Item 13: Questions on Notice from Members of Council (ET3 - Jericho Wharf)

Cllr Brown: stated that she had an interest relating to Jericho Wharf; she indicated that she would leave the room during the consideration of that question.

Cllr Hollingsworth: stated that he had an interest relating to Jericho Wharf; he indicated that he would leave the room during the consideration of that question.

Minutes of the special and ordinary meetings of Council held on 30 January 2023 and of the Budget Council meeting held on 16 February 2023.

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

Council agreed to approve the minutes of the special and ordinary meetings held on 30 January 2023 and of the Budget Council meeting held on 16 February 2023 as true and correct record.

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

Council agreed to appoint with immediate effect:

·       Scrutiny Committee – Councillor Douglas to the vacant seat.

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 welcomed Cllr Sandy Douglas to the Council following the recent by-election. He reminded Council of the Lord Mayor’s Charity Quiz Night and urged Members to attend; he thanked the North Parade Market for the promises and gifts which had been contributed. The Lord Mayor noted that Susan Sale, Head of Law & Governance was leaving the Council and expressed his thanks to her on behalf of the Council for her service and wished her well in her new role.

The Deputy Lord Mayor thanked the volunteers at the Civic Reception in Witney which he had attended together with the Sheriff. Relating to admission to the Freemen of Oxford, the Deputy Lord Mayor was pleased to announce that he had the opportunity to submit a nomination for the Lord Mayor’s Childe; he had nominated an individual from the Children in Care Council.

The City Rector thanked the Lord Mayor for the privilege of being alongside him on many occasions in the last year. He addressed Council on the impact of its decision-making on younger generations and acknowledged councillors’ commitment, conscientiousness and wisdom in the work they do, for which he said future generations would be thankful.

Cllrs Chapman, Landell Mills and Turner joined the meeting.

The Sheriff thanked those involved in the Civic events in the previous week. He also thanked the Oxford Polish Community for their kind invitation to the language school. The Sheriff thanked those involved in the Witney Citizen of Year Award; he commented how nice the event was and wondered if there would be an opportunity for Oxford City Council to do something similar.

Cllr Corais joined the meeting.

The Leader made a statement on behalf of Council condemning the Immigration Bill and highlighting that the Bill sought to do the opposite of what Oxford sought to do as a city of sanctuary. The Leader announced the following nominations for Civic Office-holders in the 2023/24 municipal year:

·       Cllr Lubna Arshad – Lord Mayor

·       Cllr James Fry – Deputy Lord Mayor

·       Cllr Mark Lygo – Sheriff

Cllr Dunne joined the meeting.

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 14 March 2023.

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.

Council agreed to consider Items 8 and 9 next on the agenda, followed by Item 7, then Item 10 and the remainder of the agenda as listed.

The Head of Regulatory Services and Community Safety has submitted a report requesting Council adopt the Street Trading Policy following the review, public consultation process and recommendation from the General Purposes Licensing Committee and to agree a concurrent amendment to the Council’s Constitution Part 5.7(b).

Councillor Edward Mundy, Chair of the General Purposes Licensing Committee will present the report and propose the Committee’s recommendations.

Recommendations: That Council resolves to:

1.    Adopt the Street Trading Policy at Appendix B with effect from 01 April 2023.

2.    Amend Part 5.7(b) of the Constitution as set out at Appendix C with effect from 01 April 2023.

Council considered a report from the Head of Regulatory Services and Community Safety requesting that Council adopt the Street Trading Policy following the review, public consultation process and recommendation from the General Purposes Licensing Committee and agree a concurrent amendment to the Council’s Constitution Part 5.7(b).

Cllr Mundy, Chair of the General Purposes Licensing Committee introduced the report and proposed the recommendation.

The recommendation was agreed on being seconded by Cllr Upton, Cabinet Member for Health and Transport and put to the vote.

