Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Cherwell District Council, Bodicote House, Bodicote, Banbury, OX15 4AA

Contact: Kevin Jacob, Future Oxfordshire Partnership Senior Democratic Services Officer  Email: kevin.jacob@southandvale.gov.uk

Media

Items
No. Item

40.

Apologies for absence; declarations of interest and Chair's announcement

Minutes:

An apology for absence was submitted by Peter Nolan, OxLEP business representative – Oxford City.

 

Councillor Brown declared a non-pecuniary interest in item 8 (Oxfordshire Place-based Partnership update) on the grounds that she is an employee of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

 

It was stated that the meeting was being livestreamed and that a recording would be available here for a period of 12 months.

41.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 329 KB

To adopt as a correct record the minutes of the Future Oxfordshire Partnership meeting held on 29 November 2022.

 

Minutes:

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting of the Future Oxfordshire Partnership held on 29 November 2022 be approved as a correct record of the meeting.

42.

Public participation

Asking a question and addressing the Partnership
Questions or requests to make an address (in full and in writing) must be received by 5pm on Tuesday 17 January 2023, three clear working days before the Future Oxfordshire Partnership meeting.


Questions and addresses should be no longer than one side of A4 paper in Arial 12 font. The address or question will be circulated to the Partnership and public speakers will be invited to speak at the meeting. Written submissions may also be read out by the Chair or Democratic Services Officer where requested or if the person making the request for public speaking is not able to attend the meeting. A response may be given at the meeting or a written answer supplied. The Chair will have discretion to manage the public participation procedure as they see appropriate. Questions and notice of addresses must be submitted to futureoxfordshirepartnership@southandvale.gov.uk

 

Note: This meeting may be recorded for live broadcast. At the start of the meeting the Chair will confirm the meeting is being filmed. By registering to speak you are consenting to being recorded and to the use of those video and audio recordings for webcasting.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The full text and final written response to the question below can be found here.

 

Helen Marshall, on behalf of CPRE Oxfordshire, commented that they had been pleased to note that the Partnership’s Environment Advisory Group had started work on considering issues related to solar farm development within Oxfordshire. She expressed the view that the current proposals (such as those at Tetsworth, Nuneham Courtenay and Botley West) were speculative in their nature and detrimental to local communities. It was highlighted that, even under the most ambitious scenario within the Pathways to Zero Carbon Oxfordshire (PaZCO) report, only 1.0% of the county’s land area would be needed for solar energy production. It was also suggested that much more of Oxfordshire’s solar energy production needs could be accommodated on existing roofs – thereby, reducing the requirement for utilising undeveloped land.

 

Ms Marshall made the case for the urgent creation of a county-wide strategy in relation to renewable energy. She also stated the need for the public to be fully engaged during its development. The Partnership was, therefore, asked to:

 

1.     Develop a county-wide strategy for renewable energy (if necessary, delivered by embedding in individual Local Plans)?

 

2.     Fully engage with the public in the development of the aforementioned strategy?

 

3.     Set out an ambitious timetable to put these actions in place as quickly as possible?

 

In response, the Chair said that the councils were currently developing a route map of realistically achievable actions arising from the PaZCO report. An update on this work was scheduled to be presented to the Future Oxfordshire Partnership meeting in March and would provide more detail on their approach to renewable energy.

43.

Future Oxfordshire Partnership Scrutiny Panel update

For action: To receive any recommendations from the Future Oxfordshire Partnership Scrutiny Panel meeting held on 18 January 2023.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair invited Councillor Katherine Miles, Chair of the Future Oxfordshire Partnership Scrutiny Panel, to present the recommendations from the Panel’s meeting of 18 January 2023.

 

Councillor Miles set out the context for their formal recommendations relating to solar panel provision and the engagement by councils in the current National Planning Policy Framework consultation.

 

The Partnership was also informed about other topics that the Panel had discussed. For example, they had considered the work of the Oxfordshire Place-based Partnership and suggested that an independent health sector representative was added to its membership – concerns were also expressed over access to GPs and whether NHS facilities were in the right locations. 

