Agenda item

Update from Councillor Barry Wood, Chair of the Oxford to Cambridge Arc Leaders Group and member of the Oxfordshire Growth Board

Councillor Barry Wood, Chair of the Oxford to Cambridges Arc Leaders Group, member of the Oxfordshire Growth Board and Leader of Cherwell District Council has been invited to attend this meeting to give an update.

Minutes:

The Chair welcomed Councillor Barry Wood, Chair of the Oxford to Cambridge Arc Leaders Group, member of the Growth Board and Leader of Cherwell District Council to the meeting.

 

In summary, Councillor Wood informed the Panel that:

 

·           The Arc Leaders Group covered the whole of the geography of the Oxford to Cambridge Arc and was composed of the leaders of all the local authorities within that areas. It was a significant footprint within the UK.

·           Different aspirations and politics were reflected within the Group, which operated on the principle of seeking to arrive at consensus rather than complete unanimity.  It was a collaboration of the willing, based upon the collective benefit of working together.   

·           Although the Arc had in the past been highlighted in statements made by Ministers relating to HM Government’s ambition for housing numbers along the Arc footprint by 2050 and Highways England’s proposal for an Oxford to Cambridge expressway, the expressway was a separate project to the Arc.

·           It remained to be evidenced how this commitment in principle would be demonstrated and put into action, for instance, through the Budget, and/or HM Government Comprehensive Spending Review.

·           It was expected that there would be a relationship between HM Government spending and how local partners collaborated in order to manage the impacts of growth in their areas to mutual benefit.

·           The Oxford to Cambridge Arc Joint Declaration between HM Government and partners had included a specific paragraph relating to the value placed on the natural environment and the aim to meet joint economic and housing ambitions whilst overall improving, rather than degrading, the environment in the Arc for present and future residents.

·           If the aspirations set out in that paragraph were to be realised, even in part, it would demonstrate the value of local authority and HM Government collaboration. 

·           Arc Leaders had recently agreed to look at the development of a co-designed, robust, deliverable, inclusive and sustainable economic and environmental framework for the Arc between HM Government and local partners. In addition, it had been suggested that there could be a green Arc which prioritised climate change.

·           There had been a recommitment to the principles of subsidiarity with local planning authorities continuing to be a central pillar of land use planning, but with governance mechanisms such as Growth Board’s providing a degree of collaboration and proof of the duty to collaborate.

·           The Oxfordshire Growth Board had been one of the first Growth Board’s to be established and whilst it could and would be improved, it would be an important building block in the development of the Arc.

 

The following points were raised during the Panel’s discussion with Councillor Wood and Bev Hindle:

 

·           HM Government had yet to confirm its acceptance, but ARC Leaders had been clear in their discussions with it that subsidiarity involved the taking of decisions and implementations of actions at the level of optimum effectiveness. Growth Boards could be a potential bridge between HM Government, local authorities and local people. For Oxfordshire, this would include a clear focus on sustainability and the Panel itself had a key role to play in monitoring and questioning the delivery of that agenda.

·           The Arc provided a level of scale at which it was more likely that influence could be brought to bear on HM Government on cross boundary issues such as enhancements in building regulation to meet the climate emergency.

·           The Oxfordshire Growth Board and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority were likely to be one of four governance bodies across the Arc with a form of Executive Committee comprised of representatives from all four groupings.  It was felt by the Panel, that any members of this committee should be elected councillors.

·           No definitive information was available at the time of the meeting in respect of the future of the Oxford to Cambridge expressway, although it was possible this would be an element of the Budget or connected statements.

·           Confirmation had been received that the East West Rail project had been approved and this had the potential to significantly reduce road traffic between Oxford and Milton Keynes.

·           Whilst the commitment to sustainability and the environment for the Arc was welcomed, the Panel sought actual examples of what the ambition would look like in practice. The Panel was informed that the incorporation of the role of sustainability and environment with the Arc was still at the vision stage of development, and it was important that HM Government took actions that would count and have real outcomes.  There would be additional demands upon local authorities as partners arising from this which would need resources on the ground. 

·           Adding an environmental ambition to the other Arc objectives and in leading the way provided an opportunity to persuade the public of the wider benefits arising from the Arc otherwise it could be viewed as a threat.

·           There should be an aspiration to make affordable housing genuinely affordable. It was noted that details of expenditure of the £60m provided as part of the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal to support affordable housing were set out in the regular progress reports. It was likely that there would be deals equivalent to the Oxfordshire one across the geography of the Arc and lessons could be learnt from it.

·           Concern was expressed that funding from HM Government might not be enough to meet the aspirations of the Oxford to Cambridge Arc, particularly considering any reapportionment of funds to other parts of the country following the election. In response, the comment was made by Councillor Wood that it was felt there would still be funding available for the Arc, but it would be necessary to continue to put forward a good business case in a highly competitive context. HM Government was aware of the importance of the Arc geography for the UK economy.

 

The Panel welcomed the reference by Councillor Wood to the importance of improving the natural environment alongside the other objectives of the Arc set out in the joint declaration and felt that this should be championed by the Growth Board as the Oxford to Cambridge Arc developed. The Panel also supported the development of digital connectivity as part of the ambition for the Arc.

 

The Panel accepted the invitation from Councillor Wood that he could provided a further update on the Arc’s development on an annual basis.

 

RESOLVED:

 

The Scrutiny Panel recommended that:

 

1.      The Growth Board, in its future involvement in the Oxford to Cambridge Arc, continues to champion and seek deliverability specifically against the following section of the Oxford to Cambridge Arc joint declaration between HM Government and local partners, which the Scrutiny Panel supports:

 

       “We value the natural environment highly and aim to meet our economic and housing ambitions while overall improving, rather than degrading, the environment in the Arc. We want better places to live, which are beautiful and inspiring, to benefit the Arc’s residents today as well as tomorrow. The Government has already set out its intention for the Arc to embody England’s 25 Year Environment Plan, which we will work together to deliver, including through planning for local natural capital. We want new developments to use intelligent and sensitive design to create or enhance habitats and improve habitat 8 connectivity, in situ and in the surrounding area. We also want to improve access to the environment for existing and new communities in order to improve health and wellbeing.”

 

2.      Any representation from the Growth Board within the formal governance structures of the Oxford to Cambridge Arc should remain reserved for elected councillors within the Growth Board.

 

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