None.

None.

The Committee is asked to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 3 February 2026 as a true and accurate record.

The Committee resolved to approve the minutes of the meetings held on 3 February 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, 4 March 2026.

None. 

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, 4 March 2026.

None. 

Cabinet, at it’s meeting on 18 March 2026 will consider a report to update Cabinet on the highlights of the second year of the new leisure contract and approve the Annual Service Plan 2026-27, which is an annual requirement of the operator, aiming to align outcomes to the Council’s priorities and to address health inequalities.

Councillor Chewe Munknge, Cabinet Member for a Healthy Oxford, Hagan Lewisman, Active Commuities Manager and James Baughan, Leisure and Active Wellbeing Manager have been invited to present the report and take part in discussions.

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

Cabinet, at its meeting on 18 March 2026 will consider a report to update Cabinet on the highlights of the second year of the new leisure contract and approve the Annual Service Plan 2026-27, 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, James Baughan, Leisure and Active Wellbeing Manager, and Rob Jennings, SERCO Contract Manager, were present to respond to questions. 

Councillor Munkonge provided a comprehensive summary of the report, noting that it provided an annual opportunity for a review of performance and the business plan for the next year. The Committee heard that overall, performance had exceeded expectation; specific details were provided.  

Councillor Qayyum and Councillor Corais joined the meeting.  

The Active Communities Manager emphasised the positive ongoing partnership work with Serco and the delivery of a youth hub in the past year, both of which have contributed towards public health and wellbeing goals.   

The Chair invited questions from the Committee. 

 
Councillor Jarvis requested clarity on whether all the targets had been exceeded, as mentioned, with reference to specific data within the report. Secondly, more detail on the number of recorded visits was requested in order to provide a comparison with the previous year.  

Councillor Miles requested disaggregated data in relation to the participation rates of women, girls, and young people in sport via membership numbers. Councillor Miles also asked how youth age groups are using the leisure centres in the evenings across different locations; references to existing positive examples were provided. 

Noting the loss of space at Blackbird Leys Leisure Centre, Councillor Ottino asked if there is confidence that people have been able to find alternative venues for some sports, and whether new sports, such as padel, have been considered as part of a broader programme of activities. 

In response to Councillor Jarvis, the Leisure and Active Wellbeing Manager explained that it is accurate to say that the 3% targets have been met or exceeded overall; any noted in the report that did not reach this number were not specifically targeted, such as swimming lessons. Therefore, the statement is true for targets which were set. An explanation of how data gaps from the previous year have been backfilled was also provided. 

In response to Councillor Miles, the Active Communities Manager acknowledged that different interventions are required in relation to the youth hub to specifically target involvement of women and girls; examples of recent successes were noted, including the recent relaunch of girls’ sessions at the East Oxford Community Centre. The Committee understood that feedback is sought from attendees to ensure plans are targeted and informed in the future.  

The Active Communities Manager committed to checking the data relating to women and girls' attendance at the East Oxford Community Centre sessions.  

The SERCO Contract Manager committed to sourcing disaggregated data on women and girls’ attendance but explained that this relies on the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 111.

At the Scrutiny Committee meeting on 1 July 2025, the Committee requested an update on the Council’s work to support the nighttime economy.

Councillor Alex Hollingsworth, Cabinet Member for Planning and Culture, and Diana Fawcett, City Centre Manager, will be in attendance to present the presentation and answer questions.

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

Councillor Powell resumed the role of Chair for the remainder of the meeting.  

At the Scrutiny Committee meeting on 1 July 2025, the Committee requested an update on the Council’s work to support the nighttime economy. 

Councillor Alex Hollingsworth, Cabinet Member for Planning and Culture, and Diana Fawcett, City Centre Manager, were present to respond to questions. 

Councillor Hollingsworth provided a comprehensive introduction to the report and explained that the council works hard to identify ways in which it can facilitate, encourage, and fix aspects of the nighttime economy in Oxford. The importance of creativity when supporting all groups in Oxford was emphasised.  

The City Centre Manager guided the Committee through the presentation contained within the agenda pack.  

The Chair invited questions from the Committee. 

 
Councillor Latif left the meeting and did not return. 

Councillor Ottino questioned the geographical focus of the work so far, noting that it perhaps excluded locations which could offer beneficial opportunities for the nighttime economy, such as some industrial spaces. 

Councillor Jarvis queried the number of venues hosting live music and the regularity of these events. Secondly, he asked how far up the Cowley Road the audit surveyed and lastly, Councillor Jarvis emphasised that the capacity of each venue must be considered.  

In response to Councillor Ottino, Councillor Hollingsworth welcomed the suggestion that a broader geographical area could be considered, however explained that the initial audit had been completed with limited resources and therefore, consideration was paid to what workload was feasible. Councillor Hollingsworth noted that the intention would be to identify next steps and focus points before expanding the workload. In response to Councillor Jarvis, it was noted that the capacity of venues is also an important consideration to ensure that more people can attend live music events.  

