None.

Recommendation: That Cabinet resolves to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 17 September 2025 as a true and accurate record.

Cabinet resolved to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 17 September 2025 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 Thursday, the 16^th of October.

Cabinet received two addresses from members of the public.

Address from Marta Lomza, former City Council employee.

My name is Marta Lomza, I am speaking tonight as a resident of Oxford and a former employee of the Oxford City Council (2018-2024), with some 15 years of experience working in the heritage industry. I was the Twinning Officer in charge of signing of the twinning agreement with Wroclaw, Poland; for 6 years after that I worked as the Community Engagement & Exhibitions Officer at the Museum of Oxford, and I had a secondment to act as deputy coordinator for a Central Oxford response hub during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020. I’m saying this to stress my experience in culture & heritage and in working with the residents of our city, and my knowledge of and care for this council.

I’m here to present my serious concerns about the proposal regarding museum fees and to urge you to consider rejecting the proposal as it stands. I don’t have time to present all my concerns so I will focus on four main points as submitted in my draft; I will illustrate each point with an example.

1) LACK OF COMMUNITY CONSULTATION

Appendix 4, section 3, point 17 admits there has been no community consultation. As I said in my draft, this poses serious reputational and relational risks to the Council, as in the following example. One of the museum’s key achievements is the strong partnerships it has built with incredibly diverse and often marginalised communities - East Timori, Iraqi, African families, LGBTQ+ groups and more. This has led to diversifying museum collections with objects generously donated or loaned by those communities. We now have a proposal which does not even list community partners on the concessions list, risking a situation where people will have to pay to see their own object on display. This will have a negative impact on the relationships between the museum staff and the community partners. The lack of consultation will also affect the staff morale when they’ll have to communicate this to the people impacted by it. It might also affect your own Customer Service Excellence assessment, which the museum has made valuable contributions to over the years. Finally, at a time when there are strong community reactions regarding the County Council’s congestion charge, there’s an increased risk this will add more arguments for those who think our local authorities ignore the opinions of the residents.

2) LACK OF EVIDENCE IN THE PROPOSAL

Except for the 2023 AIM (Association of Independent Museums) report from which it cherry picks quotes to support its recommendations, the proposal cites almost no evidence or research to back up its claims, with spurious points based on conjecture, such as in this sentence “it is possible that the free entry may have had a negative impact on visitors’ perception of the potential quality of the offer” - a sentence so vague it’s practically meaningless, and yet it’s used as the basis  ...  view the full minutes text for item 65.

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, 16 October 2025.

None received.

None received.

None.

The Scrutiny Committee met on 14 October 2025 to consider the following items. Report and recommendations, including those from its working groups, are published as a late supplement.

• Project approvals and delegations for the Westlands Drive/ Halliday Hill affordable housing development
• Anti-Social Behaviour Policy
• Annual Safeguarding Report 2024/25
• Optimism Bias on sizeable commercial properties in the City Centre
• Quarterly Performance Integrated Report - Q4 2024/25
• Quarterly Performance Integrated Report - Q1 2025/26

The Scrutiny Committee met on 14 October 2025 and reviewed the following items:

• Project Approval and Delegations for Westlands Drive and Halliday Hill
• affordable housing scheme
• Anti-Social Behaviour Policy
• Annual Safeguarding Report

The Finance and Performance Working Group met on 11 September 2025 to consider a range of reports:

• Optimism bias on sizeable commercial properties in the city centre
• Performance Integrated Report Q4 2024/25
• Performance Integrated Report Q1 2025/26

Councillor Alex Powell presented the Scrutiny Committee’s discussions regarding the Project approvals and delegations for the Westlands Drive/Halliday Hill affordable housing development. He noted that no recommendations arose from the Committee’s conversations about this report.

Councillor Alex Powell presented the Scrutiny Committee’s discussions and recommendations regarding the Anti-Social Behaviour Policy. He noted that the Committee had discussed the need for there to be a clear line in accountability and that questions had been raised regarding how they would make the information and guidance about this policy accessible to a diverse range of communities.

