There were no declarations of interest.

The Shareholder resolved to:

exclude the press and the public from the meeting during consideration of the items on the exempt from publication part of the agenda on the grounds that their presence could involve the likely disclosure of exempt information.

Any recommendations of the Companies’ Scrutiny Panel which meets on 16 July will be published as a supplement.

Councillor Fry, Chair of the Companies Scrutiny Panel, was present to speak to the minutes of the meeting held on 16 July 2019 and which had been circulated to the Shareholder. The Chair commented on the challenge of providing effective scrutiny in the short timescale between agenda publication and meeting date. Although there were no formal recommendations from the Panel they did wish to make reference to some issues.

The Chair began by commenting on the Oxford Direct Services Companies.  The Panel suggested it would be helpful to know if the chosen KPIs were based on local or national standards. The Panel welcomed the company aspiration that 10% of the workforce (c. 70 staff) should be apprentices but suggested that the target be revised to show delivery phased over time. The Panel was mindful of the challenges and opportunities facing the Trading Companies’ operations in the competitive waste and recycling market.

In relation to the Housing Companies the Panel welcomed the initiative to develop an “affordable rent to buy” model for those people unable to access traditional social housing or low cost home ownership. The Panel was also conscious that there were potentially some difficult trade-offs for the Council and the Housing Companies in relation to the commitment to deliver affordable housing and the additional costs associated with net-zero carbon housing.

The Managing Directors for the two companies confirmed that, where required, they would respond directly to the Panel on the points raised at the meeting on 16 July 2019.

The Shareholder thanked the Panel for its comments.

The representatives of the Housing Group left the meeting during the consideration of those items relating to the Oxford Direct Services Companies.

Verbal update.

The Managing Director spoke to this item on behalf of the Chairman of the Direct Services Companies. The Companies had a successful first year of trading which had resulted in the payment of a dividend and a contribution to company reserves. 

Two non-executive directors had been appointed who brought valuable skills and experience from the private sector in finance and human resources. The non-executive directors were already making a contribution and one was working with the Chairman on the set-up arrangements for an Audit & Risk Committee. A further round of interviews would take place in early August with a view to appointing a third non-executive director with a background in the construction industry.

For the Shareholder to note the audited accounts of ODSL and ODSTL. The accounts will be published as a supplement.

The Finance Director reported that the 2018-19 statutory accounts had been cleared by the auditors and approved by the Companies’ Board at a meeting on 22 July 2019. Once they had been formally signed they would be circulated to the Shareholder for information.  

This report provides a performance summary for the period April to June 2019 and financial data / analysis to May 2019. It also covers operational activity across all work streams. The financial appendix is exempt.

The Shareholder noted the content of the report and made a number of observations.

They asked ODSL to review the KPIs for sickness and suggested that some comparative data would be more meaningful. The Managing Director undertook to revise the KPIs for the next report.

The Shareholder welcomed the fact that the Trading Company was seeking to increase the BAME representation in the workforce to better reflect the make-up of the population of Oxford.

This item was discussed in confidential session.

A verbal update on the Outline Business Case will be given.

This item was discussed in confidential session.

The representatives of ODSL and ODSTL Companies left the meeting at the conclusion of the items relating to the Direct Services Companies.

The representatives of the Housing Group returned to the meeting for this item. 

Summary and recommendations

To update the Shareholder on progress of the strategic review and revised Business Plan for the OCHL group of companies. To receive the 2018/19 Annual report and audited Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2019.

Recommendation(s):

That the OCHL Shareholder resolves to:

1.     Note the progress of the strategic review and revised Business Plan for the OCHL Group of companies and to seek support for the proposed plan of action.

2.     Note the Housing Group Annual Review (Appendix 1);

3.     Note the audited Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2019 (Appendix 2)

4.     Note the Housing Group Delivery Programme (Appendix 4).

The interim Managing Director for the Housing Group presented a report which detailed the progress of the strategic review and the development of a revised Business Plan for the Housing Group of companies.

This item was discussed in confidential session.

The Shareholder resolved to:

1.     Note the progress of the strategic review and revised Business Plan for the OCHL Group of companies and to seek support for the proposed plan of action

2.     Note the Housing Group Annual Review (Appendix 1)

3.     Note the audited Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2019 (Appendix 2)

4.     Note the Housing Group Delivery Programme (Appendix 4)

The Shareholder is recommended to approve the minutes of the following Shareholder meetings:

O7 March 2019 (Trading Companies)

·       Public minutes

·       Confidential Minutes

30 May 2019 (Oxford City Housing Group)

·       Public minutes

·       Confidential Minutes

The Shareholder resolved to approve the minutes of the following Shareholder meetings as a true and accurate record:

7 March 2019 (Direct Services Companies)

·       Public minutes

·       Confidential Minutes

30 May 2019 (Oxford City Housing Group)

·       Public minutes

·       Confidential Minutes