The Performance & Corporate Services Overview & Scrutiny Committee of Oxfordshire Council met on Friday 18 September 2026 to discuss a range of important topics, including the council's approach to devolution, the integration of social value, and the use of artificial intelligence. The committee also reviewed its forward work plan and considered responses to previous scrutiny recommendations.

Committee Forward Work Plan

The committee was scheduled to review its work programme for forthcoming meetings. This would involve reviewing any changes to previous iterations and taking into account the Cabinet Forward Plan. The current Cabinet Forward Plan was available online for reference.

Responses to Scrutiny Recommendations

The committee was scheduled to note the Cabinet's response to the Performance and Corporate Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee's report on the Community Asset Transfer (CAT) Policy.

Devolution Update

Councillor Neil Fawcett, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Resources, Lorna Baxter, Deputy Chief Executive (S.151 Officer), and Rose Sutton, Interim Programme Manager (Devolution), were invited to present an update on devolution. The report highlighted a changed national policy context favouring mayoral strategic authorities and noted that leaders across Oxfordshire and the Thames Valley remained supportive of devolution in principle but had not yet reached consensus on the government's current offer. Key concerns included geography, powers, funding, deliverability, and alignment with strategic service boundaries. The report also emphasised the interdependencies between devolution, Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), and the future organisation of strategic services across the Thames Valley. The committee was asked to consider the report and any recommendations it wished to make to Cabinet.

Integrating Social Value

Councillor Dan Levy, Cabinet Member for Finance, Property and Transformation, Lorna Baxter, Deputy Chief Executive (s.151 officer), and Max Button, Commercial Excellence Lead, were scheduled to present a report on the council's integration of Social Value principles. The report aimed to articulate the landscape of socially valuable activity beyond statutory obligations, detailing how various initiatives contribute to the council's strategic priorities and addressing risks to their delivery. The committee was asked to consider the range of socially valuable activity and the council's continued championing of county-wide community impact until LGR vesting day.

AI Usage and Benefits

Councillor Neil Fawcett, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Resources, Kit Collingwood, Interim Director of Technology and Customer Experience, and Alastair Read, Head of IT Services, were due to present a report on the council's usage of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its benefits. The report detailed the council's planned work on AI, starting with a pilot of Microsoft 365 Copilot users, which led to the purchase of 4,500 licences for a wider rollout. The council also uses specialist AI tools such as Beam for social care staff and Zoom AI for customer contact. The report outlined the progress made in providing staff with access to AI, with the next stage focusing on clear service benefits, improved measurement, safe use, and ensuring AI is used where it adds real value. The committee was asked to consider the report and any recommendations it wished to make to Cabinet.

Corporate IT Security

Councillor Neil Fawcett, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Resources, Alastair Read, Head of IT Services, and Asher Sims were scheduled to present a report on the council's corporate IT security. This item was designated as exempt, meaning the public would be excluded from this part of the meeting due to the likely disclosure of exempt information. The committee was asked to consider the report and any recommendations it wished to make to Cabinet.