Council resolved to:

1.    Adopt the Street Trading Policy at Appendix B with effect from 01 April 2023.

2.    Amend Part 5.7(b) of the Constitution as set out at Appendix C with effect from 01 April 2023.

The Head of Business Improvement has submitted a report requesting Council approve the Annual Pay Policy Statement.

Councillor Nigel Chapman, Cabinet Member for Citizen Focussed Services will present the report and propose the recommendation.

Recommendation: that Council resolves to:

1.    Approve the Annual Pay Policy Statement 2023/24 as attached at Appendix 1.

Council considered a report from the Head of Business Improvement requesting Council approve the Annual Pay Policy Statement.

Cllr Chapman, Cabinet Member for Citizen Focused Services introduced the report, proposed the recommendation and answered questions.

The recommendation was agreed on being seconded by Cllr Brown, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy and Partnerships and put to the vote.

Council resolved to:

1.    Approve the Annual Pay Policy Statement 2023/24 as attached at Appendix 1.

Cllr Linda Smith joined the meeting.

The Executive Director (Communities and People) submitted a report to Cabinet on 15 March 2023 seeking approval of the Housing, Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2023-28 with associated appendices.

The Cabinet minutes are available at item 13b.

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

Recommendations: Cabinet recommends that Council resolves to:

1.    Adopt the Housing, Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2023-28 and its associated appendices;

2.    Adopt of the Strategy’s Action Plan for 23-24; and

3.    Authority be delegated to the Executive Director (Communities and People), in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing, to update the Action Plan when required.

Council considered a report from the Executive Director (Communities and People) seeking approval of the Housing, Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2023-28 with associated appendices.

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 Brown, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy and Partnerships and put to the vote.

Council resolved to:

1.    Adopt the Housing, Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2023-28 and its associated appendices;

2.    Adopt the Strategy’s Action Plan for 23-24; and

3.    Delegateauthority to the Executive Director (Communities and People), in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing, to update the Action Plan when required.

The Head of Law and Governance has submitted a report requesting Council approve the recommended changes to the Council’s Constitution following an annual review of the Constitution overseen by a Cross-Party Constitution Review Working Group.

Councillor Susan Brown, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy and Partnerships will present the report and propose the recommendations.

Recommendations: that Council resolves to:

1.    Approve the list of proposed amendments to the Council’s Constitution listed in Appendix A with effect from 17 May 2023;

2.    Delegate authority to the Head of Law and Governance to amend any further wording and/or numbering that is identified as being inconsistent with the changes approved by Council.

Council considered a report from the Head of Law and Governance requesting Council approve the recommended changes to the Council's Constitution following an annual review of the Constitution overseen by a Cross-Party Constitution Review Working Group.

Cllr Brown, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy and Partnerships introduced the report, proposed the recommendations subject to the addition of ‘or s151 Officer’ after ‘Monitoring Officer’ at proposal 15 set out in Appendix A of the report and answered questions.

The recommendation was agreed on being seconded by Cllr Mundy and put to the vote.

Council resolved to:

1.    Approve the list of proposed amendments to the Council’s Constitution listed in Appendix A, subject to the minor amendment set out above, with effect from 17 May 2023;

2.    Delegateauthority to the Head of Law and Governance to amend any further wording and/or numbering that is identified as being inconsistent with the changes approved by Council.

Cllr Jarvis left the meeting.

The Head of Paid Services has submitted a report to Council seeking approval to designate the Council’s Interim Monitoring Officer and to appoint a Returning Officer and Electoral Registration Officer.

Councillor Susan Brown, Leader of the Council will present the report and propose the recommendations.

Recommendations: That Council resolves to:

1.    Designate the newly appointed Interim Head of Law & Governance, Rhian Davies, as the Council’s Interim Monitoring Officer with effect from 03 April 2023;

2.    Appoint Caroline Green, Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service, as the Council’s Returning Officer and Electoral Registration Officer with effect from 03 April 2023.

