Aziz, seconder Cllr Upton)

  e) Support Small Business Saturday on December 3rd (proposer Cllr Fouweather, seconder Cllr R Smith, amendment proposer Cllr Brown, seconder Cllr Rehman)

  f) Plant-based Food and Sustainable Farming (proposer Cllr Dunne, seconder Cllr Hollingsworth)

Labour member motion

This Council recognises the vital importance of affordable, reliable and high quality public transport to the functioning of our city. We therefore strongly welcome the recent IPPR research on public transport, published on 6^th October 2022 under the title “To support low-income households, it's time to reduce the cost of daily bus travel”.

This Council agrees with the IPPR report when it makes clear that reducing fares is not the ONLY thing needed to increase bus patronage – interventions to improve speed, reliability and the experience of passengers are all required as well.

However this Council agrees strongly that reductions in the costs of public transport for passengers are essential for a fair transport system.

Low income households are the most likely to use buses, while research by the RAC Foundation shows that since 2013 the cost of bus travel has risen by a greater extent than all other forms of transport. It is the poorest households, without access to other forms of travel, that have borne the brunt of these increases driven by de-regulation and lack of long-term funding.

Any reduction in bus fares would therefore be of the greatest benefit to those least well off. Capping bus fares at no more than £1 per day would save the poorest 20% of households in England £0.8bn a year. Making all bus fares in England free would save the poorest 40% of households £1.5bn a year.

This Council notes that a policy of making bus fares in England entirely free would cost £2.3bn a year, with the greatest benefits going to the least well off. For comparison, the recent ‘fiscal event’ proposed £40bn worth of tax cuts, mostly to the most well off. The current proposed Government funding for new roads is £27bn, for schemes that are likely to increase pollution and make the climate and biodiversity crises worse. For the same money, bus travel could be made free for at least ten years, helping to reduce car journeys and making progress towards a net zero transport system.

This Council therefore asks that:

·       The Leader of the Council writes to the Secretary of State for Transport, the Shadow Secretary State for Transport, Oxford’s two MPs and to the Leader of the County Council expressing this Council’s support for making public transport in Oxford free of charge

·       The Council’s Cabinet Members and officers, through their existing partnerships and relationships with the County Council and bus operators, work to promote and deliver this objective.

References/links

https://www.ippr.org/blog/time-to-reduce-the-cost-of-daily-bus-travel

https://www.racfoundation.org/data/cost-of-transport-index

Cllrs Gant and Lygo left the meeting, having declared an interest in this item.

Cllr Hollingsworth, seconded by Cllr Upton, proposed the submitted motion as set out in the agenda and briefing note.

Cllr Smowton, seconded by Cllr Fouweather, proposed the amendment as set out in the briefing note.

Council debated the motion and amendment. Following debate, Cllr Hollingsworth accepted the amendment put forward by Cllr Smowton. On being put to the vote, the amendment was agreed.

Council resolved to adopt the following motion:

This Council recognises the vital importance of affordable, reliable and high quality public transport to the functioning of our city. We therefore strongly welcome the recent IPPR research on public transport, published on 6^th October 2022 under the title “To support low-income households, it's time to reduce the cost of daily bus travel”.

This Council agrees with the IPPR report when it makes clear that reducing fares is not the ONLY thing needed to increase bus patronage – interventions to improve speed, reliability and the experience of passengers are all required as well.

However this Council agrees strongly that reductions in the costs of public transport for passengers are essential for a fair transport system.

Low income households are the most likely to use buses, while research by the RAC Foundation shows that since 2013 the cost of bus travel has risen by a greater extent than all other forms of transport. It is the poorest households, without access to other forms of travel, that have borne the brunt of these increases driven by de-regulation and lack of long-term funding.

Any reduction in bus fares would therefore be of the greatest benefit to those least well off. Capping bus fares at no more than £1 per day would save the poorest 20% of households in England £0.8bn a year. Making all bus fares in England free would save the poorest 40% of households £1.5bn a year.

