Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence. 

An apology for absence was received from Councillor Jerry Patterson (Vice-Chair). 

To adopt and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Executive held on 6 February 2009, (previously circulated). 

The minutes of the Executive meeting held on 6 February 2009 were adopted and signed as a correct record.  

To receive any declarations of Personal or Personal and Prejudicial Interests in respect of items on the agenda for this meeting. 

Any Member with a personal interest or a personal and prejudicial interest in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Conduct, in any matter to be considered at a meeting, must declare the existence and nature of that interest as soon as the interest becomes apparent in accordance with the provisions of the Code.

When a Member declares a personal and prejudicial interest he shall also state if he has a dispensation from the Standards Committee entitling him/her to speak, or speak and vote on the matter concerned.

Where any Member has declared a personal and prejudicial interest he shall withdraw from the room while the matter is under consideration unless

(a)                his/her disability to speak, or speak and vote on the matter has been removed by a dispensation granted by the Standards Committee, or

(b)                members of the public are allowed to make representations, give evidence or answer questions about the matter by statutory right or otherwise.  If that is the case, the Member can also attend the meeting for that purpose.  However, the Member must immediately leave the room once he/she has finished; or when the meeting decides he/she has finished whichever is the earlier and in any event the Member must leave the room for the duration of the debate on the item in which he/she has a personal and prejudicial interest. 

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To receive notification of any matters which the Chair determines should be considered as urgent business and the special circumstances which have made the matters urgent, and to receive any announcements from the Chair.

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Any statements and/or petitions from the public under Standing Order 32 will be made or presented at the meeting. 

The Executive received two statements from members of the public.

(1)               Estelle Packwood made a statement on behalf of the Oxfordshire Chinese Community and Advice Centre in support of its grant application.  She sought an additional grant of £7,500 towards the cost of running the centre.  Approximately 900 Chinese people lived in the Vale, about half of whom used the centre’s services.  The resources at the centre were stretched but staff continued to work well beyond their hours due to dedication to the Chinese community.  The centre helped the Council by providing a bi-lingual service to allow Chinese residents to gain access to services in the Vale.  Voluntary financial contributions to the centre had reduced due to the current economic downturn.  She hoped the council would be able to support the centre further to allow the Chinese community to continue to gain access to services. 

(2)               Colin Cure made a statement on behalf of the Oxfordshire Association for the Blind in support of its grant application.  Rather than describe the services the Association provided as he had done to the Executive in April 2008, he gave an example of an individual who approached him seeking support and advice after losing his sight.  With the support of the Royal National Institute of Blind People, counselling was provided and equipment was provided to allow the individual to continue to live his life independently.  In return the individual had agreed to help the Association to run its services.  Mr Cure asked the Executive to continue its support for the Association. 

The Chair thanked the speakers for their statements. 

Any questions from members of the public under Standing Order 32 will be asked at the meeting.

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Appended to the agenda is a schedule of requests for virements and permanent budget adjustments.  Some of these have been approved under delegated authority by the Strategic Director; others require the Executive’s approval. 

Recommendation

that the virements and permanent budget adjustments set out in the agenda report be approved. 

(Time: 2.40pm to 2.47pm)

The Executive received and considered an agenda report setting out requests for virements and permanent budget adjustments.  Some of these had been approved by the Strategic Director; others required the Executive’s approval. 

Although Members raised questions on several items, the Executive was content with the answers and approved all of the requests. 

It was noted that one virement request related to £50k of Government grant that had been expected for 2008/09 for waste performance efficiency.  However, this had not been received as expected but was included in the Council’s overall Revenue Support Grant, which itself had not been increased.  Members expressed disappointment that this grant had not been paid as expected.  It was noted that the funds had already been committed, giving rise for the need for a virement from Contingency. 

RESOLVED

that the virements and permanent budget adjustments set out in the agenda report be approved. 

To receive and consider report 183/08 of the Head of Corporate Strategy   

(Time 2.47pm to 3.05pm)

The Executive received and considered report 183/08 of the Head of Corporate Strategy which set out the budget position for the Executive in respect of community grants and set out details of six grant applications received. 

Members agreed in principle to allocate grant funding to each applicant but, due to the level of funding available, were unable to support the applications in full.  Members considered that as this was the first of two meetings at which grants would be allocated in the 2009/10 financial year, approximately half of the budget should be allocated at this meeting.  The Executive then awarded grants to each applicant. 