Council considered a report from the Head of Paid Service seeking approval to designate the Council’s Interim Monitoring Officer and to appoint a Returning Officer and Electoral Registration Officer.

Cllr Brown, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy and Partnerships introduced the report, proposed the recommendations 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.    Designate the newly appointed Interim Head of Law & Governance, Rhian Davies, as the Council’s Interim Monitoring Officer with effect from 03 April 2023;

2.    Appoint Caroline Green, Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service, as the Council’s Returning Officer and Electoral Registration Officer with effect from 03 April 2023.

This item has a time limit of 15 minutes.

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

Minute 117 – Implementing the Covered Market Masterplan

In response to a question from Cllr Roz Smith, Cllr Brown, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy and Partnerships advised that she did not think the question was appropriate at this point, because the Masterplan was not the Lettings Strategy of the Covered Market. She added that, in terms of the Lettings Strategy, units were let and there were signs up on some of the units indicating who the new tenants were. She advised that if Cllr Roz Smith had particular concerns relating to specific units, these could be looked into in more detail.

Minute 118 – Allocation of Preventing Homelessness Grant 2023-24

In response to a question from Cllr Smowton, Cllr Linda Smith, Cabinet Member for Housing advised that the position relating to the severe-looking reduction in the number of Full Time Equivalents was dependent on funds being made available from the Government to fund the Council’s work. She said that the reduction could be as bad as set out in the report, but she hoped it would not be and cited the Council’s success in applying for Government funding in previous years. She highlighted that there were no guarantees at this point.

Minute 119 – Oxford Local Plan 2040 Focused Consultation on Housing Need

In response to a question from Cllr Smowton, Cllr Hollingsworth, Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Delivery advised that the HENA consultation was a live consultation as part of the consultation on the Local Plan 2040. He confirmed that he was aware of the comments made by South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils and that Oxford City Council’s response to those comments was on the Council website. He added that the Council was setting up to maximise housing provision within the city, which was consulted on during the first part of the Regulation 18 consultation on the Local Plan 2040. He further confirmed that the Local Plan 2040 Regulation 19 consultation was scheduled for the end of the year.

To follow in the briefing note.

Minute 132 – Development of a Biodiversity Strategy for Oxford

In response to a question from Cllr Gant, Cllr Railton, Cabinet Member for Zero Carbon Oxford and Climate Justice advised that the Biodiversity Strategy was due to be delivered next year; the officer time was budgeted for, but work such as the extra site audits recommended by new Climate & Environment Scrutiny Panel was not currently budgeted for because the Strategy was not yet written. She added that the Strategy did not yet exist so it did not have Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), but confirmed that she was very keen to have KPIs in the Strategy which were measurable, once it was written.

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 8 March 2023.

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

24 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 4 supplementary questions and responses asked and given at the meeting are set out in the minutes pack.

Cllrs Brown and Hollingsworth had declared an interest in relation to question ET3 on Jericho Wharf and left the meeting during consideration of that question.

Council agreed to consider items 16 and 18 next on the agenda before the 30 minute break and then return to the agenda as listed.

As set out in the Constitution at procedure rule 11.16, Members who are Council representatives on external bodies or Chairs of Council Committees who consider that a significant decision or event has taken place, may give notice to the Head of Law and Governance by 1.00 pm Thursday 16 March 2023 that they will present a written or oral report on the event or the significant decision and how it may influence future events. Written reports will be circulated with the briefing note.

Councillor Susan Brown, Leader of the Council will present the report which notes the annual update on the Oxford Strategic Partnership.

Council is invited to comment on and note the report.

Cllr Thomas joined the meeting.

Cllr Brown, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy and Partnerships introduced the report which presented the annual update on the Oxford Strategic Partnership.

Council noted the report.

Councillor Susan Brown, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy and Partnerships, will present the report which provides members with an update on the work of Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OXLEP).

Council is invited to comment on and note the report.

