This meeting involved a scheduled discussion on two significant topics: the adoption of the 2025/26 budget and the council’s work programme for forthcoming meetings. Additionally, there were two less significant topics scheduled to be discussed: the progress of prior recommendations and responses to prior recommendations.

Indicative Budget Proposals 2025/26 to 2027/28

This part of the meeting was an opportunity for the committee to comment on revenue budget proposals, capital programme proposals, and budget engagement and consultation findings. All Cabinet Members and Directors were invited to present on their indicative budgets.

Oxfordshire County Council provides a range of services to the 678,000 residents of Oxfordshire. These include:

• Adult and Children’s Social Care
• Some Education Services
• Fire and Rescue
• Libraries and Museums
• Roads
• Trading Standards
• Waste Disposal and Recycling

The council has a statutory obligation to set a balanced budget each year. Based on assumptions made in February 2024, the report for this meeting indicates a budget shortfall of £13.9m in 2025/26, rising to £14.0m in 2026/27. A three-phase approach to consultation and engagement took place to inform the proposals in the budget report. These phases were:

1. A representative residents’ survey
2. Participatory engagement (budget simulator, focus groups and children and young people’s sounding boards)
3. Public consultation

The report pack does not include details of the feedback from this engagement.

The report pack highlights the impact of increased Employer National Insurance Contributions. The report states, “An update on the funding arrangements for public bodies for the impact of this increase on both direct staffing costs and contract costs is awaited. It is currently estimated that the impact of the changes on the council for employees and services will be in the region of £8.2m.”

The report pack discusses how the council’s Strategic Plan (2023 – 2025) informed the proposals for a new revenue budget, investments and capital proposals.

The report pack indicates that new budget reductions of £17.9m are proposed for 2025/26. These savings include:

• The continuing impact of Section 117 joint health funding¹ of £4.2m
• £0.3m savings from a proposed reduction in short stay hub beds by supporting hospital discharges and moving support into homes
• £0.4m saving proposed from a reduction in the number of packages receiving double handed care²
• £0.2m from an introduction of a fixed charge for setting up of a universal deferred payment agreement³
• £0.1m saving associated with the expected ending of supporting families funding
• £0.5m savings from a review of the delivery of an outdoor therapy service
• £1.5m from the ongoing impact of the council’s investment in LED lamp replacements on streetlighting energy usage
• £0.5m for the drawdown from commuted sums⁴
• £0.1m for increased allocation of staff time to council projects and schemes
• £0.8m from the release of council funding due to utilisation of government grants
• £0.03m from the implementation of interim measures to improve fire engine availability and response times
• £1.0m from vacating Abbey House, rationalisation of the estate, and Health & safety responsibilities within Facilities Management
• £0.2m from the review of current contracts
• £7.7m from cross cutting themes which will need to be developed further as the Budget & Business Planning process continues

Section 117 of the Mental Health Act 1983 places a duty on the NHS to fund the aftercare of people detained under the Act.

This is where two members of staff are required to attend a visit, for example where the resident has challenging behaviour.

The Care Act 2014 gives people the right to defer paying for their care until after their death. This is called a Deferred Payment Agreement. Local Authorities can charge a fee for setting up and managing a Deferred Payment Agreement.

This is money that developers pay to the council to offset the impact of new development.

New investment proposals for 2025/26 total £5.4m. These investments include:

• £1.0m to develop services to support under 5 year olds, developing early help and early years support
• £0.1m investment in Social Work Apprenticeships
• £1.5m to increase the cleansing of highway drainage assets
• £0.1m in additional resources to facilitate delivery of four National Strategic Infrastructure Projects
• £0.1m in Climate Action relating to carbon sequestration
• £0.1m to continue the discretionary rent concessions provided to tenants in the Voluntary and Community Sector
• £0.8m to continue the Councillor Priority Fund
• £0.8m on additional resource within the contracts management team
• £0.8m in a revised data team structure
• £0.1m in additional resource in the delivery unit
• £0.1m on Digital Management Tools

The report pack indicates that the total value of capital proposals requiring funding from the Council’s corporate resources is £109.2m. Funding available to be allocated for 2025/26 onwards includes £65.0m of prudential borrowing.

The report pack says that if all proposed investments are approved, the programme will exceed available funding by £11.1m, but that the total value of the Capital Programme is £1.3bn.

A schedule of proposed capital schemes is included in the report pack. Some of the proposed schemes include:

• Stabilisation measures and future capacity of the Redbridge Household Waste Recycling Centre (£4.9m)
• Health and safety measures at Dix Pit Landfill (£0.135m)
• Energy saving measures required for schools’ continued use of sports facilities (£1.3m)
• Fire safety remedials (£1.7m)
• IT and cybersecurity (£2.54m)
• Fostering loan scheme (£0.5m)
• Residential development for complex needs accommodation (£1.9m)
• The Oxfordshire Nature Catalyst Investment Facility (£0.5m)
• Improving the highway network (£47.605m)
• Bridges (£16.24m)
• Road safety measures (£4m)
• Public rights of way (£0.25m)
• St Giles' public realm improvements (£0.87m)
• A fund to encourage active travel in rural areas (£0.5m)
• Banbury Market (£0.2m)
• Wantage Market (£0.5m)
• Watlington Relief Road (£11.1m)
• The Thame to Haddenham Active Travel Link (£0.2m)
• Energy saving measures (£10m)
• The Energy Efficiency Recycling Fund (£0.265m)
• Transport Schemes (£4m)

Committee Forward Work Plan

This part of the meeting provided an opportunity for the committee to discuss the topics it plans to investigate in forthcoming meetings. The committee's work programme is influenced by the Cabinet Forward Plan.

Changes from the previous iteration of the committee's work plan included a request for an update on plans for the disposal of County Hall in December or January. Assurances were given that the budget item would take priority and that the December meeting would be longer than usual as a result.

The Scrutiny Manager, Tom Hudson, was also scheduled to explore the viability of items on the Local Enterprise Partnership integration and the Devolution White Paper for the April meeting.

Committee Action and Recommendation Tracker

This part of the meeting was an opportunity for the committee to discuss the progress of previous recommendations and actions arising from previous meetings.

Responses to Scrutiny Recommendations

This part of the meeting was an opportunity for the committee to note any responses to scrutiny recommendations that had been received. The report pack indicates that no responses to scrutiny recommendations had been submitted since the previous meeting.