• Recommendation 1: For Officers to explore the feasibility of gathering and analysis of data on protected characteristics of both: individuals complained about through the ASB service, and individuals making complaints through the ASB service. Recognising that some data may be limited in validity, that findings from the collected and analysed data be reported back to the Scrutiny Committee at an appropriate time within the next two years.
• Recommendation 2: That officers set out within the Policy the work the Council is currently undertaking and plans to undertake in relation to proactive prevention of ASB, including actions such as working with youth groups, redesigning areas, and improving coordination between council services.
• Recommendation 3: That there is a clear commitment within the ASB Policy to work collaboratively with Registered Providers in addressing anti-social behaviour, including requesting information from local RPs on levels and types of ASB reports received within their housing stock. This information can then be used to identify patterns, overlaps and gaps between council and RP data, and reporting back on the efficacy of this partnership working and health of relationships with RPs as part of the Council’ wider multi-agency approach to ASB management.

Councillor Arshad responded to the Committee’s recommendations on the Anti-Social Behaviour Policy. She welcomed the Committee’s engagement with the policy. She noted that Cabinet accepted all three recommendations relating to this report.

Councillor Alex Powell presented the Scrutiny Committee’s discussions and recommendation regarding the Annual Safeguarding Report 2024/25. He noted concerns that were raised by the Committee regarding the multiple organisations working in this area and how they could most efficiently work in a cooperative manner.

• That future Safeguarding reports provide comparisons with previous years data to allow monitoring of trends and assessment progress, particularly data in relation to modern slavery and exploitation, and severe weather emergency protocol (SWEP). Where the data allows for trend analysis, that previous statistics be included to enable a year-on-year comparison and evaluation of changes overtime.

Councillor Arshad responded to the Committee’s recommendation on the Annual Safeguarding Report 2024/25.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 69.

The Director of Communities and Citizens submitted a report to Cabinet to consider options for charging a small entry fee to visit the museum and consider options for eligibility for concessionary and free entry. 

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.    Charge an entry fee for entry to the Museum of Oxford

2.    Approve the standard entry fee charges as proposed in Appendix 1

3.    Approve the concessions eligibility and concessionary charges as proposed in Appendix 1

4.    Approve the eligibility for free access as proposed in Appendix 1

5.    Delegate the implementation of charging from January 2026 to the Director of Citizens and Community Services

Cabinet resolved to:

1. Charge an entry fee for entry to the Museum of Oxford
2. Approve the standard entry fee charges as proposed in Appendix 1
3. Approve the concessions eligibility and concessionary charges as proposed in Appendix 1
4. Approve the eligibility for free access as proposed in Appendix 1
5. Delegate the implementation of charging from January 2026 and the authority to make any minor changes to the charging model for the museum to the Director of Citizens and Community Services.

The Director of Communities and Citizens had submitted a report to Cabinet to consider options for charging a small entry fee to visit the museum and consider options for eligibility for concessionary and free entry. 

Councillor Hollingsworth presented the report. He noted the positive work of the museum, as well as the difficulties it has faced to meet the necessary income levels. He said that the report in part emanated from a need for them to think more creatively about how they fund the museum. The report proposes an approach which is used by nearly a quarter of local authority run museums, and there are reductions in this fee and opportunities for free entry to support continued access to the museum for individuals from all backgrounds. The report will also allow the managers of the museum to make minor changes to fees, as it becomes necessary. Councillor Hollingsworth noted the challenges that are faced whenever change is made but also stated their optimism that this approach will be tenable.

Paula Redway, the Culture and Community Development Manager, reiterated the high quality of work and customer service provided by the museum’s staff and the good work of the museum. Despite this, she noted that visitor numbers had not grown as needed since 2021. She noted the ‘pay as you can’ model that had been introduced to the museum, and although this did increase income over time, it did not meet the levels needed. In deciding on this approach, the Culture and Community Development Manager said that they drew information and research from across the sector to look at the impact of introducing a fee. She said that nationally, local authority run museums tend to be under threat, and they had been successful in securing a grant from the Arts Council to help them restructure the museum. This will help with their marketing, fundraising, and current deficit situation. She stated that the grant funding, combined with the fee, was the only option available for them to reach the financial position needed.

Councillor Brown expressed support for the proposals in the report and the work of the museum.

Councillor Munkonge said that the report could provide greater clarity to enhance assurances on the expected income. He asked if they had any benchmarking data to back up the projections in the report and asked what systems would manage the free and discounted entries to the museum.

Councillor Hollingsworth acknowledged that they did have limited data and one of the reasons for this was that they had not implemented a charging scheme. He noted the considerable amount of work they had done in the creation of the report and his confidence that this was the best way forward.

The Culture and Community Development Manager said that the charging model would help them to gather more data. She said that they would monitor the new charging model closely. The data that they gather through this model will allow them to better understand who does and does  ...  view the full minutes text for item 70.

