Agenda

The Chair to report on any requests to submit petitions or to address the meeting.

Addresses may be presented by:

·         A Local Government elector for the area

·         A person who is wholly or mainly resident in the area

·         A Council Taxpayer or National Non-Domestic Ratepayer for the area 

Addresses must be on an item on the Agenda before the meeting and not exceed 5 minutes. No person may address more than one meeting on any particular issue.

Requests to address the meeting (including the agenda item and reason for the address) should be submitted to democracy@cherwell-dc.gov.uk  The deadline for requests to address this meeting is noon on Friday 4 September 2026. 

The deadline to present a petition to this meeting has passed. 

Full details of public participation at meetings is available in the Constitution. 

To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 17 July2026. .

To receive communications from the Chair.

The Chair to advise whether they have agreed to any item of urgent business being admitted to the agenda.

Report of Executive Director Place and Regeneration

Purpose of report

This paper sets out the next tranche of projects – discussed and recommended by Area Oversight Groups (AOGs) – for Local Area Development Funding. This funding was agreed as part of the annual budget setting process by Council on 23 February 2026. This paper also provides an update on projects previously approved for funding by the Executive in July 2026.

Recommendations

The Executive resolves:

1.1         To agree to allocate £524k of Local Area Development Funds to progress the following projects for the 2026/27 financial year as discussed and recommended at the respective Area Oversight Group and to agree to add the capital projects to the capital programme:

Figure 1: Project Summary

1.2         To approve the use of £47,281 of S106 funds to top up the proposed allocation for Green Spaces Improvements for Yarnton (Appendix 3) and include to create a total scheme budget of £157,281 in the capital programme.

1.3         To delegate authority to the Executive Director Place and Regeneration, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Strategic Leadership and Regeneration and the Assistant Director Finance, to agree final cost plans for the above projects subject to the maximum cost envelope outlined in Figure 1.

1.4         To note the progress of previously approved projects and to agree to receive further updates as project delivery progresses.

Report of Assistant Director Wellbeing and Housing

Purpose of report

To seek approval to add additional funds from grants received to the capital budget for purchases of property for temporary accommodation.

Recommendations

The Executive resolves:

1.1         To approve the increase to the Council’s capital programme of £1,000,000 that arises from the report, using grant funding from resettlement.

Report of Assistant Director Property

Purpose of report

To seek Executive approval for the Council's Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) and Community Asset Transfer (CAT) Policy, providing a consistent corporate framework for the occupation, leasing, subsidised use and transfer of Council-owned property assets to voluntary, community and charitable organisations. The Policy also establishes the Council's approach to Community Asset Transfers and subsidised occupation whilst protecting the Council's strategic property interests.

Recommendations

The Executive resolves:

1.1         To approve the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) and Community Asset Transfer (CAT) Policy attached at Appendix 1.

1.2         To approve the introduction of a standard subsidy framework whereby occupation of Council assets by eligible voluntary and community organisations will normally be offered at up to a 50% discount to independently assessed market rent, for a maximum period of five years, subject to the requirements of the Policy.

1.3         To delegate authority to the Assistant Director Property, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Property & Assets, Chief Finance Officer and Monitoring Officer to enter into property dispositions and occupation agreements  under the VCS and CAT policy and in accordance with the Scheme of Delegation under Part 3 of the Constitution.

Report of Assistant Director Finance (S151 Officer)

Purpose of report

To inform the Executive of the proposed approach to the 2027/28 Budget Process and provides context and background information on the existing Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) and information on latest government announcements relevant to the Strategy.

Recommendations

The Executive resolves:

1.1         To approve the Budget Process for 2027/28.

1.2         To approve the base assumptions to be used for the 2027/28 budget as set out at paragraph 4.2.

1.3         To approve a five-year period for the Medium-Term Financial Strategy to 2031/32 and five-year period for the Capital Programme to 2031/32.

Report of Assistant Director Finance (S151 Officer) and Head of Chief Executive’s Office

Purpose of report

To report to Executive the council’s forecast yearend financial, performance, and risk position as of the end of Q1 of the 2026/27 financial year.

Recommendations

The Executive resolves:

1.1         To consider and note the contents of the council’s finance, performance, and risk management report as at the end of Q1 for the financial year 2026/27.

1.2         To approve the reprofiling of projects in the capital programme and the subsequent update to the programme budget for this financial year.

1.3         To approve the debt write offs set out in EXEMPT Appendix 5.

1.4         To approve the £0.655m treasury savings to be vired to Policy Contingency and made available as general contingency.

1.5         To approve the release of £0.030m from Policy Contingency for a performance post within Place & Regeneration.

1.6         To note the change to the final transfer to reserves reported in the 2025/26 Outturn report as per the Reserves Policy as described in section 4.1.9.

The following reports contain exempt information as defined in the following paragraphs of Part 1, Schedule 12A of Local Government Act 1972.

3 – Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

Members are reminded that whilst the following item has been marked as exempt, it is for the meeting to decide whether or not to consider it in private or in public. In making the decision, Members should balance the interests of individuals or the Council itself in having access to the information. In considering their discretion members should also be mindful of the advice of Council Officers.

No representations have been received from the public requesting that these items be considered in public.

Should Members decide not to make decisions in public, they are recommended to pass the following recommendation:

“That under Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the ground that, if the public and press were present, it would be likely that exempt information falling under the provisions of Schedule 12A, Part 1, Paragraph 3 would be disclosed to them, and that in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.”

Exempt report of Assistant Director Wellbeing and Housing

Exempt report of Assistant Director Property

Exempt report of Executive Director Neighbourhood Services