The Committee is asked to elect a Chair from among its voting members for the 2025/26 council year. In accordance with Part 13.6a of the Council’s Constitution, the Chair must be drawn from the opposition.

Councillor Miles proposed, and Councillor Jarvis seconded the nomination of Councillor Powell to be elected as Chair of the Committee for 2025/26.?? 

No further nominations were received.  

The Scrutiny Committee resolved that Councillor Powell be elected as the Chair for 2025/26.

The Committee is asked to elect a Vice-Chair from among its voting members for the 2025/26 council year. The Vice-Chair may be drawn from any political group.

Councillor Ottino proposed, and Councillor Altaf-Khan seconded the nomination of Councillor Rowley to be elected as Vice-Chair of the Committee for 2025/26.?? 

No further nominations were received.  

The Scrutiny Committee resolved that Councillor Rowley be elected as the Vice-Chair for 2025/26.

Councillor Azad and Councillor Corais sent apologies.

The Chair notified the Committee that he is an employee of Oxford Brookes University which is mentioned in the Local Plan being discussed during this meeting. The Chair had taken advice from the Scrutiny and Governance Advisor and would be remaining for the duration of the relevant item.   

Councillor Stares informed the Committee that she is a trustee of Littlemore Community Centre.

In response to issues with accessing the online agenda and reports for the meeting, the Chair proposed a ten-minute adjournment to allow Committee members to familiarise themselves with the reports being discussed to ensure proper scrutiny could take place.   

Councillor Qayyum joined the meeting. 

Councillor Altaf-Khan noted that he had not been able to access the papers and therefore felt that he would be unable to scrutinise the reports sufficiently. Councillor Altaf-Khan suggested that some items be delayed for consideration at a future meeting and that Cabinet be accommodating of these delays.  

The Chair took advice from the Scrutiny and Governance Advisor.  

The Scrutiny and Governance Advisor listed the items which were expected at the next meeting of Cabinet on 18 June 2025 (Leisure Investment Programme Update and More Leisure Service Annual Plan, Oxford Local Plan 2042 Regulation 18 Consultation Document and Annual Housing Complaint Performance & Service Improvement Report). On this basis the Chair recommended that the Committee progress with the meeting as planned and requested that members return from an adjournment at 18.20.  

Councillor Mundy joined the meeting. 

The Committee resumed at 18.20. 

The Chair thanked the Committee for their time to taken to consider the papers. 

The Chair reordered the agenda; items would be taken in the following order: 7, 9, 8, 10, 6, 11, 12.

The Director of Law, Governance and Strategy has submitted a report which seeks the Committee’s agreement to the adoption of a set of Scrutiny Operating Principles for the 2025/26 Council year, the establishment of standing working groups and review groups, the appointment of standing working group and review group chairs and a proposed work plan to September 2025.

The Scrutiny Committee are recommended to:

1.    Agree the proposed Committee Operating Principles for the 2025/26 municipal year, as set out at Appendix 1;

2.    Recommend to Council to amalgamate the Operating Principles into Part 13 (Scrutiny Committee Procedures) of the Council’s Constitution

3.    Agree to establish the following working groups for the 2025/26 municipal year with the following remits:

a)             Finance and Performance Working Group – finance and budgetary issues and decisions, annual review of the Council’s budget, quarterly monitoring of finance and performance (including performance of the Council’s companies), executive decisions made in relation to any companies wholly or partly owned by the Council.  

b)             Housing and Homelessness Working Group – strategic housing and landlord issues and decisions, homelessness, housing services performance and interaction with the Tenant’s Forum.

c)             Climate and Environment Working Group – climate and environmental issues and decisions, progress and performance monitoring, monitoring delivery of existing strategies, policies and projects. 

4.    Agree to appoint members and chairs of the Finance and Performance, Housing and Homelessness, and Climate and Environment Working Groups or any other working groups as agreed by the Committee in accordance with nominations made by political groups.

a)             Finance and Performance: Cllrs James Fry, Christopher Smowton, Chris Jarvis and Ian Yeatman

b)             Housing and Homelessness: Cllrs Lizzy Diggins, Theodore Jupp, Rosie Rawle, Anne Stares and Edward Mundy

c)             Climate and Environment: Cllrs Jemima Hunt, Katherine Miles, Kate Robinson and Judith Harley

5.    Agree to establish a Budget Review Group, comprising the membership of the Finance and Performance Working Group, noting that the proposed scope will be agreed at a future Scrutiny Committee meeting.