This Council notes that a policy of making bus fares in England entirely free would cost £2.3bn a year, with the greatest benefits going to the least well off. For comparison, the recent ‘fiscal event’ proposed £40bn worth of tax cuts, mostly to the most well off. The current proposed Government funding for new roads is £27bn, for schemes that are likely to increase pollution and make the climate and biodiversity crises worse. For the same money, bus travel could be made free for at least ten years, helping to reduce car journeys and making progress towards a net zero transport system.

This Council further notes the Fair Deal Alliance’s progress in improving bus travel in the County, including delivering reduced Park and Ride fares, £1 fares for 18s and under, and decarbonising our bus fleet via the ZEBRA programme.

·       The Leader of the Council writes to the Secretary of State for Transport, the Shadow Secretary State for Transport, Oxford’s two MPs and to the Leader of the County Council expressing this Council’s support for making public transport  ...  view the full minutes text for item 61a

Liberal Democrat member motion

The Home Office announcement of its intention to reopen Campsfield House Immigration Detention Centre in Kidlington ignores local and national feeling on the treatment of refugees. It’s also a cruel, ineffective, and costly backwards step for this government, for our country and for the people of Kidlington, Yarnton and Begbroke.

In the years before its closure in 2018, Campsfield House was used to detain nearly 30,000 migrants. During that time there were weekly demonstrations, protests, hunger strikes, two suicides, escapes and scores of legal challenges. It was finally closed following a damning inquiry into conditions.

The UK is ranked 20th in terms of asylum applications processed, and 19th for applications accepted. Two thirds of UK asylum seekers’ claims are turned down, the highest refusal rate in Europe, with 41% of those decisions overturned on appeal.

Instead of criminalising people fleeing war, oppression and persecution, who have already suffered at the hands of people traffickers, the government should focus on achieving its own targets to deal with asylum claims promptly and fairly.

This Council therefore condemns the re-opening of Campsfield House and asks the Leader to write to the Home Secretary calling for:

·       The cancellation of the reopening of Campsfield House as a detention centre.

·       The creation of safe havens and more legal routes to apply for asylum in the UK.

The prioritisation of prompt and fair processing of asylum claims whilst introducing appropriate safeguards to allow asylum seekers to live and work in our communities in the meantime.

Cllrs Gant and Lygo re-joined the meeting.

Cllr Gant, seconded by Cllr Rawle, proposed the submitted motion as set out in the agenda and briefing note and immediately changed the motion without notice to reflect the amendment submitted by Cllr Dunne, as set out in the briefing note. The change was seconded by Cllr Rawle and agreed by Council, in accordance with Oxford City Council’s Constitution Part 11.20(h).

After debate and on being put to the vote the motion was agreed.

Council resolved to adopt the following motion:

The Home Office announcement of its intention to reopen Campsfield House Immigration Detention Centre in Kidlington ignores local and national feeling on the treatment of refugees. It’s also a cruel, ineffective, and costly backwards step for this government, for our country and for the people of Kidlington, Yarnton and Begbroke.

In the years before its closure in 2018, Campsfield House was used to detain nearly 30,000 migrants. During that time there were weekly demonstrations, protests, hunger strikes, two suicides, escapes and scores of legal challenges. It was finally closed following a damning inquiry into conditions.

The UK is ranked 20th in terms of asylum applications processed, and 19th for applications accepted. Two thirds of UK asylum seekers’ claims are turned down, the highest refusal rate in Europe, with 41% of those decisions overturned on appeal.

Instead of criminalising people fleeing war, oppression and persecution, who have already suffered at the hands of people traffickers, the government should focus on achieving its own targets to deal with asylum claims promptly and fairly.

For decades, the Campaign to Close Campsfield[1], the people of Oxford, and this council[2] have fought tirelessly to amplify the voices of asylum seekers and end the misery and injustice of immigration detention.

This Council is proud and committed to being a City of Sanctuary welcoming Afghans, Syrians, Ukrainians and all those fleeing war in recent times.

