The Cabinet of Oxfordshire Council met on Tuesday 24 February 2026, approving a new in-house approach to social value and adopting an updated Climate Action Framework for 2026-2030. The meeting also reviewed the quarterly employee data report and noted upcoming business.

Social Value - New In-House Approach

The Cabinet approved the Oxfordshire County Council Social Value Policy and agreed to bring the council's social value approach in-house, moving away from third-party delivery and platforms. This change aims to streamline the process and better align social value priorities with the council's strategic objectives, as outlined in its Strategic Plan 2025–2028. The new policy establishes five local social value priorities: Early Careers Opportunities, Supported Employment, Local Area Regeneration, Youth Engagement and Support, and Healthy Lives; Healthy Future. For procurements over £100,000, two of these priorities will be selected, each weighted at 5%, contributing to a combined 10% social value weighting in tenders. Suppliers will be required to submit a Social Value Delivery Plan (SVDP) detailing their commitments. The move in-house is expected to remove the annual third-party fee of £19,200 and reduce administrative burdens for both contract managers and suppliers.

Climate Action Framework 2026-2030

The Cabinet approved the Oxfordshire Climate Action Framework (CAF) 2026-2030. This framework updates the council's previous CAF from 2020 and sets out the vision and priorities for a greener, fairer, and healthier county. Key aims include achieving carbon neutrality for the council's own estates and operations by 2030 and a net-zero Oxfordshire as early as possible in the 2040s. The framework integrates emissions reduction, resilience to climate impacts, nature recovery, and waste reduction, emphasising collaboration, community empowerment, and economic resilience. It examines progress and priorities across nine themes: Fair Transition, Enabling a Green Economy, Built Environment, Movement and Connectivity, Energy, Natural Environment and Land Use, Waste and Resources, Our Own Estate: Zero Carbon Council and Beyond, and Engagement and Capacity Building. The framework also refreshes the governance of the climate action programme, moving to annual reporting to Cabinet.

HR & Cultural Change - Quarterly Employee Data Report

The Cabinet noted the Quarterly Employee Data Report for Quarter 3 of the 2025-26 financial year. The report detailed progress on the Our People and Culture Strategy, highlighting achievements such as the introduction of a continuous listening model for employee engagement, the expansion of the Reciprocal Mentoring Scheme, and the launch of a new HR Advice Desk. The report also provided an overview of workforce composition, noting an increase in headcount and FTE, and a stable proportion of part-time and temporary staff. Recruitment activity remained steady, with a slight decrease in voluntary turnover, indicating improved retention efforts. Agency spend increased to £9.1 million, primarily due to difficulties in filling hard-to-recruit roles. The report also presented data on recruitment times, workforce diversity, absence trends, and apprenticeship utilisation.

Forward Plan and Future Business

The Cabinet noted the items identified from the Forward Plan for forthcoming meetings. These included updates on Parking Standards for New Developments, the Our People & Culture Strategy 2026-2027, an update on the Oxfordshire Travel and Transport Citizens' Assembly recommendations, the future Household Waste Recycling Centre Management Contract, and the Business Management & Monitoring Report for January 2026. Several Movement and Place Plans were also listed, alongside items related to Vision Zero and Road Safety Funding, the Oxford Temporary Congestion Charge Investment Plan, and the Department for Transport Local Transport Delivery Plan. Additionally, delegated decisions for the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People and the Cabinet Member for Transport Management were noted, covering items such as the proposed closure of Ace Nursery, the Didcot Valley Park Special School specification, various road safety and traffic management proposals, and local bus contracts. Delegated decisions for the Cabinet Member for Place, Environment and Climate Action included the award of the HIF1 Culham River Crossing Construction Contract and approval for the Ambrosden to Bicester Active Travel Scheme.

Reports from Scrutiny Committees

The Cabinet received reports from the People Overview and Scrutiny Committee on the Oxfordshire Unpaid Carers Strategy and from the Performance and Corporate Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee on the Social Value Policy. The Cabinet noted these reports and will respond in due course.