Cllr Brown, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy and Partnerships introduced the report which provided an update on the work of Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP) and answered questions.

Council noted the report.

Councillor Louise Upton, Cabinet Member for Health and Transport, will present the report which provides the annual report on the work of the Oxfordshire Health and Wellbeing/Health Improvement Board.

Council are invited to comment on and note the report.

Cllr Upton, Cabinet Member for Health and Transport introduced the report which provided the annual report on the work of Oxfordshire Health and Wellbeing/Health Improvement Board.

Council noted the report.

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.

Cllr Smowton, Chair of the Scrutiny Committee, introduced the report updating the Council on the activities of the Scrutiny function. He congratulated Cllr Hunt on the first meeting of the new Climate & Environment Scrutiny Panel, which emphasised the importance of the topic to the Council.

Council noted the report.

Appendix 1 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 1 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 18).

The Executive Director (Development) submitted a report to Cabinet on 08 February 2023 seeking approval to secure a budget to allow the City Council to lend OxWED up to £750,000 to support continuing work on the Oxpens project and in particular preparing (and subject to LLP Member approval and planning permission) implementing the Delivery Strategy for the Oxpens development.

The Cabinet minutes are available at item 13a.

Councillor Ed Turner, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Asset Management, and Councillor Alex Hollingsworth, Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Delivery will present the report and proposed the recommendations.

Recommendation: That Cabinet recommends that Council resolves to:

1.    Agree to include £750,000 in its capital budget to allow the City Council to loan these funds to OxWED to continue work on the Oxpens project in accordance with the LLP Members agreement, and in particular preparation and (if planning permission is granted) implementation of the Delivery Strategy.

Council considered a report from the Executive Director (Development) seeking approval to secure a budget to allow the City Council to lend OxWED up to £750,000 to support continuing work on the Oxpens project and in particular preparing (and subject to LLP Member approval and planning permission) implementing the Delivery Strategy for the Oxpens development.

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.    Agree to include £750,000 in its capital budget to allow the City Council to loan these funds to OxWED to continue work on the Oxpens project in accordance with the LLP Members agreement, and in particular preparation and (if planning permission is granted) implementation of the Delivery Strategy.

Appendices 1-4 to this item include 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 Appendices 1-4 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 18).

The Executive Director (Development) submitted a report to Cabinet on 15 March 2023 seeking further project approvals and delegations to enable the continued delivery of more affordable housing in Oxford.

The Cabinet minutes are available at item 13b.

Councillor Linda Smith, Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Alex Hollingsworth, Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Delivery and Councillor Ed Turner, Cabinet Member for Finance and Asset Management will present the report and present Cabinet’s recommendations.

Recommendations: Cabinet recommends that Council resolves to:

1.    Approve a revision to the HRA capital budget of an additional £825,000, with the realignment of budgets and schemes within the HRA new build programme, in order for the schemes listed below to be delivered within the capital programme funded predominantly from borrowing.  This additional spend to be profiled into 2024/25.

a)    Increase Northfield Hostel budget by £3.25m (see paragraph 52)

b)    Increase Lanham Way budget by £361k (see paragraph 53)

c)    Reduce East Oxford Community Centre budget by £700k (see paragraph 54)

d)    Close Juniper Close scheme (see paragraph 55).

Council considered a report from the Executive Director (Development) seeking further project approvals and delegations to enable the continued delivery of more affordable housing in Oxford.

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 Hollingsworth, Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Deliver and put to the vote.

Council resolved to:

1.    Approve a revision to the HRA capital budget of an additional £825,000, with the realignment of budgets and schemes within the HRA new build programme, in order for the schemes listed below to be delivered within the capital programme funded predominantly from borrowing. This additional spend to be profiled into 2024/25.

a)    Increase Northfield Hostel budget by £3.25m (see paragraph 52)

b)    Increase Lanham Way budget by £361k (see paragraph 53)

c)    Reduce East Oxford Community Centre budget by £700k (see paragraph 54)

d)    Close Juniper Close scheme (see paragraph 55)

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 14 March 2023.

