Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

Resolved

(1)        That Councillor David Rogers be appointed Chair of the Committee for the 2026/27 Municipal Year.

Resolved

(1)        That Councillor David Rogers be appointed Chair of the Committee for the 2026/27 Municipal Year.

Resolved

(1)        That Councillor Dom Vaitkus be appointed Vice-Chair of the Committee for the 2026/27 Municipal Year.

Resolved

(1)        That Councillor Dom Vaitkus be appointed Vice-Chair of the Committee for the 2026/27 Municipal Year.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 24 March 2026.

The Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 24 March 2026 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

To receive communications from the Chair.

There were no Chair’s announcements.

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

There were no items of urgent business.

Report of the Head of Chief Executive’s Office

Purpose of report

To report to the committee the council’s performance position as of the end of year 2025-26, further detail can be found in the report and its appendices.

Recommendations

The Overview and Scrutiny resolves:

1.1           To consider and note the contents of the council’s end of year 2025-26 performance report.

Resolved

(1)        That the Council’s end of year 2025-26 performance report be noted.

The Committee considered a report from the Head of the Chief Executive’s office that detailed the council’s performance position as at the end of the 2025-26 financial year.

Presenting the report, the Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Strategic Leadership and Regeneration explained that the council had broadly performed well, with 29 of the 49 monitored measures reporting green at year end. 12 of the 26 Annual Delivery Plan actions had been achieved, and six of the seven directorate KPIs reported green.

Regarding indicator BP1.2.10A, % of major application overturned at appeal (application determined April 2023 to March 2025), the Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Strategic Leadership and Regeneration explained that the Council had now been designated by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), due to the overall percentage of 11.2% for the relevant period.

In response to questions from the Committee, the Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Strategic Leadership and Regeneration explained that designation meant applicants submitting new major planning applications could choose to submit them directly to the Planning Inspectorate for determination, rather than the Council. Major applications already in progress and minor applications would continue to be determined by the Planning department.

The Council were able to request an exit from designation after two clear quarters, with any request supported by a well-presented case, including evidence of current performance and actions in place to maintain an improved performance. The Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Strategic Leadership and Regeneration added that current figures for major applications overturned at appeal was 5.15%, significantly under the 10% threshold.

In response to a question regarding indicator BP1.2.13, net additional housing completions to meet Cherwell needs, and the ‘data not available’ status, the Assistant Director Planning explained that the data had been collected and was being verified to ensure it was accurate. Once verification had been complete the figure would be made available.    

With regard to indicator BP2.2.05, total greenhouse gas emissions for the year, officers agreed to gather detailed information relating to the methodology for calculating the figures, and circulate it after the meeting.

Resolved

(1)        That the Council’s end of year 2025-26 performance report be noted.

The Chair, Assistant Director – Law and Governance/Monitoring Officer and the Principal Officer – Scrutiny and Democratic Lead will facilitate a discussion on work programme planning for the 2026-2027 Municipal Year.

The indicative work programme for 2026-27 is included at Appendix 1. This gives details of regular items and subjects proposed during the previous Municipal Year, with suggested dates for consideration.

Committee members will also have the opportunity to propose additional subjects for consideration, and should bear in mind the five roles of scrutiny:

·       Performance Monitoring

·       Policy Development

·       Policy Review

·       Holding the Executive to Account – the latest version of the Executive Forward Plan can be viewed via the Cherwell District Council website

·       External Scrutiny

Resolved

(1)        That subject to the addition of items relating to progress of the Climate Action update, and a follow-up to the flytipping item, the indicative work programme for 2026/27 be noted.  

The Committee considered the indicative work programme for the 2026/27 municipal year.

The Principal Officer – Scrutiny & Democratic Lead explained that the work programme would be reviewed at each Committee, but Members could suggest items for inclusion at any time.

The Chair encouraged the Committee to read the scrutiny guide appended to the agenda pack, as it gave useful information regarding the different ways of working available to the Committee.

In response to comments from the Committee regarding an item incorporating the various planning elements from the indicative work programme, and points raised during the previous agenda item in relation to the designation status of the planning service, the Monitoring Officer confirmed he would liaise with relevant officers and the Chair, and report back to the next meeting.

The Committee also requested additional items on progress of the climate action plan, and a follow-up to the fly tipping presentation and discussion at the November 2025 meeting.

Resolved

(1)        That subject to the addition of items relating to progress of the Climate Action update, and a follow-up to the flytipping item, the indicative work programme for 2026/27 be noted.