The Deputy Chief Executive for City and Citizens submitted a report to Cabinet to request that Cabinet approves the Anti-social Behaviour Policy 2026-29.

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.    Approve the Anti-social Behaviour Policy 2026-29; and  

2.    Delegate authority to the Community Safety Service Managerto publish the Anti-social Behaviour Policy and to make any typographical amendments as may be required, before publication.To make minor changes in the future to reflect any relevant changes in legislation, guidance or practice. 

Cabinet resolved to:

1. Approve the Anti-social Behaviour Policy 2026-29; and  
2. Delegate authority to the Community Safety Service Manager to publish the Anti-social Behaviour Policy and to make any typographical amendments as may be required, before publication. To make minor changes in the future to reflect any relevant changes in legislation, guidance or practice. 

The Deputy Chief Executive for City and Citizens had submitted a report to Cabinet to request that Cabinet approves the Anti-social Behaviour Policy 2026-29.

Councillor Arshad presented the report. She said that the Council is committed to tackling all forms of Anti-Social Behaviour. She said that this policy fulfils their duty to tackle Anti-Social Behaviour, requiring the Council to formulate and publish these types of procedures. She said that they would work with local partners to ensure that people feel safe and secure in their homes and that they are delivering their standard of care. Councillor Arshad said that the policy is reviewed every three years, with the existing policy expiring in 2025. This policy sets out the Council’s responsibility as a landlord and sets out the Council’s service standards. Councillor Arshad said that the policy outlines the Council’s commitment to tackling Anti-Social Behaviour and the Council’s principles in approaching this matter.

Richard Adams, the Community Safety Service Manager, thanked the Scrutiny Committee for their engagement and thanked their tenant panel for their views on the policy.

Councillor Brown asked how they connected with registered providers on this issue, as tenants often move between Council properties and properties owned by other providers.

The Community Safety Service Manager said that on a case-by-case basis they were good at working in partnership with registered providers. However, on the strategic level they were working to explore and develop this area further.

Cabinet resolved to:

1. Approve the Anti-social Behaviour Policy 2026-29; and  
2. Delegate authority to the Community Safety Service Manager to publish the Anti-social Behaviour Policy and to make any typographical amendments as may be required, before publication. To make minor changes in the future to reflect any relevant changes in legislation, guidance or practice. 

The Director of Economy, Regeneration and Sustainability submitted a report to Cabinet to seek approval of the draft Air Quality Action Plan 2026-2030 for public consultation.

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.    Approve the Air Quality Action Plan 2026-2030 for Public Consultation

Cabinet resolved to:

1. Approve the Air Quality Action Plan 2026-2030 for Public Consultation

The Director of Economy, Regeneration and Sustainability had submitted a report to Cabinet to seek approval of the draft Air Quality Action Plan 2026-2030 for public consultation.

Councillor Railton presented the report. She said that the report was a statutory document, due to historic and current levels of air pollution. She said that the current plan had a lower level than the national limit of nitrous oxide and that they had achieved this lower target. Councillor Railton said that the new plan builds on this progress, and lines up with the WHO’s goals and EU’s legal standards. The report lays out an action plan to achieve these goals. She said that the recommendation was to approve the action plan for public consultation, not to approve the plan itself.

Pedro Abreu, the Principal Air Quality Officer, said that this draft plan and commitment to pursue the new air quality target would continue their dedication to go above and beyond to deliver cleaner air and healthier lives for the people of Oxford.

Councillor Chapman congratulated the team on their achievements, including the level of particulates and level of nitrous oxide.

Councillor Hollingsworth asked what their reflections were on the impact that heavier private cars, and electric vehicles, were likely to have on particulate pollution.

Councillor Railton noted that there was an irony in the drive towards electric vehicles, as the anti-pollution benefits were undermined as cars got bigger. She said that some cities in the UK had considered different levels of parking charges, depending on car size and weight. However, she stated that these policy interventions were beyond the scope of the current action plan.

Councillor Brown noted the impact that Local Government Reorganisation would have on their approach to air quality improvement.

The Principal Air Quality Officer discussed the different factors which contribute to air pollution in the city. Notably, he presented a figure that helped contextualise the issue for Councillor Hollingsworth: while it is evident that we are witnessing a shift in particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions from tailpipe sources to road surface abrasion and tyre wear—largely due to the increased weight of electric vehicles: transport-related emissions as a whole account for no more than 17% of the total PM2.5 levels measured in Oxford. The largest contributor by far is the domestic sector, particularly the burning of solid fuels from open fires and wood-burning stoves.