 

In relation to the update on the Housing from Infrastructure (HfI) programme, the Scrutiny Panel reiterated its previously expressed position that where schemes either could no longer be funded, or had seen reductions in their budgets, alternative strategic funding needed to be put in place.

 

The Chair thanked Councillor Miles for her summary and stated that the Partnership’s response to the formal recommendations would be given in writing. (Available here)

44.

Presentation from the Oxfordshire Community Land Trust on the Crofts Court development

For information: To receive a presentation from the Oxfordshire Community Land Trust on the progress the trust has made at Crofts Court; a community-led housing project in the Dean Court area of Cumnor Parish.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair welcomed Mark Child, Consultant Co-ordinator, and Fran Ryan, Secretary, from the Oxfordshire Community Land Trust (OCLT) to the meeting. The Partnership received a presentation (available here) setting out the role of community land trusts as non-profit organisations typically established to provide local affordable housing. The issue of the affordability of housing within Oxfordshire, the OCLT’s community share offer and the success of the Crofts Court development (which had received grant funding from the Partnership) were also highlighted.

 

Members commented that they were pleased to see the Crofts Court project come to fruition and congratulated the OCLT on its achievement.

 

During the discussion of this item, questions were asked relating to the characteristics of the investors signing up to the OCLT’s community share offer and the key challenges that the Trust saw in relation to both the scaling up of community-led housing and the sharing of best practice. In response, the Partnership was informed that it was possible for people to participate in the community share offer as individuals or in combination with others. Investors (which included those living both inside and outside of Oxfordshire) had committed varying amounts of money, with the most popular sum being around £1,000. With regards to the challenges faced by the OCLT in relation to the scaling up of community-led housing, there had been some issues in achieving registered provider status – without which it was difficult to access funding – but these had not been insurmountable.

 

The OCLT also raised the issue of accessing land as a key barrier to future projects. Due to the disparity in financial resources available to the Trust compared to mainstream developers, it was more difficult to obtain sites for development. As a result, the OCLT considered that it was more likely that existing properties, small garage sites etc would be pursued for community-led housing projects going forwards – it was already in discussions with Oxford City Council over one such location.

 

The OCLT did, however, have an advantage over other registered providers in that their community-led homes could be retained as affordable in perpetuity.

 

Catherine Turner, on behalf of Homes England, stated that it wished to support community land trusts where possible – including assisting them with the registered provider process.    

 

RESOLVED: That the presentation be noted.

45.

Homes from Infrastructure Programme Update

For information: To consider an update on the Housing from Infrastructure, (HfI) programme following receipt of a letter from the Minister of State, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. 

Minutes:

Councillor Liz Leffman provided an update to the Partnership about the Homes from Infrastructure (HfI) programme – which formed part of the wider Housing and Growth Deal.

 

Members were informed that Oxfordshire County Council, as the accountable body under the terms of the Housing and Growth Deal, had received a letter during December 2022 from the Minister of State at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC). This had referred to the release of the final £30m tranche of funding for the HfI programme, subject to the following conditions:

 

·           Confirmation that recycled funds had been returned to the HfI programme.

·           Payments would be made by HM Government quarterly in arrears. This would mean that the Partnership would have to commit financially to the programme before receiving payment for actual spend.

·           Regular monitoring information had to be provided by and signed by the relevant officer of Oxfordshire County Council as the accountable body.

·           Reporting of any changes to the profile of housing delivery to be reported quarterly along with any updates to council’s Local Plans.

·           No funding would be available beyond 31 March 2025.

 

Considering the contents of the letter – and the stipulated conditions – individual discussions would be held between the county, city and district councils to review the current position within the HfI programme and to guarantee the deliverability of the schemes within the available time period.

 

The Partnership asked officers to clarify whether the letter from DLUHC had contained any inaccuracies, and if it had, whether these had been responded to.

 

RESOLVED: That the update be noted.

46.

