There were no declarations of interest made.

The Chair informed the Committee that the former Migration Champion, Councillor Dr Hosnieh Djafari-Marbini, had submitted comments regarding the sanctuary framework and noted that these could be considered within the meeting. 

The Chair notified the Committee that there would be a break in proceedings later.  

Minutes from the extraordinary meeting on 18 November 2024 and the ordinary meeting on 2 December 2024.

Recommendation: That the minutes of the extraordinary meeting on 18 November 2024 and ordinary meeting held on 2 December 2024 be APPROVED as a true and accurate record.

The Committee resolved to approve the minutes of the extraordinary meeting on 18 November 2024.  

The Committee resolved to approve the minutes of the ordinary meeting held on 2 December 2024 as a true and accurate record. 

The Committee then agreed to consider items 7,8,9,10 and 11 next on the agenda, followed by 5,6 and 12.  

The Scrutiny Committee has received a report from the Head of Law and Governance (Monitoring Officer) to update the Committee on the progress and plans to address the increase in Urgent Key Decisions in 2024, and to improve and strengthen governance of the Council.

Emma Jackman, Head of Law and Governance (Monitoring Officer), and Jonathan Malton, Committee and Member Services Manager have been invited to present the report and answer questions.

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

Emma Jackman, Head of Law and Governance, and Jonathan Malton, Committee and Member Services Manager, were present to answer questions on the report. 

The Head of Law and Governance introduced the report and explained that recently, there have been an increased number of urgent key decisions over the threshold that have not been published within the forward plan 28 days in advance, as is required. Therefore, the decisions have required approval from the Chair of Scrutiny to wave the usual five-day grace period. The Head of Law and Governance noted that several of the decisions related to projects with tight timelines and often linked to external companies. Methods to address the issue are outlined appendix 1.  

The Head of Law and Governance summarised some of the actions being taken, including:  

·       The definition of ‘key decision’ was discussed at the previous Council and updated meeting to remove confusion. Key decisions now refer to any decision involving a spend of more than £750,000. 

·       The Forward Plan template was updated and standing items reviewed.  

·       Templates for officers and councillors were updated and will be available from February to offer more guidance when key decisions are taken.  

·       New training sessions for officers are being developed; some have already taken place and more are planned.  

·       An online training package focused on the Constitution is under development. This will be mandatory for all new starters to the Council, and as a refresh module for existing staff. 

·       Relationships with client companies will be reviewed to understand how their governance requirements impact upon the timing of key decisions. Training will be developed to address this. 

·       A wider piece of work will take place to assess how client companies and contracts are managed, specifically in relation to commissioning.  

·       There will be a constitutional review this year.  

·       Following Cabinet meetings, action lists will be produced to highlight where delegations have been made to officers, and to ensure that guidance exists on the timings of key decisions.  

·       The Annual Governance Statement for 2024/25 will include information on this. 

The Head of Law and Governance invited the Committee to ask questions or express any preferences for topics of future training sessions.  

The Chair thanked the Head of Law and Governance for the presentation and invited the Committee to raise questions on other matters within the report.  

Councillor Rowley expressed concern regarding the training of company officers. He also queried if there was a legal requirement to have a company secretary, to which the Head of Law and Governance confirmed it is not, and explained that due to recent movements in staffing, the vacancy was only short term and that training with the companies on the Council's governance will take place once transitions are complete. Councillor Ottino noted his concern with the issue and highlighted the possible difficulty of training staff due to turnover rates. He also sought clarity on whether the e-learning is already set up and queried whether a two-year cycle for refresher training could be too long. The Head of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 61.

Cabinet, at its meeting on 22 January 2025, will consider a report from the Executive Director (Corporate Resources) seeking approval and adoption of the draft Council of Sanctuary framework document.

Cllr Linda Smith, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, Tom Hook, Executive Director (Corporate Resources), Nerys Parry, Head of Housing Service, Richard Wood, Housing Strategy and Needs Manager, and Stephen Cohen, Refugee and Resettlement Manager have been invited to present the report and answer questions.

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

Councillor Linda Smith, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, Nerys Parry, Head of Housing Services, Richard Wood, Housing Strategy and Needs Manager, and Stephen Cohen, Refugee and Resettlement Manager, were present to answer questions on the report. 

