Strategic Context
The Met Office announced that 2023 was the second warmest year on record for the UK – the warmest was 2022 – in a series stretching back to 1884. The mean temperature was just below 10°C. (The ten warmest years in the UK have all occurred since 2003).
Eight of the 12 months of 2023 were warmer than average for the UK. June and September were particularly warm compared to the average. It was the hottest June on record for the UK by a wide margin (the mean temperature of 15.8°C beat the previous joint record set in 1940 and 1976 by 0.9°C), and the joint-hottest September (with a mean temperature of 15.2°C, 2.2°C higher than the usual temperature).
The Copernicus Climate Change Service have confirmed that 2023 was the warmest year on record globally (in as series going back to 1850) with an average temperature of 14.98°C - this beat the previous record set in 2016 by 0.17°C. Every month from June to December was warmer than the corresponding month in any previous year – and July and August were the warmest two months on record. 2023 was also the first time on record that every day within a year exceeded 1°C above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial level for that time of year.
The Met Office’s global outlook for 2024 suggests that it could be another record breaker, with experts forecasting that the average temperature could be between 1.34°C and 1.58°C above the average for the pre-industrial period– this is the first time that values of 1.5°C or above cannot be
ruled out. It would also be the eleventh year in succession that temperatures will have reached at least 1.0°C above pre-industrial levels.
From 30 November to 13 December, COP28 was held in the UAE. At the summit, agreement was reached on the need to transition away from energy fossil fuels in energy systems. The agreement does not, however, compel countries to take action, nor does it specify a timescale for this change to occur.
During Quarter 3 of 2023/24, the global economic situation remained unsettled. While many of the immediate pressures that had driven inflation have eased, challenges, such as higher borrowing costs and elevated debt levels, remain. Furthermore, with the continuation of fighting in Ukraine and the potential risk of a protracted conflict in the Middle East, there is the potential for further economic shocks and disruption throughout 2024.
The UK’s rate of inflation was 4.0 per cent in the 12 months to December 2023 – an increase of 0.1 per cent on the figure for November (inflation peaked at 11.1 per cent in October 2022 – the highest rate since 1981). The increase in the rate of inflation in December was mainly driven by rises in the rate of inflation for alcohol and tobacco. This was, nevertheless, partially offset by the continued slowing of the rate of inflation for food and non-alcoholic beverages.
The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted to keep interest rates at 5.25 per cent at their meetings in November and December. While this marked the third consecutive time that the MPC has held the interest rate, it follows a sustained series of rises which have increased borrowing costs to their highest levels since 2008. The Committee have also made clear that monetary policy (interest
rates) is likely to need to be restrictive for an extended period of time.
In
the three months to November 2023, economic growth was estimated to
have fallen by 0.2 per cent. Analysts suggest that this weakening
in economic output has been driven by inflationary pressures and
the tightening of monetary policy. Furthermore, the consensus of
forecasts for the year ahead suggest that the economy will continue
to see low/anaemic growth – a persistent and long-standing
issue that has afflicted the UK since the financial crisis of
2008.
NHS figures show that 7.6 million people were waiting for planned NHS treatment in November. While this marks the second monthly fall in figures, waiting lists still remain near record highs. The pandemic, increased/sustained demand, staff vacancies and industrial action have all been cited as major contributory factors towards this backlog.
During October, HM Government announced that recycling in England will be standardised from 2026. All homes, businesses and schools will recycle the same materials and there will also be a once-a-week minimum requirement for food waste collection.
At the end of October, HM Government’s Levelling Up and Regeneration Act became law. It is intended to speed up the planning system, hold developers to account, cut bureaucracy, and encourage more councils to put in place plans to enable the building of new homes.
HM Government’s Energy Act 2023 also received Royal Assent in October. The aim of the Act is to transform the UK’s energy system by strengthening energy security, supporting the delivery of net zero and ensuring household bills are affordable in the long-term.
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In early November, the King’s Speech set out HM Government’s priorities for the new parliamentary session.
Towards the end of November, the Chancellor of the Exchequer unveiled HM Government’s Autumn Statement. The stated priorities for the package of measures introduced were reducing debt, cutting taxes, rewarding hard work and backing British businesses.
