The Chief Executive has submitted a report to note the decision of Cabinet with regards to Oxford City Council’s Local Government Reorganisation preferred option submission.

Council is recommended to:

1.    Note the decision taken by Cabinet on the 10 November to submit as its preferred option on Local Government Reorganisation, a three unitary council model across Oxfordshire, incorporating West Berkshire, as set out in the Cabinet Report

The Chief Executive had submitted a report to note the decision of Cabinet with regards to Oxford City Council’s Local Government Reorganisation preferred option submission 

Councillor Brown introduced the report and thanked all the officers who had contributed to the report and those who had kept normal Council services running simultaneously. Councillor Brown thanked Council for making the process as inclusive and cross-party in nature as possible. Council understood that the proposal had now been submitted, and a summary of its strengths were provided. Councillor Brown thanked Cabinet and the Scrutiny Committee for its support.   

Councillor Jarvis clarified that whilst the Scrutiny Committee did support the submission of the proposal to Government, it did not unanimously support the proposal itself.  

Councillor Smowton asked whether the Leader of the Council had read a recent article from the Local Government Chronicle which described a potential legal challenge to Local Government Reorganisation and boundaries. Councillor Brown noted that having read multiple relevant articles, she is aware of some discussion regarding the legal basis on which local government boundaries may be changed but confirmed that the Council is confident that proposal submitted has taken every precaution and has made relevant legal considerations.   

Councillor Turner joined the meeting. 

Councillor Malik asked the Leader of the Council how many MPs and other Council leaders in Oxfordshire have supported Oxford City Council’s bid. Councillor Brown confirmed that 2 MPs are supportive of Oxford City Council’s proposal, and noted that she has spoken to all MPs, including those in surrounding areas. Members were reminded that other local councils have put forward alternative bids.  

 
Councillor Roz Smith queried how it has been envisioned that larger services, such as social care and children’s services, will be managed and delivered, noting the wide scope of partnership working with the NHS trust. Councillor Brown emphasised that several options for this have been outlined in the proposal, including some combining of services and more local operations to reflect the varying needs of geographical areas.  

Councillor Regisford joined the meeting.  

Councillor Rehman emphasised that more open and transparent governance with a local focus must be the central priority of the proposal and that residents must be put first on matters such as housing to ensure public confidence.  

Councillor Malik noted his support for unitary structures instead of two-tier governance systems as currently exist. He noted a belief that this provides better value for money to the taxpayer and is less confusing. Council heard that he did not support the three-unitary proposal.  

Councillor Djafari-Marbini expressed concern that Local Government Reorganisation, may lead to the loss of Healthwatch, a valuable health scrutiny mechanism. Therefore, it was asked whether any of the options proposed provide more scrutiny hope for social care. Councillor Brown advised that the matter would be more appropriately raised in relation to devolution but explained that regardless of which proposal is accepted by government, work will remain ongoing with health partners to maintain the positive record that Oxford City Council has developed historically. In the context of devolution, it was noted that the oversight for health would likely sit with the Mayoral Strategic Authority. 

Councillor Hollingsworth asked whether the Leader of the Council had any evidence or research which shows what the optimal population size for an authority would be; specifically, whether there is evidence that larger and fewer authorities work more effectively. Councillor Brown confirmed that evidence does show the optimum size of a council to be around 250,000 to 350,000 which is what the 3 unitary proposal sets out. Furthermore, evidence also suggests that beyond a population of 500,000, a council is less likely to be efficient.  

Council resolved to note?the decision taken by Cabinet on the 10 November to submit as its preferred option on Local Government Reorganisation, a three unitary council model across Oxfordshire, incorporating West Berkshire, as set out in the Cabinet Report.