Draft Oxfordshire Strategic Planning Advisory Group Terms of Reference and appointment of Chair pdf icon PDF 353 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair informed the meeting that the item had been deferred to a future agenda.

47.

Oxfordshire Place-based Partnership Update pdf icon PDF 51 KB

For information: To consider a report setting out an update on major changes to the way in which health and care is organised in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire following the establishment of an Integrated Care System, (ICS), Integrated Care Partnership, (ICP) and Integrated Care Board, (ICB).

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Partnership considered a report updating them on the major changes to the way in which health and social care is organised in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West following the establishment of the following: an Integrated Care System, an Integrated Care Partnership, an Integrated Care Board and the Oxfordshire Place-based Partnership. Dan Leveson, Place Director for Oxfordshire and the representative of the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board on the Future Oxfordshire Partnership, introduced the report – he also responded to any questions and comments.

 

Mr Leveson highlighted that the 2022/23 winter period was widely regarded as the toughest winter in the NHS’ history with unprecedented levels of demand for services and severe capacity constraints. Working together, the NHS, local authorities and other stakeholders tried to effectively mitigate the worst of the issues facing the health and social care system, for example, by the provision of additional care packages to enable more people to have their needs met in their own homes rather than in a hospital setting.

 

The draft Integrated Care Partnership Strategy, which seeks to identify priorities to respond to issues such as winter pressures and the cost-of-living crisis, is currently out for consultation. Several workshop events, including with the Oxfordshire Health and Wellbeing Board, have been organised to feed into this work. It was stressed that the creation of good relationships between all parties in the Integrated Care Partnership was a key priority. This would not only help in the identification of actions that could be better delivered jointly but also create new ways of working together that would be more effective.

 

In discussion, Professor Fitt stressed the importance of the workforce across the various sectors of the health and social care system in successfully delivering the type of desired outcomes highlighted. While a high proportion of the posts required to affect these changes needed at the very least undergraduate degree level qualifications, there appeared to be no mention within the report of education at school, further education or university level. He stated that without the input and cooperation of the education sector it would be difficult to achieve the skilled workforce that would be required.

 

In response, members were informed that many areas of NHS workforce planning were undertaken at either a national or regional level and was, therefore, not within the direct remit of a place-based partnership. However, how it linked into education was important.

 

Professor Fitt, while acknowledging the national and regional aspects of workforce planning, nevertheless, highlighted the importance of local organisations in the training of doctors and nurses. He highlighted that their education could not take place without placements organised by further and higher education institutions within Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West. Professor Fitt, therefore, suggested that within these new partnership arrangements there was a significant opportunity for collaborative work to be undertaken in this area and that the importance of the workforce and education should form a central part of the new strategy. Mr Leveson recognised these points and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 47.

48.

Advisory Group updates

48a

Infrastructure Advisory Group update

For information: To receive a verbal update from the Infrastructure Advisory Group held on 9 January 2023.

 

Minutes:

Councillor Liz Leffman provided a verbal update on the meeting of the Infrastructure Advisory Group hold on 9 January 2023. At this event, the group had considered four key items: the Housing from Infrastructure (HfI) programme (referred to earlier in this meeting), Vision Zero, the Oxfordshire Infrastructure Strategy (OxIS) and the Local Area Energy Strategy.

 

Councillor Leffman informed the Partnership that Vision Zero was a County Council initiative aimed at reducing – and eventually eliminating – fatalities related to the various systems of transport that residents used across Oxfordshire (with a particular towards pedestrians and cyclists). Although the initial focus of the initiative had been on more urban areas, the subject had been brought forward for consideration by the Infrastructure Advisory Group as it was believed that it was an approach that needed to be applied across the whole of Oxfordshire.

 

The advisory group supported the principle that minimising road danger was fundamental to the creation of an environment where, irrespective of the mode of the mode of transport they used, everyone felt safe. They also believed that the adoption of Vision Zero would enhance work already being undertaken around road safety. After noting that a broad range of partners have a role in delivering better road safety, Councillor Leffman commented that the advisory group felt that the Future Oxfordshire Partnership should be asked to consider the addition of Vision Zero to its work programme.

