Agenda and draft minutes

Agenda and draft minutes

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Venue: Long Room - Oxford Town Hall. View directions

Contact: Celeste Reyeslao, Scrutiny and Governance Advisor  email  DemocraticServices@oxford.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

69.

Declarations of interest

Minutes:

Councillor Ottino stated that he is a City Council representative for the Citizens’ Advice Bureau and attends the Agnes Smith Advice Centre meetings in his capacity as a Ward Councillor but receives no financial interest from these organisations. The Chair confirmed that Councillor Ottino could remain and contribute to the meeting.  

  

On arrival later, Councillor Mundy stated that he is employed by the Agnes Smith Advice Centre and managed by Zoe Millington, an attending public speaker. The Scrutiny and Governance Adviser requested that Councillor Mundy leave the room during the discussions of item 5 to mitigate any conflict with pecuniary interests.  

  

 

70.

Chair's Announcements

Minutes:

The Chair informed the Committee that two public speakers would address the Committee at the opening of item 5. She also noted that private session would be required should members wish to consider the confidential appendices of items 7, 8 and 9. Finally, the Committee understood that the meeting would be livestreamed and that a break would be called part way through proceedings.  

71.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 284 KB

Minutes from 14 January 2025

 

Recommendation: That the minutes of the meeting held on 14 January 2025 be APPROVED as a true and accurate record.

 

Minutes to be published as part of a supplement to the agenda.

 

Minutes:

The Committee resolved to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 14 January 2025 as a true and accurate record.  

 

  

The Committee agreed to take items 7, 8 and 10 next, followed by 9, 11, 5, 6 and 12.  

 

72.

Grant Allocations to Community & Voluntary Organisations 2025/26 pdf icon PDF 529 KB

Cabinet, at its meeting on 5 February 2025, will consider a report from the Deputy Chief Executive – Citizen and Customer Services, seeking approval for Grant Allocations to Community & Voluntary Organisation for 2025-2026.

Councillor Linda Smith, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, Tom Hook, Deputy Chief Executive – Citizen and Customer Services, and Paula Redway Culture and Community Development Manager have been invited to present the report and answer questions.

This report will be published as part of a supplement to the agenda.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Mundy joined the meeting.  

  

The Scrutiny and Governance spoke with Councillor Mundy; he notified the Committee of his interests relating to his role as an employee for Agnes Smith Advice Centre. He explained that Zoe Millington, an attending public speaker, is his manager. The Scrutiny and Governance Adviser requested that Councillor Mundy leave the room during the discussions of item 5 to mitigate any conflict with pecuniary interests.  

  

Councillor Mundy left the meeting.  

 

The Chair welcomed two public speakers, notified them of the 5-minute speaking limit and invited them to address the Committee. 

  

Ms Christine O’Hare, Citizens Advice Oxford Chief Executive, addressed the Committee as follows: 

 

I’m here to urge you to back the proposal to retain core funding for the Advice Centres for the next three years. 

 

Our services are a lifeline for residents and the City Council alike. We tackle crucial issues—benefits, housing, debt, employment, immigration, and more—offering citywide support to people who often have nowhere else to turn. For those without digital access or whose first language isn’t English, we are essential. In the last 3 years Citizens Advice has helped 17,469 people. 

 

We don’t just solve problems; we prevent them. We help people out of poverty, stop homelessness before it starts, and secure financial support for those with health challenges. In 2023/24, Citizens Advice delivered £3.9 million in financial gains for local residents—an incredible return on the Council’s £190,000 investment.  

 

The Council’s core grant also enables us to secure further funding. - Last year we raised in total two and a half times the Council’s investment from foundations, charities, individual donors, and national contracts etc. But our City Council funding has been frozen since 2020, even as costs soar. Inflation, rising employer national insurance contributions, and increased demand are pushing us to the brink. We’ve already cut costs to the bone—relocating to smaller premises and planning a merger with Citizens Advice West Oxfordshire and South and Vale on 1st April to maximize the efficiency of our resources. 

 

We cannot cut any further without risking vital services. Demand is rising, complexity increasing and we are at capacity. Without sustained funding, more residents will fall through the cracks—leading to greater costs for the Council down the line. 

 

This isn’t just about keeping the lights on. It’s about maintaining a service that saves lives, saves money, and strengthens our community. I urge you: don’t let advice services falter. Protect this funding. 

 

I’d like to end with a scenario to show how we can help vulnerable residents and prevent homelessness, easing pressure on the City Council’s housing team.  

