Issue - meetings

At its meeting on 7 October 2016 Cabinet will consider a report on the OxLEP Strategic Economic Plan (SEP). As part of that report Cabinet will consider the Joint Scrutiny Committee request that Cabinet defer its response to the SEP pending its consideration by Council. If Cabinet agree to this request Council will be invited to consider the SEP.

The report of the interim head of development, regeneration and housing, which Cabinet will consider on 7 October, is attached. 

The recommendations of Cabinet will be circulated to councillors on 7 October.

Council considered Cabinet’s recommendation, made at its meeting on 7 October 2016, on the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP) Strategic Economic Plan.  As part of that report Cabinet considered and supported the Joint Scrutiny Committee request that Cabinet defer its response to the SEP pending its consideration by Council. 

Councillors welcomed the document. The following points were raised during the discussion:

·         Housing - Vale requires the additional housing identified in order to support future economic growth and accommodate the growth in population attracted by the new jobs.

·         Oxford City Council continued to allocate land for employment whilst failing to provide housing which compounds the current housing shortage and transport problems.

·         Affordable housing – there was a lack of suitable accommodation for key workers and those on lower incomes.  

·         Infrastructure – the document should address the infrastructure problems (particularly transport) and include reference to the possibility of a Grove/Wantage railway station.

·         Skills shortage – the document should address the existing skills shortage in Oxfordshire. The creation of new jobs would not benefit the local community if local people were unable to fill the positions.

·         There was also no reference to disability issues in the document.

A number of councillors remained sceptical that the SEP had a plan to address weaknesses and respond to threats. It remained inward looking and provided an Oxford-centric perspective rather than addressing County-wide issues.

RESOLVED: to endorse the decision of Cabinet to:

(i)        welcome some of the changes made to the Oxfordshire Strategic Economic Plan which seek to make it “shorter and clearer”, and acknowledge that this has largely been achieved;

(ii)       support the broad thrust of the Oxfordshire Strategic Economic Plan document in terms of the stated vision, identified strengths weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and proposed actions; and

(iii)      believe the document would be more robust if it:

·                more fully addressed the issues highlighted in the body of the Cabinet report, and

·                more clearly linked actions to identified issues, and confirmed where responsibility lies for implementing these various actions,

and to note that the Leader will take account of points raised at Council in  responding to the consultation. 

To consider the head of development, regeneration and housing. 

Cabinet considered the report of the interim head of development, regeneration and housing.  This summarised the revised draft Oxfordshire Strategic Economic Plan, which the council had been asked to comment on by its author, the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership.  The report highlighted the key points in the document, outlined issues that had already been raised during the formal consultation that had not been fully addressed in the revised draft, and recommended a response to the Local Enterprise Partnership.  The Joint Scrutiny Committee had also considered the revised draft plan and suggested a number of improvements.  The committee had also recommended that Cabinet referred the plan to Council for debate. 

Cabinet concurred with the suggestions that the revised draft plan should be subject to a Council debate before the leader submitted his formal response to the consultation. 

RECOMMENDED to Council to endorse the decision of Cabinet to:

(i)        Welcome some of the changes made to the Oxfordshire Strategic Economic Plan which seek to make it “shorter and clearer”, and acknowledges that this has largely been achieved;

(ii)       Support the broad thrust of the Oxfordshire Strategic Economic Plan document in terms of the stated vision, identified strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and proposed actions; and

(iii)      Believe the document would be more robust if it:

·         more fully addressed the issues highlighted in the body of the Cabinet report,

·         more clearly linked actions to identified issues, and confirmed where responsibility lies for implementing these various actions,

and to note that the Leader will take account of points raised at Council in responding to the consultation.