Councillor Smith presented the report to the Committee and expressed her delight at the achievement of the accreditation which reflects Oxford’s history of welcoming people from around the world and supporting refugees and asylum seekers. She explained that the framework incorporates a three-year action plan aimed at supporting the accreditation and empowering local community and voluntary group support systems. She explained that, despite its breadth, the report does not request additional funding. Councillor Smith thanked Refugee and Resettlement Manager for his continued work.  

The Chair thanked Councillor Smith, the Housing Strategy and Needs Manager, and the Refugee and Resettlement Manager. 

The Housing Strategy and Needs Manager and the Refugee and Resettlement Manager introduced themselves to the Committee. The Refugee and Resettlement Manager described the framework as a bold vision intended to support people seeking sanctuary. Most migrants come to work or study and settle in Oxford, but the Council recognise that not everyone has an easy journey. He explained that officers have built relationships with stakeholders and developed knowledge to support the action plan on issues such as homelessness, housing advice, data collection, and English tuition. The importance of partnership with stakeholders and existing residents was emphasised in the context of a two-tier authority where delivery responsibilities fall across multiple bodies. The Refugee and Resettlement Manager linked the framework to the Council’s Thriving Communities Strategy and requested comments and questions from the Committee. 

The Chair invited the Committee to raise questions on matters within the report.  

Councillor Ottino sought clarity on how many people the report refers to and stressed the importance of this for measuring success. He also expressed concern at how ambitious and broad the plans are, noting a fear that focus could be lost and suggested that more precise targets could be useful. 

Councillor Mundy referred to the letter sent by Councillor Djafari-Marbini, as introduced by the Chair earlier, and summarised these points alongside his own comments. Councillor Mundy similarly questioned whether a lack of detail in the report could limit assessment of the framework’s success. The Committee heard of his experience working with refugees on English tuition. More detail on the strategies for supporting English tuition were requested and the importance of English proficiency for enabling refugees and asylum seekers to integrate into the local community was emphasised.  

Councillor Jarvis thanked officers and Councillor Smith for their continued work and welcomed the accreditation status. He queried specific sections of the report:  

·       In reference to page 82, section 6.6 he observed that in regards public transport, the phrasing used is incongruent with actions being taken at the County Council level and asked how this could be explained. 

·       In reference to page 79, section 3.1 he requested further detail.  

As general points, Councillor Jarvis also noted that the increased trend of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 62.

Cabinet, at its meeting on 22 January 2025, will consider a report from the Head of Financial Services presenting the outcome of Oxford City Council’s annual rent review and associated rent setting proposal for 2025/26 in respect of all council dwellings within the Housing Revenue Account, including the setting of associated services and facilities charges.

Cllr Ed Turner, Deputy Leader (Statutory) and Cabinet Member for Finance and Asset Management, Cllr Linda Smith, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, Nigel Kennedy, Head of Financial Services, Nerys Parry, Head of Housing Services and Jason Jones, Finance Business Partner (HRA) have been invited to present the report and answer questions.

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

The Chair noted apologies from Councillor Turner, Cabinet Member for Finance and Asset Management.   

Councillor Linda Smith, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, Jason Jones, Finance Business Partner (HRA), and Nerys Parry, Head of Housing Services, were present to answer questions on the report. 

Councillor Smith presented the report to the Committee which recommends a 2.7% increase in rent and service charges in the next year. She explained that this is the maximum increase permitted and that the HRA is under pressure from requirements to maximise income to support funding ambitions, construct new Council housing, and to retrofit existing housing stock. The Committee heard that the new rates provide value for money and amount to an average rent of £133.68 per week which will support the housing crisis.  

The Chair thanked Councillor Smith and invited officers to comment.  

The Chair invited the Committee to raise questions on matters within the report.  

Councillor Ottino sought clarification of how a garage within curtilage is defined and requested explanation of why garage rent is subject to higher increases when there are many empty garages across the city. It was queried whether alternative options of renting garages at lower rates could be considered. The Chair echoed this question and queried whether there are any restrictions on increasing garage rental charges. She also queried why, in the table in appendix 1, Summertown is excluded. 

Councillor Smith acknowledged Councillor Ottino’s comments and recognised that there could be potential for more dynamic pricing for garages across the city but explained that the matter is not of relevance to the report being presented which only refers to garages connected to council homes, not standalone garages. It was explained that garages connected to council homes will be subject to a larger percentage increase in rental charges, amounting to around £20 per week.  

