The Committee is asked to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 13 January 2026 as a true and accurate record.

Public addresses relating to matters of business for this agenda. Up to five minutes is available for each public address.

The request to speak accompanied by the full text of the address must be received by the Director of Law, Governance and Strategy by 5.00 pm on Wednesday, 28 January 2026.

Councillor addresses relating to matters of business for this agenda. Up to five minutes is available for each address.

The request should be received by the Director of Law, Governance and Strategy by 5.00 pm on Wednesday, 28 January 2026.

At the Scrutiny Committee meeting on 14 October 2025, the Committee requested for an update on the council’s debt recovery procedure. Councillor Ed Turner, Deputy Leader (Statutory) and Cabinet Member for Finance and Asset Manager, Nigel Kennedy, Group Finance Director (Section 151 Officer) and Philip McGaskill, Revenues Service Delivery Manager will be in attendance to present the report and answer questions.

The Committee is asked to consider the report and agree any recommendations.

At the Scrutiny Committee meeting on 9 September 2025, the Committee requested an update on the Council owned noticeboards. Tom Hook, Deputy Chief Executive will be in attendance to present the report and answer questions.

The Committee is asked to consider the report and agree any recommendations.

At the Scrutiny Committee meeting on 1 July 2025, the Committee requested a review of the Council’s AI Strategy. Councillor Nigel Chapman, Cabinet Member for Citizen Focussed Services and Council Companies, Tom Hook, Deputy Chief Executive – City and Citizens, and Helen Bishop, Director of Communities and Citizens' Services will be in attendance to present the report and answer questions.

The Committee is asked to consider the report and agree any recommendations.

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 the Scrutiny Committee wishes to discuss matters relating to the information set out in Appendix 3 to the report, it will be necessary for the Scrutiny Committee to pass a resolution to exclude the press and public from the meeting.

The Scrutiny and Governance Advisor has submitted a report on behalf of the Chair of the Budget Review Group, following the Scrutiny Committee’s agreement to establish a Budget Review Group at it’s meeting on 10 June 2025 and approval of the Terms of Reference and Scope at it’s meeting on 9 September 2025.

The Committee is recommended to:

1.    Endorse the report and recommendations from the Budget Review Group.

2.    Delegate authority to the Scrutiny and Governance Advisor, in consultation with the Chair of the Scrutiny Committee, to make minor amendments to the report.

The report and appendices will be published as part of a supplement.

The Work Plan is driven to a very large extent by the Cabinet Forward Plan. The Scrutiny Committee agrees its priorities for items coming onto the Forward Plan, which then form part of its Work Plan.

The Committee is recommended to confirm its agreement to the Work Plan, or agree any amendments as required.

At its meeting on 21 January 2026, Cabinet considered the following reports from Scrutiny and made responses to the recommendations:

·       Workforce Report

·       Proposed Submission Draft Oxford Local Plan 2045

The Committee is asked to:

1.    Note Cabinet’s responses to its recommendations.

There have been no meetings of the Working Groups since the Scrutiny Committee’s previous meeting on 13 January 2026.

Scrutiny Committee

·       10 March 2026

·       7 April 2026

All meetings start at 6:00 pm.