Agenda

To record apologies for absence.

To adopt and sign as a correct record the Council minutes of the meeting held on 18 December 2024. 

To receive declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests, other registrable interests and non-registrable interests or any conflicts of interest in respect of items on the agenda for this meeting. 

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. 

To receive any questions or statements from members of the public that have registered to speak. 

To receive any petitions from the public. 

Cabinet, at its meeting on 31 January 2025, considered the attached report of the head of finance on the treasury management activity for the first half of 2024/25.

RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL:  to approvethe treasury management mid-year monitoring report 2024/25.

Cabinet, at its meeting on 31 January 2025, considered the attached report of the head of finance on the council’s treasury management and investment strategy for 2025/26.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: to

1.     approve the treasury management  strategy 2025/26 set out in Appendix A to the head of finance’s report to Cabinet on 31 January 2025;

2.    approve the prudential indicators and limits for 2025/26 to 2027/28 as set out in Appendix A to the head of finance’s report to Cabinet on 31 January 2025;

3.    approve the annual investment strategy 2025/26 set out in Appendix A to the head of finance’s report to Cabinet on 31 January 2025, and the lending criteria detailed in table 6;

4.    approve the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Policy in appendix E to the head of finance’s report to Cabinet on 31 January 2025.

Cabinet, at its meeting on 31 January 2025, considered the report of the head of finance on the council’s capital strategy for 2025/26 to 2034/35.   

RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: to

1.     approve the capital strategy 2025/26 to 2034/35 attached at appendix one of the head of finance’s report to Cabinet on 31 January 2025, and

2.     to agree the strategy for flexible use of capital receipts which is contained as annex A of the capital strategy.

At its meeting on 31 January 2025, Cabinet considered the attached report of the head of housing and environment on the use of Section 106 funds to purchase accommodation as temporary accommodation or general needs housing and funds to support the purchase of Local Authority Housing Fund properties.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL:

1.    To the use of up to £2.178 million of Section 106 funds, to invest in the purchase of one/two-bedroom homes to be used as temporary accommodation.

2.    Subject to decision a) that Council delegates authority to the Head of Development and Corporate Landlord, in consultation with Heads of Housing and Environment, Finance and Legal and Democratic, to take the required actions as outlined within this report to purchase homes.

3.    Subject to decision (a), that Council delegates authority to the Head of Housing and Environment, in consultation with Heads of Development and Corporate Landlord, Finance and Legal and Democratic, to determine the use for these properties, with priority being given to use as temporary accommodation to avoid the use of B&B/hotels.

4.    To the use of up to £3.8 million of Section 106 funds to financially support the purchase of temporary accommodation under the Local Authority Housing Fund.

Cabinet, at its meeting on 31 January 2025, considered the attached report of the head of finance on the adoption of an amended (reduced) empty duration before a long-term empty property premium becomes applicable.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: that, with effect from 1 April 2026, the following amendments are made to the council’s long-term empty property premiums (LTEPP):

1.   to reduce the current empty property duration allowed, prior to a council tax LTEPP commencing, down from two years to one year. This change is provided for within the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023

2.   adopt all LTEPP exceptions laid out within the Council Tax (Prescribed Classes of Dwellings and Consequential Amendments) (England) Regulations 2024, published on 1 November 2024 (listed within the body of the report).

Cabinet, at its meeting on 31 January 2025, considered the attached report of the head of finance on the the draft revenue budget 2025/26, and the capital programme 2025/26 to 2029/30.

Scrutiny Committee considered and noted the report at its meeting on 28 January 2025. No recommendations were made to Cabinet.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: to

1.    set the revenue budget for 2025/26 as set out in appendix A.1 to the head of finance’s report to Cabinet on 31 January 2025;

2.    approves the capital programme for 2025/26 to 2029/30 as set out in appendix D.1 and D.2 to the report, together with the capital programme changes as set out in appendix D.3 and appendix D.4 to the report,

3.    set the council’s prudential limits as listed in appendix E to the report,

4.    sets the council’s medium-term financial plan to 2029/30 as set out in appendix F to the report.

