Decisions

The chair, Councillor Emily Smith, had declared an interest in this item and left the meeting during its consideration.  Councillor Bethia Thomas, vice-chair, took the chair. 

Cabinet considered the report of the deputy chief executive – partnerships.  This outlined work undertaken to draft a new memorandum of understanding that would set out how local business rates were spent. 

The spending of the retained business rates in the Enterprise Zone area was the responsibility of the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership.  The money was spent on infrastructure projects in Oxfordshire but not necessarily in the area from which they were collected.  The aim was for the revised memorandum of understanding to confirm the prioritisation of business rates spending on projects in the Didcot Growth Accelerator Enterprise Zone (EZ2) or its surrounding area.  Officers would also propose projects that supported the council’s corporate objectives. 

Cabinet welcomed the council entering into a revised memorandum of understanding on this basis.  Cabinet also supported the council being formally confirmed as the accountable body, as the majority of the enterprise zone was within its district. 

RESOLVED:

(a)    that Vale of White Horse District council should enter into a new memorandum of understanding with the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership, South Oxfordshire District Council and Oxfordshire County Council, for the retention and distribution of business rates growth income from the Didcot Growth Accelerator Enterprise Zone, agreeing the roles of each party and specifically that Vale of White Horse District Council becomes sole Accountable Body; and

(b)    to authorise the deputy chief executive – partnerships, in consultation with the Cabinet member for strategic partnerships and place, to finalise terms of the new memorandum of understanding, including non-material amendments, and to enter into it. 

Cabinet considered the report of the head of development and corporate landlord.  This set out the annual review of the council’s car park fees and helped Cabinet to decide whether to change the fees for 2023/24.  This year Cabinet was not asked to review the charges for penalties, as the level of car park penalty charges was now set by legislation, which changed on 1 November 2022 when the council introduced civil parking enforcement. 

The car park policy, agreed by Cabinet in August 2022, included guidance from the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, which stated that council parking enforcement should be self-financing, and that the council should aim for its parking income to at least meet the cost of managing its car parks.  The report set out the current fees and permit prices, together with a comparison of fees in other neighbouring council’s car parks.  It also set out the cost of providing the car parks’ service, and projected income and expenditure over a five-year period. 

Based on the current usage and estimated income and expenditure, the report set out options to allow the car park account to at least ‘break even’ in the medium term.  The options for 2023/24 were to:

1.    make no change to the current car parking fees

2.    remove the one-hour free parking and charge a nominal amount of 50p

3.    extend Sunday parking charges to all car parks

4.    create premium rate parking spaces closest to major amenities

5.    introduce a flat fee of £1 for the period 6pm to 9pm

6.    introduce half price permits for zero-emission vehicles

7.    increase the cost of permits by 10 per cent (rounded), in line with inflation

8.    simplify the charging regime

9.    increase fees across the board by 10 per cent

The Cabinet member with responsibility for the council’s car parks service, recalled that last year Cabinet had reduced the free parking from two hours to one hour and increased all fees by 40 pence.  This had a marked impact on increasing car park income, putting the car park account in a better financial position, although overall the cost of running the car parks was still more than the income generated.  The report showed that there was an estimated deficit for 2022/23 of £259,186, and this deficit continued up to 2025/26.  Although none of the options set out in the report met the deficit, the Cabinet member would work with officers and Cabinet members in 2023 to review the council’s parking provision. 

Turning to the options, the Cabinet member recommended option 7, to increase the cost of parking permits by ten per cent.  Although there was an existing decision to increase residents’ permits by 10 per cent on 1 April 2023, this was for existing residents only, as the option of cheaper parking permits for residents was removed in 2020.  Option 7 was for all other parking permits to increase by ten per cent. 

For straight forward increases in fees or permits, these could be amended by displaying variation notices in the car parks and local newspapers, and if there were no delays to the implementation, officers aimed to arrange for the changes to be made from 1 April 2023.  If other changes were agreed involving anything other than increase in fees, this would involve a period of formal consultation and for Cabinet to consider any feedback, and therefore such changes would not be implemented until a least June 2023. 

Cabinet concurred with the Cabinet member’s recommendation to approved option 7: to increase all the cost of parking permits by ten per cent.  This could be done by displaying a variation notice.  The other options were rejected as they would either require a lengthy consultation or would inflict more financial pressure of local residents and small traders in town centres during the current cost-of-living crisis.  However, members welcomed further investigations into the possibility of introducing premium rates in future, by increasing fees in the car parks nearest to town centre facilities. 

RESOLVED: to

(a)       agree the car parking fees for the financial year 2023-24, including increasing the cost of permits by 10 per cent; 

(b)       authorise the head of legal and democratic to prepare a Notice of Variation under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 for publishing in the local newspaper and all affected car parks; and

(c)    authorise the head of development and corporate landlord to oversee necessary communications. 

Cabinet considered the head of policy and programmes’ report.  This reported that work had ended on the Oxfordshire Plan 2050.  The report also considered the implications for the Joint Local Plan and the Local Development Scheme. 

Cabinet recalled that in February 2018, the council had agreed to participate in developing a strategic plan with the other Oxfordshire authorities.  Later that year, Cabinet approved the timetable for an Oxfordshire plan.  However, during the summer 2022, the leaders of the five Oxfordshire local planning authorities announced that they were unable to reach agreement on the approach to planning for future housing needs and ended work on the Oxfordshire Plan 2050.  Instead, the councils agreed to tackle these issues through their own local plans, in the Vale’s case through a joint local plan with South Oxfordshire District Council, recognising the wider duty to co-operate. 