This council is currently supporting partner organisations such as Asylum Welcome[3] to care for recently arrived asylum seekers locally providing the humanity and dignity not provided to them by the faceless Home Office.

This Council therefore condemns the re-opening of Campsfield House and asks the Leader to write to the Home Secretary calling for:

·       The cancellation of the reopening of Campsfield House as a detention centre.

·       The creation of safe havens and more legal routes to apply for asylum in the UK.

·       The prioritisation of prompt and fair processing of asylum claims whilst introducing appropriate safeguards to allow asylum seekers to live and work in our communities in the meantime.

Green member motion

Council notes

1. On August 24, Thames Water introduced a hosepipe ban following the driest July on record.
2. Across England and Wales, 3 billion litres of water are lost to leaks in the water system every single day 
3. According to analysis by the GMB union, Thames Water’s infrastructure allows 635 million litres of water to leak out of the system every single day - equivalent to leaving a hosepipe on for 73 years.[1]
4. Failure to fix leaks has had a major impact on public infrastructure in Oxford - including the flooding of the Littlemore underpass for several weeks.
5. There has been a long delay in replacing the water pipe occupying the east bound cycle lane on Osney Bridge, which has endangered cyclists using Botley Road.
6. Between 2017 and 2021, Thames Water has accrued £32.4 million of fines over 11 separate incidents of water pollution - including a £4 million fine for sewage pumped into Oxford’s waterways. [2]
7. Since privatisation in 1989, shareholders of water companies have pocketed over £72bn in dividends.[3] Thames Water paid out £392 million in profit to shareholders between 2013 and 2017. [4]         

Council believes

1. Thames Water is currently failing to deliver an adequate public service, is failing to invest in infrastructure, and has caused extensive environmental damage - all while putting the burden of water saving onto residents. 
2. Serious questions have been raised as to Thames Water’s performance - questions to which the public need answers. More accountability for the company is therefore necessary.
3. Going forward, the country’s illogical privatisation of water must be reversed. Water is a basic need, a natural monopoly and a vital public service. Privatisation provides all the wrong incentives for running a water supply, and it should be returned to public hands, with democratic oversight.  

Council resolves

1. To request that the Cabinet Member for Leisure and Parks requests that Thames Water’s CEO Sarah Bentley attend a meeting open to all Councillors to ask questions on the company’s performance. 
2. To request that the Cabinet Member for Leisure and Parks writes to the water regulator - Ofwat - expressing the concerns laid out in this motion and requesting action be taken to redress it. 
3. To request that the Cabinet Member for Leisure and Parks writes to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Thérèse Coffey, and the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Grant Shapps informing them of the Council’s view that the country’s water system should be taken into public ownership. 
4. To lobby government ministers on an ongoing basis to tackle the issues raised in this motion, and for a publicly owned water system. 

This motion was not taken as the time allocated for debate had finished.

Labour member motion

The cost-of-living crisis is deepening poverty, inequalities and insecurity, amongst thousands of people, families, and communities across our city.

Twelve years of Tory austerity and brutal central government funding cuts to councils such as ours continues to have a catastrophic impact on services and community support for working people.

The Covid pandemic has also pushed many people into further hardship along with independent and small businesses finding it impossible to survive.

Under a Tory government of millionaires, food bank use across the country and in our own city has rocketed, with more and more people in full time employment also dependent on food banks and food projects across Oxford.

And now this government is wielding more cuts to services. The Tories have shown over the past twelve years they have no desire to improve the lives of working people across our city and country. They need to go. Now.

As winter starts, many are left to wonder how they will feed their families, heat their homes, pay spiralling energy bills and pay their rent and mortgages. People are terrified of becoming destitute and homeless.

Oxford City Council is working with people and communities, organisations and partners across the city including advice centres, food banks and food networks, the NHS, and others to provide information and support across Oxford’s diverse communities.

We are proud of the many ways community groups are working together to support people and thank everyone for their tireless work.