 

“Simon”, a self-employed driver, faced eviction along with his family due to £6,000 in rent arrears and £25,000 of other debts. His housing benefit had been stopped. We successfully challenged this decision and secured him a backdated payment of £3,200 - halving his arrears. 

 

We also helped Simon move over to Universal Credit, making him £700 better off per month, secured him a council tax reduction, and moved him away from  ...  view the full minutes text for item 72.

73.

Equalities Update pdf icon PDF 233 KB

Cabinet, at its meeting on 5 February 2025, will consider a report from the Head of Business Improvement, seeking approval for Equalities Update.

Councillor Nigel Chapman, Cabinet Member for Citizen Focused Services and Council Companies, Helen Bishop, Director of Communities and Citizens, and Gail Malkin, Head of People, have been invited to present the report and answer questions.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair welcomed Councillor Nigel Chapman, Cabinet Member for Citizen Focused Services and Council Companies, Helen Bishop, Director of Communities and Citizens, and Gail Malkin, Head of People, who were present to answer questions.  

  

Councillor Chapman introduced the report and thanked officers for their work, noting the report as evidence of significant success. The Committee heard that the report focuses on the workforce in the year 2023/24 and is an obligation under the Equalities Act. It focuses on staffing, diversity, and inclusion with analysis of various pay gap metrics. The report presents a positive picture, but it was explained that some impacts can have delayed effects. Councillor Chapman highlighted to the Committee some examples of progress including: 

  • Improvement in the percentage of ethnic minority staff in the Council to the target of around 15%. 
  • Support for positive action initiatives within the workforce to increase opportunities and to support the attraction and retention of staff.  
  • Improvements to employee turnover rates. 
  • The gender pay gap has reduced. 
  • High scores from staff in response to questions regarding feelings of inclusion in the workplace. 

  

Councillor Chapman emphasised that more work can be done. The Committee heard specifically on the gender pay gap that there has been some reduction to 6.5% but there is ambition for this to be further improved. He noted regrettably that the ethnic minority pay gap has increased slightly and work will be done to address this. The Committee heard the importance being mindful when reviewing the data as 15-20% of staff do not declare their protected characteristics which can affect representations within the data.  

  

The Director of Communities and Citizens drew the Committee’s attention to additional achievements including: 

  • A positive action programme for aspiring managers to improve the management pipeline has been set up. Several attendees have since achieved promotion. 
  • Training to promote inclusive recruitment has been launched. 
  • EDI training has been launched for all staff. 
  • Two staff networks have been established: 
  • Race, ethnicity, and cultural heritage network  
  • Neurodiverse and disability network  

 

The Head of People outlined the Council’s focus areas for the next twelve months. Firstly, in regards recruitment, the Committee heard that the introduction of blind applications is being considered, and work is underway for a positive action policy. Secondly, in terms of talent development, career planning workshops have been launched with mentors to support. Externally facing work is seeking to develop apprenticeship opportunities for young people from diverse communities and a focus on leadership and organisational culture training is being supported with three levels of EDI training. Finally, a focus on employee experience has utilised staff surveys to assess feelings around inclusion and respect. The Head of People stated intentions for future work with staff networks to support improvements to policy and practice development.  

  

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

  

The Committee then debated the report extensively.  

  

Councillor Jarvis began by focusing on the following concerns: 

74.

Cowley Branch Line - delivery stage funding pdf icon PDF 180 KB

Cabinet, at its meeting on 5 February 2025, will consider a report from the Deputy Chief Executive – Place, seeking approval for Reopening the Cowley Branch Line.

Councillor Louise Upton, Cabinet Member for Planning, Councillor Ed Turner, Deputy Leader (Statutory), Cabinet Member for Finance and Asset Management, Tom Bridgman, Deputy Chief Executive – Place, and Rui Marcelino, Regeneration Manager – Green Transport have been invited to present the report and answer questions.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee resumed.  

  

The Chair welcomed Councillor Louise Upton, Cabinet Member for Planning, Councillor Ed Turner, Cabinet Member for Finance and Asset Management, and Rui Marcelino, Regeneration Manager for Green Transport, who were present to answer questions. 

 

Councillor Upton introduced the report and explained the contextual background, noting delays due to stalling by Network Rail. She explained that in response, Oxford City Council has drawn together £4m along with Oxford County Council and private developers, and a report is due in March 2025. She informed that the cost benefit analysis is expected to be positive, and the report presented to the Committee focuses on the delivery phase with a cost of £100m, and outlines that a proposed percentage contribution from Oxford city Council of £20m is made from CIL. Councillor Upton explained that this request will be against future CIL receipts and clarified that the money will only be spent if the whole project were to go ahead.  

