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Summary
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The Cabinet of Oxfordshire Council met on Tuesday 16 June 2026, approving a SEND Reform Plan and a new Tree Care Framework contract. The meeting also reviewed performance and financial reports, noting a provisional revenue outturn for 2025-26 and the capital outturn for the same period.
SEND Reform Plan
The Cabinet approved the draft special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reform plan for Oxfordshire, which aims to improve inclusion and outcomes for children and young people with SEND. The plan will be submitted to the Department for Education. Authority was delegated to the Director of Children's Services and the Section 151 Officer for the delivery of the plan, with oversight from the SEND Executive and Local Area Partnership. The Director of Children's Services and the Section 151 Officer were also given authority to make minor amendments to the plan prior to its finalisation. Furthermore, authority was delegated to utilise Year 1 of the Experts at Hand Department of Education grant, including recruitment and procurement of external services.
Tree Care Framework - Contract Award
Cabinet approved the use of a Tree Care Framework Contract model to manage planned and responsive tree management for trees under the county council's responsibility as highway authority and property owner. Authority was delegated to the Director of Environment & Highways, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highways Construction and Repair, to award the contract and any future extensions. This framework will be available for use by all Oxfordshire local authorities, including parish, town, district, and city councils, ensuring a consistent approach to tree care across the county and providing resilience regardless of future local government reorganisation outcomes.
Business Management & Monitoring Report - Performance and Risk Quarter 4 2025-26 and Provisional Revenue Outturn 2025-26
The Cabinet noted the report, which provided a quarterly staffing update and analysis of key changes. Workforce size remained stable, with voluntary turnover continuing to reduce and agency spend decreasing. Recruitment performance improved significantly, with average time to hire reducing. Work on culture, inclusion, and employee voice continued, and absence indicators improved. Apprenticeship activity remained strong. The provisional revenue outturn for 2025-26 indicated an overall service overspend of £9.7m, which was managed through contingency budgets and pay inflation savings. Interest on cash balances was higher than budgeted, and the Cabinet approved contributions to reserves, including an additional £8.0m to the High Needs DSG risk reserve, £2.7m to the On-Street Parking Account surplus, £1.4m for a Congestion Charge Reserve, and £0.8m to the Budget Priorities reserve to support Education SEND.
Capital Outturn Report 2025-26
Cabinet noted the performance against the capital programme for 2025/26. Actual capital programme expenditure was £231.3m, which was £92.4m lower than originally forecasted in February 2025. This underspend was attributed to delays in various projects, including the Clifton Hampden Bypass, Culham River Crossing, and Didcot Science Bridge within the HIF1 programme, as well as the Access to Witney and A40 schemes. The Pupil Places Plan also saw underspends due to project reprofiling and delays in new school constructions. The Highways Asset Management Plan had underspends primarily in bridges and network management programmes, while the Property Strategy saw reductions due to revised plans for Speedwell House and the Carterton Community Safety Centre project being on hold. IT, Digital & Innovation Strategy expenditure was lower than forecast due to technical complexities and delays in legal agreements for the 5G Innovation Region programme. The report detailed the funding sources for the capital programme, including capital grants, developer contributions, and prudential borrowing.
Forward Plan and Future Business
The Cabinet noted the items currently identified for forthcoming meetings, including proposed changes to the MyBus ticketing scheme, the Oxford Congestion Charge Investment Plan, and reports from Scrutiny Committees on Minerals and Waste Planning, School Streets, Bus Services and Rural Transport, Temporary Congestion Charge Scheme Monitoring, and an Unauthorised Waste Site near Kidlington.
Reports from Scrutiny Committees
Cabinet received reports from the Performance and Corporate Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee on the Customer Service Centre Update, and from the Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Minerals and Waste Planning, School Streets, Bus Services and Rural Transport, Temporary Congestion Charge Scheme Monitoring, and an Unauthorised Waste Site near Kidlington. Cabinet will respond to these reports in due course.
Appointments 2026/27
Cabinet agreed the appointments to various outside bodies for the civic year 2026/27. A vacancy on the Schools Organisation Stakeholder Group was noted.
HR & Cultural Change - Quarterly Employee Data Report Q4 2025/6
Cabinet noted the quarterly staffing report, which detailed key people numbers and analysis of main changes. Workforce size remained stable, voluntary turnover continued to reduce, and agency spend decreased. Recruitment performance improved significantly, with average time to hire reducing. Work on culture, inclusion, and employee voice continued, and absence indicators improved. Apprenticeship activity remained strong.
For information only: Cabinet response to Scrutiny item
Cabinet noted the response to a scrutiny item.
Minutes
The minutes of the meeting held on 19 May 2026 were approved as a correct record.
Questions from County Councillors
The Cabinet received attached responses to questions from County Councillors.
