Agenda item

To consider a report to the Future Oxfordshire Partnership setting out the Quarter 3 2023/2024 progress report for the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal. 

The Scrutiny Panel considered a report to the Future Oxfordshire Partnership which set out progress and spend for schemes included as part of the Housing and Growth Deal as at the end of Quarter Three, 2023/2024. Kathy Wilcox, Head of Financial Strategy at Oxfordshire County Council and Valerie Lambrechts, Infrastructure Portfolio Manager introduced the report and highlighted that:

·           As of December 2023, total Housing from Infrastructure, (HfI) spend for the 2023/2024 financial year was £14.3m up from £9.2m at the previous quarter.

·           Considering the commencement of several key projects, current programme forecast spend of £21m by the end of the financial year.

·           A total of £54m needed to be spent by end of the 2024/2025 financial year in light of the criteria agreed by Oxfordshire County Council and Homes England. At the end of 2024/2025 only £1.5m of any outstanding funding could be retained for safety audits and correction of defects only.

·           As of Quarter Three, the HfI Programme was forecast to be over profiled by £1.6m to ensure maximised use of funding, but it was expected that this indicator would return to balance by the end of the programme in 2024/2025.

·           As of Quarter Three 2023/2024, £100,000 had been spent against the Housing and Growth Deal Capacity balance of £1.3m at the end of 2022/2023. It was expected that approximately 50% of the outstanding budget would be committed towards the Oxfordshire Infrastructure Strategy, staffing costs and the Net Zero Route Map and Action Plan, (NZRMAP). Plans for the remaining balance were to be determined.

·           Of the budget originally allocated to the Lodge Hill project in Abingdon, some £4m had been returned into the programme budget and then redistributed across other programme projects including the Tramway project in Banbury and the Banbury Road Roundabout project in Bicester. This was because of the successful bid for Brownfield Infrastructure Funding.

·           If any further changes in the Housing from Infrastructure Programme were required these would be consulted upon and discussed with affected district councils in advance.

In discussion, Councillor Andy Cooke expressed concern regarding the ongoing urgent need for funding and the completion of the Milton Enterprise Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge scheme on safety grounds. Officers reiterated that HfI funding had been withdrawn from the project because it was not considered deliverable by the end of 2024/2025 but responded that alternative funding for the project continued to be sought.

Councillor John Broad referred to the Howes Lane project in Bicester and his frustration that although the Howes Lane tunnel project had been delivered, the project to realign the Howes Lane/Lords Lane Road had not. As a result, delivery of homes from major developments was being held up.

Members of the Panel were reminded that they could enquire as to the status of any scheme in the HfI programme via the appropriate officers within their own councils.

The Chair suggested that the Panel could express its concern and feedback to the Partnership that alternative sources of funding should be found for the outstanding unfunded HfI projects as they continued to be important.

In response to a question, Andrew Down commented that there was not a specific time limit on the use of the remaining Capacity Fund to support projects. Regarding OxIS, a consultancy brief had been agreed and a procurement exercise was due to begin. Of the remaining budget, most of it was committed to the NZRMAP and that a plan for the use of remaining funds would be brought to the Future Oxfordshire Partnership in the summer.

RESOLVED:

1)     That the update to the Future Oxfordshire Partnership be noted

2)     Whilst acknowledging the pressures on the Home from Infrastructure Programme funding because of inflation and need to re-prioritise the schemes within it, Panel members reiterated previously expressed significant concerns around several road improvement schemes across the county where HfI funding had been withdrawn in 2023 but which were still felt to be valuable and urgently required. Alternative sources of funding were urgently needed for these projects.