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 within this limit.

Cllr Jarvis re-joined the meeting.

Council heard four addressed and one question. Cabinet Members provided a verbal response, or read or summarised their written response.

The addresses, question and responses are set out in full in the minutes pack.

1.    Address by Nicola Smith – Plant-based food and sustainable farming motion.

2.    Address by Ian Middleton – Plant-based food and sustainable farming motion.

3.    Address by Judith Harley – ODS Vandalism in Cowley Marsh Park

4.    Address by Jocelyn Wogan-Browne – Oxford Flood and Environment Group - Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme

5.    Question from Judith Harley – New Park Bench Installation in Cowley Marsh Park

The Lord Mayor thanked the speakers for their contributions.

The petition organiser may address Council upon the petition for up to 5 minutes at the start of this item.

Council is asked to consider a petition meeting the criteria for debate under the Council’s petitions scheme.

The full text of the petition is contained in the accompanying report of the Head of Law and Governance.

If a Member wishes to put a substantive motion/recommendation on a petition they must submit this by 10am on the working day before the full Council meeting (Friday 17 March 2023). These are then published in the Council briefing note. Any amendments to these must be submitted by 11am on the day of the meeting (Monday 20 March 2023).

If no substantive motion is agreed, Council is asked to note the petition.

Council considered a petition meeting the criteria for debate in accordance with the Council’s petitions scheme stating:

We the undersigned petition the council to Preserve the historic character and shape of Tumbling Bay swimming pool on the River Thames, and ensure that ladders or steps continue to be provided into the water.

We call on Oxford City Council to:

·         Preserve the historic character and shape of Tumbling Bay river pool by seeking to repair or replace the existing wall.

·         Ensure that ladders continue to be in situ to allow people to get out of the river safely.

·         Work with local residents to explore ways in which funds could be raised to pay for the renovation work.

Tumbling Bay is a much loved Victorian river swimming pool on a backwater of the River Thames just behind Botley Park in West Oxford.

For over 150 years local children have learned to swim in the pool. The north wall is in need of repair and the site has been fenced off for several months. The Council’s current plan is to smash up the existing wall to produce a sloping bank that will erase this valuable piece of local heritage.

While no longer an official bathing spot, Tumbling Bay is very much enjoyed by local residents. Hundreds of people swim there in the summer and a small number all year round. It is safer than the river as there are no boats going past. It is also part of our local history.

Alice Icely, one of the petition organisers, addressed Council.

Council debated the petition. Following debate, Cllr Munkonge, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Leisure and Parks, seconded by Cllr Hunt, proposed that Council note the petition and undertake further engagement with local residents regarding Tumbling Bay. This was agreed on being put to the vote.

Council resolved to:

1.    Note the petition.

2.    Undertake further engagement with local residents regarding Tumbling Bay.

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 8 March 2023 are listed below.

Cross party motions are taken first. Motions will then be taken in turn from the Green, Labour, and Liberal Democrat Groups 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 17 March 2023so 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:

a)    Four Day Week (proposed by Cllr Kerr, seconded by Cllr Pegg)

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

c)    Use Car Parking Sites for Solar Farms (proposed by Cllr Fouweather, seconded by Cllr Miles)

d)    Consultation on the Sale of Council Art Works (proposed by Cllr Miles, seconded by Cllr Smowton)

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

Motions agreed as set out below:

a)    Four Day Week (proposr Cllr Kerr, seconder by Cllr Pegg, amendment proposer Cllr Chapman, amendment seconder Cllr Arshad)

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

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

c)    Use Car Parking Site for Solar Farms (proposer Cllr Fouweather, seconder Cllr Miles)

d)    Consultation on the Sale of Council Art Works (proposer Cllr Miles, seconder Cllr Smowton)

