Growth Board Draft response to recommendations of the Growth Board Scrutiny Panel

Recommendations made on 1 June 2021

The Growth Board is requested to provide a response to the recommendations of the Scrutiny Panel for decision at its meeting on 8 June 2021.

Recommendation	Agree?	Comment
Recommendation 1: That the Growth Board ensures that the Oxfordshire Growth Needs Assessment work is published earlier than scheduled along with all supporting evidence based documents which would allow the maximum amount of time for consultees to review the document and also ensuring there is a genuine choice of all realistic options rather than presenting a fait accompli to the consultees responding to the Regulation 18 Part 2 public consultation.
Recommendation 2: That the Growth Board, in its consideration of Advanced Oxford’s report on Powering Up for the Green Recovery, considers the Scrutiny Panel’s feedback set out below. The Board is encouraged to reflect how these views can inform key future plans and strategies: i. Future Growth Board work and strategies should consider how any increase in total office space can remain compatible with the long-term carbon reduction ambitions of the Oxfordshire Strategic Vision, and the wider need to design any future Oxford city employment spaces to be car-free and include facilities for sustainable travel. ii. There needs to be a balance of focus on areas outside Oxford city along the knowledge spine within the Oxford - Cambridge Arc to promote the creation and development of employment space in areas with good rail links to Oxford such as Bicester and Banbury. iii. There needs to be a focus on sustainable means of transport such as cycle lanes and routes, light passenger railways and autonomous vehicles when designing new spin-out and high-tech spaces. In addition revisiting recommendation 3 made on 16^th March 2021, that the Growth Board undertake further work to understand the impact that changes in local rail services do and may have on modal shift with regards to personal car use, consideration should be given to the building of new train stations on existing lines in areas such as Kidlington-Begbroke-Yarnton. iv. In placemaking, consider designing communities, employment spaces, housing, and transport options holistically, especially in light of changes to working practices in a post-pandemic world and how it is likely to reduce levels of commuting in the long term. Recommendation 3: That the Growth Board in noting the Overview of Local Skills Landscape report undertakes to actively consider diversity of leadership, responsible business practices, attracting youth to Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) fields, and addressing traditional imbalances such as the under-representation of women in STEM based businesses.