Councillor Railton declared an interest in the Littlemore Neighbourhood Plan item, due to her position as a Parish Councillor for this ward. She left the room during the discussion and voting on this item.

Recommendation: That Cabinet resolves to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 18 March 2026 as a true and accurate record.

Cabinet resolved to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 18 March 2026 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 9^th of April.

None received.

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 the 9^th of April.

None.

None received.

None.

The Scrutiny Committee met on 07 April 2026 to consider the following items. Report and recommendations, including those from its working groups, will be published as a late supplement.

-        Watercourses and Ditches

-        Review of Ward Member Budget and Community Infrastructure Levy Councillor Applications

-        Urgent Key Decisions End of Year Update 2025-2026

-        Integrated Performance for Q3 2025/26

-        Housing Performance 2025/26

-        Selective Licensing Year 3 update

-        Social Housing EPCC update

-        Local Area Energy Planning update

The Scrutiny Committee met on 07 April 2026 to consider the following items.

-       Watercourses and Ditches

-       Review of Ward Member Budget and Community Infrastructure Levy             Councillor Applications

-       Urgent Key Decisions End of Year Update 2025-2026

The Finance and Performance Working Group met on 26 March 2026 to consider the following items.

-       Integrated Performance for Q3 2025/26

The Housing and Homelessness Working Group met on 31 March 2026 to consider the following items.

-       Housing Performance 2025/26

-    Selective Licensing Year 3 update

The Climate and Environment Working Group met on 01 April 2026 to consider the following items.

-       Social Housing EPCC update

-       Local Area Energy Planning update

Councillor Alex Powell, the Chair of Scrutiny, presented the Scrutiny Committee’s discussions about and recommendations regarding the Watercourses and Ditches report.

• Recommendation 1: That there is greater urgency in drawing up local flood risk action plans for the identified areas, specifically but not limited to Lobelia Road and Campbell Road, as well as other high flood risk areas.
• Recommendation 2: That there is clear framework setting out:

•       the undertaking of routine clearances and ad hoc collection

•       relevant timelines and circumstances, including when litter can safely be removed from watercourses

•       a list of current equipment available to complete the clearance, together with any additional equipment that would be required to enable greater levels of removal.

• Recommendation 3: That Council work with ODS to start keeping records of the number of reactive repairs being undertaken to better inform any needs for maintenance plans.

Councillor Railton responded to the recommendations from Scrutiny. She said that there was confusion regarding flood action plans because of flood reports and funding coming from different organisations. She said that they did not have the remit in the Council to undertake a flood action plan and were thus not agreeing the first recommendation. She said that Cabinet agreed the second and third recommendation.

Councillor Alex Powell presented the Scrutiny Committee’s discussions about and recommendations regarding the Review of Ward Member Budget and Community Infrastructure Levy Councillor Applications

report.

• That the annual pricing list of regular work also itemises the permissions required for each work in order to provide members with all, if not most, information needed to submit a complete application.

Councillor Brown responded to the recommendations from Scrutiny. She said that it would not be possible to do the work in the recommendation, but that the process they’re undergoing will clarify some of the issues raised and will make it easier for members going forward.

Councillor Alex Powell presented the Scrutiny Committee’s discussions about and recommendations regarding the Urgent Key Decisions End of Year Update 2025-2026 report. He noted that no recommendations arose from their consideration of the report.

Councillor Alex Powell presented the Finance and Performance Working Group’s discussions about and recommendations regarding the Integrated Performance for Q3 2025/26 report.

• Recommendation 1: That Cabinet, in the light of experience, reviews whether the current optimism bias remains  ...  view the full minutes text for item 181.

The Director of Property & Assets submitted a report to request that Cabinet approve the disposal of land outside the City.

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.    Approve the disposal of land at Grenoble Road; 

2.    Delegate authority to the Director of Property and Assets, in consultation with the Director of Law, Governance and Strategy and the Group Finance Director?and Lead Member for Finance and Asset Management?to?agree the final terms and?enter into the final agreement?and any?other?documents necessary?to?effect?the?transaction provided that the ?disposal will?meet the requirements of s123 of the Local Government Act 1972 (which states that a council shall not dispose of land otherwise than by way of a short tenancy, for a consideration less than the best that can reasonably be obtained).

