Agenda and minutes

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

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, and to receive any announcements from the chair. 

None.

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

There was no public participation.

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 Please note, although the dates are confirmed, the items under consideration are subject to being withdrawn, added to or rearranged without further notice.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 were reminded that an updated version of the work programme had been circulated, after a meeting was held with scrutiny chairs and officers last week. More meeting dates had been allocated to reports coming to scrutiny. The work programme is subject to change. If members had any ideas or queries, do contact the committee chair.

To consider the head of planning’s report (to follow).

Cabinet member for planning, Councillor Anne Marie Simpson, introduced the report on a joint local plan.

This report was going to Cabinet on 18 March, and Council on 25 March 2021. This was a report to consider the principle behind a joint local plan. If accepted, the plan would be prepared over the next 4 years, whilst the current adopted plan was in place. Neighbourhood plans would provide a strong base and the housing allocation would be long term. This was an opportunity to plan on similar issues and shared boundaries – such as Science Vale and Didcot Garden Town. It was anticipated that sharing the costs would result in a cost saving of a third of the cost of two separate plans. There would be an issues and risk register to mitigate and address issues during the process.

Questions were raised and responses to the committee included:

• Shared office space would continue
• It was confirmed that this report had no relation at all to becoming a unitary council.
• It was confirmed that through the Section 28 process – the separate district councils still had their own decision-making powers and process. If one council chose to reject the joint plan, it would remain without a plan and the other council could continue.
• It was confirmed that it was not intended to be a one-size-fits-all, and that there would be scope for variation – area-based policies as well as common policies.
• The committee discussed community involvement – local people could feed into the process, and this was supported through neighbourhood plans.
• It was confirmed that the delay in accepting the current South Oxfordshire Local Plan would not result in a timing issue for a joint plan.
• There was clarity from the Corporate Plan – a good starting point.
• Potential to separate the plans later if needed.
• Ecological implications – this was acknowledged in the corporate plan at this stage.
• There was a need for ongoing communications, engage residents throughout, using various communication methods.
• A clear plan was wanted for Didcot, as it spans both districts. A coherent strategy for Didcot.

The committee motioned as follows:

Resolved: to

Note the report on a Joint Local Plan.

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 paragraphs 1-7 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. 

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 paragraphs 1-7 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.

Resolved: to

Exclude the public and press from the meeting to discuss the exempt reports for agenda items 7 and 8.

To consider the report of the acting deputy chief executive – place. 

The committee noted the Leisure management overview report.

To consider the report of the acting deputy chief executive – place (to follow).

The committee reviewed the report on Covid-19 leisure support package.