The Finance Business Partner (HRA) stated that the 4.1% increase on garage rent is part of fees and charges and explained that no legislation exists which caps this. As such, the rental charge would be increasing in accordance with the rest of garage stock. In reference to the Chair’s query on Summertown’s exclusion from the report, the Finance Business Partner (HRA) concluded that the table refers only to socially rented houses, not shared ownership properties and therefore noted that there must be none in Summertown. The Chair noted concern with the accuracy of this.  

 In reference to curtilage, Councillor Ottino observed that the total rent on a property with an attached garage would increase more without the choice of the tenant. He queried whether tenants could opt out of having the garage as this would be an unfair imposition. Additionally, in reference to information in section 22, Councillor Ottino asked why rent charges on standing garages are increasing more than inflation.  

The Finance Business Partner (HRA) explained that garages within the boundary of a home are for the sole use of the tenant, and this is generally viewed positively. This would be a hard condition to remove  ...  view the full minutes text for item 63.

Cabinet, at its meeting on 22 January, will consider a report to approve the withdrawal of the Oxford Local Plan 2040 from Examination and to approve the Local Development Scheme 2025-2030, which sets out the work programme for the revised Oxford Local Plan 2042.

Cllr Louise Upton, Cabinet Member for Planning, David Butler, Head of Planning and Regulatory Services, Rachel Williams, Planning Policy and Place Manager, and Sarah Harrison, Planning Policy Team Leader have been invited to present the report and answer questions.

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

Councillor Louise Upton, Cabinet Member for Planning, Rachel Williams, Planning Policy and Place Manager, and Sarah Harrison, Planning Policy Team Leader, were present to answer questions on the report. 

Councillor Upton presented the report to the Committee summarising that the requirement to withdraw the Local Plan 2040 is not ideal but deemed appropriate by the planning inspector. The Committee heard the new plan and timetable for a new local plan is under development and will use previous evidence bases and policies to enable smooth progress. Councillor Upton explained that some updates are required to the plan following changes to the national planning policy framework; several examples were provided. The Committee were offered the opportunity to attend workshops to discuss the refresh and provide suggestions. The Committee also then heard a summary of the last section of the report focused on the charging schedule including the requirement to increase community infrastructure levy charges on businesses. Councillor Upton assured the Committee that the schedule had been submitted to for examination alongside the new local plan 2042, but that the planning inspectorate failed to complete this due to a shortage of inspectors. As such, a private inspector has been identified to complete this if required, in order to ensure quick progress can be made and CIL money secured for the city. 

The Chair invited the Committee to raise questions on other matters within the report.  

Councillor Jarvis questioned the impact of local government reorganisation on the timetable of the local plan. The Planning Policy and Place Manager explained that submission is planned by April 2025 and that the process will conclude ahead of local government reorganisation taking effect.  

The Chair queried whether, due to the revised and extended end date of the plan to 2042, there are any implications or risks to which the Planning Policy and Place Manager assured the Committee that the extension of the end date allows for the required 15 years’ timeframeafter the plan’s adoption to be secured and only minor tweaks to evidence bases will be required which has already been considered.  

The Chair queried whether there would be impacts on the review of neighbourhood plans from the alterations to the timeframe of the local plan and sought clarity on how the parallel timelines would function. The Planning Policy and Place Manager assured the Committee that it is usual for plans to develop on different timelines and that it is not an issue. She explained that all neighbourhood forums can continue to go ahead and that those plans will need to be in general conformity to the local plan. 

The Chair invited the Committee to consider recommendations.  

The Committee resolved to endorse the recommendations set out in the report. There were no other recommendations made. 

The Chair thanked the officers and Cabinet members.  

Councillor Upton, the Planning Policy and Place Manager, and the Planning Policy Team Leader left the meeting.  

The Scrutiny Committee has commissioned a report to consider the Council’s current flood management including an overview of responsibilities and responses.

Cllr Susan Brown, Lead member for Emergency Planning, Cllr Nigel Chapman, Lead member for Flood Relief, Richard Adams, Community Safety Service Manager, James Barlow, Principal Flood Mitigation and Environmental Quality Team Leader, Kamil Lipowski, Emergency Planning Officer and Andy Brett,Senior Resilience Officer (Oxfordshire County Council) have been invited to present the report and answer questions.

