Recommendation: That Cabinet resolves to approve the minutes of the meetings held on 19 November 2025 and 04 December 2025 as a true and accurate record.

The minutes from the meeting held on the 4^th of December will be circulated as a supplement to the agenda.

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 Thursday, 04 December 2025.

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 Thursday, 04 December 2025.

The Scrutiny Committee will meet on 2 December 2025 to consider the following items. Report and recommendations, including those from its working groups, will be published as a late supplement.

• Devolution
• Authority Monitoring Report and Infrastructure Funding Statement
• Housing Complaint Handling Performance (Q1 and Q2)
• Building Safety & Compliance (Q1 and Q2)
• Draft Resident Involvement Strategy 2025-28
• Decarbonisation update: Impact of Energy Efficiency Funding programmes (LAD1b and SHDF) and EPC programme
• Net Zero Tracker
• Air Quality Action Plan
• Biodiversity Strategy and Environment Act update
• Treasury Management Annual Report

The Group Finance Director submitted a report for Cabinet to note the update on Finance, Risk and Corporate Performance matters at 30^th September 2025.

Cabinet is recommended to:

-       Note the financial position for quarter 2 (Q2) 2025/26 including forecast outturn, as well as the current position on risk and performance at 30^th September 2025. 

The Group Finance Director submitted a report to propose a Medium-Term Financial Strategy and the 2026/27 Budget for consultation.

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.    Approve the 2026-27 General Fund and Housing Revenue Account budgets for consultation and the General Fund and Housing Revenue Account Medium Term Financial Strategy as set out in Appendices 1-10, noting:

a.    The Council’s General Fund Budget Requirement of £30.945 million for   2026/27 and an increase in the Band D Council Tax of 2.99% or £10.67 per annum representing a Band D Council Tax of £367.38 per annum assuming it is confirmed that the authority is able to do so.    

b.    The Housing Revenue Account budget for 2026/27 of £68.2 million and an increase of 4.8% .(average of £8.47 per week) in social dwelling rents from 1 April 2026 (see paragraphs 90-92) giving a revised weekly average social rent of £143.40 as set out in Appendix 5. 

c.     The increase in shared ownership rental in accordance with the lease as shown in paragraph 93-94 

d.    The General Fund and Housing Revenue Account Capital Programme as shown in Appendix 6. 

2.    Agree the fees and charges shown in Appendix 7  

3.    Delegate to the Section 151 Officer in consultation with the Board Member for Finance and Assets the decision to determine whether it is financially advantageous for the Council to enter into a Business Rates Distribution Agreement as referred to in paragraphs 29-30 of the report. 

The Director of Planning and Regulation submitted a report to seek Cabinet’s approval of the Authority Monitoring Report and Infrastructure Funding Statement for publication. 

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.    Approve the Authority Monitoring Report and Infrastructure Funding Statement 2024/25 for publication.

2.    Authorise the Director of Planning and Regulation to make any necessary minor corrections not materially affecting the document prior to publication.

The Director of Planning and Regulation submitted a report to request Cabinet’s approval of the Local Development Scheme 2025-2030, which sets out the work programme for the revised Oxford Local Plan 2045. 

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.    Approve the Local Development Scheme 2025-2030;

2.    Authorise the Director of Planning and Regulation Services to make any necessary minor corrections not materially affecting the document prior to publication.

3.    Agree the change to the Oxford Local Plan period from 2022-2042 to 2025-2045

The Director of Housing submitted a report to Cabinet to request that Cabinet  recommend to Council approval of the updated new Tenancy Strategy and Tenancy Policy.

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.    Approve the draft Tenancy Strategy and Tenancy Policy.

2.    Recommend to Council to approve and adopt the draft Tenancy Strategy and Tenancy Policy.

3.    Delegate authority to the Director of Housing, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, authority to update the Tenancy Strategy and Tenancy Policy with minor amendments to keep the documents up to date with any future changes in legislation, regulations, governance and best practice.

The Director of Housing submitted a report to Cabinet and to request that Cabinet recommend to Council to approve the new Resident Involvement and Engagement Strategy – 2025/28.

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.    Approve the draft Resident Involvement and Engagement Strategy (2025 – 2028) and action plan attached to the strategy which outlines how the priorities for resident involvement and engagement will be taken forward.

2.    Recommend to Council to approve and adopt the new Resident Involvement and Engagement Strategy 2025-2028.

3.    Delegate authority to the Director of Housing, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for housing and Communities, on approval of the strategy, to put in place the necessary governance and monitoring arrangements to oversee the implementation and delivery of the strategy as well as to make any minor amendments reflective of legislative changes or best practice.

The Group Finance Director submitted a report to request that Cabinet recommend to Council approval to a three-year Procurement Strategy.

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.    Consider the draft Procurement Strategy 2026-2029 (at appendix 1); and 

2.    Recommend to Council that the draft Procurement Strategy be adopted.

The Group Finance Director submitted a report to request that Cabinet delegate authority to the Group Finance Director for the remainder of the current financial year to award any fleet contracts valued in excess of £750k following a compliant procurement process. 

Cabinet is recommended to:

-       Delegate authority, for the remainder of the current financial year, to the Group Finance Director to award contracts with values in excess of £750k for the purchase of fleet vehicles.  

The Head of Environmental Sustainability submitted a report to request that Cabinet agree the adoption of the Land Quality Strategy 2025.

Cabinet is recommended:

1.    To approve the revised Land Quality Strategy for adoption.

2.    To continue to endorse the approved procedure for dealing with contaminated land by:

-       Using the development control regime wherever possible in order to assess and remediate land affected by contamination.

-       Where this is not possible we will utilise powers under Part 2a of the Environmental Protection Act (1990) in order to ensure contaminated land is remediated.

3.    Note that if works are required under Part 2a Of the Environmental Protection Act (1990), then this will be funded from contingencies and reserves.

The Group Finance Director submitted a report to Cabinet which sets out the Council’s Treasury Management activity and performance for the financial year 2024/25, (including any prudential borrowing limits which are in line with the capital programme and proposed financing), in line with requirements from CIPFA’s code of practice. 

Cabinet is recommended to:

-       Note the Treasury Management Annual Report for 2024/25 and the Council’s compliance with the Prudential and Treasury Indicators. 

Meetings are scheduled for the following dates:

·       21 January 2026

·       11 February 2026

·       18 March 2026

All meetings start at 6.00 pm.

If Cabinet wishes to exclude the press and the public from the meeting during consideration of any of the items on the exempt from publication part of the agenda, it will be necessary for Cabinet to pass a resolution in accordance with the provisions of Paragraph 4(2)(b) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012 on the grounds that their presence could involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as described in specific paragraphs of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

Cabinet may maintain the exemption if and so long as, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.