 

Councillor Regisford rejoined the meeting. 

 

Councillor Turner directed the Committee to paragraph 3 of the report, noting that the case could be made for investment on future CIL money due to the benefits the Cowley Branch Line would bring about for tackling local congestion. He further commented that the project could drive development within the area and generate extra CIL in the future. As such, he explained to the Committee that the case is easy to make, and proceeding would be wise.  

 

Councillor Latif noted that, as a Cowley resident, the benefits to the Cowley Ward would be significant and therefore he supported the approach. He raised several points for clarification: 

  • In relation to paragraph 3, whether there is a total net financial benefit and whether there is an estimate of what this may be. 
  • Whether Oxford City Council’s proposed contribution is at the lower end of the recommended amount and whether this could entail future risk. 
  • Whether there is information on the size of contributions from other local authorities.  
  • Where it is expected that housing growth will come from. 

 

Councillor Altaf-Khan queried whether the project is too ambitious and whether the proposal's suggestions exceed the amount of money available to the Council. He suggested the government be contacted for financial support.  

Finally, the Chair sought clarity on the effects devolution may have on the plans. 

In response to questions, Councillor Turner outlined to the Committee that information on the net financial benefit is provided in paragraph 20 which demonstrates that £3.9m of income is estimated, with further information available in the confidential appendix. In regards the effects of devolution, he assured that rail development is not dependent on mayoral combined authority structures, and therefore it is likely that should change occur, the project would still be supported for the economic growth it will provide.  

 

Councillor Upton responded to concerns regarding the 15% financial contribution and noted that the Council could not be expected to do more and assured the Committee that there is minimal financial risk as the money would only  ...  view the full minutes text for item 74.

75.

Revised Masterplan and Business Case for the Covered Market Masterplan pdf icon PDF 498 KB

Cabinet, at its meeting on 5 February 2025, will consider a report from the Deputy Chief Executive – Place, seeking approval for Revised Masterplan and Business Case for the Covered Market Masterplan.

Councillor Ed Turner, Cabinet Member for Finance and Asset Management, Councillor Alex Hollingsworth, Cabinet Member for Business, Culture and an Inclusive Economy, Tom Bridgman, Deputy Chief Executive – Place, and Andrew Humpherson, Regeneration Manager, have been invited to present the report and answer questions.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair welcomed Councillor Alex Hollingsworth, Cabinet Member for Business, Culture and an Inclusive Economy, Andrew Humpherson, Regeneration Manager, and Ted Bowler, Corporate Asset Manager, who were present to answer questions.  

 

Councillor Hollingsworth presented the report and explained that whilst the original masterplan was approved by Cabinet, a new report is being put forward to account for more recent work and updates. The Committee heard that this report focuses on the details of the project, associated costs, and goals for ensuring a carbon zero future. As a 250-year-old Heritage building, some costs have differed from estimations, and inflation has also affected prices. Councillor Hollingsworth explained that the project aims to complete work in sequenced sections across the rows within the market to ensure that the space is kept open and undisrupted as far as possible. The Committee also learned that some costs are associated with additional staffing to ensure there is sufficient support and day-to-day contact for the traders during the process.   

 

The Regeneration Manager focused on the ability of the plans to work on future focused projects and maintenance to avoid repeated disruption and expenditure at later dates. Therefore, the new report also contains additional contingences with an eye to benefit the long-term life of the market.  

 

Councillor Latif sought several clarifications: 

  • In regards recommendation 1 and table 36, whether the essential works figure is already included within the original budget of £6.8m.  
  • Whether the level of opportunity cost been quantified for the Council.  
  • In regards the retail unit and present challenges, what could the financial risks be to the Council. 

 

The Chair asked how it will be ensured that traditional traders can maintain a presence. 

  

Councillor Hollingsworth clarified that information in table 36 illustrates the additional cost of the enhancements measured against the cost of only carrying out the essential works. Option 1 identifies the minimum amount of work necessary to keep the market running and is a baseline for the business case to assess the benefits of the enhancements. Option 2 is however being recommended despite the shortfall in money that currently exists. The Regeneration Manager clarified that the funds for the essential works were included within the original masterplan, but that this price has since increased to reflect cost increases and new survey information. In response to Councillor Latif’s query, it was clarified that table 36 identifies the additional costs of the enhancements over and above those required by the essential works. 