6.    Agree the schedule of meetings as presented within the report;

7.    Agree: 

a)             The preliminary Work Plan covering the period to September 2025 as detailed at Appendix 2; and

b)             That Committee members will send additional ideas for topics for Scrutiny-commissioned reports to the Scrutiny and Governance Advisor by e-mail for consideration at future Committee meetings.

8.    Delegate authority to the Scrutiny and Governance Advisor, in consultation with the Chair of the Scrutiny Committee, to endorse and forward Working Group recommendations to the Shareholder and Joint Venture Groups and be reported back to the Scrutiny Committee at the next meeting.

The Director of Law, Governance and Strategy had submitted a report seeking the Committee’s agreement to the adoption of a set of Scrutiny Operating Principles for the 2025/26 Council year, the establishment of standing working groups and review groups, the appointment of standing working group and review group chairs and a proposed work plan to September 2025.  

The Scrutiny and Governance Advisor summarised the report and individually outlined the recommendations that the Committee were required to consider.  

The Chair invited questions from the Committee. 

Councillor Jarvis, in relation to recommendation 4, queried the disparity noted in the report between the number of names listed for the Housing and Homelessness working group and the number of members outlined for each working group in the guidance. The Committee and Member Services Manager explained that as best practice, four members are recommended for each working group however more can be assigned and the number extended in line with political proportionality of one member of each political group per working group. It was also clarified that this can also be extended to other independent groups through discussion.  

Councillor Miles noted feedback that the Housing and Homelessness working group often focuses on financial information and therefore asked whether some of the content could be reassigned within the scope of the Finance and Performance working group going forward to manage workload and ensure due attention is given to the matter of homelessness. The Chair committed to taking account of this when considering the terms of reference. 

The Chair proposed to consider the recommendations in the report. 

The Committee first considered recommendation 1. The Chair proposed, and Councillor Ottino seconded for the Committee to agree the proposed operating principles for the 2025/26 municipal year, as set out in appendix 1. The Committee agreed. Councillor Altaf-Khan abstained. 

The Committee considered recommendation 3. Councillor Miles noted her concern about the assignment of work to the Housing and Homelessness working group but did not propose a formal alteration to the recommendation. The Scrutiny and Governance Advisor clarified that the Committee has the power to delegate work to the working groups and to alter plans. The Chair proposed and Councillor Jarvis seconded that the Committee agreeto establish the working groups for the 2025/26 municipal year with remits as outlined in the report. The Committee agreed. Councillor Altaf-Khan abstained. 

The Committee considered recommendation 9. The Chair proposed, and Councillor Rowley seconded, that the Committee agree the Terms of Reference for the Climate and Environment Working Group, the Finance and Performance Working Group, and the Housing and Homelessness Working Group. The Committee agreed. Councillor Altaf-Khan abstained. 

The Committee considered recommendation 4. 

• In regard the Finance and Performance working group, the Chair proposed to adopt the membership as set out in the report and Councillor Ottino seconded. Members voted unanimously in agreement.  The Chair invited nominations for Chair. Councillor Qayyum proposed Councillor Fry; Councillor Jarvis seconded. No further nominations were received. The Committee voted to appoint Councillor Fry as Chair.  

• In regard  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

Cabinet, at its meeting on 18 June 2025, will consider and report setting out the highlights of the first year of the new leisure contract and to approve the Annual Service Plan 2025-26, which is an annual requirement of the operator, aiming to align outcomes to the council’s priorities and to address health inequalities.

Councillor Chewe Munkonge, Cabinet Member for A Healthy Oxford, Hagan Lewisman, Active Communities Manager, and James Baughan, Leisure and Active Wellbeing Manager have been invited to present the report and answer questions. Robert Jennings, Contract Manager (Serco) has also been invited to attend the meeting for this item.

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

Cabinet, at its meeting on 18 June 2025, will consider and report setting out the highlights of the first year of the new leisure contract and to approve the Annual Service Plan 2025-26, which is an annual requirement of the operator, aiming to align outcomes to the council’s priorities and to address health inequalities.  

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

Councillor Chewe Munkonge, Cabinet Member for A Healthy Oxford, Hagan Lewisman, Active Communities Manager, and James Baughan, Leisure and Active Wellbeing Manager were present to answer questions. Robert Jennings, Contract Manager (Serco Leisure) was also present. 

The Chair introduced the title of the report and reminded the Committee that, whilst legitimate, it would not be the appropriate time for members to raise wider concerns relating to Serco Group beyond its remit as a contracted leisure provided to the Council during discussion of this item.

Councillor Munkonge introduced the report and echoed the Chair’s request that discussion remain focused on the performance of More Leisure.  Councillor Munkonge praised the work of the officers, clarified that the Council is entering the second year of the contract, and summarised some highlights from the report.  