In December, the Department for Levelling Up, Communities, Housing and Local Government published the Local Government Finance Policy Statement 2024-25. This set out HM Government’s intentions for local government finance for the coming year. Under these proposals, the council tax referendum principles for shire district councils will be set at up to 3.0 per cent or £5 – whichever is higher. Within the Policy Statement, HM Government also reiterated that they do not believe that this is the right time to introduce any fundamental reforms to the local government finance landscape.
Oxford City Council published the first draft of its Oxford Local Plan 2040. While this has identified the need for 26,400 more homes in Oxford by 2040, the City Council have only identified where 9,612 of these will be built. Concerns have been raised that this could push more homes into the surrounding districts.
In November, the ONS released their latest mid-year population estimates. This suggested that, as of June 2022, 142,116 people lived in Vale of White Horse (an increase of 1.9 per cent from June 2021.
Q3 Performance
Highlights
Key Activity in Q3
As part of the Vale’s commitment to help deliver more affordable homes, the council continued to have conversations with a range of landowners and promoters to progress housing and residential-led, mixed-use schemes. In some cases, this activity is a prelude to the work being undertaken around the Joint Local Plan. Close liaison was also maintained with Oxfordshire County Council's highways and strategic planning teams.
An updated policy on how Section 106 funds can be used to support the delivery of new affordable housing went live in Q3. This is designed to make it easier for those who wish to develop and deliver affordable homes to access funds. The council has publicised this revised policy through its media channels and by direct contact with the major housing associations operating within the district.
Officers have also reviewed whether existing clauses within the council’s Section 106 agreements are increasing the risk that registered housing providers are not developing new affordable housing within
the Vale. Following this assessment, changes have been made to the relevant sections.
A cross-departmental team has continued to work on developing the various housing schemes to support people from Afghanistan and Ukraine. These activities included the signing of a lease for 24 properties from the MOD and continued work to purchase homes under HM Government’s Local Authority Housing Fund scheme. The council has also signed an 18-month contract with Soha Housing to provide repairs, maintenance and tenancy support for council-controlled properties.
The first families supported by the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) housing scheme moved into settled accommodation during Q3. As a consequence, most ARAP households in the Vale have been relocated from hotels into new homes while they find somewhere permanent to live.
Officers finalised the pre-application documentation for new mobile home berths
at Pebble Hill. It is now ready for submission.
The council wants to adopt a policy framework that ensures that homes can be delivered in a way that supports the environment and people living healthy lives. To help achieve this, significant progress has continued to be made on the development of the Joint Local Plan. Activities included:
- The Planning Policy team taking the Joint Local Plan Preferred Options through Cabinet and to the Joint Scrutiny Committee. The draft preferred options and policies will be consulted upon at the start of Q4.
- An All-Councillor Roundtable meeting on net zero carbon. This set out the council’s recommended approach for new ambitious policies in the Joint Local Plan.
- Bioregional (the council’s net zero carbon consultants) completing tasks 1-5 of their commission and preparing a report for publication – this is scheduled for release in Q4.
The Didcot Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan was formally approved by the Vale, South Oxfordshire and Oxfordshire County Council. It outlines a variety of schemes to improve the overall active travel network within Didcot and the surrounding areas.
Key Activity in Q3
During Q3 2023/24, the Vale appointed project management consultants to assist in the delivery of decarbonisation works at the Wantage Leisure Centre and the White Horse Leisure and Tennis Centre.
The Planning Policy team continued to make progress on the development of the Joint Local Plan. Significant work was undertaken in creating/preparing the draft preferred options and policies – including objectives and proposals relevant to sustainable growth and the environment – ready for consultation at the beginning of Q4. As part of this work, the Planning Policy team took the Joint Local Plan Preferred Options through Cabinet and to the Joint Scrutiny Committee. Bioregional (the council’s net zero carbon consultants) also completed tasks 1-5 of their commission and prepared a report for publication – this is scheduled for release in Q4. In addition, an All-Councillor Roundtable meeting was held on net zero carbon. This set out the council’s recommended approach for new ambitious policies in the Joint Local Plan.
The Vale remains involved in shaping and participating in county-wide initiatives through the Future Oxfordshire Partnership (FOP). In this forum, officers and members continue to work for the realisation of the Good Growth Principles in the Oxfordshire Strategic Vision. During Q3 2023/24, each of FOP’s advisory groups made progress with setting their forward work programmes. These will include activities and items on affordable housing, energy planning and the updating of the Oxfordshire Infrastructure Strategy (OxIS).
