Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED: to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 6 December 2012 as a correct record and agree that the Chairman sign them as such.

Purpose: to provide options to enable Cabinet to determine the appropriate car park fees and charges from 1 April 2013. 

Cabinet considered the report of the Head of Economy, Leisure and Property that asked Cabinet to consider the options provided to enable it to determine the appropriate car park fees and charges from 1 April 2013.

In considering the car park account that showed a surplus of income over expenditure when viewed over the five-year period Cabinet agreed to support improvements to the furniture, signage and public conveniences and maintain prices at their current level.  This included the half-price offers and free parking, which would all contribute to making the car parks more appealing and support the council’s objectives of encouraging people to shop locally and support local shops and businesses.

RESOLVED: to

(a)   make no changes to the current car park fees and charges, and to continue the provision of free parking on Saturday afternoons and half-price season tickets for those working in South Oxfordshire;

(b)   support the improvement of the car park environment by replacing car park machines, furniture and signage and carrying out improvements to those public conveniences situated within the council’s car parks.

Purpose: to consider the comments from the Audit and Corporate Governance Committee and recommend council to approve the report, which fulfils the legislative requirements to ensure the adequate monitoring of the treasury management activities and that the council’s prudential indicators are reported to council mid year.  The report provides details of the treasury activities for the first six months of 2012/13 and an update on the current economic conditions with a view to the remainder of the year.

Cabinet considered the report of the Head of Finance that asked Cabinet to recommend Council to approve the report.  The report provided details of the treasury activities for the first six months of 2012/13 and an update on the current economic conditions with a view to the remainder of the year. 

Cabinet noted that the Audit and Corporate Governance Committee, at its meeting on 29 January, had endorsed the recommendations within the report and made no additional recommendations to Cabinet.  In addition, Cabinet noted that treasury management activities had operated within the parameters in the approved strategy and agreed to recommend Council to approve the report.  This would fulfil the legislative requirements to ensure the adequate monitoring of the treasury management activities and that Council received a mid-year report on the council’s prudential indicators.

RESOLVED: to recommend Council to approve the report.

Purpose: to note the recommendations of the Audit and Corporate Governance Committee and to recommend Council to approve the treasury management strategy 2013/14 to 2015/16, incorporating the annual investment strategy and the prudential indicators and limits for 2013/14 to 2015/16

Cabinet considered the report of the Head of Finance that asked Cabinet to note the recommendations of the Audit and Corporate Governance Committee that considered the report on 29 January.  It also asked Cabinet to recommend Council to approve the treasury management strategy 2013/14 to 2015/16, incorporating the annual investment strategy and the prudential indicators and limits for 2013/14 to 2015/16.

Cabinet agreed the changes to the strategy, which would allow opportunities to widen the range of institutions the council could lend to, whilst maintaining effective treasury management to meet the council’s strategic objective of managing its business effectively.

RESOLVED: to recommend Council to approve:

a.      the treasury management strategy 2013/14 to 2015/16, incorporating the annual investment strategy, contained within appendix A of the report of the Head of Finance to Cabinet on 14 February 2013;

b.      the prudential indicators and limits for 2013/14 to 2015/16, contained within appendix A of the report of the Head of Finance to Cabinet on 14 February 2013.

Purpose: to recommend council to agree the budgets 2013/14 and the capital programme to 2017/18

Cabinet considered the report of the Head of Finance that asked Cabinet to recommend Council to agree the budget 2013/14 and the capital programme to 2017/18.

Mr D Dodds, Cabinet member for finance, referred to an amendment to paragraph 15 of the report in that the grant funding for rural areas of £19,456 would not be available to the council as Government had previously advised.

Cabinet agreed to recommend the budget to Council on the basis that it was a sustainable budget that would enhance services yet offer a 2.5 per cent reduction in council tax. 

RESOLVED: to:

a.      recommend Council to

i.        set the revenue budget for 2013/14 at £11,684,623 and the council tax requirement as £6,187,635, as set out in appendix A1 of the report of the Head of Finance to Cabinet on 14 February 2013;

ii.      approve the capital programme for 2013/14 to 2017/18 as set out in appendix C of the report of the Head of Finance to Cabinet on 14 February 2013, together with the capital growth bids set out in appendix D of the report of the Head of Finance to Cabinet on 14 February 2013;

iii.    set the council’s prudential limits as listed in appendix F of the report of the Head of Finance to Cabinet on 14 February 2013;

iv.     approve the medium term financial plan to 2017/18 as set out in appendix G of the report of the Head of Finance to Cabinet on 14 February 2013;

v.       allocate £1 million to fund the Community Investment Fund grant scheme.

b.      agree that the Cabinet member for finance, in conjunction with the Leader, may make minor adjustments to this report and the prudential indicators, in conjunction with the Head of Finance, should they prove necessary prior to its submission to Council on 21 February 2013.

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

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 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.

Purpose: to recommend Council to agree an addition to the approved capital programme 2012/13 for land acquisition at Didcot

Cabinet considered the confidential report of the Strategic Director and agreed to recommend Council to agree an addition to the approved capital programme 2012/13 for land acquisition at Didcot, as set out in the report.

(a)   Cabinet agreed to recommend Council to add a sum of £1 million as a supplementary estimate to the approved capital programme 2012/13 for land acquisition at Didcot.

(b)   Subject to Council agreeing the funding, Cabinet agreed recommendation (b) in the confidential report, authorising the Strategic Director to purchase land in Didcot and to enter into the related agreements.