Agenda and minutes

Cabinet - Tuesday, 8 October 2019 9.30 am

Venue: Meeting Room 1, 135 Eastern Avenue, Milton Park, Milton, OX14 4SB

Contact: Steven Corrigan  Democratic Services Manager

Items
No. Item

20.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 120 KB

To adopt and sign as a correct record the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 10 July and 1 August 2019 - attached. 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

RESOLVED: to approve the minutes of the meetings held on 10 July and 1 August 2019 as a correct record and agree that the Chairman sign them as such.

 

21.

Declaration of disclosable pecuniary interest

To receive any declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests in respect of items on the agenda for this meeting. 

Minutes:

Councillor Rawlins, Cabinet member for Planning declared that he would be standing down from the meeting and taking no part in any discussion regarding agenda item 13, New office accommodation – design, sustainability and building specification.

22.

Urgent business and chairman's announcements

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

Minutes:

None.

23.

Public participation

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

Minutes:

None.

24.

Recommendations from the Climate Emergency Advisory Committee

At its meeting on 19 September the Climate Emergency Advisory Committee considered options for how the council could respond to the climate emergency declaration and agreed a number of recommendations for Cabinet consideration.

 

The committee also considered the confidential Cabinet report “Crowmarsh Council Offices Project - Sustainability Options”.

 

The views and recommendations of the committee on the above will be circulated prior to the Cabinet meeting on 8 October.

  


Minutes:

Councillor Sue Roberts, chair of the Climate Emergency Advisory Committee, addressed Cabinet and outlined the recommendations of the committee’s meeting of 19 September.

 

The committee’s principal recommendation was that South Oxfordshire aim to become a carbon neutral council by 2025 and a carbon neutral district by 2030.  The committee had also recommended a number of actions to help achieve these targets. 

 

Cabinet noted that a motion had been submitted to the 10 October Council, seeking agreement to the committee’s recommendation.

 

RESOLVED: to note the views and recommendations of the Committee, endorse the direction of travel and support the motion to Council on 10 October.

25.

Affordable Housing and Oxfordshire Growth Deal

To consider the report of the head of development and regeneration – report to follow.

Minutes:

This item was withdrawn and Cabinet noted that a report would be submitted to a future meeting. 

26.

Global resettlement scheme and asylum seeker dispersal scheme pdf icon PDF 137 KB

To consider the head of housing and environment’s report. 

Minutes:

Cabinet considered the report of the head of housing and environment which provided an appraisal of options for participation in the Government’s Global Resettlement Scheme and Asylum Dispersal Scheme.

 

The Global Resettlement Scheme replaced previous refugee schemes, including the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme. Participation in the scheme was voluntary and the council could decide how many families it would pledge to resettle in the district.

 

Under the Asylum Dispersal Scheme, the Home Office was seeking an “agreement in principle” that would permit an accommodation provider to source accommodation for asylum seekers in South Oxfordshire. 

 

RESOLVED to: 

 

(a)      participate in both schemes, details of which are set out in the report of the head of housing and environment to Cabinet on 8 October 2019.

 

(b)      accept three families within the current service design for the Global Resettlement Scheme.

 

(c)     review both schemes after one year.

27.

Capital grants policy update pdf icon PDF 197 KB

To consider the report of the head of community services – attached. 

Minutes:

Cabinet considered the report of the head of community services which sought approval for a revised Capital Grants Policy which introduced standard terms and conditions for all grants awarded under this scheme and which reflected the council’s Climate Emergency Declarations.

 

Cabinet supported the proposed changes as a means of speeding up and streamlining the process, involving community outcomes and reflecting the council’s climate emergency declaration.  

 

RESOLVED to: 

 

(a)      approve the revised policy for awarding capital grants, attached as appendix one to the report of the head of community services to Cabinet on 8 October 2019.

 

(b)      authorise the relevant head of service, in consultation with the relevant Cabinet member, to make minor amendments to the standard terms and conditions.

28.

Replacement of sewage treatment works in Moulsford pdf icon PDF 337 KB

To consider the report of the head of housing and environment – attached. 

Minutes:

Cabinet considered the report of the head of housing and environment regarding the replacement of the Moulsford sewage treatment works. 

 

Cabinet supported the proposals as the preferred way of resolving the capacity, design problems and age of the current sewage treatment works. 

 

RESOLVED to: 

 

(a)      transfer £170,000 from the provisional capital programme (ref. no. 194, HAW Moulsford) to the approved budget no. 103, Housing Act Works refurbishment.

 

(b)      begin a procurement process to identify a suitable supplier for a new replacement sewage treatment works at Moulsford.

 

(c)       subject to the winning tender being within the capital allocation, to agree that the decision to award the contract to supply and install a new sewage treatment works will be taken by the cabinet member responsible for housing and environment via an Individual Cabinet Member Decision.

29.

Budget monitoring April - May 2019 pdf icon PDF 102 KB

To consider the report of the head of finance – attached.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet considered the head of finance’s budget monitoring report for the period April – May 2019.

 

RESOLVED: to note the contents of the report.

30.

Exclusion of the Public

To consider whether to exclude members of the press and public from the meeting for the following item of business under Part 1 of Schedule 12A Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 and as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006 on the grounds that:

(i)         it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act, and

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

Minutes:

RESOLVED: to exclude members of the press and public from the meeting for the following item of business under Part 1 of Schedule 12A Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 and as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006 on the grounds that:

i.          it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act, and

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

 

31.

New office accommodation - design, sustainability and building specification

To consider the report of the head of corporate services - attached. 

Minutes:

Councillor Leigh Rawlins, the Cabinet member for planning, left the room for the consideration of this item. 

 

Cabinet considered the report of the deputy acting chief executive – transformation and operations which outlined the progress of the new council office building and car park programme at the council’s Crowmarsh Gifford site.

 

Representatives of Ridge, the council’s appointed project managers for the design and build, attended to answer members’ questions.

 

Councillor Sue Roberts, chair of the Climate Emergency Advisory Committee, addressed the meeting and outlined the recommendations of the committee’s meeting of 19 September 2019 regarding the sustainability options for the project.

 

RECOMMENDED: to Council to

 

(a)      note the progress of the new council office building and car park programme at the council’s Crowmarsh Gifford site.

 

(b)      allocate additional budget provision to the capital scheme in the approved programme.