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

Councillor Nigel Chapman, Lead member for Flood Relief, Councillor Anna Railton, Cabinet Member for Zero Carbon Oxford, Richard Adams, Community Safety Service Manager, James Barlow, Principal Flood Mitigation and Environmental Quality Team Leader, and Andy Brett, Senior Resilience Officer from Oxfordshire County Council, were present to answer questions on the report. 

The Chair noted the importance of the presentation considering the increasing severity of flooding in Oxford City and requirement to consider emergency planning.  

Councillor Railton introduced the topic and invited the Community Safety Service Manager to present.  

The Community Safety Service Manager provided an overview of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 which places legal duties on councils to assess the risks and impacts of all emergencies, including flooding. He explained the importance for Oxford City Council to have emergency plans and business continuity plans in place which ensure the public are warned and first responders are prepared but highlighted that Oxford County Council are a lead responder in flood events. The Committee heard of the extensive detail on the emergency response plans that were contained within the report. The Community Safety Service Manager also informed the Committee about the varying types of floods Oxford experience, issues with rising tide situations and flash floods, methods used to communicate plans within the council and residents, and the structure of the response hierarchy. Previous examples of floods in Oxford were used to demonstrate the information provided.  

The Chair thanked the Community Safety Service Manager for the detail of the presentation and invited the Committee to raise questions on other matters within the presentation.  

Councillor Rowley noted that ODS currently hold a small number of flood pumps and one flood barrier. Considering increasing flood risks, he queried whether there are plans to obtain further resources. The Community Safety Service Manager explained that pumps are held in collaboration with different agencies including the Environment Agency and therefore, more are available for deployment beyond that owned by ODS. The Committee were assured these can be accessed as required and in accordance with the severity of a flood. The Senior Resilience Officer added that pumps are only useful when there is a safe location to pump the water away to, which is often limited in built up areas. Additionally, the Principal Flood Mitigation and Environmental Quality Team Leader explained that interventions such as pumps and barriers are elements considered within the strategic plan. He also agreed that more barriers will be needed in the future. Councillor Chapman noted his experience in emergency response events and commented on his faith in the capabilities of Oxford’s flood response teams. The Chair echoed this sentiment based on the views of residents.  

The Chair queried whether there is a requirement for more budget to ensure that enough people are available to support responses to flooding events and what data is collected and used during the recovery and learning phase to ensure flooding plans are usefully adapted. Finally, the Chair noted that there is not a structure for volunteer  ...  view the full minutes text for item 65.

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.

The Scrutiny and Governance Adviser notified the Committee of one alteration to the work plan: the deference of the online payment system rollout.  

The Committee agreed the work plan. 

At its meeting on 11 December, Cabinet considered the following reports from Scrutiny and made responses to the recommendations:

·       Thriving Communities Strategy Update

·       Authority Monitoring Report and Infrastructure Funding Statement 2023/2024

·       HRA Asset Management Strategy and 5-Year Investment Programme

·       Tenancy Engagement and Management

·       Eco-moorings Update

·       High-level challenges and constraints impacting on the deliverability of solar opportunities at Council car parks

Since the Scrutiny Committee’s previous meeting on 2 December 2024, the following Panels have met:

·       Finance and Performance Panel (4 December 2024)

The Committee is asked to:

1.     Note Cabinet’s responses to its recommendations.

2.     Note any updates from Panel meetings.

The Chair notified the Committee that all recommendations are contained within the agenda pack and highlighted that there had been 13 recommendations across 6 reports to Cabinet at the December meeting.  

The Chair invited any questions from the Committee.  

The Scrutiny and Governance Adviser notified the Committee that the Finance Panel met since December and made one recommendation the Shareholder and Joint Venture Group. The Committee also heard that the Budget Review group met five times, and the report will be brought to the Committee at the next meeting.  

The Committee raised no questions.  

Scrutiny Committee

·       03 March 2025

·       01 April 2025

Standing Panels

Housing & Homelessness: 06 March 2025

Finance & Performance: 15 January 2025  21 January 2025; 07 April 2025

Climate & Environment: 26 February 2025; 27 March 2025

All meetings start at 6.00 pm.

The Scrutiny and Governance Advisor noted two corrections:  

1.    That the meeting on 1 April would now take place on 26 March. 

2.    That there will also be a meeting on 29 January. 

The Committee noted the dates of future meetings.