Agenda and minutes

To receive any announcements from the chair. 

The chair welcomed everyone to the meeting, outlined the procedure to be followed and advised on emergency evacuation arrangements.

To record apologies for absence. 

Apologies were received from Councillor Maggie Filipova-Rivers.

To adopt and sign as a correct record the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 10 October 2024. 

Due to the close succession of meetings, the minutes for the South Cabinet meeting on 10 October were not yet available.

RESOLVED: that the minutes from the previous meeting on 10 October 2024 be taken to the next meeting on 28 November 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. 

There were no declarations of interest.

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. 

There was no urgent business.

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

The deadline for registering to speak is Wednesday 16 October at 5pm.

There were no speakers registered to address Cabinet.

To consider the recommendations and updates from other committees to Cabinet.

Cabinet received recommendations and updates from the Joint Audit and Governance Committee. The committee’s suggestions and recommendations were considered under the relevant item on the agenda.

Councillor Ken Arlett, Chair of Scrutiny Committee, was present and summarised the suggestions and recommendations from the Scrutiny Committee. The committee met on 1 October 2024 and considered the Corporate Plan Performance report 2023-24. It was noted that the committee were impressed with the plan, particularly with the breakdown of the council’s budget.

To consider the Head of Housing and Environment’s report.

Cabinet received the report on the Future Delivery of Household Waste and Street Cleansing Services from the head of housing and environment. The report sought to outline the options for future provision of the household waste collection and street cleansing services and commence formal procurement in line with Option 1.

The cabinet member for environment introduced the report and gave an overview of the Council’s waste and street cleansing services. Members were informed that the services were performing well, with a high satisfaction rate among residents. However, the current contract with Biffa Municipal Ltd was due to end in June 2026 and thus was crucial to begin reviewing options for future service delivery. Officers had reviewed the available service provision options and recommended that the Council’s procure a new contract. Under the proposed contract, the council would provide vehicles and access to a vehicle depot.

The Joint Scrutiny Committee had supported the progression of the report but asked for Cabinet to be mindful of the positives in other options, and if resulting procurement outcomes are not suitable, they suggested having contingency in other options and engagement in further exploration of other options in terms of costs and risks.

Cabinet welcomed the report and recognised that household waste and street cleansing services were some of the most high-profile and public-facing services provided by the council. A view was expressed that the priority was to meet our statutory duty to deliver this service, as well as being mindful of minimising risks particularly around multiple contract end dates the councils have coming forward.

After reviewing the options set out in the report, Cabinet unanimously agreed to proceed with Option 1 and undertake a joint procurement exercise with Vale of White Horse District Council.

RESOLVED: that Cabinet:

a)    Reviewed the options available for the future household waste and street cleansing service provision from June 2026, as set out in the report.

b)    Subject to this review, agreed to progress Option 1 and delegate to the Head of Housing and Environment, in consultation with the responsible cabinet member, to undertake a joint procurement exercise between South Oxfordshire District Council and Vale of White Horse District Council to let a new joint contract for Household Waste Collection and Street Cleansing Services from 29 June 2026.

To consider the Head of Finance’s report.

Cabinet considered the head of finance’s report to set the scene for the 2025/26 budget setting process, including the proposed timetable for activities and future cabinet reports to meet the requirement for officers to propose a revised base budget.

The Cabinet Member for finance acknowledged the significant work done to progress the budget process. It was recognised that the report was a forecast and information may be subject to change due a variety of factors including changes in government guidance and fluctuating interest rates. The cabinet member highlighted the target of £1 million in savings through the base budget exercise. Members would need to consider whether service reductions are needed to enable the council to stay within its budgetary envelope, or whether there is headroom to consider possible increases in service delivery.

RESOLVED: That Cabinet notes the contents of the report.

To consider the Head of Finance’s report.

Cabinet considered the head of finance’s report, fulfilling the legislative requirements to ensure the adequate monitoring and reporting of the treasury management activities and that the councils’ prudential indicators are reported to the council at the end of the financial year.

The Joint Audit and Governance Committee had considered the report and were satisfied that the treasury activities had been carried out in accordance with the treasury management strategy and policy.

The cabinet member for finance presented the details of the treasury activities for the financial year 2023/34 and welcomes the feedback from the Joint Audit and Governance Committee. It was noted that the outturn was strong, with investment performance exceeding expectations due to higher than anticipated interest rates.

