Agenda item

Cabinet, at its meeting on 9 February 2018, will consider a report and recommend Council on whether to approve the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal.  If approved by the constituent authorities, delivery of the Deal will be overseen by the Oxfordshire Growth Board.  The Growth Board is a statutory joint committee of the six Oxfordshire local authorities, the Local Enterprise Partnership and key strategic partners. 

The Deal, as announced by Government in November 2017, provides £215 million of additional government funding for Oxfordshire, to deliver the key infrastructure required to underpin proposed housing development, and additional funds to increase the supply of affordable housing.  This funding is comprised of £150 million for infrastructure, £60 million for affordable housing and £5 million capacity funding. 

The additional funding will support Oxfordshire’s ambition to plan for and support the delivery of up to 100,000 new homes across Oxfordshire between 2011 and 2031 to address the county’s housing shortage and expected economic growth.  This level of housing growth is that identified by the Oxfordshire Strategic Housing Market Assessment 2014, and is consistent with that planned for in existing and emerging Oxfordshire Local Plans. 

The Deal also includes a proposed package of planning “freedoms and flexibilities” to help Oxfordshire to plan collectively for the long-term, sustainable development of the county by offering some protection from the risk of unplanned speculative development for the duration of development of a joint spatial plan and early years of its implementation. 

If approved by all constituent authorities, confirmation, in writing, will go to the Secretary of State along with submission of the agreed Delivery Plan.

The Deal brings with it additional funds for Oxfordshire.  It is proposed that Oxfordshire County Council acts as the Accountable Body for the deal and provides relevant reports to the Growth Board on a quarterly basis.

Following decisions from Government expected on 5 and 7 February, the Housing and Growth Deal Delivery Plan as well as a full report for the Cabinet meeting will be published and circulated to all councillors.

Cabinet’s recommendations will be circulated to all councillors prior to the Council meeting.

A.   Question from Councillor Debby Hallett to Councillor Matthew Barber, Leader of the council

“Can the leader please provide a simple list of the explicit benefits to Vale in this Growth Deal, and the explicit costs to Vale (or expectations from Government on Vale)?  We are not (yet) a unitary authority, and therefore we are making decisions for the Vale, as opposed to Oxfordshire County in general.  I think it’s important that members know exactly what’s promised to Vale, and what’s expected from Vale, before we vote on this deal.” 

Council considered Cabinet’s recommendations, made at its meeting on 9 February 2018, on a Housing and Growth Deal for Oxfordshire.    

Council agreed to suspend Council procedure rule 45 insofar as it limits councillors to speaking once.

The majority of councillors supported the Deal. In return for supporting the development of up to 100,000 new homes (the majority of which were included in existing local plans) the Deal would provide much needed funding for infrastructure and affordable housing across Oxfordshire, benefitting residents of the Vale and provide planning freedoms with the application of a three year, rather than the current five-year, housing land supply. Without the Deal the houses would still be required but without the infrastructure funding and support for affordable housing. Councillors noted the conditions recommended by Cabinet, set out in appendix 4 of the report, which outlined matters for clarification and matters which are not negotiable for Vale of White Horse District Council.

Whilst welcoming the funding, some councillors noted that the infrastructure funding would not address the current shortfall in funding.

A number of councillors expressed concern regarding the Deal. The infrastructure funding is insufficient, only addresses roads and there are no details of where the affordable housing would be provided. Others expressed concern regarding the governance arrangements – public consultation was lacking, the Oxfordshire Growth Board lacked transparency and there had been no opportunity to scrutinise the proposed Deal and the decision making process. Scrutiny needed to improve going forward. Others questioned the ability of the Oxfordshire local authorities to work together and whether sufficient resources would be made available to deliver the project.

RESOLVED:  to

1.    agree to the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal (the Deal) (attached as Appendix 1 to the report of the head of partnership and insight to Cabinet on 9 February 2018);

2.    agree the Delivery Plan (attached as Appendix 2 to the report of the head of partnership and insight to Cabinet on 9 February 2018) as the basis for the Deal; noting that elements will be updated as detailed work programmes develop;

3.    delegate authority to the chief executive, in consultation with the leader and the Growth Board, to make minor changes to the Delivery Plan that may be required to secure agreement with Government;

4.    delegate authority to the chief executive, in consultation with the Growth Board, to make non-minor changes to the Delivery Plan that may be required to secure agreement with Government, subject to the agreement of the Cabinet;

5.    delegate authority to the chief executive, in consultation with the Growth Board, to agree the Year 1 affordable housing delivery programme, phasing and processes specified in the Delivery Plan, subject to the agreement of the Cabinet;

6.    appoint Oxfordshire County Council as the accountable body in respect of the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal;

7.    delegate authority to the chief executive, in consultation with the Growth Board, to review the terms of reference of the Growth Board and agree any amendments and any appropriate inter-authority agreements required to support the delivery of the Housing and Growth Deal, subject to the agreement of the Cabinet;

8.    agree that the Cabinet will take any other executive decisions arising from agreement to the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal, until the revised terms of reference of the Growth Board are in place;

9.    agree to participate in the preparation of a Joint Statutory Spatial Plan (JSSP) for Oxfordshire in accordance with the timescales set out in the Delivery Plan and in accordance with Section 28 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, the milestones for progressing the JSSP being contingent on Government delivering the Planning Freedoms and Flexibilities as described in the Delivery Plan; and

10. agree that commencement of work to support and deliver the JSSP is subject to Cabinet being satisfied that the conditions set out at Appendix 4 of the report of the head of partnership and insight to Cabinet on 9 February 2018 have been met.