The Executive was also asked to approve the carrying forward of any unspent grant budgets from the Area Committees in 2008/09 to 2009/10.  Further to the report it was noted that the West Area Committee had spent all of its 2008/09 allocation.  The Executive agreed to carry forward the unspent community grants budgets for the Abingdon Area Committee and the North East Area Committee. 

RESOLVED

(a)               that the Executive’s budget for 2009/10 for Vale-wide community grants of £21,714 be noted;

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(b)               that the following grant applications be approved (by six votes to nil):

(b)               that the requests from Area Committees to carry forward any unallocated grant budget from 2008/09 be agreed as follows:

Abingdon Area Committee                                     £1,764.72

North East Area Committee                                      £417.65

To receive and consider report 184/08 of the Head of HR, IT & Customer Services. 

(Time 3.05pm to 3.10pm)

The Executive received and considered report 184/08 of the Head of HR, IT & Customer Services which reviewed the Council’s e-mail and calendar system.  This Council and South Oxfordshire District Council were operating different and incompatible systems.  The consequence was a great deal of duplication and wasted effort.  The report examined the options for moving to a shared system that would promote more efficient joint working.  It proposed that the costs should be shared equally by the two councils.  A consultant company had been appointed to review needs at both councils and to recommend the best option.  The two possible options were:

-        Microsoft Exchange

-        Novell GroupWise

The consultant had recommended that Novell’s GroupWise was the best product for a short and medium term solution as its cost was significantly less than the Microsoft alternative.  GroupWise would also have a shorter implementation time.  The consultant’s recommendation had received support from the Joint Senior Management Board at its meeting of 11 March. 

Members considered that the Novell software option was the best short and medium term solution but asked that the officers consider options for the longer term.  Members also asked that the Executive Members were given access to the new system from home and that consideration was given to interfaces with hand held computer diaries. 

RESOLVED

(a)              that  the adoption of Novell GroupWise as the Council’s e-mail and calendar system be approved;

(b)              that, in accordance with Contract Standing Order 2C(3), an exemption to the requirement to obtain competitive quotations or tenders be approved;

(c)               that authority be delegated to the Head of HR, IT and Customer Services, in consultation with the Head of Legal and Democratic Services, to enter into a contract with Novell for the purchase of GroupWise until 31 March 2011 under Contract Standing Order 2C(3), taking advantage of the favourable terms made available by joining South Oxfordshire District Council’s existing contract; and

(d)              that officers propose options for the optimum long term solution in time for April 2011. 

To receive and consider report 181/08 of the Head of Health and Housing. 

(Time 3.10pm to 3.20pm)

The Executive received and considered report 181/08 of the Head of Health and Housing which proposed a revision the Council’s choice-based lettings scheme, which had been established in 2004.  The Government had a target for housing authorities to establish choice based letting schemes by 2010.  In 2008, Cherwell District Council, Oxford City Council and South Oxfordshire District Council all implemented schemes as a means of allocating social housing. 

The Government had also actively encouraged authorities to set up sub-regional choice-based lettings schemes across their borders, and had offered funding to local authorities to progress this initiative.  Such a project had been ongoing in Oxfordshire since 2007, and was due for completion in the summer 2009.  As part of that project, the four of Oxfordshire’s five District Councils concerned had worked towards harmonising their allocations policies to ensure a common basis for applicants who qualified for housing across the districts.  The report summarised the proposed changes to the Council’s Allocations Policy in order to implement a sub-regional choice-based lettings scheme.  The report also described the common operational principles to be adopted by the four authorities. 

It was noted that 10% of the housing stock would be available for non-Vale residents moving to the district.  This would allow more choice for people to move around in the sub-region in local authority rented accommodation rather than being restricted to their own district.  There would also be a re-categorisation of the bands to remove the sixth band relating to key workers, who would be moved to a new band.  This would only have a minimal impact on others.  The large majority of residents would remain in their current band. 

Members supported the proposal to adopt an amended scheme in line with Cherwell, Oxford City and South Oxfordshire. 

R E C O M M E N D E D

(a)               that the common Allocations Policy be adopted as a means of assessing applications for social housing.  There will be five bands categorising housing need, rather than six, and for those properties allocated to the sub-regional scheme, an applicant’s local connection will be to the sub-region, so an applicant in the Vale will be deemed to have a local connection to each of the three other districts;

(b)               that 10% of all general needs housing be made available for sub-regional allocations, subject to the excluding properties with four or more bedrooms, properties in locations which rarely become available, and properties developed as part of rural exception sites.  Properties will be let on a reciprocal basis and be closely monitored to ensure that the district’s population does not increase as a result of this scheme; and

(c)               that all nominations for sheltered and disabled housing that have had substantial adaptations be made available for sub-regional allocations, but where there is a high local need for a property this can be excluded. 