Cabinet resolved to:

1. Approve the Air Quality Action Plan 2026-2030 for Public Consultation

The Director of Housing submitted a report to Cabinet to seek the approval of the following policies: fire safety, damp and mould, asbestos and disrepair to ensure the maintenance of the housing stock. 

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.    Approve the Damp and Mould Policy

2.    Approve the Fire Safety Policy

3.    Approve the Asbestos Policy

4.    Approve the Disrepair Policy

Cabinet resolved to:

1. Approve the Damp and Mould Policy
2. Approve the Fire Safety Policy
3. Approve the Asbestos Policy
4. Approve the Disrepair Policy

The Director of Housing had submitted a report to Cabinet to seek the approval of the following policies: fire safety, damp and mould, asbestos and disrepair to ensure the maintenance of the housing stock. 

Councillor Linda Smtih presented the report. She said that these policies were an important step to ensure they meet their obligations under the social housing act and make sure that they deliver a high quality of service to their tenants. She said that the policies had all had tenant engagement, which is a point of pride, and that their input was reflected in the policies.

Nerys Parry, the Director of Housing, said that the damp and mould policies were in line with their responsibilities as a landlord. For assurance, she noted that the policy included a series of procedures between OCC and ODS that are well understood by both organizations.

James Watkins, the Housing Policy and Projects Officer, said that these sets of policies were to ensure that they follow the lessons learned approach, following tragedies such as Grenfell. He said that the asbestos policy was very robust to ensure the safety of residents first and foremost. He said that the disrepair policy sets out the standards for residents and that there should be every step taken to ensure no property is ever in disrepair. He said that residents and tenants worked very hard to engage with these policies and give their feedback on these policies.

Councillor Hollingsworth asked if the policies covered empty properties with no current tenants. He also asked if communal areas in properties were covered by the policies. Finally, he asked if communal areas, accessible to HRA and private tenants, were covered by these policies.

The Housing Policy and Projects Officer confirmed that the policies covered empty properties and communal areas.

Councillor Brown thanked the tenants who participated in the review of the policies and officers for their work.

Cabinet resolved to:

1. Approve the Damp and Mould Policy
2. Approve the Fire Safety Policy
3. Approve the Asbestos Policy
4. Approve the Disrepair Policy

The Director of Planning and Regulation submitted a report to Cabinet to seek approval from members to conduct a statutory consultation to renew the Additional HMO Licensing Scheme in 2026. 

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.    Agreeto proceed with a statutory 10-week consultation on the basis that it is necessary to renew the licensing scheme in its entirety for a further 5 years.

Cabinet resolved to:

1. Agree to proceed with a statutory 10-week consultation on the basis that it is necessary to renew the licensing scheme in its entirety for a further 5 years.

The Director of Planning and Regulation had submitted a report to Cabinet to seek approval from members to conduct a statutory consultation to renew the Additional HMO Licensing Scheme in 2026. 

Councillor Linda Smith presented the report. She said that they should be proud of the fact that every privately let home needs a license in Oxford. She discussed the variety of schemes for different types of homes. She said that the scheme helps to drive up the standard of privately rented homes in the city. Councillor Smith noted that this was seeking approval to take the policy out for consultation, not to approve the policy itself.

Courtney Bennett, Regulatory Services Manager, said that this report was to approve the policy to go out to consultation, not to approve the policy itself. She said that the scheme had room for improvement as there were consistent issues that they would like to address through the consultation. She said that the consultation would involve a range of engagement approaches with tenant groups. She said that the outcome of the consultation would be back before Cabinet in the spring.

Councillor Hollingsworth expressed his support for the scheme, as it had delivered a much better stock of HMOs across the city. He said that he would be interested to know if they had a sense of how many properties had switched from HMOS to short term lets to avoid complying with the scheme.

The Regulatory Services Manager said that they did not have specific data. She noted that the short term lets were a priority for their planning enforcement team and last months they issued 26 notices. She said that in September they’d had a successful case where they took a short let back to the private rental sector and would look for more data on that issue.

Cabinet discussed that a national policy limiting the number of short let properties in a city would be useful and Councillor Linda Smith said that they would continue to argue for that.

Cabinet also discussed the possibility that the scheme became so successful to the point where it was no longer necessary. Given the structural challenges facing housing in Oxford, Cabinet agreed that this was an unlikely outcome in the near future. 

Cabinet resolved to:

1. Agree to proceed with a statutory 10-week consultation on the basis that it is necessary to renew the licensing scheme in its entirety for a further 5 years.