Green member motion

Council notes

1. From June to December 2022, a sixth month pilot of a four day working week was carried out in the UK. This pilot saw 61 organisations with almost 3,000 workers trial the introduction of reducing working hours for staff while maintaining 100% of pay. This trial was the largest of its kind in the world to date, and saw companies introduce a ‘meaningful’ reduction of hours for staff up to the implementation of a four day week. It was carried out by Autonomy, the 4 Day Week Campaign and 4 Day Week Global.[1]
2. Participating organisations in the trial spanned a wide range of sectors including marketing, charities, finance, healthcare, manufacturing, construction, engineering and the arts.[2]
3. 92% of the organisations participating in the four day week trial have continued its implementation beyond the pilot period. 30% of the participating organisations have already decided to make the change in working hours permanent. 
4. The trial found that 39% of workers were less stressed, 71% had lower levels of burnout, 60% said it was easier to balance paid work and care responsibilities, 62% found it easier to balance work and social life. The number of workers leaving participating companies decreased by 57% over the trial period.

Council believes

1. We should continue to take steps to improve the working conditions of our own staff, while maximising the quality of the services we deliver.
2. The Council has over many years played a significant role in improving pay and working conditions throughout Oxford, through using its considerable influence with initiatives such as the Oxford Living Wage.
3. The Council should continue, expand and extend its work driving improvements for workers across our city.

Council resolves

1. To request that the Chief Executive submits a report to Cabinet investigating the feasibility of trialling a four day week or similar reduction in working hours at no loss of pay within its own operations. 
2. To request that the Leader and Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy and Partnerships begin a conversation with the organisations involved in running the four day week trial and employers in Oxford about the possibility of organisations in the city trialling a four day week for their own employees. 

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

Cllr Chapman, seconded by Cllr Arshad, proposed the amendment as set out in the briefing note.

Council debated the motion and amendment. Following debate, and on being put to the vote, the amendment was agreed.

On being put to the vote the amended motion was then agreed.

Council resolved to adopt the following motion:

Council notes

1. From June to December 2022, a sixth month pilot of a four day working week was carried out in the UK. This pilot saw 61 organisations with almost 3,000 workers trial the introduction of reducing working hours for staff while maintaining 100% of pay. This trial was the largest of its kind in the world to date, and saw companies introduce a ‘meaningful’ reduction of hours for staff up to the implementation of a four day week. It was carried out by Autonomy, the 4 Day Week Campaign and 4 Day Week Global.[1]
2. Participating organisations in the trial spanned a wide range of sectors including marketing, charities, finance, healthcare, manufacturing, construction, engineering and the arts.[2]
3. 92% of the organisations participating in the four day week trial have continued its implementation beyond the pilot period. 30% of the participating organisations have already decided to make the change in working hours permanent. 
4. The trial found that 39% of workers were less stressed, 71% had lower levels of burnout, 60% said it was easier to balance paid work and care responsibilities, 62% found it easier to balance work and social life. The number of workers leaving participating companies decreased by 57% over the trial period.

Council believes

1. We should continue to take steps to improve the working conditions of our own staff, while maximising the quality of the services we deliver.
2. The Council has over many years played a significant role in improving pay and working conditions throughout Oxford, through using its considerable influence with initiatives such as the Oxford Living Wage.
3. The Council should continue, expand and extend its work driving improvements for workers across our city.

Council resolves

1. To request that the Chief Executive and other relevant officers continue to discuss with its trade unions ways of improving the retention and recruitment of its employees including discussing ways of working.
2. To request that the Leader and Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy and Partnerships continues to discuss with the LEP (of which she is a director) and with South Cambridgeshire District Council (whose leader she meets with regularly) any relevant learnings from their involvement in running the four day week trial.
3. To request that the Leader as part of her work on the Oxfordshire Inclusive Employment Partnership (OIEP) finds out if there are any other employers in Oxford considering trialling a four day week for their own employees, particularly any with a large directly employed customer service workforce.   