Cabinet resolved to:

1. Approve the disposal of land at Grenoble Road; 
2. Delegate authority to the Director of Property and Assets, in consultation with the Director of Law, Governance and Strategy and the Group Finance Director?and Lead Member for Finance and Asset Management?to?agree the final terms and?enter into the final agreement?and any?other?documents necessary?to?effect?the?transaction provided that the ?disposal will?meet the requirements of s123 of the Local Government Act 1972 (which states that a council shall not dispose of land otherwise than by way of a short tenancy, for a consideration less than the best that can reasonably be obtained).

The Leader re-arranged the order of the agenda so that this item was taken as the first substantive report.

The Director of Property & Assets submitted a report to request that Cabinet approve the disposal of land outside the City.

Councillor Turner presented the report. He said that they were constantly reviewing how best to use the assets that the Council owns and that sometimes this required the disposal of an asset. He said that this decision would be beneficial for the Council and he commended the proposal.

Cabinet moved into private session, to consider the report’s confidential appendix, for the remainder of the discussion of this item.

Cabinet resolved to:

1. Approve the disposal of land at Grenoble Road; 
2. Delegate authority to the Director of Property and Assets, in consultation with the Director of Law, Governance and Strategy and the Group Finance Director?and Lead Member for Finance and Asset Management?to?agree the final terms and?enter into the final agreement?and any?other?documents necessary?to?effect?the?transaction provided that the ?disposal will?meet the requirements of s123 of the Local Government Act 1972 (which states that a council shall not dispose of land otherwise than by way of a short tenancy, for a consideration less than the best that can reasonably be obtained).

Councillor Turner left the meeting after this item at 18:28.

The Director of Housing submitted a report for Cabinet to note the progress made by Housing Services during 25-26 and note the key challenges going forward to 26-27.

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.    Note the end of year report which highlights service improvements and services delivered by the Housing Service over the past 12 months (2025/26) 

2.    Note the challenges facing the Housing Service going forward and the priorities that it is seeking to deliver over the next 12 months (2026/27) 

3.    Delegate authority to the Director of Housing in consultation with the Lead Member for Housing and Communities to make any adjustments to service priorities and delivery  

Cabinet resolved to:

1.    Note the end of year report which highlights service improvements and services delivered by the Housing Service over the past 12 months (2025/26) 

2.    Note the challenges facing the Housing Service going forward and the priorities that it is seeking to deliver over the next 12 months (2026/27) 

3.    Delegate authority to the Director of Housing in consultation with the Lead Member for Housing and Communities to make any adjustments to service priorities and delivery

The Director of Housing submitted a report for Cabinet to note the progress made by Housing Services during 25-26 and note the key challenges going forward to 26-27.

Councillor Smith presented the report. She said that the report shows the work done over the past year and that it was really useful to see that and appreciate the work being done. She emphasised the achievements outlined in the report and thanked the housing team for their work over the past year.

Nerys Parry, the Director of Housing, emphasised the challenging environment that they had and would continue to operate in. She outlined the self-assessment that they had undertaken and the work being done to further strengthen their standards, including a new governance structure.

Councillor Arshad thanked the housing team for their admirable work in this area.

Councillor Hollingsworth asked about priority four and how this would impact voids. He asked how they were handling non-standard properties and turning them around.

The Director of Housing said that they were doing a significant piece of work on voids and would bring a new Voids policy to Cabinet in July. She said that this would cover how they manage standard and non-standard voids.

Councillor Brown noted that having a better stock condition survey would identify properties that need work before they are void and that there were a series of interlocking elements to consider in this area. 

Bill Graves, the Landlord Services Lead, said that the proposals included flexibility to take into account these challenges. He said that there would be impacts on relay time but that this would be a worthwhile investment.

Councillor Hollingsworth said that it would be good to have a sense of how they convey having a longer void or larger void pool as a positive development.