Petitions and Public Address
The Cabinet noted the reports from Scrutiny Committees and the SEND Reform Plan, with presentations from Rita Atkinson, Greg O’Broin, Bernadette Evans, Fraser Jones, Geoff Sutton, and Councillor Liz Brighouse OBE.
Declarations of Interest
There were no declarations of interest made.
Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Judith Edwards.
Delegated decisions linked to this meeting
Decision summaries below are AI-generated from the council’s published record. Check the council source or the full decision page before relying on them.
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Forward Plan and Future Business
Recommendations ApprovedThe Cabinet of Oxfordshire Council noted the Forward Plan and Future Business on 16 June 2026. Recommendations were approved.
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SEND Reform Plan (TO FOLLOW)
Recommendations ApprovedThe Cabinet approved the SEND Reform Plan for Oxfordshire on 16 June 2026. Authority was delegated to the Director of Children's Services and Section 151 Officer for delivery, minor amendments, and utilisation of the Experts at Hand grant.
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Capital Outturn Report 2025-26
Recommendations ApprovedThe Cabinet approved the Capital Outturn Report for 2025-26 on 16/06/2026. The report noted performance against the Capital Programme and the Provisional Outturn Summary for 2025-26. Actual capital programme expenditure was £231.3m, which was £36.2m less than planned.
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Business Management & Monitoring Report - Performance and Risk Quarter 4 2025-26 and Provisional Revenue Outturn 2025-26
Recommendations ApprovedThe Cabinet decided to approve recommendations regarding the Business Management & Monitoring Report and Provisional Revenue Outturn for 2025/26 on 16 June 2026. This included noting the report and annexes, approving contributions to specific reserves, and carrying forward a parking account surplus.
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For information only: Cabinet response to Scrutiny item
Recommendations ApprovedThe Oxfordshire Cabinet noted the Scrutiny Committee's response to the "Repair of Defects and Superusers" report on 16 June 2026. The Cabinet accepted, rejected, or partially accepted all 12 recommendations. Specific actions include enhancing communication with residents via FixMyStreet and a new 'Zoom Virtual Agent', launching a public-facing statistics dashboard, strengthening member communication routes, and reviewing temporary repair approaches with increased resourcing for quality assurance.
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Reports from Scrutiny Committees
Recommendations ApprovedThe Cabinet of Oxfordshire Council met on 16 June 2026. The Cabinet received reports from Scrutiny Committees and approved recommendations. The Cabinet will respond to the recommendations in due course.
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Petitions and Public Address
Recommendations ApprovedThe Cabinet of Oxfordshire Council decided to approve recommendations on 16/06/2026. This included noting speakers for Reports from Scrutiny Committees and the SEND Reform Plan.
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Questions from County Councillors
Recommendations ApprovedThe Cabinet of Oxfordshire Council approved recommendations on 16/06/2026. The Cabinet agreed to accelerate engagement with independent schools to reduce traffic impacts associated with school travel. The Cabinet also agreed to encourage operators to bid for tap-on tap-off technology for buses and to continue advocacy for a single unitary authority for Oxfordshire.
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Minutes
Recommendations ApprovedThe Cabinet of Oxfordshire Council approved the minutes of the meeting held on 19 May 2026. The Cabinet approved the congestion charge investment plan, including a £3 combined parking and bus ticket, and delegated authority to the Cabinet Member for Transport Management for the allocation of remaining surplus funds and apportionment of funds for active travel and public transport schemes. The Cabinet also approved the Quiet Lanes Policy statement, assessment criteria, and implementation toolkit, and endorsed a pilot scheme approach, delegating authority to the Director of Environment & Highways to implement Traffic Regulation Orders for these schemes.
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Apologies for Absence
Recommendations ApprovedOxfordshire Cabinet approved recommendations on 16/06/2026. Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Judith Edwards.
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Tree Care Framework - Contract Award
Recommendations ApprovedThe Cabinet approved the use of a Tree Care Framework Contract model and delegated the award of the contract to the Director of Environment & Highways. This decision was made on 16/06/2026. The framework will deliver planned and responsive tree management activity for trees within the county council's responsibility.
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Declarations of Interest
Recommendations ApprovedOxfordshire Cabinet approved recommendations on 16/06/2026. There were no formal decision texts or supporting document excerpts provided.
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HR & Cultural Change - Quarterly Employee Data Report Q4 2025/6
Recommendations ApprovedThe Cabinet approved recommendations subject to call-in on 16/06/2026. The decision noted the HR & Cultural Change Quarterly Employee Data Report for Q4 2025-26. The report included the introduction of a new People Insights Dashboard and improvements in recruitment performance.
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Appointments 2026/27
Recommendations ApprovedThe Cabinet of Oxfordshire Council noted the Forward Plan and Future Business on 16/06/2026. This included noting changes to the Forward Plan, with new items proposed for future decision.
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