Oxford City Housing Ltd is wholly-owned by
Oxford City Council. The company is an independent legal entity
which is entirely separate from the Council. Oxford City Council is
also part of two joint ventures, Barton Oxford LLP (BOLLP) and
Oxford West End (OxWED).
The responsibility to represent the Council as
shareholder or owner of the company and joint venture is an
executive function which is carried out by the Shareholder and
Joint Venture Group which is a committee of the Cabinet.
The activities of the Shareholder and Joint
Venture Group are scrutinised by the Finance and Performance
Working Group.
Number of
Councillors: 5 members (must be members of Cabinet)
Quorum: 3
Frequency: 3
scheduled meetings per year
Links to the previous
Shareholder and Joint Venture Group can be found
here.
Oxford City Council
Companies
Each Council-owned company is has its own
identity and responsibilities, so cannot be treated as an internal
department of the Council. A Council-owned company is required to
comply with Company law, its Articles of Association and its
Shareholder’s Agreement.
Council Companies are led by a Board of
Directors who are responsible for the day-to-day operation and
management of the company and are accountable to the Council via a
Shareholder and Joint Venture Group (comprised of the members of
the Cabinet).
The appointment of directors to the Board of a
Company is the responsibility of the shareholder(s). The directors
hold a fiduciary duty to their company, but at the same time are
also accountable to the shareholder(s), and as such owe duties to
both the Council and the company.
Council Companies have their own decision
making processes and governance arrangements. The Council Companies
are not governed by the Constitution.
Teckal status
Oxford City Housing Limited benefit from
“Teckal” status allowing them to trade (contract for
works, services or supply) with the Council and other
“Teckal” companies wholly within the ownership of the
Council, without having to go through a competitive tender
process.