Future Oxfordshire Partnership response to recommendations of the Partnership Scrutiny Panel made on

21 November 2023

The Future Oxfordshire Partnership is requested to provide a response to the recommendations of the Scrutiny Panel for decision at its meeting on 28 November 2023.

Recommendation	Comment
Vision Zero Briefing 1. That the Future Oxfordshire Partnership request that Oxfordshire County Council provide a cost estimate of the implementation of the Vision Zero targets within the Local Transport and Connectivity Plan. 2. That in light of Vision Zero, the Future Oxfordshire Partnership request that Oxfordshire County Council place a higher priority on responding to planning applications to highlight where highways infrastructure from a development could be improved to improve the safety of vulnerable road users. 3. That the Future Oxfordshire Partnership request that Oxfordshire County Council work with districts to coordinate the acceleration of the Mobility Hubs, Last Mile Delivery and Road to Rail workstreams with the objective of further reducing HGV traffic and associated risks to people though built up areas. 4. That the Future Oxfordshire Partnership request that the district councils be encouraged to consider and submit additional requests to Oxfordshire County Council for the expansion of 20 mph zones within settlements, (potentially adopting the approach of the Welsh Government if legally permissible). 5. That the Future Oxfordshire Partnership request that the district councils consider the specific adoption of Vision Zero and Construction Logistics and Community Safety, (CLOCS) standards generally and specifically within their Local Plans. 6. That the Future Oxfordshire Partnership request that the district councils consider cooperating around the development of design guides which would incorporate Vision Zero and Construction Logistics and Community Safety, (CLOCS) principles for strategic developments to design out road danger and improve connectivity of places (e.g. layout of radii, type of kerbstones, guidance on grade separated crossings, underpasses etc). 7. That the Future Oxfordshire Partnership request that the district councils consider Vision Zero, Construction Logistics and Community Safety (CLOCS), direct vision standards, and Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) principles in their approaches to the procurement of fleet or commissioned HGV vehicles. 8. That the Future Oxfordshire Partnership request that the district councils proactively encourage developers of major sites within local areas to collaborate with one another on Construction Management Plans. It is noted that such collaboration, when it has taken place, has worked well and led to benefits for all parties. 9. That the Future Oxfordshire Partnership request that in the context of Vision Zero, Thames Valley Police be written to and formally encouraged to accept evidence from vulnerable road users to inform its own highways safety enforcement.	Members of the Future Oxfordshire Partnership support the aims and rationale of Vision Zero. However, as stated in the terms of reference of the Scrutiny Panel its purpose “is to review and scrutinise plans, proposals, recommendations, decisions to be taken and actions taken in connection with the discharge of the Future Oxfordshire Partnership’s functions in support of the Oxfordshire Strategic Vision for Long Term Sustainable Development and the delivery of the remaining elements of the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal”. Vision Zero does not fall within this remit and the FOP will therefore make no comment on these recommendations which fall to individual authorities to act as they see fit.
Future Oxfordshire Partnership Work Programme 10. That in considering and agreeing its future work programme the Future Oxfordshire Partnership must be fully cognizant of the additional costs to councils in terms of resources and officer time and only proceed with workstreams where it can be clearly demonstrated through project plans that there would be added value to council taxpayers in taking collaboration on the issues through the Future Oxfordshire Partnership structure without the risk of repetition or duplication.  It is suggested that this might require cost benefit analysis.	The Future Oxfordshire Partnership notes that projects in the proposed work programme have already been through a process of filtering and that they have been discussed in detail at the workshop on 26 September. As noted in the report, projects are at different stages of development and some are not yet defined in detail.  It is agreed that projects should only proceed if demonstrable benefit arises from working in collaboration.
Oxfordshire Visitor Economy Vision and Destination Management Plan 11. That the Future Oxfordshire Partnership be recommended to endorse the proposed future governance arrangements for Destination Management Plan, (DMP) activity within the Future Oxfordshire Partnership. 12. That it agrees that the delivery of the DMP should be a process that includes and recognises the important insight of the districts councils on their own local tourist economy in a ‘bottom up’ process. 13. That the Future Oxfordshire Partnership request that OxLEP in developing the funding strategy for the DMP include consideration and exploration of a tourist tax.	The Future Oxfordshire Partnership supports these recommendations.
Community Employment Plans Evidence Paper 2023 14. The members of the Panel present supported the report’s recommendation that the Future Oxfordshire Partnership endorse the Community Employment Plan Evidence Paper 2023, and that Local Planning Authorities support CEP policies within Local Plans which are being updated.	The Future Oxfordshire Partnership notes the recommendations in the report and is pleased to endorse the evidence paper.  The particular approach to supporting CEP policies within Local Plans is a matter for each individual Local Planning Authority to pursue as it sees fit.