The Cherwell District Council Executive met to discuss a range of issues, including local authority funding, environmental initiatives, support for domestic abuse victims, cultural strategies, and regeneration projects. Key decisions included supporting a move to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel for council vehicles, approving a new Domestic Abuse Policy, endorsing the Made in Banbury cultural strategy, and progressing the Bicester Market Square project.

Government Review of Local Authority Funding

The Executive noted its response to a motion regarding the government's review of local authority funding. The motion, raised by Councillor Edward Reeves at a previous council meeting, called for the council to lobby the government to mitigate the effects of funding cuts.

The council has been engaging with ministers, members of parliament, and organisations such as the District Councils Network¹ and the Local Government Association² to highlight the potential impact on Cherwell, including writing to Jonathan Reynolds, Secretary of State for Business and Trade, and Angela Rayner, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

The council also responded to the government's consultations on the Business Rates Reset and Fair Funding Review 2.0, with the latest indications from government suggesting a funding floor would be introduced, limiting the council's exposure to funding reductions.

HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) Fuel

The Executive supported a change from standard diesel to HVO diesel for Environmental Services vehicles, commencing from Autumn 2025. This move aims to substantially reduce emissions during 2025/26 and 2026/26. The Executive also noted the small increase in fuel costs resulting from the move to HVO, which can be contained within the existing fuel budget.

According to the report, the vehicle fleet is a significant contributor to the council's overall emissions, with around 90 vehicles, half of which are Large Goods Vehicles (LGV). While battery electric vehicles are becoming more common for small and medium-sized vans, the choice of electric vehicles is more limited for LGVs, and the initial capital cost is 2-2.5 times higher than diesel vehicles.

The change to HVO fuel is expected to increase fuel costs by around £25,000-£30,000 in 2025/26 and a further £25,000-£30,000 in 2026/27. However, the reduction in CO2 emissions is estimated to be around 600-700 tonnes in 2025/26 and a further 600-700 tonnes in 2026/27, reducing fleet emissions overall from 1,400 tonnes to less than 250 tonnes, an 85% reduction.

The council will purchase HVO through a framework supplier, ESPO³, with certification to ensure the sustainability of the fuel source. The intention is to use HVO from a sustainable source certified by the Renewable Fuel Assurance Scheme (RFAS), largely using waste cooking oils as its feedstock.

Domestic Abuse Policy

The Executive approved a new Domestic Abuse Policy, which outlines the council's role and responsibilities in providing advice, assistance, and support to residents experiencing domestic abuse. The policy aims to ensure that residents are aware of the council's role and responsibilities, can access appropriate advice and support, and can be confident that their individual circumstances will be handled confidentially, sensitively, and non-judgmentally.

The policy also outlines the housing support provided by the council, particularly through the housing options team, housing register, and the Sanctuary Scheme, which provides additional security measures to properties. It also highlights the multi-agency arrangements in place within Oxfordshire to coordinate responses, provide support, and monitor perpetrators.

Made in Banbury

The Executive endorsed Made in Banbury, a cultural strategy for the town, and acknowledged the impact investment in arts and culture can have on the local economy. The Executive also agreed to support the Banbury Quays Consortium, a Community Interest Company, in their coordination of marketing cultural offers to audiences under a shared 'Made in Banbury' approach across the district with a grant of £3,000 from existing funding allocations for each of the next two years.

The cultural strategy identifies three priority themes:

• Place
• People
• Partnerships

Objectives have been drawn up for each theme, and delivery will be guided by the Cultural Strategy Steering Group made up from the Banbury Quays Consortium and Cherwell District Council representatives.

Bicester Market Square Project

The Executive approved the concept design for the Bicester Market Square project and agreed to move to the next stage, which includes detailed design development and submitting a planning application. The Executive also approved the addition of £881,000 from Oxfordshire County Council town centre s106 funds[^5] to the currently approved £4.25m capital programme budget, giving a maximum total project budget of £5,131,000 to complete the project in full.

The project aims to regenerate Bicester Market Square to enhance its public realm. A consultant, WSP, was appointed, and a public engagement programme was undertaken, including surveys and design workshops with residents and businesses. The multi-channel campaign contributed to more than 1,500 survey responses and over 400 in-person engagements.

The Executive delegated authority to the Corporate Director Communities, in conjunction with the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Property and Regeneration and the Assistant Director of Finance, to agree the tranches of budget for each stage of the project as required, into the capital programme to enable completion of this project.

The Executive also delegated authority to the Corporate Director Communities, in conjunction with the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Property and Regeneration and Assistant Director of Law and Governance, to approve the appointment of the preferred Consultant & Contractor and to work with the Councils project team to deliver this project following the required Council procurement processes.

Budget Process 2026/2027

The Executive approved the Budget Process for 2026/27, the base assumptions to be used for the 2026/27 budget, and a five-year period for the Medium-Term Financial Strategy to 2030/31 and five-year period for the Capital Programme to 2030/31.

The Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) to 2029/30, agreed by Council in February 2025, identified savings of £4.997m to be delivered in 2026/27. The MTFS also reflects expected growth for demographic and other additional directorate spending needs and inflationary costs plus impacts of agreed savings and other income growth.

Finance, Performance and Risk Monitoring Report Quarter 1 2025 - 2026

The Executive considered the quarter 1 performance, finance and risk report and approved the reprofiling of projects in the capital programme as set out in Appendix 1 of the report. The Executive also approved the release of £40,000 from Policy Contingency for pump priming The Hill.

As of June, directorates are forecasting an overall year-end overspend of £2.391m (12.3% of net budget), a significant increase from the forecast year-end position of £0.296m in May. This is driven mainly by pressures in Property (£1.343m) and Environmental Services (£0.769m).