None.

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 public webcast concluded at this point.

The Group is asked to consider any comments and/or recommendations from the Companies’ Scrutiny Panel meeting on 14 December.

This item was considered in private session.

Those who may attend for this company’s items:

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

Stephen Clarke

Jane Winfield

Present for this part of the meeting

Stephen Clarke (LLP Director)

Purpose: to provide an update into the activities of Barton Oxford LLP over the past quarter.

Recommendation: to note the report.

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)

Present for this part of the meeting

·         Tom Bridgeman (OxWED Company Director, Oxford City Council)

·         Kevin Minns (Managing Director, OxWED)

Others in attendance

·         Lindsay Cane (Company Secretary)

Purpose: to provide an update into the activities of OXWED over the past quarter and set out the proposed work and Shareholder decisions for the next quarter.

Recommendation: to note the report.

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)

Present for this part of the meeting

·         Stephen Clarke (Company Director)

·         Mike Day (Managing Director)

Others in attendance

·         David Watt (OCHL Strategic Finance Manager)

·         Lindsay Cane (Company Secretary)

Purpose: to ask the SJVG to consider the overview report, agree the recommendations, and agree the refreshed OCHL Strategic 10 year Business Plan 2020.

Recommendation: to agree the recommendations contained in the report.

This item was discussed in private session. The SJVG approved the business plan as submitted.

Cllr Clarkson left during this item.

Purpose: to provide an update on the current position with regard to OCHL’s development programme, cash spend and KPIs.

Recommendation: to note the report and appendices.

This item was taken in private session.

Those who may attend for this company’s items:

Company Directors:

Simon Howick

Tim Sadler

Gregor Budde

Others in attendance:

Lindsay Cane (Company Secretary)

Present for this part of the meeting

·         Tim Sadler (Company Director)

·         Simon Howick (Managing Director)

Others in attendance

·         Lindsay Cane (Company Secretary)

·         Gregor Budde (Finance Director)

Purpose: to ask the SJVG to consider the overview report, agree the recommendations, and agree the adoption of the 2021-2025 ODS Business Plan.

Recommendation: to agree the recommendations contained in the report.

This item was discussed in private session. The SJVG approved the business plan as submitted.

Cllr Smith and Cllr Upton left during this item.

Recommendation: to approve the public and private minutes of the Shareholder and Joint Venture Group meeting on 16 September 2020as a true and correct record.

The private and public minutes of the SJVG meeting held on 16 September 2020 were agreed as a true and correct record.

Dates of next scheduled meetings:

Shareholder and Joint Venture Group           Companies Scrutiny Panel

17 March 2021                                                 15 March 2021

23 June 2021                                                   21 June 2021

22 September 2021                                          20 September 2021

20 December 2021                                           14 December 2021

Other meetings may be arranged as required.

The next scheduled meeting of the SJVG will be held on 17 March 2021. Other meetings may be arranged as required.