Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence. 

Councillor Reg Waite had sent his apologies for absence. 

To adopt and sign as a correct record the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 8 May 2014 (previously published). 

RESOLVED: to adopt as a correct record the minutes from the Cabinet meeting held on 8 May 2014 and agree that the chairman signs them. 

To receive any declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests in respect of items on the agenda for this meeting.  

In relation to minute Ca.6, Draft Local Plan to 2031, Councillor Mike Murray reported that he was a property developer by profession but that his property development activities never took place in the Vale of White Horse. 

To receive notification of any matters which the chairman determines should be considered as urgent business and the special circumstances which have made the matters urgent, and to receive any announcements from the chairman.

None

Any statements, petitions, and questions from the public under standing order 32 will be made or presented at the meeting.

None

To consider the head of planning’s report. 

Cabinet considered the head of planning’s report on the draft Local Plan to 2031.  The report set out an overview of the main changes to the draft plan and asked Cabinet to recommend the Council to agree the draft Local Plan 2031 Part 1: Strategic Sites and Policies for publication for the purposes of pre-submission (Regulation 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) Regulations 2012) public consultation, and thereafter for submission to the Secretary of State for independent examination, together with supporting evidence base studies, topic papers and summaries of the consultation responses received (Regulation 22).  Also tabled was a schedule of the substantive changes to the local plan. 

Cabinet also received the draft minutes from the Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 25 September when the local plan was discussed.  Cabinet welcomed the committee’s input and responded as follows:

·        The reference on page Sc.5 to ask Cabinet to reconsider the validity of the Strategic Housing Market Assessment and the basis on which its housing figures were arrived at were noted.  However, Cabinet members present at the meeting recalled that this was the view of only one committee member, not that of the committee. 

• There was a reference on page Sc.6 to removing Green Belt housing allocation sites from the local plan as there had not been a Green Belt review for the whole Green Belt around Oxford.  However, there had been a review of the Green Belt within the Vale’s district boundary, focusing on the purposes and principles of the Green Belt.  The decision to allocate some sites in the Green Belt had not been taken lightly, but the chosen sites were in sustainable locations.  Not all sites identified in the Green Belt had been allocated for housing. 

·        There was a reference on page Sc.7 to including the Wantage Western Road in the safe-guarded land.  However, the route of the western relief road was already safe-guarded in the local plan. 

• The reference on page Sc.8 to some strategic employment sites being omitted, such as Sandford Lane at Kennington, was incorrect as this was referred to in ‘Appendix D: List of Rural Multi User Sites and Large Campus Style sites as identified in the Local Plan 2011’ and this list would be reviewed as part of the local plan part 2 process. 

Cabinet believed that it had a duty of care to heed the advice given to Cherwell District Council by the planning inspector on 9 June 2014 following its local plan’s public examination earlier this year.  The inspector suspended the examination as Cherwell had not used the most up-to-date housing need assessment on which to base its housing figures.  Cabinet believed that this left it no option but to adopt the Strategic Housing Market Assessment housing figures in full as the objectively assessed need for the local plan in the Vale of White Horse.  The alternative of not adopting the Strategic Housing Market Assessment figures and leaving the Vale of White Horse without a local plan and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To consider the head of finance’s report. 

Cabinet considered the head of finance’s report which monitored the council’s treasury management performance in 2013/14.  This showed that the investment income was higher than predicted in the 2013/14 budget. 

The Audit and Governance Committee had welcomed the report and was satisfied that the treasury activities were carried out in accordance with the treasury management strategy and policy.  Cabinet was pleased with the treasury management performance also. 

RECOMMEND:to Council on 15 October 2014

(a)               to approve the treasury management outturn report for 2013/14; and

(b)               approve the actual 2013/14 prudential indicators set out in the head of finance’s report. 

To consider the strategic director’s report. 

Cabinet considered the strategic director’s report on a proposal to test the market with a view to extending financial services contract to other corporate services.  Cabinet believed that the council had excellent services following its decision to share them with South Oxfordshire District Council but the council should not rest on its laurels.  Cabinet supported the proposal to test the market but would not determine which services would be outsourced at this stage.  Cabinet asked that property management was added to the list of services subject to market testing. 

RESOLVED: to

(a)       confirm the re-tendering of financial services rather than seek to bring the services back in-house, with the possible exception of the provision of the financial management system which should be linked to the provision of accountancy services;

(b)       confirm the following services should have detailed specifications written: accountancy, internal audit, CCTV operations, democratic services, land charges, legal, licensing, car park administration, the Poppin operations, data capture, human resources, street naming and numbering, IT applications support, IT helpdesk, IT infrastructure support, IT security, facilities management, procurement, engineering, and property management; and

(c)        ask the consultant to undertake market engagement activities ahead of the formal procurement process to inform the council’s procurement strategy. 

None