For information: To receive updates from other partnerships supporting the delivery of the Oxfordshire Strategic Vision.
Minutes:
Oxford to Cambridge Arc Universities Group
Professor Alistair Fitt updated the meeting on the recent meetings, events and activities of the Arc Universities Group. He highlighted that an emerging theme was the level of coherence and vigour between organisations across the geography of the Arc including England’s Economic Heartland, East West Rail, the Pan Regional Partnership, the Super Cluster Board, and the Arc Universities Group in seeking to move forward together. This was compatible with the understanding that the current government preferred working with the organisations collectively than as individual organisations.
Professor Fitt commented that government funding for the Pan Regional Partnership was currently due to end in the relative short term, but the next stage in his view would be for the five organisations listed to decide how their shared objectives could be taken forward together. The Chair referred to the overlap between the various bodies and the need to work together to produce the best results.
England’s Economic Heartland
Councillor Liz Leffman provided an update on recent England’s Economic Heartland, (EEH) meetings. It was highlighted that:
· England’s Economic Heartland was a regional level body, but lots of its activities and areas of focus were linked to matters linked to Oxfordshire.
· Improvements to bus travel – following a bus symposium the EEH had undertaken further work about different delivery models including the feasibility of bringing buses into public ownership or establishing a different type of relationship with bus operators. This was work which the Partnership and Oxfordshire County Council could make full use of relating to improvements to services in rural locations.
· Mobility Hubs – work sponsored by EEH on how rail transport, Active Travel, bus transport etc could be brought together to offer alternatives to car use.
· Exploring the links between mobility hub work by EEH and East West Rail Door to Door Connectivity Strategy.
· Improvements to rail connectivity – a pilot service linking Oxford, Swindon and Bristol was due to start in September 2024. As this route intersected the area of the county known as the ‘Science Vale’ it was hoped that the opening of the route might help with other ongoing feasibility work to look at developing a station at Grove, the Cowley Branch Line and provision of mobility hubs. It was also hoped that eventually connectivity would be improved across the entire Oxford to Cambridge geography building on East West Rail.
· North Cotswold Line – this was now included within EEH’s considerations to see how that line might be developed.
In discussion, members of the Partnership commented that it was encouraging to hear of the work being done to improve rail connectivity, enhanced rail, and mobility hubs.
Local Nature Partnership
Councillor David Rouane provided an update on the Oxfordshire Local Nature Partnership. He highlighted that a key area of focus and consideration was the ongoing work being led by Oxfordshire County Council to develop a Local Nature Recovery Strategy. Partnership members were asked to do all they could to promote the public consultation on the draft strategy which was due to close at the end of March.
UKREiiF
The Chair referred to the UK Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum which was due to take place 21-23 May. The forum was a government sponsored event which several bodies connected to the Future Oxfordshire Partnership would be attending. It was expected that issues such as electricity grid constraints would be raised along with sessions on green finance and the placing of nature at the centre of master planning.