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 April 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 April 2023.

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

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

Council resolved to adopt the following 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 April 2023 will have plant-based options.

·         Call  ...  view the full minutes text for item 116b

Liberal Democrat member motion

Oxford City Council declared a climate emergency in 2019. Various initiatives have been proposed and the Council has made progress with the decarbonisation of Council owned social housing and leisure centres.

This proposal is that the case for installing solar panels over the car parks in the city is examined and a report prepared for Cabinet to consider at a future meeting.

A solar farm in this case would consist of solar panels mounted on a raised framework so that the majority of cars would be able to park underneath. Another benefit would be that cars would be protected from both bad weather and overheating due to sunshine.

The French government has recently announced plans to mandate that all car parks in France must have solar farms installed. The Bentley Car Company recently announced the installation of a solar farm at their plant in Crewe which will cover 1378 car spaces and generate 2.7 MW of power.

The benefit of this proposal is that it makes better use of non-productive land and demonstrates that the City Council is fully behind the push for Green Energy and Net Zero. It would contribute to the targets for increased PV generation across the County as defined in the Oxfordshire Energy Strategy.

Two of the City-owned P+R[1] sites together total 2801 car spaces. This could generate at least 4.2 MW of power — enough for 600–800 average sized houses. If the other P+R sites are included then this rises to over 9MW.  The Building Research Establishment estimates the capital cost per space at £900–£1400 /kWp.

There are other Council owned car parks which could be utilised in this way including those at leisure centres and public parks. Even a small car park could be a useful local source of PV energy and may be able to be implemented over a shorter timescale.

There would also be opportunities to extend the existing EV charging in sites using the power generated locally. The space for physical equipment needed for connection to the local electricity grid will need consideration as would other potential uses such as power storage, freight consolidation or tourist coach parking.

Therefore this Council requests that the Head of Corporate Strategy submits a report to Cabinet by the end of 2023 which:-

1)    Examines this proposal to assess the feasibility of installing solar panels in various Council owned car parking sites around Oxford including Park and Rides.

2)    Considers what alternative uses of existing sites will need consideration when assessing sites for use as a solar farm.

3)    Explores alternative possibilities for funding the installation costs.

4)    Considers the feasibility of the Council being the operator of the solar farm(s) and thus selling the electricity generated to energy companies.

5)    Assesses the potential income stream to the Council from the solar farms once installed.

6)    Reports on discussions with the relevant County Council officers about their P+R sites being included in this scheme.

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

Liberal Democrat member motion

Within Oxford City Council’s art collection there are several items that are of no practical value to the city, do not have a clear link to Oxford, and depict themes that are inappropriate for a progressive public body that wants to lead by example: namely animal cruelty and gender-based violence. These include: the Morrell Trophy, featuring a fox hunting group, representing death and a huntsman holding a fox above hounds, which is not currently on public display; and two paintings: The Rape of the Sabines; and Salome and Head of John the Baptist.

This council agrees that there is a place for these artworks in art galleries or museums, but they are not appropriate for display at the town hall.

In their place, this Council believes there is a need to rebalance the lack of diversity in representation on public display in the artwork in the town hall. This is because of the 45 portraits showing people, there are 40 depicting males and only 3 of females (the remaining 2 show both males and females). Moreover, the currently displayed works do not represent Oxford's ethnic diversity.

This motion calls on the council to conduct a public consultation on a one-off sale of these select artworks from its collection. Therefore this Council calls on the Leader of the City Council and Cabinet to:-

1)    Request a report to Cabinet setting out the cost, process and timeline for implementing a public consultation on the sale of select artworks; and

2)    Request a report to Cabinet on the costs and feasible timelines of identifying, framing and hanging additional artworks in the council chamber and town hall to redress the existing lack of diversity within the current town hall portraits with the goal for implementation by the end of 2024.

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