Agenda and draft minutes

To receive any announcements from the chair. 

The Chair welcomed all to the meeting.

To record apologies for absence. 

None received.

To adopt and sign as a correct record the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 19 March 2025.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 19 March 2025 were agreed as a correct record, and the chair would sign them as such.

To receive declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests, other registrable interests and non-registrable interests or any conflicts of interest in respect of items on the agenda for this meeting.

Councillor Andy Crawford declared an interest with regard to item 8 on the agenda as he was a member of Wantage Town Council who have a licence to occupy The Beacon. Councillor Crawrford confirmed that he would stand down from the committee and not participate in the debate or vote for this item.

To receive notification of any matters which the chair determines should be considered as urgent business and the special circumstances which have made the matters urgent.

There was no urgent business.

To receive any questions or statements from members of the public that have registered to speak. 

There were no registered speakers.

To consider the attached report on the recommendations and updates from other committees to Cabinet. 

Cabinet noted that Scrutiny Committee had reviewed The Beacon development plan and provided recommendations and feedback. Cabinet welcomed the comments and confirmed that officers would take these into account. 

To consider a report from the Head of Communities, including the comments made by Scrutiny Committee on the report.

Councillor Andy Crawford declared a registerable interest in this item as he was a member of Wantage Town Council. Councillor Crawford stood down from the committee during the consideration of this item and did not participate in the debate or vote.

The report was introduced by Cabinet Member for Community Health and Wellbeing who outlined that it provided a one-year review of the 18 to 24 month delivery plan. Significant progress had been made, focusing on growth and establishing a professional, community-engaged model. Key achievements included appointing senior officers, setting up governance structures, and forming project boards and community groups

The team had established strong national links with Arts Council England, the Heritage Lottery Fund, Oxfordshire County Council, and Historic England.

A trial collaboration with a voluntary organisation to open a café was underway. Increased footfall and successful autumn-winter programmes indicated strong demand. The focus was on translating this into financial returns and preparing for the 2025 capital investment plan.

Of the 22 actions in phase one, 19 had commenced, 10 were completed or embedded in business as usual, and most were on track for timely completion.

Decarbonisation at The Beacon was postponed due to local government reorganisation. Phase two of the transformation plan, to be presented in May, would outline the cultural, creative industries, and heritage strategy framework.

Cabinet welcomed the positive momentum at The Beacon, noting increased ticket sales and footfall. Members thanked all officers involved, highlighting that the transformation had exceeded expectations and was flourishing.

Key points raised included the importance of continuing progress and building on the success achieved so far. Cabinet also reflected on the vision for The Beacon, emphasising its role as an arts centre for the whole district. It was acknowledged that few arts centres in the UK are profitable, and the focus should be on the cost to deliver the service to the community.

RESOLVED: That Cabinet notes progress made in implementing The Beacon Development Action Plan (Appendix 1) to optimise operation of the in-house delivery model before any consideration is given to alternative operating models..

Councillor Crawford re-joined the meeting.

To consider a report from the Head of Finance

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Property presented the Q3 budget monitoring report, covering April to December 2024. The revenue budget was £22.7 million after moving funds to reserves. By December, there was a predicted service expenditure overspend of £891,000, but investment income was £1.7 million above budget, resulting in a positive overall position of £848,000.

Staffing costs and other areas contributed to the overspend, with additional posts and agency staff in corporate services, finance, and housing. Planning saw higher-than-expected income from large applications. The capital budget increased to £27.16 million, with £11.163 million spent by December.

Enquiries were made about the budget allocation for the Wantage Leisure Centre roof repairs, which was to be shared equally with Oxfordshire County Council. It was clarified that this funding was for the upcoming year, and an adjustment would be made to the current year's budget to reflect the shared funding.

Cabinet acknowledged the significant effort involved in managing the budget and praised officers for their diligence despite financial challenges.

A concern was raised about potential risks from global market turmoil, noting the benefit of higher-than-expected investment income. The Cabinet Member confirmed that the current turmoil would not impact the 2024-25 outturn but acknowledged the uncertainty for the current financial year, highlighting the volatility and unpredictability of the situation.

RESOLVED: That Cabinet note the contents of the report.

To consider a report from the Head of Housing and Environment.

The report was introduced by The Cabinet Member for Housing, Leisure Facilities and Community Buildings, outlining two significant pieces of work aimed at improving the quality and increasing the amount of affordable and social housing.

Efforts to support housing providers in promoting good management practices and decarbonising their stock to reduce running costs and carbon footprints were highlighted.

An updated action plan for 2025-26 was proposed, covering various areas such as the joint local plan, property management, and regulation of the private rental sector. A key focus was on purchasing new properties to reduce spending on temporary accommodation and to use some of this stock for general housing.

Members expressed their appreciation for the comprehensive work on the housing strategy, noting its cross-departmental efforts. They were positive about the progress in building the Council's own housing stock to address high levels of need in the district.

Enquiries were made about the identification of land parcels for housing development. It was confirmed that one parcel had received positive feedback and was being worked on, while another parcel was under investigation with a pre-application to be submitted in due course.

The discussion also highlighted the importance of monitoring existing social housing, most of which is not council-owned. Members appreciated the efforts to gather information on current housing conditions and retrofit plans, which improve residents' quality of life. Cabinet emphasised the significance of these ongoing efforts and the aspiration to increase council-owned housing stock.

RESOLVED:

a)    That Cabinet notes the latest progress against the Housing Delivery Strategy Action Plan 2024/25.

b)    That Cabinet reviews and adopts the proposed Action Plan for 2025/26.

To consider whether to exclude members of the press and public from the meeting for the following items of business under Section 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 as amended on the grounds that:

(i)     It is likely that there will be disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A, and

(ii)    the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

RESOLVED: to exclude members of the press and public from the meeting for the following item of business under Part 1 of Schedule 12A Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 and as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006 on the grounds that: i. it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act, and ii. the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

To consider a report from the Head of Development and Corporate Landlord.

Cabinet received the Future Development of Leisure Management Contract report from the Cabinet member for Housing, Leisure Facilities and Community Buildings.

Cabinet discussed the report and agreed to the officers’ recommendations.