Cabinet resolved to:

1.    Note the end of year report which highlights service improvements and services delivered by the Housing Service over the past 12 months (2025/26) 

2.    Note the challenges facing the Housing Service going forward and the priorities that it is seeking to deliver over the next 12 months (2026/27) 

3.    Delegate authority to the Director of Housing in consultation with the Lead Member for Housing and Communities to make any adjustments to service priorities and delivery

The Director of Housing submitted a report to request that Cabinet recommend that Council approve the following policies: aids and adaptations, disposals, mutual exchange, no access to ensure the maintenance and good management of the housing stock.

Cabinet is recommended to recommend that Council approve:

1.    The draft Aids and Adaptations Policy 

2.    The draft Disposals Policy 

3.    The draft Mutual Exchange Policy 

4.    The draft No Access Policy 

Cabinet resolved to recommend that Council approve:

1. The draft Aids and Adaptations Policy 
2. The draft Disposals Policy 
3. The draft Mutual Exchange Policy 
4. The draft No Access Policy 

The Director of Housing submitted a report to request that Cabinet recommend that Council approve the following policies: aids and adaptations, disposals, mutual exchange, no access to ensure the maintenance and good management of the housing stock.

Councillor Smith presented the report. She said that the report represented four more HRA policies, part of the large suite of policies being reviewed and renewed to strengthen governance of the HRA. She said that having these policies reviewed and available to tenants helps tenants to hold the Council accountable.

James Watkins, the Housing Policy and Projects Officer, presented the policies. On the Aids and Adaptations Policy, he said that they had drawn information from the know your tenant program and that they had a growing population of tenants with mobility issues. He said that this would help to support those tenants. He noted the way that the policy was linked to other housing policies being decided in the current meeting.

The Housing Policy and Projects Officer presented the Disposals Policy and how this will structure how disposals could take place and how the impacts on communities will be considered. He said that this outlines their holistic approach to Disposals. On the Mutual exchange policy, he said that this relates to when a tenant wants to swap their tenancy with another social housing tenant. He said that this outlines a series of procedures for this to be effective and that the residents review group had influenced the shape of the policy. Regarding the no access policy, he noted that this was fundamental because of the implications on the safety of tenants and neighbours. He said that the policy takes a step-by-step approach on how the housing service will approach a tenant and how they would undertake the access with sensitivity.

Councillor Hollingsworth said that it was positive to see how the Disposals Policy was considering and approaching work to avoid gentrification.

Councillor Brown welcomed the work being done and said that it was helpful to have these steps set out so clearly in these important areas.

Cabinet resolved to recommend that Council approve:

1. The draft Aids and Adaptations Policy 
2. The draft Disposals Policy 
3. The draft Mutual Exchange Policy 

The draft No Access Policy 

The Director of Law, Governance and Strategy (Monitoring Officer) submitted a report for Cabinet to approve the decision-making route for Councillor applications for Ward Member Budget and Community Infrastructure Levy spend and approve amendments to with part 4 of the Council Constitution to reflect those arrangements.

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.    Delegate the approval for Ward Member Budget applications to the Director of Communities and Citizens' Services, in consultation with the Director of Law, Governance and Strategy (Monitoring Officer), the Group Finance Director (Section 151 Officer) and the Director of Property and Assets (where appropriate)

2.    Delegate the approval for Ward Member Community Infrastructure Levy spend applications to the Director of Planning and Regulation, in consultation with the Director of Law, Governance and Strategy (Monitoring Officer), the Group Finance Director (Section 151 Officer) and the Director of Property and Assets (where appropriate)

3.    Recommend full Council to amend parts 4.4 and 4.7 of the Constitution to reflect the updated delegations.

Cabinet resolved to:

1. Delegate the approval for Ward Member Budget applications to the Director of Communities and Citizens' Services, in consultation with the Director of Law, Governance and Strategy (Monitoring Officer), the Group Finance Director (Section 151 Officer) and the Director of Property and Assets (where appropriate)
2. Delegate the approval for Ward Member Community Infrastructure Levy spend applications to the Director of Planning and Regulation, in consultation with the Director of Law, Governance and Strategy (Monitoring Officer), the Group Finance Director (Section 151 Officer) and the Director of Property and Assets (where appropriate)
3. Recommend full Council to amend parts 4.4 and 4.7 of the Constitution to reflect the updated delegations.

