To receive notices of motion under standing order 41.
(1) Motion to be proposed by Stefan Gawrysiak, seconder to be notified:
Council urges Cabinet, as part of its budget proposals, to increase the community grants budget to £1.5 million for 2017/18.
(2) Motion to be proposed by Stefan Gawrysiak, seconder to be notified:
Council urges Cabinet, as part of its budget proposals, to make budget provision of £0.5 million to implement the practical measures within the council’s Low Emission Strategy.
Minutes:
A. Motion moved by Stefan Gawrysiak and seconded by David Turner:
“Council urges Cabinet, as part of its budget proposals, to increase the community grants budget to £1.5 million for 2017/18”.
A number of councillors spoke in support of the motion. They expressed the view that an increase in the budget would allow the council to reinstate the third round of grant applications and fund more projects. However, the majority of councillors did not support the motion. The current grants budget is very generous and supported many community projects since 1997 to a value of £17 million. The current level of grant budget ensured there is a competitive bidding process for council funds which would be diminished if the budget were increased. In addition the consideration of this proposal was premature and should be considered as part of the council’s budget setting process.
On being put the motion was declared lost.
B. Motion moved by Stefan Gawrysiak and seconded by Margaret Davies:
“Council urges Cabinet, as part of its budget proposals, to make budget provision of £0.5 million to implement the practical measures within the council’s Low Emission Strategy”.
A number of councillors spoke in support of the motion. The council is currently consulting on a new low emission strategy and whilst there is budget provision for air quality monitoring there is no budget provision to support practical measures to relieve the current air quality issues in South Oxfordshire to reduce the detrimental health impacts, particularly on children and the elderly, of air pollution in the district’s towns. Budget provision of £0.5 million would allow for the employment of a full time officer and support measures which may be identified in the low emission strategy.
However, the majority of councillors did not support the motion. The proposal was premature and should be considered as part of the council’s budget setting process. The district council should work with partners, Oxfordshire County Council and the towns, to implement measures to reduce air pollution – including 20mph zones, a reduction in HGVs travelling through the towns and increased provision and use of public transport and electric cars.
On being put the motion was declared lost.
C. The Chairman advised that he had agreed to take the following motion as an urgent item to allow Council to consider it prior to the next Oxfordshire Growth Board meeting, responding to a request from the Local Enterprise Partnership and other partners that the council is able to do so in order to be in a position to better engage with Government to address issues arising from the Local Growth Fund submission.
Motion moved by John Cotton and seconded by Will Hall:
“This Council endorses the work of Oxfordshire's Local Authority Leaders and the Local Enterprise Partnership through the Oxfordshire Growth Board to explore the opportunity for transformational changes in service delivery across a range of areas including, but not exclusively: infrastructure, skills, economic development, strategic spatial planning, public assets, business rates, health and social care.
In order to support the achievement of significant improvement in the provision of local services, this Council confirms its support for a review of the future functions of the Oxfordshire Growth Board, which should include an assessment of the merits of establishing a mayoral combined authority for Oxfordshire”.
Mr Neville Harris, a local resident, addressed Council on the motion. He spoke in support of a single unitary council for Oxfordshire. He objected to the lack of involvement of councillors at both district and county council level in discussions on both the reorganisation of local government and devolution proposals. He called for a referendum on the issue of local government reorganisation which would allow the arguments for and against to be discussed and the electorate to express its view on the issue.
In moving the motion John Cotton, Leader of the council, stated that the government wanted to see devolution deals with collective governance arrangements, preferably elected mayors. A firm commitment from the Oxfordshire local authorities to such an arrangement was more likely to bring about a deal and therefore achieve investment for Oxfordshire. Those areas that had secured devolution deals had been successful in recent Local Growth Fund allocations whilst Oxfordshire received a disappointing allocation - £25 million from a £300 million bid. The issue was discussed at a recent meeting of the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) which suggested that each council in Oxfordshire demonstrate its commitment to a devolution deal in Oxfordshire.
The majority of councillors supported the motion as a means of indicating support for a direction of travel. This would enable work to progress on a devolution bid to government to secure investment in the infrastructure essential for the economic growth of the county. Oxfordshire is a net contributor to the exchequer and needed to access funding to support major strategic projects.
A number of councillors expressed concern regarding the lack of detail of how a combined authority would operate and at the lack of democratic accountability of both the LEP and Oxfordshire Growth Board.
RESOLVED: to endorse the work of Oxfordshire's Local Authority Leaders and the Local Enterprise Partnership through the Oxfordshire Growth Board to explore the opportunity for transformational changes in service delivery across a range of areas including, but not exclusively: infrastructure, skills, economic development, strategic spatial planning, public assets, business rates, health and social care.
In order to support the achievement of significant improvement in the provision of local services, this Council confirms its support for a review of the future functions of the Oxfordshire Growth Board, which should include an assessment of the merits of establishing a mayoral combined authority for Oxfordshire.