The meeting considered reports on the Council's performance, finances, parking strategy and the Local Plan 2031 ¹.

Local Plan Annual Monitoring Report 2023-24

The Executive noted the Local Plan Annual Monitoring Report 2023-24. This report ² summarises the implementation and effectiveness of the policies in the Local Plan 2031 during the period from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024. The report also summarises the progress made on the Salt Cross Garden Village Area Action Plan (AAP), the introduction of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)³, Supplementary Planning Documents, Neighbourhood Planning, and the Council's Duty to Co-operate.

The Executive Member for Planning, Councillor Hugo Ashton, stated that he had written to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to seek clarification on the Government’s position regarding the adoption of net zero targets in Local Plans.

Councillor Julian Cooper asked what the arrangements would be regarding access to Woodstock from the proposed new housing development north of Hill Rise. The Head of Planning said that they would provide a written response on this.

Service Performance Report 2024-25 Quarter Two

The Executive noted the Service Performance Report 2024-25 Quarter Two. This report ⁴ summarises the performance of the Council’s services during the period from 1 July 2024 to 30 September 2024.

The Council has continued to perform well in most areas. For example, it has continued to meet its targets for determining planning applications, collecting council tax and business rates, and processing housing benefit and council tax support claims.

The Executive Member for Leisure and Major Projects, Councillor Tim Sumner, said that the Council was ahead of target on its leisure centre footfall.

Draft Budget 2025 – 2026, Version One

The Executive noted the Draft Budget 2025 – 2026, Version One. This report ⁵ summarises the Council’s initial proposals for the budget for 2025/26 and sets out the financial context in which the Council is operating.

The Council’s finances are in a relatively healthy position at present, but the financial outlook is uncertain. There are a number of risks to the Council’s budget in the medium term including the impact of the proposed reforms to local government finance, the ending of the New Homes Bonus scheme ⁶ and the ending of the current leisure contract in 2027.

The Council has proposed a number of growth requests for 2025/26, including the creation of a number of new posts, such as a Tree Officer, a Planning Enforcement Officer, a Property Lawyer, a RICS Building Surveyor, and a Waste Transformation Lead.

The Executive Member for Finance, Councillor Alaric Smith, explained that the first draft of the budget had assumed that there would be no fundamental changes to government funding in 2025/26.

Councillor Andy Graham stated that the Council is in a better position than most, but that the picture from 2026/27 onwards was less optimistic with an unsustainable reliance on the use of reserves to fund front line services.

Mid-Point Review of Car Parking Strategy

The Executive noted the Mid-Point Review of Car Parking Strategy. This report ⁷ summarises progress made on the recommendations of the ‘Review of Car Parks’ report, which was approved by the Executive in October 2023.

The Council has completed a number of actions relating to car parking, including the changing of the restriction time in Zone G of the Woolgate car park to permit long stay, the completion of condition surveys on all of the Council’s car parks, the upgrading of car park signage, and the carrying out of line painting in the Guildenford car park.

The Council is continuing to monitor the use of the Guildenford car park in Burford and the Hensington Road car park in Woodstock to assess whether there is sufficient parking capacity in these locations.

The Business Manager for Service Support explained that the Council had carried out a number of actions following engagement with customers and Burford Town Council about the Guildenford car park. These include: the assessment of flood risk and the identification of a potential solution in the form of a sump; the consideration of alternative parking solutions including the acquisition of additional land and the extension of the current car park; the assessment of whether any of the existing landscaping in the car park could be removed to provide additional parking spaces.

The Council has also liaised with Oxfordshire County Council about the faded give way markings at the entrance to the Guildenford car park, and these have now been repainted.