 

The Chair of the Partnership commented that the mechanism for incorporating Vision Zero into future development planning was a topic that the Planning Advisory Group (once it was established) may wish to consider as the issues were interconnected and cross-authority.

 

The Infrastructure Advisory Group had been updated on the status of OxIS Part 2 – which had originally been contingent on the Oxfordshire Plan 2050. They discussed how this work might, within the context of the individual council’s local plans, be taken forward. The advisory group suggested that the Partnership should in due course also consider an update on OxIS Part 2 based on the context of local plans.

 

A presentation on the Oxfordshire Energy Strategy had also been received by the advisory group. It was felt that the delivery of the strategy would be dependent on the provision of connections to the electricity distribution network – the scarcity of these were currently delaying renewable energy generation schemes across the county. The Chair commented that he was aware of such constraints and gave the example of warehouse developers who had wished to generate solar power on the roofs of their properties.

 

RESOLVED: That the update be noted. 

48b

Environment Advisory Group update pdf icon PDF 288 KB

For information: To receive an update from the Environment Advisory Group. Summary notes from the meeting held on 12 December 2022 are attached.

 

Minutes:

In providing his update, Councillor David Rouane referred to the notes of the Environment Advisory Group meeting held on 12 December 2022. He stated that significant discussions had taken place at this gathering regarding the issues around solar farms and, that given the links to development management and planning, it had been suggested that these matters should be considered jointly by the Environment Advisory Group and the Planning Advisory Group (once established).

 

The most substantial piece of ongoing work for the advisory group was the Pathways to Zero Carbon Oxfordshire (PaZCO) workstream. This represented a methodology to achieve zero carbon which focused on the issues and actions that could be delivered in practice locally. The Partnership was reminded that a report on the PaZCO would be brought to its next meeting. This would set out 15 proposed actions, grouped around key themes, which would set out what needed to be done to achieve zero carbon. The resources and funding requirements to progress these proposals would be a key challenge that needed to be considered and addressed going forwards – a plan would, therefore, be needed to secure the requisite financial support. 

 

The Environment Advisory Group had also received a presentation on climate resilience. This had set out the measures that would be required to mitigate the impacts of global warming.

 

Councillor Rouane also addressed the issue of public access to advisory group documents. Although the summary notes of their meetings were publicly available through the Future Oxfordshire Partnership agenda, the papers considered by the groups were regarded as private documents and were not accessible. He commented that often there were reports or papers of wider interest that he felt should be disseminated more widely and, therefore, he suggested that officers be asked to look into this – a request supported by Councillor Susan Brown.

 

Councillor Brown also commented that due to the number of groups working within the climate change space, it was important for the different pieces of work to be coordinated. This would help to avoid duplication and ensure that individual projects remained distinctive. In addition, she also supported the need for climate change resilience planning. This would be needed to cover a broad range of issues including the insulation of buildings from extreme heat events. Councillor Rouane agrees that this was important.

 

Angus Horner referred to the interconnectivity of the issues raised during the meeting. He highlighted the need, notwithstanding the local plan process, to take urgent action to address not just the issue of climate change but also of housing and health. In addition, Mr Horner expressed his concerns around the serious delays faced by major projects in connecting to the electricity distribution grid and suggested that the Partnership, perhaps through the Infrastructure Advisory Group, explore options around what grid measures might be investable and how the funding to do that could be secured. He also commented that there might be areas of the county where grid infrastructure schemes or projects (similar to the ground source  ...  view the full minutes text for item 48b

49.

Future Oxfordshire Partnership Forward Plan pdf icon PDF 309 KB

For information: To note and comment on the Future Oxfordshire Partnership’s Forward Plan.

 

It is also intended to provide a short progress update relating to the Oxfordshire Strategic Vision under this heading.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Kevin Jacob, Senior Democratic Services Officer, presented the Partnership’s Forward Plan.