The Chair invited comments from officers. 

The Active Communities Manager welcomed Rob Jennings from Serco Leisure as the face of the contract, praising his ongoing hard work in conjunction with Council officers.  The Committee also heard that the need for some improvements is recognised, and that feedback and suggestions were welcome.  

 
The Chair invited the Contract Manager from Serco Leisure to speak. 

The Contract Manager from Serco Leisure provided an overview of the contract and explained that data from year one has been utilised as a baseline dataset to assess performance and outline investment to date. The Committee were informed of the growth in customer usage of health and fitness facilities and swimming products and noted the inclusion of the Annual Service Plan within the report which outlines the partnership work and connection with the Council’s priorities.  

 
The Chair invited questions from the Committee. 

Councillor Ottino thanked officers for the provision of refugee and women only swimming sessions and noted his recognition of the difficulties that have existed around this. Councillor Ottino asked the following questions: 

• More information was requested on the ‘pool water features’ mentioned on page 48 of the report.  

• Clarification was requested regarding the meaning of ‘3%’ on page 49 of the report, and whether this referred to an increase.  

• More information was requested in reference to page 51 of the report focused access to, and use of, leisure services by multicultural communities.  

Councillor Rowley asked the following questions:   

• In reference to page 40 of the report which detailed a reduction in usage and membership, it was asked whether the current leisure provider has confidence in the previous provider’s figures and whether more anecdotal evidence could be provided to make the data more robust.  

• In reference to page 14, it was queried whether issues with online transfers of membership  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

Cabinet, at its meeting on 18 June 2025, will consider a report requesting to approve the First Draft Oxford Local Plan 2042 (Regulation 18 Consultation) Document for consultation.

Councillor Alex Hollingsworth, Cabinet Member for Planning and Culture, David Butler, Director of Planning and Regulation, and Sarah Harrison, Planning Policy Team Leader have been invited to attend the meeting and answer questions.

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

Cabinet, at its meeting on 18 June 2025, will consider a report requesting to approve the First Draft Oxford Local Plan 2042 (Regulation 18 Consultation) Document for consultation.  

Councillor Alex Hollingsworth, Cabinet Member for Planning and Culture, Sarah Harrison, Planning Policy Team Leader, and Rachel Williams, Planning Policy and Place Manager, were present to respond to questions.  

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

Councillor Hollingsworth presented the report, summarising that he is also an employee of Oxford Brookes University but has no declarable interests which would conflict with his involvement on the report.  The Committee heard that the report is a replacement Local Plan for the previous 2040 Local Plan which experienced issues relating to housing need calculations. The current plan is overdue for replacement by one week. Councillor Hollingsworth explained in detail to the Committee that the regulation 18 consultation would be completed over this summer, and the regulation 19 consultation would be completed afterwards in order to present the next Local Plan to a Planning Inspector for approval. 

The Chair invited questions from the Committee. 

Councillor Miles asked several questions: 

• In relation to categories noted within the report which have experienced no change since the last Local Plan, it was asked whether reflection has been made on the policy coherence of matters such as bike parking and demand for bike parking against other council policies. 

• In regard self-build, whether the six-month period noted in the report could be extended to support people taking time to secure funding.  

• In relation to specialist accommodation for elderly persons and those with dementia, for example, how is the appropriate size of rooms defined.  

Councillor Ottino requested clarification around how empty student accommodation is monitored, and what happens when it is identified that a property is not in use. Secondly, he raised concern with the wording of the first bullet point on page 102, in relation to ‘the delivery of certain infrastructure’, noting it as contentious.   

Councillor Hollingsworth, in relation to queries relating to bike parking, explained that local policy that goes to public hearing is subject to national policy requirements and the decision of the planning inspector. As such, the Committee understood that it is necessary to strike a balance. Councillor Hollingsworth reminded Councillor Miles that the report only outlines the consultation stage proposals for the Local Plan. In regards self-build, that there can be difficulties around financing was acknowledged, but it was explained that the Council’s plan must respond to the housing shortage and must avoid leaving sites vacant for longer than necessary.   

The Team Leader for Planning Policy built upon Councillor Hollingsworth’s response, noting that the current Local Plan 2036 has reduced the timeframe for self-build housing from a year to six months in response to lack of interest. In regards specialist accommodation, Councillor Miles understood that attempts to consider this within the last local plan were thrown out by the planning inspector. In response to Councillor Ottino, the Team Leader for Planning  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

Cabinet, at its meeting on 18 June 2025, will consider a report to approve the Annual Complaint Performance & Service Improvement Report (Landlord Services) 2024/25.