To receive and consider report 182 /08 of the Joint Head of Finance.

(Time 3.20pm to 3.24pm)

The Executive received and considered report 182/08 of the Head of Finance which detailed a list of budget figures requested to be carried forward from the 2008/09 revenue budget into 2009/10.  The projected outturn position for the 2008/09 budget was an overspend.  Consequently the carry forward requests related only to unspent grant allocations and delayed projects. 

Further to the report it was noted that another request had been received to carry forward unspent funds to be used for grants to community flood prevention groups.  This request was in the sum of £110,900. 

The Executive agreed that all of these unspent budgets should be carried forward to 2009/10 as not doing so would jeopardise these schemes.  Members considered that it was important that these schemes should continue, in particular grants to flood groups. 

RESOLVED

that the revenue budget carry forward requests, totalling £173,145, be approved to be carried forward from 2008/09 to 2009/10. 

To receive and consider report 185/08 of the Strategic Director. 

(Time 3.24pm to 3.31pm)

The Executive received and considered report 185/08 of the Strategic Director which reviewed the Council’s policy on property investment.  The report proposed a change to the policy and an addition to the capital programme.  The Executive also received and noted the confidential appendices relating to the report. 

The policy had been adopted in March 2004.  However, the current recession had prompted a review.  It was suggested that the maximum percentage of the investment portfolio in property should be 80% of the total, up from 75%, and the cash funds invested (i.e. not held for cash-flow purposes) should not fall below £5 million, reduced from £10 million. 

In order to allow the council to react quicker to property investment opportunities it was also suggested that a sum of £5.5 million should be included in the capital programme for 2009/10 for the possible purchase of an investment property up to the value of £5.2 million plus costs, the actual purchase to be agreed by the Portfolio Holder with responsibility for property. 

The Chair invited the Chairman of the Scrutiny Committee, Councillor Melinda Tilley, to speak.  Councillor Tilley asked for confirmation that the decision to purchase property at this level of cost was a Key Decision, and would therefore be subject to notification to Scrutiny CommitteeMembers in accordance with the Council’s normal call-in procedure.  The officers confirmed that this was the case.  Councillor Tilley asked to be kept informed before any such decision was taken. 

Members supported the amendment of this policy as suggested but noted that policy changes were ultimately a decision of the full Council.  It was believed that the changes would bring a better return for the Council.  £5 million cash funds were expected to be sufficient to cover unforeseen events in the period of the current medium term plan.  However, other investments could be converted to cash funds in the unlikely event that £5 million proved to be insufficient. 

R E C O M M E N D E D

(a)               that the Property Investment Policy be amended so that the maximum percentage of the investment portfolio in property be 80% of the total (up from 75%) and the cash funds invested (i.e. not held for cash-flow purposes) should not fall below £5 million (down from £10 million); and

(a)               that a sum of £5.5 million be included in the capital programme for 2009/10 for the possible purchase of an investment property up to the value of £5.2 million plus costs, the actual purchase to be agreed by the Portfolio holder with responsibility for property. 

To receive and consider report 186/08 of the Head of Planning.

(Time 3.31pm to 3.35pm)

The Executive received and considered report 186/08 of the Head of Planning.  The Local Development Framework needed to be supported by a sound evidence base.  As part of this process, officers had identified the need to commission a study of the viability of affordable housing in the Vale and South Oxfordshire.  It was proposed to commission a study of housing viability jointly with South Oxfordshire District Council.  An exception to the Council’s Contract Standing Orders was needed to enable the study to be procured effectively and save funds. 

It was reported that the study would be split to cover each district independently.  This was essential to find the true picture for each council.  Members supported the proposal and accepted the reasons for the need to grant an exception to Contract Standing Orders.  Members looked forward to the study results. 

RESOLVED

(a)               that an exception to Contract Standing Orders be authorised under Standing Order 2C to commission a housing viability study jointly with South Oxfordshire District Council using the contract standing orders operated by South Oxfordshire rather than the Vale; and

(b)               that authority be delegated to the Head of Planning to enter into a contract for a Housing Viability Study jointly with South Oxfordshire District Council to support the preparation of the Council’s Local Development Framework. 

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