The Director of Economy, Regeneration and Sustainability submitted a report to Cabinet to request that Cabinet agree that approval be given to the Oxfordshire County Council to publish the Oxfordshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.    That Cabinet agrees to give approval to the Oxfordshire County Council to publish the Oxfordshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy by.

Cabinet resolved to:

1. That Cabinet agrees to give approval to the Oxfordshire County Council to publish the Oxfordshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

The Director of Economy, Regeneration and Sustainability had submitted a report to Cabinet to request that Cabinet agree that approval be given to the Oxfordshire County Council to publish the Oxfordshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

Councillor Railton presented the report. She said that the Environment Act of 2021 requires all local authorities to produce such a strategy. She said that the County Council, with other partners, worked to develop the strategy they were considering. She said that the strategy had already been endorsed by the county and other authorities in Oxfordshire. She outlined the key objectives of the report and noted that this is a non-binding strategy, but the Council was encouraged to meet the strategy where possible. Councillor Railton emphasised that the strategy did not preclude or restrict development. 

James Barlow, the Principal Flood Mitigation and Environmental Quality Team Leader, said that the strategy sought to encourage opportunities that already existed, rather than restricting anything.

Cabinet agreed to alter the recommendation to remove the final word ‘by’ and fix this typo.

With this slight alteration:

Cabinet resolved to:

1. That Cabinet agrees to give approval to the Oxfordshire County Council to publish the Oxfordshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

The ASBIT Manager and Domestic Abuse Lead?submitted a report to Cabinet to request that Cabinet approve the Domestic Abuse Policy for Staff.? 

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.    Approve the Domestic Abuse Policy for Staff (Appendix 1)?

2.    Delegate authority to the Domestic Abuse Lead, to make minor changes in the future to reflect any relevant changes in legislation, guidance or practice.

Cabinet resolved to:

1. Approve the Domestic Abuse Policy for Staff (Appendix 1)?
2. Delegate authority to the Domestic Abuse Lead, to make minor changes in the future to reflect any relevant changes in legislation, guidance or practice.

The ASBIT Manager and Domestic Abuse Lead?had submitted a report to Cabinet to request that Cabinet approve the Domestic Abuse Policy for Staff.? 

Councillor Arshad presented the report. She said that the report sets out the Council’s commitment to employees, particularly those impacted by Domestic Abuse. She said that the policy looks at how issues can be raised so that support can be provided to staff impacted by domestic abuse. She noted that several different stakeholders engaged with the policy and provided their feedback.

Liz Jones, The ASBIT Manager and Domestic Abuse Lead, said that this policy complimented the Domestic Abuse Policy for service users as well.

Councillor Turner asked how the recruiting and training of champions was progressing.

The ASBIT Manager and Domestic Abuse Lead said that they had 24 champions across the Council, mainly in frontline teams. She said that when someone wants to do the training to become a champion they put them into the course after they receive managerial approval.

Councillor Brown welcomed the policy and congratulated them on their training of champions.

Councillor Arshad noted that the Domestic Abuse Champions had access to contact details of champions in other local authorities and have access to further specialised trainings.

Cabinet resolved to:

1. Approve the Domestic Abuse Policy for Staff (Appendix 1)?
2. Delegate authority to the Domestic Abuse Lead, to make minor changes in the future to reflect any relevant changes in legislation, guidance or practice.

The Director of Economy, Regeneration and Sustainability submitted a report to Cabinet to seek project approval and delegations to progress the development of affordable homes at Westlands Drive/ Halliday Hill. This includes delegated authority to enter into build contracts and other necessary agreements and associated development costs, and the virement of capital funds in the Housing Revenue Account (HRA).

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.    Grant project approvalto finalise agreement to enter into build contracts and any other necessary agreements or contracts and incur associated development cost spends, as set out in this report, and within the allocated HRA capital budgets and business plan, for the purpose of delivering more affordable housing in Oxford; 

2.    Delegate authority to the Director of Housing, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Affordable Housing; the Head of Financial Services/Section 151 Officer; and the Council’s Monitoring Officer,to enter into build contracts and any other necessary agreements or contracts to facilitate the development within the identified budget, for the provision of additional affordable housing;  

3.     Grant approval for a virement within the HRA capital budget for scheme costs of £5,693,000. The virement will be from the “Properties purchased from OCHL”(Oxford City Housing Limited) purchase line into a new scheme line to be profiled to match the build programme across the four years from 2025/26 to 2028/29.

