The Oxfordshire County Council meeting on Tuesday 10 December 2024 included for discussion a wide range of matters from across the council's responsibilities. The meeting was scheduled to include the adoption of the Scrutiny Annual Report, consideration of motions put forward by Councillors, and discussion of several reports from Cabinet.

Future of Farming

Councillor Eddie Reeves submitted a motion to be discussed expressing concern that changes announced in the Autumn Budget to Inheritance Tax treatment of farmland, increases to employers' National Insurance and introduction of a new fertiliser tax on key agricultural imports will have a detrimental cumulative impact on family farms across Oxfordshire. The motion, if passed, would constitute the exercise of an executive function and would be referred to the Cabinet together with any advice the Council may wish to give in accordance with Rule 13.5.1(i) of the Council Procedure Rules in the Constitution¹.

The motion notes:

These family farm taxes risk:

• Adversely affecting local farmers’ potential to employ people in Oxfordshire’s rural economy;
• Damaging the ability for family farmers to pass on their farms to their children; and
• Making food production at competitive prices more difficult for us as a county.

Councillor Reeves requests in the motion that Cabinet:

1. ensure that its own policies are as supportive of local farmers as reasonably possible;
2. ensure that the newly integrated Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (‘OxLEP’)² prioritises the local rural economy in its governance structure and ongoing development of its strategic plan;
3. ensure that the Cabinet Member for the Environment organises a meeting with local farmers and elected members of all political groups to listen to their concerns with a view to informing the Council’s and OxLEP’s ongoing policy development.

Councillor Reeves also requested that the Leader write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to ask that introduction of these family farm taxes be reconsidered for the sake of environmental protection and food security.

Badger Culling

Councillor Ian Middleton submitted a motion reaffirming the council's opposition to badger culling on the grounds that it has been shown to be an ineffective control measure for Bovine tuberculosis . The motion calls on Cabinet to consider a specific policy that badger culling will not be permitted on Council-owned land .

Citizens' Assemblies

Two Councillors submitted motions calling for Citizens' Assemblies to be set up.

Councillor Charlie Hicks submitted a motion proposing that a Citizens' Assembly be set up to look at the future of transport in Central Oxfordshire. The purpose of the assembly, if set up, would be to assess the likely effectiveness of existing measures such as the Oxford traffic filters and the Workplace Parking Levy, as well as consider alternative ways to manage congestion.

Councillor Eddie Reeves also submitted a motion calling for a commission to be set up to look at congestion. The motion proposes that a Congestion Commission be established to comprise elected members, local businesspeople, public sector leaders from the Council’s health, education and blue light partners, civil society and faith group leaders, and academics with relevant expertise in the field.

Dark Skies

Councillor Liz Brighouse OBE submitted a motion noting concern about the plan to switch off many of the county's street lights between 11pm and 6.30am. The motion calls on the Cabinet to carry out a full public consultation, including all County Councillors as well as community groups and particularly those working with women and girls , before making any decisions about switching off the lights.

Treasury Management Mid-Term Review

A report was scheduled to be discussed providing an update on the Council's Treasury Management activities. The report explains:

Treasury management is defined as:

“The management of the organisation’s borrowing, investments and cash flows, including its banking, money market and capital market transactions, the effective control of the risks associated with those activities, and the pursuit of optimum performance consistent with those risks.”

The report states that the council had outstanding debt of £279m as of 30 September 2024. £13.710m of investment income had been received during the first half of the financial year which is £4.434m more than had been budgeted for. This was attributed to a combination of higher than forecast average cash balances, and higher than forecast interest rates. The report also notes that:

Cash balances for the year are forecast to be lower than they otherwise would be as a result of negative Dedicated Schools Grant balances relating to High Needs.

Appraisal of the Chief Executive

The meeting was scheduled to discuss a report on the appraisal process for the Chief Executive, Martin Reeves. The report notes that, whilst there is no legal requirement for local authorities to conduct staff appraisals, the handbook produced by the Joint Negotiating Committee for Local Authority Chief Executives says It is a contractual obligation on the part of both the chief executive and the employing council to engage in a regular process of appraisal .

The report summarises a review of the appraisal process that was carried out by South East Employers (SEE) and includes the following recommendation:

Agree the preferred model for the Chief Executive appraisal - Use of Remuneration Committee is the recommended approach.

The report asks the Council to approve the proposed changes to the appraisal process for the Chief Executive, to delegate authority to the Remuneration Committee to constitute the Appraisal Panel and to approve amendments to the Constitution reflecting the above.

Financial Procedure Rules and Regulations

The meeting was scheduled to include for discussion a report that stated that amendments made to the Financial Procedure Rules and Financial Regulations in April 2020 had not been formally approved by the Council. The report explains that the amendments were scheduled to be presented to Council for approval in April 2020, but the meeting was cancelled following the outbreak of the Covid 19 pandemic and that the agenda item was never rescheduled.

The report was previously considered by the Audit and Governance Committee and includes a recommendation that the Council approve the amendments to the Financial Procedure Rules and Financial Regulations.

Formation of Shareholder Committee

The meeting was scheduled to note that a Cabinet Committee, called the Shareholder Committee, had been formed at a meeting of Cabinet on 19 November 2024. The Terms of Reference for the committee state that its purpose is to approve and oversee the council’s strategic objectives for the council’s company and to support the development of the company in line with the council's regulations and ambitions and the constitutional instruments of the company .

Scrutiny Annual Report

The Council was scheduled to formally receive the Scrutiny Annual Report 2023/24. The report describes the work of the four non-Health Scrutiny Committees: Education and Young People, Performance and Corporate Services, Place, and People.

