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 10 July 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 16 June 2026.

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 Assistant Director Wellbeing and Housing

Purpose of report

To put the necessary approvals in place for the Council to be able to purchase suitable property with funds within the capital programme.

Recommendations

The Executive resolves:

1.1         To authorise the Head of Housing to determine the requirements of the additional housing (including location and specification), tenancy and rent setting and manage the acquired housing in accordance with obligations of the Council as a Registered Provider of Social Housing.

1.2         To authorise the Executive Director - Neighbourhoods, in consultation with Assistant Director – Finance and the Portfolio Holder for Housing, to make initial offers and begin the appropriate due diligence, once appropriate freehold or leasehold properties have been identified. A separate report to seek final approval for the exchange of contracts to purchase property will be submitted to the Executive. This will then enable the purchase of property above financial thresholds.

Report of Assistant Director Wellbeing and Housing

Purpose of report

To seek approval for the expenditure of capital grant received from the Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF) Round 4.

Recommendations

The Executive resolves:

1.1         To approve a capital grant to South Oxfordshire Housing Association (SOHA) of £342,100 for the delivery of new social housing within Cherwell from the grant received from MHCLG; Local Authority Housing Fund Round 4.

1.2         To approve that the remaining £319,900 grant be used to provide temporary accommodation units enabled by the Council, in accordance with grant criteria.

1.3         To approve the increase to the Council’s capital programme of £342,100 that arises from the report.

Report of Executive Director Place and Regeneration

Purpose of report

To advise the Executive of the interim governance and working arrangements for the preparation of a Thames Valley Spatial Development Strategy (SDS).

Recommendations

The Executive resolves:

1.1         To note the interim governance arrangements for the Thames Valley Spatial Development Strategy explained in this report and at Appendix 1.

1.2         To instruct officers to request that the Council be formally co-opted as a ‘partner authority’ with Leader representation on the Spatial Development Strategy Partnership Board until such time that a ‘Strategic Planning Board’ is formally established.

1.3         To note that Executor Director Place and Regeneration will advise the Executive if the Council is not confirmed as a co-opted ‘Partner Authority’.

1.4         To delegate to the Executive Director Place and Regeneration the authority to agree detailed working arrangements for the pre-inception development of the Spatial Development Strategy in consultation with the Assistant Director Law and Governance.

** Due to the size of the documents, to assist access and downloading, the appendices to the report are published as supplements to the main agenda pack. **

Report of Executive Director Place and Regeneration

Purpose of report

This report introduces the Oxfordshire Infrastructure Strategy (OxIS) and seeks the Executive’s endorsement following the Oxfordshire Leaders Joint Committee endorsing the OxIS on 24 April 2026.

Recommendations

The Executive resolves:

1.1         To note and endorse the final Oxfordshire Infrastructure Strategy.

Report of Executive Director Place and Regeneration

Purpose of report

This paper sets out the first 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.

Recommendations

The Executive resolves:

1.1         To agree to allocate £21.5k 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:

Figure 1: Project Summary

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

Report of Assistant Director of Finance (S151 Officer)

Purpose of report

To report to Executive the council’s forecast year-end financial position as at the end of the May 2026. Further detail can be found in the report and its appendices.

Recommendations

The Executive resolves:

1.1         To consider and note the contents of the council’s financial management report as at the end of May 2026.

1.2         To approve the use of reserves and grant funding held within appendix 4.

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 items have been marked as exempt, it is for the meeting to decide whether or not to consider them 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 this item be considered in public.

Should Members decide not to make a decision 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 item 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 Executive Director Resources

Exempt report of Assistant Director Property

Exempt report of Executive Director Neighbourhood Services

Exempt report of Assistant Director Property