The council initiated a review of the meadow trials initiated during 2023. This will analyse the new areas of meadow created on council-owned land and determine whether these have been successful. The review will make recommendations about which of these locations should be retained and managed as meadows. It will also make suggestions for potential new sites for 2024.
In November, the climate team organised a thermal imaging camera training session for community groups and town/parish councils. This covered not just how to use the camera but also how to interpret the images. The Vale have also offered all our town and parish councils the option of borrowing such a device.
Town/parish councils, community groups and businesses were invited during Q3 to apply for funds from the Rural England Prosperity Fund to support a range of climate actions – including retrofitting community buildings, renewable energy schemes, EV charging infrastructure and nature recovery projects. Awards will be made in Q4.
Work continued on the
research study (being undertaken by Oxford Brookes) on
understanding the net zero challenge for SMEs in South Oxfordshire
and Vale of White Horse. The results of this exercise will help to
improve the council’s insight regarding the barriers
experienced by local businesses in the journey to net zero and what
support could potentially be offered to help them achieve their
decarbonisation goals. A final report is due in March 2024
and
will help to inform the Vale’s use of UK Shared Prosperity
Funding (UKSPF).
The Vale’s new Air Quality Plan was agreed to by the council’s partners. It is now scheduled to be reviewed by Cabinet in January and by the Licensing Committee in February.
During Q3, the Vale’s ‘Check it before you chuck it’ campaign continued. This aims to help cut down on recycling contamination by encouraging residents to verify whether things can go in their recycling bins. The campaign webpage has so far received over 10,200 visits. The council also promoted Recycle Week. This highlighted how different items can be recycled with the council and/or locally.
In the weeks before Christmas, the Vale – alongside its traditional seasonal waste messaging – ran a social media campaign encouraging people to ‘cut your festive food waste.’
Officers promoted the Community Action Groups (CAG) Oxfordshire/International Tree Foundation’s Garden Tree Giveaway. This scheme distributes thousands of free trees to households across the county with the ambition of increasing tree coverage.
Key Activity in Q3
The council recorded one rough sleeper at the end of Q3 2023/24 – a decrease of three on the previous quarter. The very low levels of rough sleeping in the district reflects the success of the council’s preventative approach.
The number of homeless households in temporary accommodation (TA) on 31 December 2023 was 21 – a slight decrease on the previous quarter despite the increasing pressures on the service. The council is forecasting that there will be a record number of approaches for homelessness assistance this year caused by multiple factors including the cost-of-living crisis and the decline in availability of affordable private rented properties.
The rolling six-month average length of stay in emergency accommodation was 42 nights, matching exactly the council’s ceiling target.
The rate of successful homelessness prevention in the Vale was 67.0 per cent. This was below the very challenging target of 80.0 per cent, but remains significantly above the South East prevention rate of 53.0 per cent. The most likely outcome for
households where homelessness is not prevented is a stay in emergency or temporary accommodation which is both disruptive for the household and expensive for the council.
As part of the Vale’s commitment to safeguarding and supporting the district’s vulnerable residents the council continues to work closely with partners across Oxfordshire to tackle homelessness and is an active member of the countywide Homelessness Steering Group, the Young Persons Steering Group and the Homelessness Directors Group. Progress is currently being made on the Countywide Homelessness Strategy Action Plan to tackle single person homelessness in Oxfordshire.
The Community Hub has continued to work with communities across the district in response to the cost-of-living crisis (particularly in relation to food initiatives and the provision of support for those in most need).
During Q3, the Community Hub launched the Household Support Fund 4 grants. These will enable organisations to refer residents for financial support to help those struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. They also started a Food and Warmth Grant Scheme for voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations.
The Partnership Grant Panel met to review applications that had been submitted to the Partnership Grant Scheme (which will offer up to five years of funding to information and advice services within the district). Recommendations were made to the Leader of the Council with award decisions scheduled to be made in Q4.
With the aim of building strong communities and connections with a sense of place, the Planning Policy team have continued to make progress on the development of the Joint Local Plan. Significant work was undertaken in creating/preparing the draft preferred options and policies ready for consultation at the beginning of Q4. (The emerging policy framework being created through the development of the Joint Local Plan will cover issues specifically relating to infrastructure and the location of homes/jobs. In addition, the emerging Local Plan’s spatial strategy will provide the council with a new land use approach).
