None.

Address from Councillor Ginette Camps-Walsh, Chairman of Beckly and Stowood Parish Council – Agenda Item 8: Local Government Reorganisation - Interim response to Government

In the Leader’s letter to the Minister regarding local Government devolution she said

“One option we will want to consider is the creation of a city-based unitary on expanded geography that will enable us to meet our unique potential, while enabling viable neighbouring unitaries to our north and south. We have ambitions for growth that go significantly beyond that in any existing or draft local plan in Oxfordshire, and which could give Oxford as a place the ability to meet all its own future housing need.”

Questions

1.           Has the Leader and cabinet seen our letter sent to the Minister and copied to her from neighbouring parishes and communities, attached, opposing this Plan? What 7 Agenda Item 3 consideration, if any, had the cabinet given to the acceptability to neighbouring rural parishes of this annexation with plans that would be likely to destroy their communities and individual identity of their villages and build on the countryside?

2.           The letter does not appear to have considered the targets set out for unitary authorities in the Minister’s letters namely a population of 500,000 + and using current district boundaries as the building blocks. Oxford has a population of 165,200 and Oxfordshire 750,2001. If Oxford City annexed sufficient surrounding parishes to reach a population of 500,000, it would leave an unviable rural unitary authority, with half the necessary population, in a crescent to the north, west and south of the city. Also, Oxford City would be outvoted by the annexed rural parishes. Wouldn’t a county wide unitary authority be the sensible option? The population numbers and boundaries are compliant with the Minister’s guidance and there are also shared services already supplied by the county, which isn’t the case with the Oxford Plan.

3.           In the recent Resident’s Panel questionnaire on this, the questions were extremely biased in favour of the City Council’s proposal. What is the point of very biased questions trying to provoke the answers the Council wants when they will have little validity or credibility?

a.    Reasonably unbiased questions would look something like this –

The Minister is looking for the size of new unitary authorities to have a population of 500,000 or more.

Do you think this is - about right?, too big?, too small?

The Minister has advised that new unitary authorities should be based on the boundaries of current district councils and should have a population of 500,000 or more. Current Populations- Oxfordshire : 750,200, Cherwell: 166,300, Oxford: 165,200, South Oxfordshire: 153,400, Vale of White Horse: 146,000, West Oxfordshire: 119,300 What do you think a new unitary authority including the City of Oxford should look like?

A county wide council including the whole of Oxfordshire?

A council based on the City of Oxford expanded to include other district councils? If a council based on Oxford which other districts would join with Oxford? Cherwell?,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 144.

None.

None received.

None.

None.

No reports from the Scrutiny Committee were received for this meeting of Cabinet.

The Chief Executive has submitted the draft letter for the consultation of Local Government reorganisation. The report and letter will be published on 12 March as a supplementary agenda.

The Chief Executive had submitted the draft letter for the consultation of Local Government reorganisation to Cabinet. The Chief Executive presented the report. She outlined the basis of the report, stating that the Government had requested an interim plan for local government reorganisation. She noted that in Oxfordshire, the different authorities had agreed to work together on the interim plan and the proposal includes three possible plans.

The Chief Executive said that in considering future local government options that they will take the time to consider what is best for residents in the county as they reform the government. She advised that this could come across as a quite technocratic process, but it is important that they take into account the form and purpose of local government in the areas they serve as they consider what the new structure should be.

The Chief Executive continued and said that Government will consider how the changes could support local governmental reform and better outcomes for residents, as well as the growth priorities of the Government. She said that they will also need to consider how they engage with and support communities as they undergo this process. She noted that the three unitary option should be one of those considered and the Council are developing proposals for this option. She advised that this is not a decision point as of yet, they are expecting feedback and there is a considerable amount of work to be done before final proposals are submitted in November.

The Chief Executive noted that there are different views on the different options in the report, and they will continue to have conversations with neighbouring authorities, to help them think about their proposal and how it can be configured to meet Government requirements and citizens’ needs. She said she was grateful to officers across the Council for their work thus far on the proposals, though there is still considerable work to be done for this process.

Councillor Brown thanked the Chief Executive for the work she had done on this matter and their proposal. Councillor Brown reminded Cabinet that the current meeting was a step in the process, but not yet a decision point.

Councillor Arshad thanked members and officers for their work on the proposal and their work to support the city as the process unfolds.

Councillor Hollingsworth thanked officers and expressed support for the three unitary approach for local government reorganization. He noted that this approach is more than moving boundary lines and that it is more fundamental. He discussed Oxford’s position historically and how the city fits into the priorities of Government nationally. Councillor Hollingsworth said that expansion plans for Oxford in the 1920s included similar expansions that are included in the current proposal. He also noted the 1974 changes, which created the two tier system. Councillor Hollingsworth said that this is an opportunity to go back and correct the earlier errors in legislation. He highlighted the opportunities for growth, but also emphasised the need for equality  ...  view the full minutes text for item 149.

Recommendation: That Cabinet resolves to note the minutes of the previous Cabinet meeting.

Cabinet noted the minutes of the previous Cabinet meeting held on 12 March 2025.

Meetings are scheduled for the following dates:

All meetings start at 6.00 pm.

Cabinet noted the dates of future meetings.

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.