To consider the report of the head of finance on the setting of the council tax for the 2025/26 financial year – report to follow.

Cabinet, at its meeting on 31 January 2025, considered the attached report of the head of policy and programmes on the proposed Council Plan 2025-2029.

RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL: to approve the Vale of White Horse District Council Plan 2025-2029 attached at Appendix 1 of the report.

To consider the report of the head of  corporate services on the adoption of a pay policy statement to meet the requirements of the Localism Act - attached.

To receive the report of the Leader of council. 

To receive the attached update report.

To receive questions from councillors in accordance with Council procedure rule 33. 

Question from Councillor Sarah James to Councillor Andrew Crawford, Cabinet Member for Finance and Property

Vale of White Horse District Council has had a plan in place for some time to move our offices to a new headquarters, Didcot Gateway, which was to be built and owned by South Oxfordshire District Council.  This long-term plan is upended by the Government’s move to require wholescale reorganisation of Local Government in much of England, including Oxfordshire.

Please can the Cabinet member update us on what this means for VWHDC and its staff and councillors, and for the buildings that we are currently using for offices and meetings: Abbey House and The Beacon.

To consider motions from councillors in accordance with Council procedure rule 38. 

(1)       Motion to be proposed by Councillor Sarah James, seconded by Councillor Viral Patel:

Support for a More Democratic Devolution Process for Oxfordshire

This Council notes that:

1. The current devolution process in Oxfordshire must prioritise democratic governance and accountability to ensure that decisions are made in the best interests of Vale of White Horse residents.

2. The high cost of standing for metro mayoral elections in England, including a £5,000 deposit and a £5,000 contribution for inclusion in a candidate booklet, deters capable individuals from running for office. While it is essential to discourage frivolous candidacies, alternative mechanisms, such as requiring candidates to gather a specified number of signatures from electors, could achieve this more effectively.

3. Spending limits for mayoral elections are disproportionately high, with an allowance of up to £150,000 for areas with significant populations. This creates a significant barrier to genuine democratic participation and fair competition.

4. Until 2023, mayoral elections in England were conducted under the Supplementary Vote system, which provided a fairer voting mechanism compared to the First Past the Post system now in use.

5. A democratically elected assembly would enhance the devolution process by providing necessary oversight and scrutiny of the mayor's decisions, ensuring power is exercised transparently and in the best interest of Vale of White Horse residents.

This Council believes that:

1. Reducing the financial barriers to standing for election would foster greater participation and diversity among candidates, strengthening democracy.

2. Lowering spending limits for mayoral elections would create a more equitable electoral process, allowing fair competition and enhancing the legitimacy of elected officials.

3. Reintroducing a fairer voting system, such as the Supplementary Vote, would ensure a more representative and democratic outcome.

4. Establishing a directly elected assembly, along the lines of the London Assembly, as part of the devolution process is essential for maintaining checks and balances and safeguarding transparency and accountability.

This Council resolves to:

1. Call for the cost of standing for election to be lowered by reducing deposit requirements, and introducing an alternative mechanism, such as requiring signatures from electors, to discourage frivolous candidacies;

2. Submit a formal request in writing to the Electoral Commission to recommend the reduction of spending limits in mayoral elections to ensure fair and equitable competition among candidates;

3. Support the reintroduction of a fairer voting system, such as the Supplementary Vote, for mayoral elections in England;

4. Support the establishment of a democratically elected assembly as part of the devolution process in Oxfordshire, to provide oversight and scrutiny of the mayor’s decisions, and write to the Local Government Association (LGA) to investigate whether this move could be backed and supported nationally;

5. Support the use of the additional member system or another form of mixed-member proportional representation as the method by which to elect members to the above assembly;

6. Write a letter to the Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, the relevant minister in the Ministry of  ...  view the full agenda text for item 19.

To consider whether to exclude members of the press and public from the meeting for the following items of business under Section 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 as amended on the grounds that:

(i)     It is likely that there will be disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A, and

(ii)    the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

To adopt and sign as a correct record the confidential Council minutes of the meeting held on 18 December 2024.