 

Beth Wilks, Future Oxfordshire Partnership Manager, gave a presentation (available here) updating members on the work undertaken since the previous meeting to identify additional opportunities for joint working to deliver the Oxfordshire Strategic Vision for Long Term Sustainable Development – this had included a series of stakeholder engagement sessions.

 

Councillor Susan Brown commented that if there was value that could be added to tackling an issue on a county-wide basis through the mechanism of the Future Oxfordshire Partnership then it was right to do so. A good example of this was the joint work around issues affecting the private rented sector.

 

RESOLVED: That the Forward Plan and update on the delivery of the Oxfordshire Strategic Vision be noted.

50.

Updates on matters relevant to the Future Oxfordshire Partnership

Future Oxfordshire Partnership members and officers may verbally update the Board on progress on matters previously before the Partnership for consideration, listed in the forward plan, or relevant to the Partnership’s future decisions.  This is for the sharing of information and no decisions will be taken. 

 

Minutes:

Councillor Liz Leffman provided an update on the work of England’s Economic Heartland (EEH). Several connectivity studies had been undertaken on different transport corridors which aimed to boost the local economy while reducing transport emissions. The delivery of the measures arising from these studies (including the Oxford to Swindon Connectivity Study) was now subject to the availability of funding – it was important to note that East West Rail has been allocated financial support by HM Government.

 

Members were also informed that at its last meeting the EEH received a presentation from Emma Ward, a director at the Department for Transport (DfT) with responsibility for bus strategy. Councillor Leffman indicated that she had been able to discuss with Ms Ward some of the initiatives that the Partnership might want to bring forward e.g. electric busses. They had also touched upon the impact of the Oxford station redevelopment works with Councillor Leffman raising the need for better coordination between different section with the DfT.

 

Finally, the EEH was preparing to conduct a review of its work to assess its value for money. Councillor Leffman, therefore, invited comments to her from any interested parties.

 

Jeremy Long, as Co-Chair of the Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership (OIEP), reported that the launch event for the OIEP Charter was due to take place on 24 January – where several successful inclusivity initiatives were due to be showcased. The event was at full capacity, and it was hoped that attendees would be inspired to consider becoming charter signatories themselves.

 

RESOLVED: That the updates be noted.

51.

Verbal reports from key strategic partnerships supporting delivery of the Oxfordshire Strategic Vision

For information: To receive reports from other partnerships supporting the delivery of the Oxfordshire Strategic Vision.

 

 

 

Minutes:

The Chair updated the Partnership that the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities had confirmed HM Government’s support for the establishment of an Oxford to Cambridge pan-regional partnership. It was explained to members that pan-regional partnerships were initiatives such as the Western Gateway or Midlands Engine and that their remit did not extend to strategic or local planning.

 

The Secretary of State’s announcement followed the submission of a proposal by various council leaders, local enterprise partnerships, the Oxford to Cambridge Arc Universities Group and England’s Economic Heartland. HM Government’s approval of the pan-regional partnership would unlock access to £2.5m of funding to support the delivery of sustainable growth and environmental enhancements. The initial programme of work was intended to develop a set of propositions to attract international investment, raise the profile of the region globally and continue to embed shared environmental principles.

 

Councillor Andy Graham spoke of West Oxfordshire District Council’s support for the new pan-regional partnership. He stated that West Oxfordshire was focussed on looking for opportunities and outcomes within the global economy. Councillor Graham also commented that appropriate governance arrangements, based upon collective responsibility, would be needed. It was his belief that real pragmatic steps were required to unlock the Oxford to Cambridge region’s potential.   

 

RESOLVED: That the update be noted.

52.

Dates of next meetings

The dates of Future Oxfordshire Partnership meetings are below. Please refer to https://futureoxfordshirepartnership.org/meetings/

for the most up to date information on times and locations.

 

·           Monday 20 March 2023

·           Tuesday 13 June 2023

·           Tuesday 25 July 2023

 

 

Minutes:

The Partnership noted the dates of future meetings as set out in the Agenda.

 

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