The council remains involved in shaping and participating in county-wide initiatives through the Future Oxfordshire Partnership. In this forum, officers and members continue to work for the realisation of the Good Growth Principles in the Oxfordshire Strategic Vision.
With the intention of promoting healthy place shaping and active communities, the Vale formally approved the Didcot Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan. This document outlines a variety of schemes to improve the overall active travel network within Didcot and the surrounding areas.
The Vale continued to collaborate with Active Oxfordshire to improve the health and wellbeing of the district’s residents – especially those in the most deprived areas. The council now has 1,438 people signed up to the ‘You Move’ project (aimed at families with children and in receipt of benefits). It also has 1,253 people enrolled on the ‘Move Together’ project (designed to help people with long-term health conditions become more active).
Several refurbished bikes are now waiting to be collected by their new owners as part of the council’s Ride Revolution project. Further, a steady stream of bikes are still being donated.
Active Communities continued to work with colleagues from the Climate and Property teams to establish a procedure and progress a licence for community groups to use green spaces for community gardens. During Q3, policies and agreements have been drafted to simplify the process for local groups wishing to plant on council-owned land.
The Vale’s new Air Quality Plan was agreed to by the council’s partners. It is now scheduled to be reviewed by Cabinet in January and by the Licensing Committee in February.
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Key Activity in Q3
With the aim of managing the council’s resources responsibly and making more effective use of its assets, the Vale continued with its budget setting activity for 2024/25. Both officer-led and member-led budget challenge exercises were held on selected areas of activity. These reviewed and assessed the council’s income budgets.
Draft versions of the Arts Centre Review paper were circulated to officers. The formal publication of the paper has, however, been delayed to Q4 due to the complexities of the issues being considered.
Innovate UK - Net Zero Fast Followers - offered funding for a bid submitted in February 2023. The council is liaising with Innovate UK around the details of the funding offer, which could include a training programme to support journey to net zero carbon and a research project for nature-based solutions to carbon offsetting.
Also, in Q3, the Vale (in conjunction with South Oxfordshire) was awarded £89,050 from the Planning Skills Delivery Fund. This will be used to provide online and in-person training to upskill the existing Planning and Planning Policy teams.
In addition, work has been undertaken on a proposal to Innovate UK for a research project to trial electric refuse collection vehicle for recycling and household waste. This application is scheduled for submission in Q4.
Progress has also been made on a bid to fund an astroturf football pitch at Faringdon Leisure Centre.
Key Activity in Q3
Work continued on the research study (being undertaken by Oxford Brookes) on understanding the net zero challenge for SMEs in South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse. The results of this exercise will help to improve the council’s insight regarding the barriers experienced by local businesses in the journey to net zero and what support could potentially be offered to help them achieve their decarbonisation goals. A final report is due in March 2024 and will help to inform the Vale’s use of UK Shared Prosperity Funding (UKSPF).
TSE Research completed the initial stages of their visitor economy research project. A baseline report has been presented to officers and is available on request.
Economic Development ran an application scheme for round one of the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) grants programme. 14 applications were received from organisations within the Vale. These are now being assessed and are scheduled to be reviewed by a grant panel in Q4.
Officers from Economic Development continued to assist in the development of the draft Employment Land Needs
Assessment for the Joint Local Plan. This work will help to ensure that the assessment and resulting draft policies are relevant to the needs/requirements of the area’s business community.
As part of the Vale’s efforts to support residents and organisations to effect and drive change in the community, the council continued its pilot project on a simpler approach to neighbourhood planning. Officers met regularly with the pilot groups, providing one-to-one support. They also brought them together to collaborate and share experiences.
The Community Hub has continued to work with communities across the district in response to the cost-of-living crisis (particularly in relation to food initiatives and the provision of support for those in most need).
During Q3, the Community Hub launched the Household Support Fund 4 grants.
These will enable organisations to refer residents for financial support to help those struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. They also started a Food and Warmth Grant Scheme for voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations.
The Partnership Grant Panel met to review applications that had been submitted to the Partnership Grant Scheme (which will offer up to five years of funding to information and advice services within the district). Recommendations were made to the Leader of the Council with award decisions scheduled to be made in Q4.
