Decisions

Resolved

(1)          That, having given due consideration the Internal Audit Strategy and Plan for 2020/21 be noted.

Resolved

(1)          That, having given due consideration the Internal Audit Charter be approved.

(2)          That the Quality Assurance and Improvement Programme be noted.

Resolved

(1)          That the progress of the work of the Corporate Fraud team be noted.

(2)          That the future work plans and arrangements during 2020/21 and beyond be noted

(3)          That, having given due consideration the updated Whistle Blowing Policy, Money Laundering Policy and Anti-Fraud and Corruption Policy be approved.

Resolved

(1)          That the verbal update be noted.

Resolved

(1)          That the contents of the report in line with the Treasury Management Strategy be noted.

Resolved

(1)          That the Head of Internal Audit’s Annual Report and opinion be noted

Resolved

(1)          That the monthly Performance, Risk and Finance Monitoring Report be noted.

Resolved

(1)          That, subject to the addition of Housing Benefit Subsidy report being added to the September agenda and an informal briefing on the Statement of Accounts in August, the work programme be noted.

Resolved

(1)       That the report and financial implications for the Council be noted

(2)       That Option 1 – Retain the current banded scheme with only minor changes to government uprating figures – be recommended to Executive as the Council Tax Scheme for 2021-2022

(3)       That no consultation take place, due to the recommendation to retain the current scheme

Resolved

(1)       That an additional meeting be scheduled for 18 August 2020

Resolved

(1)           That the revised scheme of officer delegations as set out in the annex to the Minutes (as set out in the Minute Book) be amended with immediate effect.

(2)           That authority be delegated to the Monitoring Officer, in consultation with the Chief Executive, to determine any amendments to the Officer Scheme of Delegations that are necessary to address (i) post titles changing (ii) current service responsibilities being revised (iii) new service responsibilities being introduced and/or (iv) new or existing powers being identified for or demanding allocation by the Monitoring Officer, pending update to Council at the first practicable opportunity.

Resolved

(1)           That budget provision of £150,000 in 2020/21 be agreed to cover the cost of supporting homeless people to move-on from emergency accommodation post-pandemic, should alternative funding be unavailable.

Resolved

(1)           That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Annual Report 2019/2020 be noted.

Resolved

(1)           That the virement of £2m from the existing ceased Bespoke Mortgage Scheme capital programme to finance a loan arrangement with Graven Hill Village Development Limited to support the offering of pilot part exchange scheme be approved.

Resolved

(1)           That the amended constitution of Political Groups be noted.

(2)           That the amended allocation of seats on committees that are subject to the political balance requirements be noted.

(3)           That the amended allocation of seats on committees that are not subject to political balance requirements be noted.

(4)           That the following amendments to committee membership, as advised by the respective Leaders of the Independent Group, Progressive Oxfordshire Group and Conservative Group be noted:

Appeals Panel

Remove: Councillor John Broad (was previously appointed as an Independent Group Member)

Add: Councillor John Broad (appointed as Progressive Oxfordshire Group member)

Licensing Committee

Add: Councillor Tim Hallchurch (Conservative Member)

(NB. No member is removed as there was previously an Independent Group vacant seat on the Committee)

Planning Committee

Remove: Cllr John Broad (was previously named substitute for the Independent Group)

Remove: Councillor Conrad Copeland (as Full Member for the Progressive Oxfordshire Group)

Remove: Cllr Nick Cotter (as named substitute for the Progressive Oxfordshire Group)

Add: Cllr Fraser Webster as named substitute for the Independent Group

Add: Cllr John Broad as Full Member for the Progressive Oxfordshire Group

Add: Cllr Conrad Copeland as names substitute for the Progressive Oxfordshire Group

Standards Committee

Remove: Councillor Tim Hallchurch (Conservative Group Member)

Add: Councillor Ian Middleton (Progressive Oxfordshire Group member

(5)           That Councillor Kieron Mallon be appointed as the council’s representative to the Oxfordshire Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Resolved

(1)           That the following motion be adopted:

“Peatlands located within the UK and The Republic Of Ireland, play a vital role in absorbing and storing large amounts of carbon dioxide and thus help to mitigate climate change. This council agrees that any supplier of our bedding plants at this time and in the future will from this juncture use no more than 50% peat compost within the cultivation of our plants and that the suppliers of our bedding plants now and in the future must make the commitment to be peat-free as soon as practicable and most definitely by 2030. In making this commitment we will conserve this diminishing natural resource and help to safeguard our peatlands. 

