Agenda and minutes

Toby Newman was nominated, seconded and appointed Vice-Chairman of the Committee for the remainder of the 2016/17 municipal year.

To agree and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 27 September 2016 (attached).

The minutes of the meeting held on 29 September 2016 were agreed as an accurate record and were signed by the Chairman.

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

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 chair.

None.

Any statements and/or petitions from the public (notified to the clerk in advance) will be made or presented at the meeting.

None.

To consider the report of the head of HR, IT and technical services (attached).

The committee considered the head of HR, IT and technical services’ report which set out the Cabinet’s proposed policy on future burial ground provision, including the options that were considered and discounted.

Ben Coleman, project manager introduced this item.  Also present to answer questions was Andrew Down, head of HR, IT and technical services.

The report stated that Cabinet’s preferred policy option was option four: South Oxfordshire District Council will facilitate provision of burial capacity across the district by developing planning policies in the emerging Local Plan 2032 and will assist communities in developing neighbourhood plan policies to support the provision of future burial capacity.  The committee also noted Councillor Jeannette Matelot’s written submission in support of this option.

The committee thanked the officers for an informative report.  Nevertheless, members expressed the view that there was insufficient detail on which to adopt a policy.  Accordingly it suggested that:

·         The reasons why Cabinet rejected a number of options and then chose option four should be set out in detail.

·         In view of the increasing demand for cremation rather than burial, the council should further investigate crematoria capacity in the district and consider what could be done to encourage more local capacity.

·         Further information was required on the extent to which the council could support local communities in developing their neighbourhood plans and assist them in calculating future burial land requirements.

·         Further information was required on the financial implications to communities in providing and maintaining future burial capacity.

RESOLVED: to request Cabinet to defer formal adoption of the proposed policy on future burial ground provision pending the receipt of further information as set out above.

To review the attached scrutiny work schedule. Please note, although the dates are confirmed, the items under consideration are subject to being withdrawn, added to or rearranged without further notice.

The committee was advised that, since the publication of the work programme, a meeting of the joint scrutiny committee had been scheduled for 30 January 2017.

It was agreed that Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) spending be added to the committee’s work programme.