The Head of Executive Director of City Regeneration and Housing submitted a report (previously circulated, now appended) which detailed the terms of reference of the Oxfordshire Growth Board and to make an appointment to it.

Cllr Price, Executive Board Member for Corporate Strategy, Economic Development and Planning presented the report. He explained that the Board would be a joint committee under the Local Government Act 1972 and would therefore comply with all meeting requirements of the act (like any other council committee) and would be open to the public. Not all partners have equal status; the local authorities have full voting rights while the University and other partners are non-voting representatives.  Oxford University is heavily engaged in the partnership while other partners are less so.

Cllr Simmons, Chair of Scrutiny Committee outlined Scrutiny’s concerns around getting timely access to the Growth Board’s agendas so that effective scrutiny work could be done.

The Chief Executive said that West Oxfordshire District Council is clerking the meetings of the Growth Board and will be publishing the agendas and minutes on their website. He would ask for a list of proposed meeting dates to be presented to members and for a link to the Growth Board’s agendas to be added to the Council’s website.

Cllr Tanner congratulated Cllr Price and the officers on the work done.  He asked how transparent the Board was going to be. It was agreed that keeping all members informed of Growth Board decisions was critical to enabling proper scrutiny.

Cllr Brown asked for a members’ briefing on how the Growth Board fits with other partnership bodies and how members could stay informed and engage with decisions being made.

The City Executive Board resolved to:

1. Approve the City Council becoming a member of the Oxfordshire Growth Joint Board and the draft Terms of Reference appended to this report.

2. Appoint the Leader of the Council as the City Council’s representative on the Board and any other Executive Member as substitute, to be determined by the Leader of the Council.