Agenda item

Growth Board members and officers may verbally update the Board on progress on matters previously before the Board for consideration, listed in the forward plan, or relevant to the Board’s future decisions.  This is for the sharing of information and no decisions will be taken. 

Oxfordshire Open Thought

Bev Hindle, Growth Board Director, informed the Board that the recently launched Oxfordshire Open Thought website had been designed to be innovative and provide a different non-statutory form of consultation than that traditionally associated with local government. Work had commenced prior to the pandemic, and the aim was to access the ideas of Oxfordshire’s population (and other interested parties) about how people might live, work and travel up to 30 years in the future. Growth Board members were encouraged to visit and promote the website as much as possible.

Oxford to Cambridge Arc Leaders Executive Group

Bev Hindle reminded the Board that the Oxford to Cambridge Arc was an area of economic priority for HM Government. At the Budget, the Chancellor of the Exchequer had made a commitment to the development of an Arc spatial framework as a major plank of HM Government’s economic strategy. Across the geography of the Arc, local authorities had been working collectively with partners including Local Enterprise Partnerships and universities to try and see how they could mutually add value. Facilitation of this work, including meetings of the organisations involved, formed part of his role.

The Oxford to Cambridge Arc Leadership Group comprised of approximately 30 local authorities and partner organisations within the Arc area. The group had recently established a governance structure to include an Executive Leaders Group based upon Growth Board representation.

The Growth Board was invited to appoint three local authority representatives to the Arc Executive Leaders Group. The issue had been brought to this meeting, because it could not reasonably be deferred. It was noted that representatives from the LEP and universities sectors would also be represented on the group via a separate appointment process.

Members of the Growth Board agreed unanimously that it was important for Oxfordshire to fully engage in the work and development of the Arc for the benefit of Oxfordshire’s residents and this was followed by detailed discussion around the appointments.

It was proposed by Councillor Mills that the three representatives should comprise Councillor Smith (as the current Chair of the Growth Board), Councillor Hudspeth (as the current Leader of Oxfordshire County Council – the transport authority) and Councillor Barry Wood (in light of his service as Chair of the Arc Leaders Group). Furthermore, Councillor Brown should be the standing deputy for all three appointments. In response, Councillor Brown commented that, in considering the Terms of Reference of the Executive Group, the Arc Leaders Group had accepted the importance of the respective Growth Boards being mindful of the overall political balance of appointments across the Arc. It was, therefore, important to ensure the voice and perspectives of cities, including Oxford, were recognised and represented.

After further discussion, Councillor Mill’s proposal was seconded by Councillor Hudspeth and agreed by a majority vote.

RESOLVED:

1.      That Councillors Smith, Hudspeth and Wood be appointed as the Growth Board’s representatives on the Oxford to Cambridge Arc Leaders Executive Group for the 2020/21 Growth Board year.

2.      That Councillor Brown be appointed as the Growth Board’s standing deputy in respect of the above appointments for the 2020/21 Growth Board year.

3.      That the above appointments be reviewed on an annual basis.