Purpose: To consider reports and matters on the agenda for the Oxfordshire Growth Board meeting on 29 January 2019.

Information: Agenda and reports published on 21 January separately from this agenda.

Recommendations: To make any recommendations or comments to the Growth Board.

The Panel discussed the reports published for the Oxfordshire Growth Board meeting on 29 January.

The Committee’s discussion of the Agenda focussed on Item 9 of the Growth Board Agenda – an update on the Oxfordshire Plan 2050 (Joint Statutory Spatial Plan) and plans for the first stages of consultation.

Councillor Simmons expressed concern that the draft Regulation 18 Part 1 Issues consultation document attached to the report did not make enough mention of climate change and referred to the formal comments made on the draft document by the Scrutiny Committee of Oxford City Council to the City Council’s Executive Board that it should work with the other five councils to strength the ambitions within the consultation document to address climate change.

He proposed that the Scrutiny Panel recommend to the Growth Board that the Regulation 18 consultation document to be more consistent with international, national and local policies and targets concerning climate change and other likely future trends. This should include:

a)    alignment with the Government’s definition of ‘growth’ as contained with the Clean Growth Strategy 2018.

b)    a greater recognition of the importance of climate change and its relationship with the forward planning of our housing, transport, health, wellbeing and economic infrastructure.

c)    a greater recognition of the ‘mega-trends’ that are expected to affect the demographic, climatic and technological environment.

d)    a ‘SMART’ target for greenhouse gas reductions against which all the aspirations and objectives are judged.

The proposal was seconded by Councillor White.

The Panel debated the proposed recommendation extensively. A summary of points raised during the discussion included that:

• The Regulation 18 consultation also represented an ideal strategic opportunity to look at the Green Belt in the County.
• That it was important that the document recognise the important principle of climate change.
• That more time to reflect on the proposed recommendation was needed before a decision was taken.

Councillor Woodcock clarified that the Panel was a non-decision-making body and suggested that as an alternative to the proposed recommendation he write to the Chair of the Growth Board and Leaders of the Oxfordshire district councils to express the Panel’s disappointment regarding the lack of recognition of climate change within the Regulation 18 consultation document and noting the response of the Oxford City Scrutiny Committee. 

Caroline Green, Interim Deal Director and Assistant Chief Executive Oxford City Council commented that the draft consultation document was being presented to the Growth Board for discussion and for it to note, but that formal legal approval of the document was a matter for each of the Oxfordshire district Councils not the Growth Board. It was also noted the consultation document was a formal planning document that had to be signed off. 

After further debate, as it was not possible to reach an agreed consensus, the proposed recommendation to the Growth Board was put to a formal vote and declared to be carried.

The Panel agreed the following recommendation to the Growth Board:

That the Growth Board redrafts the Regulation 18 consultation document to be more consistent with international, national and local policies and targets concerning climate change and other likely future trends. This should include:

a)    alignment with the Government’s definition of ‘growth’ as contained with the Clean Growth Strategy 2018.

b)    a greater recognition of the importance of climate change and its relationship with the forward planning of our housing, transport, health, wellbeing and economic infrastructure.

c)    a greater recognition of the ‘mega-trends’ that are expected to affect the demographic, climatic and technological environment.

Consideration of a ‘SMART’ target for greenhouse gas reductions against which all the aspirations and objectives are judged.