The report presented the next steps and sought approval of an amended timetable for the Joint Local Plan in an updated Local Development Scheme.  The report proposed that the timetable for progressing the Joint Local Plan to adoption stage should be extended by 11 months.  This would allow time to fill gaps in the evidence base and avoid holding public consultations during a pre-election period.  Recognising that the timetable might need to change again, the report sought delegated authority to make further updates. 

Cabinet noted the end of work on the Oxfordshire Plan 2050 and welcomed the revised Local Development Scheme and its amended timetable for the Joint Local Plan.  Cabinet agreed to add a further resolution to note that the Joint Local Plan was progressing well, recognising the wider duty to co-operate with other councils. 

RESOLVED: to

(a)       formally note the cessation of work on the Oxfordshire Plan 2050;

(b)       note that Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire councils have committed to develop a Joint Local Plan and work is progressing well to the delivery of that outcome, recognising the wider duty to co-operate;

(c)        approve the updated Joint Local Development Scheme (December 2022), attached at Appendix 1 to the head of policy and programmes’ report to Cabinet on 2 December 2022; and

(d)       authorise the head of policy and programmes, in consultation with the Cabinet member for corporate services and transformation, to make any updates to the Joint Local Development Scheme. 

The chair, Councillor Emily Smith, declared an interest in this item and left the meeting during its consideration.  Councillor Bethia Thomas, vice-chair, took the chair. 

Cabinet considered the head of policy and programmes’ report on the Oxfordshire Food Strategy.  Oxfordshire County Council had commissioned Good Food Oxfordshire to produce a food strategy.  Cabinet was asked to endorse the strategy and agree to develop a local action plan to implement it.  Funding would be available from the county council to help deliver the action plan. 

The strategy’s main aims were to ensure:

·        healthy and sustainable food was affordable and accessible to everyone

·        a sustainable food economy where local food businesses flourished

·        more locally produced, sustainable food was bought and consumed locally

·        that food production, consumption and waste had a less negative impact on the planet

The Cabinet member for healthy communities reported that the strategy largely reflected the council’s corporate priorities.  Joint Scrutiny Committee had welcomed it also.  However, the opportunity for the council to influence how the strategy was implemented was welcomed.  To this end, a local action plan would be developed and considered by Cabinet in 2023. 

Cabinet agreed, supporting the strategy and welcoming the opportunity to develop a local action plan.  This would allow the council to put its own identity on the implementation of the strategy. 

RESOLVED to:

(a)    endorse the Oxfordshire Food Strategy (Part One) principles and framework for delivery, attached at Appendix 1 to the head of policy and programmes’ report to Cabinet of 2 December 2022’; and

(b)    ask officers to work with relevant partners to develop a detailed local food strategy action plan (Part Two). 

Cabinet considered the head of finance’s report on the need to set the council tax base for 2023/24.  This was required to calculate the amount of taxable resources to allow Council to set its council tax in February 2023.  Oxfordshire County Council, Thames Valley Police and all parish councils within the district would also be informed of the tax base relevant to them. 

Cabinet noted that this year a new parish had been created, that of Harwell East, covering the part of Great Western Park within the Vale.  This had caused additional work; staff were thanked for this. 

RECOMMENDED to Council to:

(a)    approve the report of the head of finance for the calculation of the council’s tax base and the calculation of the tax base for each parish area for 2023/24;

(b)    agree that, in accordance with The Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) (England) Regulations 2012, the amount calculated by Vale of White Horse District Council as its council tax base for the year 2023/24 is 56,664.9; and

(c)    agree that, in accordance with The Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) (England) Regulations 2012, the amount calculated by Vale of White Horse District Council as the council tax base for the year 2023/24 for each parish be the amount shown against the name of that parish in Appendix A of the report of the head of finance to Cabinet on 2 December 2022. 

Cabinet considered the head of corporate services’ report on a proposal to adopt a diversity and inclusion strategy.  The Corporate Plan included an aspiration for the council to work in an open and inclusive way.  The council had also approved a motion relating to diversity and inclusion, and had published a diversity and social campaign calendar on its website.  The diversity and inclusion strategy continued this work. 

Cabinet noted that the Joint Scrutiny Committee had welcomed the strategy and had suggested improvements.  The public consultation response had been strong also.  Suggestions had been taken into account in the strategy presented to Cabinet. 

The Cabinet member for community engagement reported that it was important for the council to increase inclusivity and make the council’s services easier to access.   The strategy had been developed to do this by creating an environment where everybody felt that they belonged, that their voice would be heard, and their differences recognised and accepted.  The strategy would drive improvements in the council’s services to make it easier for everyone to use them. 

Cabinet welcomed the strategy, noting that an action plan would be developed to implement it.  It was important to review service provision to ensure that services were easily accessible by everyone. 

RESOLVED to:

(a)    note the consultation responses received, including comments from Joint Scrutiny Committee; and

(b)    adopt the Joint Diversity and Inclusion Strategy for South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils, as set out at Appendix 1 to the head of corporate services’ report to Cabinet on 2 December 2022. 

To approve arrangements for the allocation and distribution of a Council

Tax Exceptional Hardship Fund designed and set up in response to the

ongoing cost of living crisis.

This ICMD specifically requests approval for the following:

 To utilise £35,000 of Contain Outbreak Management Funding

(COMF) and £35,000 matched funding from Oxfordshire County

Council, to set up a Council Tax Exceptional Hardship Fund for

residents for financial years 2022/2023 and 2023/2024

 to accept aforementioned funding from Oxfordshire County Council

and enter into the corresponding funding agreement with

Oxfordshire County Council.

 to agree the Council Tax Exceptional Hardship Fund Policy as

detailed in appendix A.

 to delegate the authority to review and amend this policy and any

future policies pertaining to the Council Tax Exceptional Hardship

Fund to the Head of Finance & S151 officer.