This council condemns this out of touch government for the harm and devastation it’s causing people and communities daily.

We condemn the increases in inequalities and specifically racialised inequalities the cost of living crisis is exacerbating as outlined in the recent Runneymede Trust report.

We reject this governments failed economic and social policies that have seen an increase in child poverty in our city that is creating a deepening mental health crisis, as the recent Marmot report highlights

We demand an end to further cuts to local government budgets and services across our city and reject the Tories desire to wield austerity 2.0 against our city.

We call on the government to ensure benefit payments rise in line with record breaking inflation, so that people have a chance to survive the economic chaos created by a government of billionaires and can make it through the winter.

We call on Universal Credit payments and Disability Cost of Living Payments to rise for everyone and for these payments not to be one off.

We call on the government to respect public sector workers human rights to strike action and call on all workers to be paid wages enabling them to live lives of dignity and hope.

We call on the government to urgently implement the energy windfall tax and tax energy companies making huge profits while thousands of people across our city struggle to pay for gas and electricity.

This motion was not taken as the time allocated for debate had finished.

Liberal Democrat member motion

Council notes that Small Business Saturday 2022 is coming up on December 3rd. Small Business Saturday has grown into a significant event – with £1.1 billion spent at small businesses during the 2020 event alone.

Council recognises that this is an excellent opportunity to promote small businesses in Oxford and to celebrate the contribution smaller businesses make to our city.

Council believes that Small Businesses are the heart and soul of our city and district shopping centres. They help give the City of Oxford its unique character and employ thousands of local people. It is only by supporting our local independent businesses that we can also help our local high streets thrive.

Council resolves to:

(a)      participate as fully as possible in Small Business Saturday on 3rd December 2022.

(b)      request that the Chief Executive explores how officers can work closely with local business organisations and smaller enterprises across Oxford to make them aware of the day and encourage them to sign up.

(c)      promote Small Business Saturday thoroughly and prominently on the Council’s website, social media channels and other external communications.

(d)      welcome the excellent cooperation between the County Council and local bus companies which resulted in reduced bus ticket prices for teenagers and the introduction of a reduced ticket for family groups using the Park and Ride sites around Oxford which will encourage shoppers to travel both into Oxford city and other district centres.

Council requests that the Executive Director (Development) submits a report to Cabinet with options to develop a year round communications plan to continue promoting local small businesses and encouraging residents across Oxford to shop small and shop local.

This motion was not taken as the time allocated for debate had finished.

Labour member motion

Council notes that:

• The global scientific consensus is that humans have heated the climate at a rate that is unprecedented, and we are heading towards mass extinction not just for ourselves but of entire eco systems if we do not change our actions today.¹

·       Oxford City Council is committed to reducing its impact on the environment and to becoming carbon neutral by 2030.²

·       We have a duty as leaders in the city to empower the local community to make changes that can mitigate climate catastrophe and help preserve the vitality of our planet for future generations.

·       The UK's agriculture produces 10% of the country's greenhouse gas emissions and makes up 70% of land use. Modern agricultural practices are a central driver for habitat and biodiversity loss and the UK is one of the world’s most nature-depleted countries.³

·       In the UK we eat twice as much meat and dairy as the global average which is not sustainable as there is not enough land in the world to meet this demand without destroying our natural world.⁴

·       Plant-based sources of protein have much smaller carbon footprints than animal-based ones, even when comparing locally raised meat to imported plant foods.

·       Farm animals across Europe are producing more emissions than cars and vans combined.⁵

·       Our relationship to food is still an overlooked factor to the climate crisis yet it is the quickest and cheapest step to help tackle the climate crisis if we reduce our meat intake.

·       The necessary change to confront the climate crisis needs to tackle existing inequalities in society while acting urgently.

·       To protect and enrich jobs in Oxford, we should work closely with local farmers and plant-based food organisations to move to more sustainable farming methods and local produce that promotes plant-based food.