Cabinet resolved to:

1. Grant project approval to finalise agreement to enter into build contracts and any other necessary agreements or contracts and incur associated development cost spends, as set out in this report, and within the allocated HRA capital budgets and business plan, for the purpose of delivering more affordable housing in Oxford; 
2. Delegate authority to the Director of Housing, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Affordable Housing; the Head of Financial Services/Section 151 Officer; and the Council’s Monitoring Officer,to enter into build contracts and any other necessary agreements or contracts to facilitate the development within the identified budget, for the provision of additional affordable housing;  
3. Grant approval for a virement within the HRA capital budget for scheme costs of £5,693,000. The virement will be from the “Properties purchased from OCHL” (Oxford City Housing Limited) purchase line into a new scheme line to be profiled to match the build programme across the four years from 2025/26 to 2028/29.

The Director of Economy, Regeneration and Sustainability had submitted a report to Cabinet to seek project approval and delegations to progress the development of affordable homes at Westlands Drive/ Halliday Hill. This includes delegated authority to enter into build contracts and other necessary agreements and associated development costs, and the virement of capital funds in the Housing Revenue Account (HRA).

Councillor Linda Smith presented the report. She said that Oxford needed homes and encouraged Cabinet to vote to support the building of 15 more affordable homes.

Councillor Chapman expressed his support for the scheme and noted the importance of the development.

Cabinet resolved to:

1. Grant project approval to finalise agreement to enter into build contracts and any other necessary agreements or contracts and incur associated development cost spends, as set out in this report, and within the allocated HRA capital budgets and business plan, for the purpose of delivering more affordable housing in Oxford; 
2. Delegate authority to the Director of Housing, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Affordable Housing; the Head of Financial Services/Section 151 Officer; and the Council’s Monitoring Officer,to enter into build contracts and any other necessary agreements or contracts to facilitate the development within the identified budget, for the provision of additional affordable housing;  
3. Grant approval for a virement within the HRA capital budget for scheme costs of £5,693,000. The virement will be from the “Properties purchased from OCHL” (Oxford City Housing Limited) purchase line into a new scheme line to be profiled to match the build programme across the four years from 2025/26 to 2028/29.

The Group Finance Director submitted a report to Cabinet to request that Cabinet provide Project Approval and delegate authority to officers to enter into a new contract or contracts with suitably qualified firms to undertake real estate valuations. 

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.    Give Project Approval to approve the procurement of a suitably qualified firm ofreal estate valuers to undertake valuations of council-owned properties recorded within the General Fund and Housing Revenue Accounts 

2.    Delegateauthority to the Deputy Chief Executive – Place in consultation with the Group Director of Finance, the Director of Law, Governance and Strategy (Monitoring Officer), and the Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Assets to determine the form of the procurement, contract, and award and enter into the final contract with the preferred supplier 

Cabinet resolved to:

1.    Give Project Approval to approve the procurement of a suitably qualified firm ofreal estate valuers to undertake valuations of council-owned properties recorded within the General Fund and Housing Revenue Accounts 

2.    Delegate authority to the Deputy Chief Executive – Place in consultation with the Group Director of Finance, the Director of Law, Governance and Strategy (Monitoring Officer), and the Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Assets to determine the form of the procurement, contract, and award and enter into the final contract with the preferred supplier 

The Group Finance Director had submitted a report to Cabinet to request that Cabinet provide Project Approval and delegate authority to officers to enter into a new contract or contracts with suitably qualified firms to undertake real estate valuations. 

Councillor Turner presented the report. He said that Oxford needs accurate real estate valuations for accounting purposes. As they do not have that expertise in house, he said that they need to go out and procure the services.

Councillor Hollingsworth asked if the valuations would include things which are difficult to value, such as things like heritage properties or the museum.

Ted Bowler, the Corporate Asset Manager, confirmed that difficult to value items would be included in the programme.

Cabinet resolved to:

1.    Give Project Approval to approve the procurement of a suitably qualified firm ofreal estate valuers to undertake valuations of council-owned properties recorded within the General Fund and Housing Revenue Accounts 

2.    Delegate authority to the Deputy Chief Executive – Place in consultation with the Group Director of Finance, the Director of Law, Governance and Strategy (Monitoring Officer), and the Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Assets to determine the form of the procurement, contract, and award and enter into the final contract with the preferred supplier 

Meetings are scheduled for the following dates:

·       10 November 2025 (special meeting)

·       19 November 2025

·       10 December 2025

·       21 January 2026

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.