The Director of Law, Governance and Strategy (Monitoring Officer) submitted a report for Cabinet to approve the decision-making route for Councillor applications for Ward Member Budget and Community Infrastructure Levy spend and approve amendments to with part 4 of the Council Constitution to reflect those arrangements.

Councillor Brown presented the report. She said that the report set out how decisions should be made about ward member budget spend and councillor CIL spend, including that they understand the pricing of different issues and who will be responsible for delivering projects.

Cabinet resolved to:

1. Delegate the approval for Ward Member Budget applications to the Director of Communities and Citizens' Services, in consultation with the Director of Law, Governance and Strategy (Monitoring Officer), the Group Finance Director (Section 151 Officer) and the Director of Property and Assets (where appropriate)
2. Delegate the approval for Ward Member Community Infrastructure Levy spend applications to the Director of Planning and Regulation, in consultation with the Director of Law, Governance and Strategy (Monitoring Officer), the Group Finance Director (Section 151 Officer) and the Director of Property and Assets (where appropriate)
3. Recommend full Council to amend parts 4.4 and 4.7 of the Constitution to reflect the updated delegations.

The Director of Housing submitted a report to request that Cabinet approve a contract for the programme replacement of the access control units across the HRA portfolio. 

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.    Approve the planned programme to replace the access control units across the HRA portfolio.

2.    Delegate authority to the Director of Housing, in consultation with the Director of Group Finance, Director of Law & Governance, and the Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, to award the contract and to agree the contracting mechanism (incl. any variation/ancillary agreement) and enter necessary documentation, subject to the Procurement Act 2023 and the Council’s Contract Procedure Rules.

Cabinet resolved to:

1.    Approve the planned programme to replace the access control units across the HRA portfolio.

2.    Delegate authority to the Director of Housing, in consultation with the Director of Group Finance, Director of Law & Governance, and the Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, to award the contract and to agree the contracting mechanism (incl. any variation/ancillary agreement) and enter necessary documentation, subject to the Procurement Act 2023 and the Council’s Contract Procedure Rules.

The Director of Housing submitted a report to request that Cabinet approve a contract for the programme replacement of the access control units across the HRA portfolio. 

Councillor Smith presented the report. She said that this was an important investment for the Council and that this would matter for residents. She said that officers had assured her that they would be getting value for money.

Michael Woods, Major Works Project Manager, said that this proposal covered the cost of taking this decision for all of the HRA portfolio.

Councillor Brown asked what the timescale for delivery would be.

The Major Works Project Manager said that it was an 18-month program from the award of the contract.

Councillor Hollingsworth asked what the impact would be on leaseholders in shared blocks of flats.

The Landlord Services Lead said that this was an improvement, not a repair, so they would not pass the cost onto leaseholders.

Cabinet resolved to:

1.    Approve the planned programme to replace the access control units across the HRA portfolio.

2.    Delegate authority to the Director of Housing, in consultation with the Director of Group Finance, Director of Law & Governance, and the Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, to award the contract and to agree the contracting mechanism (incl. any variation/ancillary agreement) and enter necessary documentation, subject to the Procurement Act 2023 and the Council’s Contract Procedure Rules.

The Director of Housing submitted a report to seek project approval to procure ICT solutions for housing and housing asset management, including a mobile working solution and to seek delegated authority for the Deputy Chief Executive (City and Citizens' Services) to award the contract.  

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.    Grant project approval for the procurement of a 10-year contract for ICT solutions for housing and housing asset management, including a mobile working solution, with an option to extend for a further five years. 

2.    Approve a contract value of up to £2million (inclusive of VAT).

3.    Delegate authority to the Deputy Chief Executive (City and Citizens' Services) in consultation with the Monitoring Officer, Section 151 Officer, the Director of Housing, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, the Cabinet Member for Citizen Focused Services and Council Companies to award the contract and finalise contractual arrangements.