RESOLVED: That Cabinet:

a)    note the treasury management outturn report 2023/24,

b)    was satisfied that the treasury activities are carried out in accordance with the treasury management strategy and policy.

RECOMMENDED to Council on 17 October 2024 to:

(c) approve the treasury management outturn report 2023/24; and

(d) approve the actual 2023/24 prudential indicators within the report.

To consider the Head of Finance’s report.

Cabinet considered the head of finance’s report on the revenue and capital expenditure outturns for March 2025 as forecasted by heads of service.

The cabinet member for finance introduced the report looking at the financial performance for the first quarter of the financial year (April – June 2024). On 22 February 2024, Council agreed a net revenue budget for 2024/25 of £23.446 million. This has subsequently increased to £26.394 million due to carrying forward unspent project budgets from the previous year. Regarding the revenue performance, cabinet noted a £500,000 underspend on service expenditure. Members were informed that the capital budget was £36.9 million at the end of June 2024, with £7.5 million spent so far. It was notes that the capital budget had not yet been fully reviewed and a comprehensive analysis would be taking place.

In response to a question on the overspend in the housing and environment budget, it was confirmed that there was a bookkeeping issue on how garden waste had been accounted for. The reprofiling of how garden waste was accounted for meant less income would be accounted in the current year, but this would be portioned to the appropriate period.

A question was raised about the Didcot Garden Town project funding. It was noted that the process was dependent on the team’s capacity to manage the changes and set up the systems to track the funds separately.

RESOLVED: That Cabinet notes the contents of the report.

To consider the Head of Policy and Programme’s report.

Scrutiny Committee considered the report on 1 October 2024 and the minutes of this meeting can be found on the council’s website.

Cabinet considered the 2023/24 Annual Corporate Performance Report.

The cabinet member for corporate services highlighted the progress made under the six themes of the corporate plan. The report contained the detailed action plans and team plans for all council activities. The performance rating (RAG) was mostly green, indicating strong results. The report was praised for showcasing the council's successful actions and efforts over the past four years, especially in embedding the themes into everyday council work.

Cabinet commended the actions taken to address the climate emergency, especially in planning and land use. The progress on the Joint Local Plan (JLP) was highlighted, with notable advances in climate-related actions such as decarbonisation schemes for leisure centres, solar panel installations and biodiversity initiatives. The ongoing work on housing delivery strategies and the significant progress made in addressing local housing needs were also recognized.

RESOLVED: That Cabinet notes the contents of the report.

To consider the Head of Development and Corporate Landlord’s report.

Cabinet considered the Car Park Management from 2025 report and reviewed the options available for the future management of the car park service from 1 October 2025. The officer’s recommendation was for option 2 and to extend the current arrangement with Saba as part of a shared service.

The cabinet member for environment introduced the report and highlighted that the car park management contract had been outsourced since 2016. It was originally part of the 5 Councils’ contract managed by VINCI and sub-contracted to Indigo. In 2018, the contract was novated to the councils and Indigo was taken over by Saba Park Services UK Limited. Cabinet were asked to consider the options for the future of the car park services.

RESOLVED:

a)    That the Cabinet considers the options for providing the parking service starting from 1 October 2025

RECOMMENDED to Council on 17 October 2024:

b)    For the Cabinet to recommend Option 2 to the Full Council, which involves extending the current contract with Saba Park Services UK Limited (Saba) for two years, until 30 September 2027, as a shared service with the Vale of White Horse District Council

c)    For the Cabinet to recommend to the Full Council that responsibility be delegated to the Head of Development and Corporate Landlord, in consultation with the Cabinet member for Finance and Property Assets, to finalise and sign the contractual arrangements.

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 consider the confidential appendices to the Head of Housing and Environment’s report.

Not required. The report was considered in public session.

To consider the confidential appendix to the Head of Development and Corporate Landlord’s report.

Cabinet discussed the confidential appendix.

RESOLVED:

a)    That the Cabinet considers the options for providing the parking service starting from 1 October 2025

b)     For the Cabinet to recommend Option 2 to the Full Council, which involves extending the current contract with Saba Park Services UK Limited (Saba) for two years, until 30 September 2027, as a shared service with the Vale of White Horse District Council

c)    For the Cabinet to recommend to the Full Council that responsibility be delegated to the Head of Development and Corporate Landlord, in consultation with the Cabinet member for Finance and Property Assets, to finalise and sign the contractual arrangements.