To receive any questions or statements from members of the public that have registered to speak.
Minutes:
Three members of the Vale of White Horse District Council addressed Cabinet:
1) Councillor Oliver Forder made a statement on item 12 on the agenda, the Review of the Future Oxfordshire Partnership (FOP). He sought Cabinet’s support to review the future of the FOP given its changing role and costs. He also agreed with the recommendations set out in the report for it to be sent to the Scrutiny and Joint Audit and Governance Committees so it could be considered by more members of the council. He desired the organisation to be more open and transparent.
In response, the Leader indicated that she was also in support of making the FOP more open, transparent, and democratically accountable. In addition, she agreed that more members of the council should be given the opportunity to input their views and so recommended that Cabinet approve the recommendations to send the report to Scrutiny and Joint Audit and Governance Committees.
2) Councillor Sarah James made a statement on item 10, the Corporate Performance Report and Climate Action Plan Performance Report – Quarter four 2023/24, and item 12, the Review of the Future Oxfordshire Partnership. On item 10, she sought Cabinet’s support for there to be more data presented in the climate action plans as she believed the additional quantitative data would make the reports clearer to residents. The Leader responded by saying that the next report would be taking a new format and would account for these recommendations.
On item 12, Councillor James agreed that the current form of the FOP was difficult to follow from the outside due to its lack of transparency and welcomed the recommendations to seek engagement with all members on the partnership. In response, the Leader agreed with the desire to see more members comment on the FOP report and that she encouraged members to address the Scrutiny and Joint Audit and Governance Committees when they discuss the item. She was also keen to see the FOP reports become public, rather than taken to the private advisory groups.
3) Councillor Katherine Foxhall made a statement on item 10, the Corporate Performance Report and Climate Action Plan Performance Report – Quarter four 2023/24. She spoke to the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy and sought Cabinet’s support for the programme. She also spoke to the role that her ward of Watchfield and Shrivenham had played in accepting a large number of people who used the scheme. She requested Cabinet acknowledgement of this, that there had been some recent unrest from some residents at a parish council meeting, and the Cabinet help support the building of community relations in her ward.
In response, the Leader indicated that the scheme was a positive thing for the district and that she would discuss a way forward with the relevant Cabinet member and officers and produce the member a written response.
Councillor Katherine Foxhall also spoke on item 14, Recommendations and updates from other committees, during that item.
The Leader thanked the speakers for their contribution and noted that their questions and comments would also be discussed under the relevant agenda items.