To:                              Future Oxfordshire Partnership

(Formerly the Oxfordshire Growth Board)

 

Title of Report:        Future Oxfordshire Partnership Name Change Update

Date:                          30 November 2021

Report of:                 Stefan Robinson, Future Oxfordshire Partnership Manager  

Executive Summary and Purpose:
 As agreed on 19 July 2021, the Oxfordshire Growth Board has been renamed and rebranded as the Future Oxfordshire Partnership. This report provides an update on the steps that have been taken since that meeting to transition to the new name.
 
 How this report contributes to the Oxfordshire Strategic Vision Outcomes:
 It is important that the name under which the current Partnership operates remains compatible with the Strategic Vision for the county and suitably articulates its purpose. 
 
 Recommendation:
 That the Future Oxfordshire Partnership notes this report.

 

Introduction

 

1.     One of the recommendations emerging from the review of the Growth Board’s operating arrangements undertaken during 2019 was to consider a change of name, to better reflect the evolution of work since the Board was formed and named in 2014.[1]  Several respondents to the review felt that the name should be changed to better reflect the Board’s role and function, which is to coordinate local efforts to manage economic, housing and infrastructure development in a way that is inclusive and maximises local social and environmental benefits.[2] In light of this feedback, the Oxfordshire Growth Board agreed on 19 July 2021 to adopt a new name – the Future Oxfordshire Partnership. This report provides an update on the steps that have been taken since that meeting to transition to the new name.

 

Actions taken since 19 July 2021

 

2.    Since the name change was agreed, a task list has been developed to cover a range of actions that must be taken to ensure a smooth transition to the new name. Key actions within that list have been summarised below:

 

3.    New website: On 1 October 2021, the Future Oxfordshire Partnerships went live with its new website – www.FutureOxfordshirePartnership.org. The date of 1 October was intentional to coincide with the last week of the Oxfordshire Plan 2050 consultation, to limit any confusion that may have been caused by the name change during the live consultation period. The website has been updated throughout to ensure that all references to the Oxfordshire Growth Board have been changed where appropriate, and the covering page featured a news release drawing attention to the change. Any searches for the previous Oxfordshire Growth Board website now automatically redirected to the new website. The Oxfordshire Plan 2050 website has also been updated to reflect the new name.

 

4.    Governance and reporting: All governance documents, including the Partnership’s Terms of Reference, and that of its supporting bodies, have been updated, along with the public participation protocol. A wide range of templates (e.g agendas, minutes, reports, letter heads etc) have reflected the new name since August 2021 and will continue to do so.

 

5.    Communications: Each of the constituent councils have been notified of the name change through their Communications and Democratic Services teams. The former has been requested to provide an update concerning the name change to officers and councillors within their organisation, and the latter has been asked to update any relevant live webpages to reflect the change. The Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership has done the same. In September 2021, an update was provided to the Partnership’s Executive Officer Group concerning the name change, and officers noted that the new name had already gained traction and recognition within the Arc. The change has also been made clear to HM Government through a series of letters and the Arc Vision Consultation response, and where relevant, job titles have also been changed to reflect the name change.

 

6.    Logo: A new logo has been produced to reflect the name change, as featured in the header of this report, and in key governance documents, including the Oxfordshire Strategic Vision.  

 

7.    Contact details: All general enquiries should now be directed to futureoxfordshirepartnership@southandvale.gov.uk as should any public questions which are to be submitted to meetings of the Partnership. These details are reflected on the website and in published agendas, and any contacts made to the previous email address will be automatically redirected.

 

8.      Social Media: All social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram) have been updated with the new name and logo. We have managed to retain all existing followers through this transition. The four social media platforms were used extensively from mid-July to the end of the Oxfordshire Plan consultation period on 8th October, with only a very slight drop in engagement from 8th October, which is linked to the reduction in the number of posts following the closing of the Consultation. Social media pages have proved to be very effective and reached thousands of people across various demographics in Oxfordshire. Over a 3-month period to October 2021, 44,000 ‘impressions’ were made via twitter, with up to 400 impressions per day on LinkedIn. The Instagram page created during this period proved to be successful in engaging with harder to reach community and younger groups.

 

Conclusion

 

9.     The administrative process of the name change has now been completed. Those people who regularly or occasionally engage in the Partnership’s work are likely to now be aware of the change, either through formal or informal means. Time will be needed however for the new name to become embedded. Efforts will continue to be made through internal and external engagements by officers to raise awareness of the change.

 

 

Report Author: Stefan Robinson, Future Oxfordshire Partnership Manager
 Contact information: Stefan.robinson@southandvale.gov.uk

 



[1] Concluding report presented to the Growth Board in January 2020.

[2] Growth Board Terms of Reference, 2020.