The Scrutiny Committee will meet on 10 June 2025 to consider the following items. Report and recommendations arising from the meeting will be published as a late supplement.

• Leisure Investment Programme Update and More Leisure Service Annual Plan
• Oxford Local Plan 2042 Regulation 18 Consultation Document
• Annual Complaint Performance & Service Improvement Report

Councillor Alex Powell presented the reports from Scrutiny Committee.

The Scrutiny Committee met on 10 June 2025 to consider the Leisure Investment Programme Update and More Leisure Service Annual Plan, the Oxford Local Plan 2042 Regulation 18 Consultation Document, and the Annual Complaint Performance & Service Improvement Report.

Councillor Alex Powell presented the Scrutiny Committee’s discussions and recommendations relating to the Leisure Investment Programme Update and More Leisure Service Annual Plan.

-       Recommendation 1: That the accuracy of the data presented within the Annual Service Plan, particularly regarding baseline usage figures and the 3% growth KPI's, be improved by utilising best estimates for the quantity of missing visits; and that the revised data be included in the update report to be brought back to the Scrutiny Committee in six months’ time

-       Recommendation 2: That the Council seek confirmation as to whether there is an ongoing contract between Serco and Lynxight and, if so, examine the nature of Lynxight’s engagements. This should include providing further details on how human rights and ethical procurement policies are applied within the leisure service contracts, ensuring this information is published to reassure residents that these commitments are being upheld

Councillor Alex Powell presented the Scrutiny Committee’s discussions and recommendations relating to the Oxford Local Plan 2042 Regulation 18 Consultation Document.

-       Recommendation 1: That the Cabinet review the cycle parking standards proposed in the draft Local Plan 2042 to ensure Consultation materials encourage more specific public feedback on this issue in alignment with the Council's wider transport policy commitments, particularly the goal to increase cycling trips within the city.

-       Recommendation 2: That the Cabinet review and consider strengthening the wording of policies HD8 and HD9 in the draft Local Plan 2042 to better support appropriate densification in order to meet Oxford's housing needs whilst respecting the scale and character of different parts of the city.

Councillor Alex Powell presented the Scrutiny Committee’s discussions and recommendation relating to the Annual Complaint Performance & Service Improvement Report.

-       That future complaints handling reports include benchmarking data from other housing providers, particularly those operating at a local level, to help assess the Council’s performance in context and support continuous improvement

Councillor Munkonge responded to the recommendations from Scrutiny regarding the Leisure Investment Programme Update and More Leisure Service Annual Plan. He said that Cabinet had agreed the first recommendation in part and that this was due to the regular reviews which would be taken with the plan. Councillor Munkonge said that Cabinet had fully agreed the second recommendation.

Councillor Hollingsworth responded to the recommendations from Scrutiny regarding the Oxford Local Plan 2042 Regulation 18 Consultation Document. He noted the technical difficulties which had impacted the Scrutiny Committee’s meeting. With cycle parking, he noted that the policies came from county, but they would be reviewing this to see what they can do and that they would consider this alongside comments from the public. Regarding the second recommendation, Councillor Hollingsworth read the policy and said that it was difficult to change this to make it clearer that density was the issue. He said they can make their language sharper and more clearcut and that they would work to do so. Councillor Hollingsworth commended Scrutiny for their focus on maximising densification and their positive conversations on this report.

Councillor Linda Smith responded to the recommendations from Scrutiny regarding the Annual Complaint Performance & Service Improvement Report. She said that Cabinet had accepted the recommendation from Scrutiny on this paper.

Councillor Brown thanked Councillor Alex Powell for his report and presentation.