The council continued to support the White Horse Community Lottery Scheme. Throughout the quarter, 11,962 lottery tickets were sold generating an annual estimated income of £29,920 for the voluntary sector.
14 organisations were awarded grants, totalling £56,756, from the Vale Climate Action Fund.
With the intention of progressing the Vale’s goal of working in partnership to influence and shape regional and national agendas, Economic Development have maintained their connection to the working group overseeing the development of the emerging Strategic Economic Plan for Oxfordshire. Officers have represented the council at meetings and workshops with the purpose of ensuring that the Plan continues to align with the Vale’s objectives.
The Vale continues to be a member of OxLEP’s steering group for development of the Oxfordshire Destination Management Plan – with the intention of ensuring that the steering group’s work complements the council’s own visitor economy strategy.
The Vale also remains involved in shaping and participating in county-wide initiatives through the Future Oxfordshire Partnership (FOP). In this forum, officers and members continue to work for the realisation of the Good Growth Principles in the Oxfordshire Strategic Vision. During Q3 2023/24, each of FOP’s advisory groups made progress with setting their forward work programmes. These will include activities and items on affordable housing, energy planning and the updating of the Oxfordshire Infrastructure Strategy (OxIS).
The council has supported the development of local action plans related to the Oxfordshire Food Strategy. Officers from Economic Development have also led conversations within the Food Action Working Group regarding proposed mapping, marketing and business development activities linked to the Oxfordshire Food Strategy Action Plan.
Officers continued to contribute to the Oxfordshire Asylum Support system. The council takes a strong partnership approach to both ‘Moving On’ accommodation and the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Programme (ARAP). The Vale is currently working with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the Home Office to deliver transitional accommodation for the ARAP residents following the closure of bridging hotels and is now providing housing and community integration support for over 20 Afghan families in MoD housing. Officers from the council have also contributed to discussions at the South East Migration Partnership aimed at coordinating approaches with the Home Office across the asylum system. In addition, the Vale has submitted responses to HM Government consultations on asylum system capacity.
Key Activity in Q3
As part of the council’s commitment to working openly and transparently, the Vale continues to increase the amount of information that it provides through the data hub section of its website. During Q3 2023/24, the performance management report for Q2 2023/24 was published on the Vale’s website. This is intended to increase the public’s understanding of what the council does, how it works and how decisions are made.
The Annual Consultation and Engagement Report for 2022/23 was considered by the Scrutiny Committee – it was received positively be Members.
To fulfil the Vale’s ambition to improve its use of technology to increase understanding and access to what it does, it continued to livestream all public meetings (except for the Full Council – due to logistical/IT issues) during Q3. These recordings will remain available on the Vale’s YouTube channel for a year.
Officers introduced ‘Join the Conversation’, the council’s new consultation and engagement platform. This should make it
easier for residents to contribute and have their say.
The Communications team trialled several social media management systems,
assessing them for potential adoption. They are also continuing to explore opportunities offered by newer social media channels.
The Vale continued to develop proposals for utilising the Customer Relationship Management System (CRM) to automate resident’s reports of enviro-crimes e.g., fly tipping. This has involved close collaboration between Customer Services, IT and Waste teams.
A report on an improved approach to garden waste customer contact and payments was completed in Q3. This is now scheduled for consideration by Joint Scrutiny and the Cabinet.
In order to increase meaningful engagement with everyone, the Vale raised awareness of the upcoming Joint Local Plan Preferred Options consultation (scheduled to launch in Q4). As part of our communications
campaign, town and parish councils were contacted directly to ensure that they were fully informed in advance. Furthermore, the Vale has also been working with youth groups to increase the involvement of young people in the consultation process.
In November, the Climate team held an online town and parish forum on retrofitting domestic properties to improve their energy efficiency. Information was also given about the support that the county and district councils can offer on this topic.
Also, in Q3, officers from Planning Policy delivered a virtual presentation and Q&A session on neighbourhood planning for town and parish councils. This provided attendees with an opportunity to explore the value of neighbourhood planning and to discover what support is available. The event was attended by representatives from 11 parish councils and was recorded and published on the Vale’s website.
With the intention of delivering on the Vale’s commitment to increasing accountability and strengthening its governance framework, work has continued on reviewing the council’s Constitution.