Cabinet resolved to:

1. Grant project approval for the procurement of a 10-year contract for ICT solutions for housing and housing asset management, including a mobile working solution, with an option to extend for a further five years. 
2. Approve a contract value of up to £2million (inclusive of VAT).
3. Delegate authority to the Deputy Chief Executive (City and Citizens' Services) in consultation with the Monitoring Officer, Section 151 Officer, the Director of Housing, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, the Cabinet Member for Citizen Focused Services and Council Companies to award the contract and finalise contractual arrangements.

The Director of Housing submitted a report to seek project approval to procure ICT solutions for housing and housing asset management, including a mobile working solution and to seek delegated authority for the Deputy Chief Executive (City and Citizens' Services) to award the contract.  

Councillor Smith presented the report. She said that this was an important investment which would have implications for several service areas. She said it was important to start this work now to imbed the new product before the current contract came to an end in 2028.

The Landlord Services Lead said that they had no choice to move forward to upgrade their systems to reflect new technology. He said that with Local Government Reorganisation this was essential continuation work.

Cabinet resolved to:

1. Grant project approval for the procurement of a 10-year contract for ICT solutions for housing and housing asset management, including a mobile working solution, with an option to extend for a further five years. 
2. Approve a contract value of up to £2million (inclusive of VAT).
3. Delegate authority to the Deputy Chief Executive (City and Citizens' Services) in consultation with the Monitoring Officer, Section 151 Officer, the Director of Housing, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, the Cabinet Member for Citizen Focused Services and Council Companies to award the contract and finalise contractual arrangements.

The Director of Planning Services and Regulation submitted a report to request that Cabinet recommend to Council to agree to “make” the Littlemore Neighbourhood Plan.

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.    “Make” the Littlemore Neighbourhood Plan (set out in Appendix 1 of this report). The Plan has been approved at referendum it and now forms part of the statutory development plan in helping to determine planning applications for the Littlemore Neighbourhood Area. The ‘making’ of the Littlemore Neighbourhood Plan would formalise this process in line with the relevant legislation.

2.    Delegate authority to the Director of Planning and Regulation, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning and Culture, to make any necessary editorial corrections to the Littlemore Neighbourhood Plan prior to final publication. This will include a final desktop published version of the Littlemore Neighbourhood Plan.

Cabinet resolved to:

1. Recommend that Council “Make” the Littlemore Neighbourhood Plan (set out in Appendix 1 of this report). The Plan has been approved at referendum it and now forms part of the statutory development plan in helping to determine planning applications for the Littlemore Neighbourhood Area. The ‘making’ of the Littlemore Neighbourhood Plan would formalise this process in line with the relevant legislation.
2. Recommend that Council delegate authority to the Director of Planning and Regulation, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning and Culture, to make any necessary editorial corrections to the Littlemore Neighbourhood Plan prior to final publication. This will include a final desktop published version of the Littlemore Neighbourhood Plan.

Councillor Railton left the meeting due to her declared interest as a sitting parish councillor at Littlemore Parish Council.

The Director of Planning Services and Regulation submitted a report to request that Cabinet recommend to Council to agree to “make” the Littlemore Neighbourhood Plan.

Councillor Hollingsworth presented the report. He noted that the neighbourhood plan had undergone the necessary process. He said that as they take the decision forward, the neighbourhood plan had to be compliant to the Local Plan. He noted that should there be any changes in the next local plan the Local Plan would take precedence over the neighbourhood plan.

Cabinet resolved to:

1. Recommend that Council “Make” the Littlemore Neighbourhood Plan (set out in Appendix 1 of this report). The Plan has been approved at referendum it and now forms part of the statutory development plan in helping to determine planning applications for the Littlemore Neighbourhood Area. The ‘making’ of the Littlemore Neighbourhood Plan would formalise this process in line with the relevant legislation.
2. Recommend that Council delegate authority to the Director of Planning and Regulation, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning and Culture, to make any necessary editorial corrections to the Littlemore Neighbourhood Plan prior to final publication. This will include a final desktop published version of the Littlemore Neighbourhood Plan.

Meetings are scheduled for the following dates:

·       17 June 2026

·       08 July 2026

·       19 August 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.