This Council agrees that officers will investigate sustainable alternatives in relation to the design and planting of our bedding schemes which will include perennial plants that are cost-effective, insect-friendly, and attractive to pollinators.”

(for information: On being put to the vote the proposed amendment to the  motion was lost and subsequently fell)

(2)           That the following motion, as amended, be adopted:

"This council notes with concern that in the last three years this district recorded the biggest increase in child poverty in the whole of Oxfordshire. 

This council agrees that 1 in 8 children living below the poverty line in Cherwell is completely unacceptable. Reducing child poverty is and has been a long term objective for this council. The council notes the great work of ‘Brighter Futures in Banbury’ in addressing child poverty since it was set up in over 10 years ago. The  economic  impact  of  the  COVID-19  pandemic  anticipated  to  be extremely negative, and likely to exacerbate the situation.

This council commits to the following in order to continue to tackle child povertywithin the district:

·       Continuing the  'Brighter  Futures'  programme which has  continued to run throughout the pandemic. 

·       Receive annual reports to this council’s committees from the Chairman of Brighter Futures, beginning  Autumn 2020.

·       Build on the work from the Brighter Futures workstream ‘Addressing Childhood Poverty’.

·       Use the Cherwell Industrial Strategy to attract high skilled, well paid jobs to the district as part of a green revolution.

·       Work with stakeholders to take actions that improve educational attainment, reduce exploitation and provide positive activities for young people

·       Support families to reduce inactivity and health inequalities”

(3)           That the following motion be adopted:

“This Council notes recent national awareness around the Black Lives Matter Movement.

This Council believes that of course all lives matter but knows that the evidence points to BAME communities being particularly vulnerable to deprivation, poorer life chances and racism. This is reflected in, among other indicators, disproportionate deaths from Covid 19.

The Council has a good record with things like help for the Sunshine Centre, the Bretch Hill Centre, the FAST programme and Banbury Brighter Futures, but a good Council always refreshes and updates its work.

To that end the Council resolves to request Officers to consider an engagement exercise with BAME communities and individuals to effectively listen to their experience of life in our District and to bring back recommendations to Scrutiny and the Executive for consideration by Members.”

(4)           That the following motion, as amended, be adopted:

“Boris Johnson recently announced his plan for recovery from the COVID-19 crisis is to “Build, build, build, build back greener, build back better, and build back faster.”

This aspiration is to tackle this country’s great unresolved challenges of the last three decades: to build the homes, to fix the NHS, to solve social care, to tackle the skills crisis, to mend the indefensible gap in opportunity and productivity and connectivity between the regions of the UK, to unite and level up. A socially just and green recovery will create a better future for our planet and everyone on it.  Let’s build back better and build back bolder!

This council expects government to:

·    Work towards ensuring everyone has access to wholesome food, free healthcare, income and job security, affordable zero carbon housing, renewable energy, superfast broadband, public transport, clean air and green spaces.

·       Promote building homes on brownfield sites.

·       Build residential provision above stations and retail spaces.

·       Create new woodlands and invest in conservation.

·    Acknowledge the value of our carers and educators by protecting and investing in our NHS, social care, schools, colleges and early years care  

·   Protect genuine local democracy on planning matters.

·    Restructure public and private finance to give power to local communities and provide funding to councils to provide high quality local services for everyone.

·    Decarbonise the economy and create thousands of new, well-paid, secure jobs in green industries.

·    Ensure that the longer-term recovery will promote human rights, , protect the environment and tackle injustice.”

(For information: On being put to the vote the motion on “Motion to Guarantee Democratic Accountability in 2021” was lost and subsequently fell)