 

Councillor Hollingsworth then referred to concerns over traders and associated challenges, noting that fixation on retaining long standing traders that are no longer desirable to customers can make the location less appealing. The Committee were informed that whilst a degree of change is required, a focus on local business can still be retained with flexibility. Over 250 years the market has changed continuously, and this must persist. The Regeneration Manager added that the masterplan must work with the leasing street to support the presence of traders.  

 

The Corporate Asset Manager responded to concerns regarding  ...  view the full minutes text for item 75.

76.

Report of the Budget Review Group 2025/2026 pdf icon PDF 404 KB

Appendix B 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 B to the report, it will be necessary for the Scrutiny Committee to pass a resolution to exclude the press and public from the meeting (as set out at agenda item 12).

 

The Scrutiny and Governance Advisor has submitted a report on behalf of the Chair of the Budget Review Group, following endorsement from the Finance and Performance Panel on 21 January 2025.

The Committee is asked to approve the report and recommendations of the Budget Review Group for submission to Cabinet.

 

The report will be published as part of a supplementary agenda.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair introduced the report, noting apologies from Councillor Fry, and invited Councillor Jarvis to present the report.  

 

Councillor Jarvis introduced the report noting that the group met on multiple occasions across December 2024 and January 2025. The Committee heard that the review group were considerate to the ongoing financial pressures experienced by the Council and made focused recommendations on the following areas: 

 

  • Those for which income could be increased in the short term. 
  • Those for which income could be increased in the longer term. 
  • Areas of spending deemed to be lower priority given the savings the Council is seeking. 
  • Areas where it was deemed additional budget was required. 

  

 Councill Jarvis highlighted several recommendations to the Committee including: 

 

  • Allocation of additional budget and officer capacity to support work required to implement the reorganisation of local government. 
  • An allowance for a rising budget in ICT. 
  • Larger increases in some charges where there appears to be more elasticity in demand than previously predicted, for example in non-concessionary garden waste bin rates and in car parking charges. 
  • To ensure that any savings made in the Council’s ‘Fit for the Future’ programme do not result in digital exclusion of vulnerable residents.  
  • To increase the level of optimism bias in the capital projects from 40% to 45% and to introduce an optimism bias for commercial property rental income for the first time. 

  

The Committee were referred to the report for the full detail of all recommendations.  

  

The Chair noted the considerable work behind the report. The Committee had no questions on the report.  

  

The Chair queried the discussions the group held around advice services to which Councillor Jarvis noted little detail on this and advised that Cabinet have picked up on this in their revised report.  

 

The Committee resolved to approve the report and recommendations of the Budget Review Group for submission to Cabinet, and to Council thereafter. 

 

 

77.

Work Plan pdf icon PDF 204 KB

The Work Plan is driven to a very large extent by the Cabinet Forward Plan, a summary of which is attached. 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.

 

 

Minutes:

The Scrutiny and Governance Adviser noted that any amendments to this would be agreed with the Chair and informed that no recent changes had been made.  

  

The Committee agreed the workplan.   

 

78.

Report back on recommendations and from Scrutiny Panel meetings pdf icon PDF 210 KB

At its meeting on 22 January 2025, Cabinet considered the following reports from Scrutiny and made responses to the recommendations:

·       Governance changes to address the increase in Urgent Key Decisions

·       Council of Sanctuary Framework

·       HRA Rent Setting

·       Flood Management

The Committee is asked to:

1.     Note Cabinet’s responses to its recommendations.

2.     Note any updates from Panel meetings.

 

The reports will be published as part of a supplement to the agenda.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair informed the Committee that Cabinet had responded to recommendations made at the last Scrutiny meeting on 14 January 2025.  In total 11 recommendations were made, of which 7 were agreed in full, 2 were agreed in part, and 2 were rejected.  

  

The Chair also informed the Committee that the formats of reports sent to Cabinet will be updated soon. The Scrutiny and Governance Adviser confirmed that the Committee will see new reporting formats and welcomed their questions.  

  

The Scrutiny and Governance Adviser also informed that the Finance and Performance Panel met on 21 January 2025 and considered the Council Tax Reduction Scheme but made no recommendations. The Budget Review Group Report was also approved. 

 

79.

Dates of future meetings

Scrutiny Committee

 

·       03 March 2025

·       26 March 2025

 

Standing Panels

Housing & Homelessness: 06 March 2025

Finance & Performance: 07 April 2025

Climate & Environment: 26 February 2025; 27 March 2025

All meetings start at 6.00 pm.

Minutes:

Cllr Qayyum noted concern with a meeting start time of 18.00 through Ramadan. The Chair acknowledged this and committed to speaking with Cllr Qayyum to discuss this.  

  

The Committee noted the dates of future meetings.