 
In response to Councillor Jarvis, the City Centre Manager welcomed the suggestion to focus on the capacity of venues. In relation to regular live music, the Committee heard of the challenges officers experienced in finding venues which easily advertise their events. For the purposes of the audit, regular live music was classified as those events which takes place at least once a month in pubs, bars and nightclubs; this did not include theatres which had been analysed in their own category. Furthermore, clarification on the geographical areas covered within the audit was provided.  

The Chair invited further questions. 

Councillor Miles requested a definition of the nighttime economy and emphasised that it should consider a distinction between activities for adults, families, and children. Secondly, Councillor Miles asked how the impacts of the nighttime economy on residents are being assessed, specifically environmental factors and noise.  

The City Centre Manager explained that whilst the audit had heavily focused on live music, it did also consider all forms of nighttime activity including events at libraries and museums; work going into the assessment of future opportunities for families and those under 18 at these venues was outlined. The Committee heard that analysis of existing licenses was not undertaken as licence conditions  ...  view the full minutes text for item 112.

At the Scrutiny Committee meeting on 1 July 2025, the Committee requested an update on the Council’s work to mitigate fly-tipping and the work on little management.

Councillor Nigel Chapman, Cabinet Member for Citizen Focused Services and Council Companies, Helen Bishop, Director of Communities and Citizens Services and Tina Mould, Environment Sustainability Business Lead will be in attendance to present the report and answer questions.

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

The report will be published in a supplement ahead of the meeting.

At the Scrutiny Committee meeting on 1 July 2025, the Committee requested an update on the Council’s work to mitigate fly-tipping and the work on little management. 

Councillor Nigel Chapman, Cabinet Member for Citizen Focused Services and Council Companies, Helen Bishop, Director of Communities and Citizens Services, Tina Mould, Environment Sustainability Business Lead, Maria Warner, Social Value and Sustainability Lead, and Bruce Thompson, ODS Head of Environmental Services, were present to respond to questions. 

Councillor Chapman provided a comprehensive introduction, noting that the report had been specifically requested by the Committee.  

The Chair invited questions from the Committee.  

Councillor Ottino queried how effective the signage around the city is, why there are not more, and why signs are not automatically placed in fly tipping hotspots. More data regarding fly tipping locations and hotspots was requested. Councillor Ottino also asked what is being done to encourage communities to not fly tip and to be more proactive in keeping their areas free of rubbish.  

 
Councillor Qayyum left the meeting and did not return.  

Councillor Chapman noted that whilst fly tipping signage is not always useful and therefore is not always installed, it is generally a positive feature. Any installation delays are not related to budget matters but likely due to organisation of resources.  

The ODS Head of Environmental Services noted that fly tipping hotspots are largely seasonal in nature and heavily linked to students occupying accommodation in term times. Issues with landlord responsibilities being upheld and poor bin store designs were also noted.  

Councillor Chapman and the ODS Head of Environmental Services explained the collection rates of bulky waste in relation to fly tipping trends. It was noted that fly tipping predominantly occurs to the east of the city and the centre; reference was made to morning collections following events within the nighttime economy.  

Councillor Jarvis queried the strategy for addressing fly tipping of smaller items around bins and asked what capacity there is for effectively dealing with litter in the parks. Councillor Jarvis also asked whether anything more could be done to handle the waste from licensed premises. 

The ODS Head of Environmental Services outlined the identification of bins which are and are not used and expressed caution in removing bins as a method of deterring fly tipping. The Committee also heard that ODS usually responds positively to requests for additional bins and Members were assured that litter collection in parks is adapted around weather to ensure a responsive service is delivered. In parks, it was also noted that bins are placed at exits to discourage dropping of litter around the wider park area and to ensure vehicles can easily reach the collection points.  

The Director of Communities and Citizens Services informed the Committee that ODS are currently reviewing their approach to litter collection across the street scene. Suggestions of anti-fly tipping campaigns were also acknowledged for exploration. 

Councillor Miles outlined a two-minute litter pick scheme which had been successful in Cutteslowe Park and suggested this be placed in additional settings.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 113.

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 Committee noted the workplan.  

At its meeting on 11 February 2026, Cabinet considered the following reports from Scrutiny and made responses to the recommendations:

·       Debt Recovery Procedure

·       Noticeboards Update

·       AI Strategy

·       Budget Review Group Report

The Committee is asked to:

1.     Note Cabinet’s responses to its recommendations.

The Chair provided a summary of Cabinet’s responses to the Committee’s previous recommendations, as set out in the report. 

The Committee noted Cabinet’s responses to its recommendations.  

Since the Scrutiny Committee’s previous meeting on 3 February 2026, the following Working Groups have met:

• Climate and Environment Working Group (25 February 2026)
• Housing and Homelessness Working Group (26 February 2026)
  
  

The Committee is asked to:

1. Endorse the recommendations from Working Groups.

The Committee endorsed the recommendation. 

Scrutiny Committee

·       7 April 2026

All meetings start at 6:00 pm.

The Committee noted the dates of future meetings.