Councillor Clarkson declared her role as a governor of the new primary school on the Barton development. The Monitoring Officer confirmed that this did not constitute a financial interest as the matter under consideration did not relate to negotiation or contractual arrangements with the School and advised that the declaration should be recorded for transparency. 

Access to reports and admission to Shareholder and Joint Venture Group Meetings

A limited company in which a local authority holds an interest, even a 100% interest, falls outside the strict requirements of local government law.

It follows, therefore, that meetings between the shareholder of a private limited company and the directors of such company are essentially private matters, to which the public holds no automatic right of admittance.

While this Council would be entitled, therefore, to treat its shareholder meetings as entirely private matters, in the spirit of transparency it has allowed public access to the “open” parts of the meeting, only going into private session when any matters of a confidential, commercial or financial nature are discussed. 

The agenda lists all reports to be considered and whether access to these is ‘public’ or ‘private’.

The Chair of the SJVG will confirm at the start of the meeting that reports and parts of the business listed as private will be discussed in private session (to which only the relevant Company’s directors and their advisers will be admitted).

The Chair at her discretion may decide to move from public to private discussion or vice-versa at any point during the meeting.

The Shareholder and Joint Venture Group members agreed that all items relating to the individual companies would be discussed in private session. They agreed to exclude the public and also all directors and officers who were neither their advisers nor had a direct relationship with the respective company being discussed.

The Group is asked to consider any comments and/or recommendations from the Companies’ Scrutiny Panel meeting on 14 September (to follow)

This item was considered in private session.

Those who may attend for this company’s items:

Company Directors:

Stephen Clarke

Jane Winfield

Mike Day (Managing Director)

Others in attendance

Lindsay Cane (Company Secretary)

David Watt (Strategic Finance Manager)

Updated 11 September 2020

This item is withdrawn from the agenda at the request of the OCHL Company Board and will be resubmitted to a future meeting.

Reports from Oxford City Housing Limited had been withdrawn prior to the meeting to allow for further work to take place on them. They would instead be considered at a future meeting of the SJVG.

Those who may attend for this company’s items:

City Council’s representatives on the Limited Liability Partnership (LLP):

Stephen Clarke

Jane Winfield

Report of the Regeneration and Major Projects Service Manager

Purpose of report:

This report provides an update into the activities of Barton Oxford LLP over the past quarter.

Recommendation: to note the report.

Discussion of this report was subsumed within the discussion of the following report.

Present for this part of the meeting

Oxford City Council Company Director

·         Jane Winfield

This item was considered in private session.

Those who may attend for this company’s items:

Oxford City Council’s Company Directors

Tom Bridgman

Gordon Mitchell

Jane Winfield

Representing the company

Lindsay Cane (Company Secretary)

Kevin Minns (OxWED Executive Officer)

Report of the managing director of OXWED

Purpose of report:

To give an update on progress and future work to January 2021

Recommendation:

To note the report and the proposed programme of decisions and funding.

Present for this part of the meeting

Oxford City Council Company Director

·       Jane Winfield

Others in attendance

·       Kevin Minns (Executive Director, OxWED)

·       Lindsay Cane (Company Secretary)

This item was considered in private session.

Recommendation: to approve the public and private minutes of the Shareholder and Joint Venture Group meeting on 24 June 2020 as a true and correct record.

The private and public minutes of the SJVG meeting held on 24 June 2020 were agreed as a true and correct record.

Dates of next scheduled meetings:

Shareholder and Joint Venture Group                                   Companies Scrutiny Panel

22 October [new date]                                                                   To be confirmed

To consider the ODS business plan

16 December 2020                                                                        14 December 2020

Other meetings may be arranged as required.

The next scheduled meeting of the SJVG will be held on 16 December 2020.

Other meetings may be arranged as required.