Cllr Linda Smith, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, Nerys Parry, Director of Housing, and Kat Mayes, Customer Care & Complaints Manager, have been invited to present the report and answer questions.

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

Cabinet, at its meeting on 18 June 2025, will consider a report to approve the Annual Complaint Performance & Service Improvement Report (Landlord Services) 2024/25.  

Councillor Linda Smith, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, Kat Mayes, Customer Care & Complaints Manager, and Bill Graves, Landlord Services Manager, were present to respond to questions.  

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

Councillor Smith presented the report, summarising that the report contains positive and negative news. The Committee heard that ODS has made considerable progress with complaints handling which has supported a reduction in complaint numbers and increased efficiency in response rates. This was explained to be because of new technology and improved ways of working. On the Council side however, Councillor Smith noted disappointment that responses to complaints have not been as prompt as desired, but the Committee were assured that measures have been put in place to address this, such as increases in staff numbers. Despite this, the Committee understood that the quality of responses to tenancy complaints specifically had improved, and Councillor Smith thanked the Customer Care and Complaints Manager for this.  

The Landlord Services Manager provided some context to the team, explaining that that the team responsible for managing complaints experienced a significant staff shortage over the last year which left only one colleague managing complaints. The Committee learned that the team has now successfully recruited two further officers.  

The Customer Care and Complaints Manager outlined the content of the report noting that it is an annual requirement from the Housing Ombudsman which must be published on the Council’s website. The report is for the benefit of residents and enables comparison with figures from the previous year.  The Committee heard that the figures have reduced due to support from ODS complaints on the Council’s behalf.  

The Chair invited questions from the Committee.  

Councillor Ottino queried whether information on similar performance metrics from the housing associations in Oxford is available to inform the Committee as to how the Council is performing comparably. More information on the tenancy involvement strategy was also requested.  

The Customer Care and Complaints Manager explained that benchmark comparison is not possible at present as no other comparable reports have been released yet by Housing Associations. The Committee understood that once this data is acquired, the officers will assess the data and identify patterns to track at national and local levels. The Customer Care and Complaints Manager hoped that this would help in holding the Council to account and ensuring actions being taken accurately in response to tenant requests.   

The Chair queried when this data comparison would be ready to which the Landlord Services Manager explained that the results are usually published in six-month blocks. As such, the next available data would be expected in late autumn and could be analysed from then onwards. It was clarified that the Council is reliant on publication dates of other organisations in order to proceed with this work.  

Councillor Smith provided an update on the tenant  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

The Committee is asked to agree that the minutes of the meeting held on 26 March 2025 be approved as a true and accurate record.

The Committee resolved to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 26 March 2025 as a true and accurate record. 

At its meeting on 9 April 2025, Cabinet considered the following reports from Scrutiny and made responses to the recommendations:

·       Anti-Social Behaviour Policy Update

·       Urgent Key Decisions End-of-Year Update

·       Energy Efficiency Update

·       Carbon Offsetting (Local Carbon Oxford) Update

Since the Scrutiny Committee’s previous meeting on 26 March 2025, the following Panels have met:

·       Climate and Environment Panel (27 March 2025)

·       Finance and Performance Panel (14 April 2025)

The Committee is asked to:

1.     Note Cabinet’s responses to its recommendations.

The Chair invited the Scrutiny and Governance Advisor to provide an update on the recommendations made by the Committee to Cabinet at its meeting on 9 April 2025.  

The Scrutiny and Governance Advisor confirmed that six recommendations were made to Cabinet in April, as noted in the report, and one further from the Finance and performance Panel to the shareholder meeting in relation to ODS. Furthermore, since the Scrutiny Committee’s previous meeting on 26 March 2025, the Climate and Environment Panel and Finance and Performance Panel met and made recommendations to Cabinet, as detailed in the report.   

The Committee noted Cabinet’s responses to its recommendations.

Scrutiny Committee

·       1 July 2025

·       5 August 2025

·       9 September 2025

·       14 October 2025

·       11 November 2025

·       2 December 2025

·       13 January 2026

·       3 February 2026

·       10 March 2026

·       7 April 2026

Standing Panels

Housing & Homelessness: 24 June 2025; 29 September 2025; 4 November 2025; 18 February 2026; 31 March 2026

Finance & Performance: 17 June 2025; 16 July 2025; 29 October 2025; 26 November 2025; 25 March 2026; 14 April 2026

Climate & Environment: 22 July 2025; 4 September 2025; 8 October 2025; 27 January 2026; 25 February 2026

All meetings start at 6:00 pm.

The Committee noted the dates of future meetings.