The report highlighted several areas of focus for the coming year. These included addressing the fall in the number of members of the public attending meetings, embedding scrutiny within the council's corporate culture, and reviewing the effectiveness of responses to recommendations made by Scrutiny.

Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Framework 2025-2029

The meeting was scheduled to receive a report summarising the decisions made at a Cabinet meeting on 19 November 2024. One of these decisions related to the Oxfordshire Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Framework. The report explains:

The Equality Act (2010) requires local authorities to publish equality objectives at least every four years to comply with the public sector equality duty.

The Cabinet had agreed to adopt a refreshed Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Framework for 2025-2029.

Local Enterprise Partnership Integration

The meeting was scheduled to note that Cabinet had agreed to retain the existing council owned company OxLEP for the delivery of some economic functions, subject to a revised contract, and to establish an Oxfordshire Economic Partnership Board to support the Cabinet in the discharge of its economic development functions.

Climate Action Programme

A six-month update on the Climate Action Programme was included in the Cabinet report. The report noted that:

Capital programme workstreams were progressing to support the decarbonisation and resilience of the council’s fleet and property. This investment will reduce emissions by a further 64% compared to 2019/20 over the next three years.

Educational Psychology Assessment Service

The Cabinet report stated that the Cabinet had approved Oxfordshire County Council joining appropriate single supplier framework agreements set up by external organisations to enable the Council access to call off contracts with the supplier/s for Educational Psychology services .

Business Management and Monitoring Report

A Business Management and Monitoring report was included in the Cabinet report. The report summarises the financial performance position as of September 2024 and includes new charges for monitoring of biodiversity net gain compliance and increased charges for the Disclosure and Barring Service.

East Oxford Mini Holland

The meeting was scheduled to note that Cabinet had approved the inclusion of the East Oxford Mini Holland project in the capital programme with £6m of funding from corporate resources and £0.646m from Section 106 developer contributions.

Local Transport and Connectivity Plan

The report from Cabinet noted that a report had been received providing an overview of the Local Transport and Connectivity Plan (LTCP) monitoring report. The LTCP was adopted by the Council in July 2022 and sets out the council's long-term vision for transport in the county.

Cost of Living Support

The meeting was scheduled to note that Cabinet had approved the approach to support residents affected by the cost of living crisis.

Response to Motion on SEND Services

The report from Cabinet included a proposed response to a motion submitted by Councillor Sally Povolotsky at a previous meeting of Full Council. The motion related to improvements to services for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). The report notes that Following an inspection of the local area partnership (the local authority and integrated care board) in Summer 2023, the LAP was found to have ‘systemic weaknesses’ . A Priority Action Plan has been put in place to address those weaknesses.

Chiltern Care Home

Councillor Stefan Gawrysiak submitted a motion expressing concern over the removal of seven beds from the Chiltern Care Home in Henley-on-Thames without any consultation with the GP’s, Henley Town Council or the community of South Oxfordshire . The motion notes:

Following FOI requests to the Integrated Care Board Buckinghamshire Oxfordshire Berkshire West (ICB BOB)³ and the Council, it has been established that these beds are NHS beds funded by the ICB, this Council and the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust. They should not therefore have been closed without full and proper public consultation.

Councillor Gawrysiak requested that Cabinet seek to account for the reasons why the seven Chiltern Court beds cannot be reinstated and, in the absence of such an account, take steps to reinstate them.

Councils for Fair Tax

Councillor Mark Cherry submitted a motion proposing that the Council consider approving the Councils for Fair Tax Declaration. The motion, if passed, would commit the council to:

• Lead by example and demonstrate good practice in our tax conduct, right across our activities.
• Ensure IR35⁴ is implemented robustly and contract workers pay a fair share of employment taxes.
• Not use offshore vehicles for the purchase of land and property, especially where this leads to reduced payments of stamp duty.
• Undertake due diligence to ensure that not-for-profit structures are not being used inappropriately by suppliers as an artificial device to reduce the payment of tax and business rates.
• Demand clarity on the ultimate beneficial ownership of suppliers, UK and overseas, and their consolidated profit & loss position, given lack of clarity could be strong indicators of poor financial probity and weak financial standing.
• Promote Fair Tax Mark certification especially for any business in which we have a significant stake and where corporation tax is due.
• Support Fair Tax Week events in the area, and celebrate the tax contribution made by responsible businesses that are proud to promote responsible tax conduct and pay their fair share of corporation tax.

High Needs Block Deficit

Councillor Jane Hanna OBE submitted a motion noting concern over Oxfordshire's High Needs Block deficit. The motion states:

This Council notes that Oxfordshire's High Needs Block deficit is estimated to be £21.3 million for 2023/24, while across England the deficit totals £3.16 billion. The statutory override currently in place allows local authorities to temporarily hold this debt off their balance sheets but this measure only delays addressing a growing financial crisis.

Winter Fuel Payments

Councillor Eddie Reeves submitted a motion to be discussed noting the government's decision to means-test Winter Fuel Payments (WFP). The motion calls for the Cabinet to request that officers produce a report with proposals for promoting a district awareness campaign encouraging people who are eligible to claim Pension Credit, and to include addressing fuel poverty among low-income pensioners in the priorities of the council when allocating resources. The motion also requests that the leader write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer calling for an impact assessment of the government's decision to means test WFPs.

Appointment of Independent Persons

The meeting was scheduled to discuss the appointment of two new Independent Persons to the Council. Independent Persons must be consulted in certain disciplinary processes relating to Councillors. The report proposes that Mr Nicholas Holt-Kentwell and Mr Andrew Mills-Hicks be appointed as Independent Persons.