Council agrees to:

·       Request that the Cabinet Member for Health and Transport:

o   Works with local farmers to support, promote, and encourage their move to create more sustainable plant-based produce.

o   Recognises the benefit of sourcing food locally from producers who follow sustainable principles.

·       Request that the Executive Director (Communities and People) submits a report to Cabinet with options to form a plant-based localised free food service by funding community groups who are already doing this work to transform Oxford into a more environmentally sustainable economy which will also tackle food poverty. 

·       Follow Oxfordshire County Council’s lead by ensuring that food provided for internal councillor events are entirely plant-based and food provided at all council catered events and meetings include plant-based options, preferably using ingredients sourced from local food surplus organisations.⁶

·       Call on Cabinet to request that the Council’s Climate Action Plan be updated to state that all catering provided at Council events and functions from January 2023 will have plant-based options.

·       Call on the Shareholder group to work with all Council run companies to encourage moving to having plant-based catering options by January 2023.

1 https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/outreach/IPCC_AR6_WGI_Press_Conference_Slides.pdf

2 https://www.oxford.gov.uk/news/article/1705/council_outlines_how_it_aims_to_become_a_zero_carbon_council_by_2030_at_the_latest

3 https://www.rspb.org.uk/globalassets/downloads/documents/conservation-projects/state-of-nature/state-of-nature-uk-report-2016.pdf

4 https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/how-much-meat-should-i-be-eating/

5 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/22/eu-farm-animals-produce-more-emissions-than-cars-and-vans-combined-greenpeace

6 Oxford City Council  ...  view the full agenda text for item 61f

This motion was not taken as the time allocated for debate had finished.

If Council wishes to exclude the press and the public from the meeting during consideration of any aspects of the preceding agenda items it will be necessary for Council to pass a resolution in accordance with the provisions of Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 specifying the grounds on which their presence could involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as described in specific paragraphs of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act 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.

(The Access to Information Procedure Rules – Section 15 of the Council’s Constitution – sets out the conditions under which the public can be excluded from meetings of the Council)

Council passed a resolution in accordance with the provisions of Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 to exclude the press and the public from the remaining item of business on the grounds that their presence would involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as described in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

Appendix 3 to this item includes exempt information pursuant to Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972. If Council wishes to discuss matters relating to the information set out in Appendix 3 to the report, it will be necessary for the Council to pass a resolution to exclude the press and public from the meeting (as set out at agenda item 17).

The Executive Director (Development) submitted a report to Cabinet on 16 November 2022 seeking approval to enter into a legal agreement with Oxfordshire County Council to enable the completion of the Oxpens River Bridge, as set out within the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal; to fund and enter into a construction contract to build the Oxpens River bridge, subject to agreement with Oxfordshire County Council; and to enter into an agreement with OxWED (which owns some of the land on which the bridge will be situated) to facilitate the construction of the bridge.

The Cabinet decision will be reported in the Briefing Note. The draft minutes of the meeting will be available on the Cabinet meetings webpage.

Councillor Alex Hollingsworth, Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Delivery will present the report and present the Cabinet’s recommendation.

Recommendation: Cabinet recommends that Council resolves to:

1.     Approve the establishment of an additional capital budget of £2.8 million in 2022/23 and 2023/24 funded from additional growth bid monies.

Council considered a report from the Executive Director (Development) seeking approval to enter into a legal agreement with Oxfordshire County Council to enable the completion of the Oxpens River Bridge, as set out within the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal; to fund and enter into a construction contract to build the Oxpens River bridge, subject to agreement with Oxfordshire County Council; and to enter into an agreement with OxWED (which owns some of the land on which the bridge will be situated) to facilitate the construction of the bridge.

Cllr Hollingsworth, Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Delivery introduced the report, proposed the recommendation and answered questions.

The recommendation was agreed on being seconded by Cllr Turner, Deputy Leader (Statutory) and Cabinet Member for Finance and Asset Management and put to the vote.

Council resolved to:

1.    Approve the establishment of an additional capital budget of £2.8 million in 2022/23 and 2023/24 funded from additional growth bid monies.