The Oxfordshire County Council Cabinet met to discuss a range of issues, including adopting a new digital strategy, addressing climate change, and managing the council's finances. The cabinet approved the Digital, Data and Technology (DDAT) Strategies 2025-2028, approved the inclusion of Grove Airfield Primary School into the capital programme, and approved £2.4 million for the purchase of two new buildings to facilitate staff relocation. They also discussed responses to scrutiny reports on school catering, employment services, hire bikes and scooters, and the council's people and culture strategy.

Digital, Data and Technology Strategy

The cabinet adopted the Digital, Data and Technology (DDAT) Strategies 2025-2028, a unified framework consolidating the council's approach to digital transformation and innovation. The DDaT strategies aim to enhance the council's maturity in the use of data, improve customer engagement, and leverage technology to support transformation and innovation across all services. The framework comprises a Digital Strategy, a Data Strategy, and a Technology Strategy.

Key objectives of the strategies include:

• Promoting a digital-first customer experience.
• Fostering a culture of digital innovation and capability.
• Strengthening data foundations through governance and standards.
• Simplifying and securing the technology estate.

Capital Programme Update

The cabinet approved the inclusion of Grove Airfield Primary School (Phase 2 of Grove Airfield Development) into the capital programme with an indicative budget of £1.6 million, fully funded by section 106¹ developer contributions. This will ensure sufficient school places to meet the needs of the growing local population due to a new housing development of up to 2,500 new dwellings at Grove Airfield.

The cabinet also approved £2.4 million to enable the purchase of two new buildings to facilitate staff relocation as part of the Asset Rationalisation Programme, which aims to release leased buildings and optimise the use of county-owned buildings, generating ongoing cost savings.

Scrutiny Committee Reports

The cabinet received several reports from scrutiny committees, covering a range of topics:

• School Catering Service and Corporate Cleaning Contract: The Education and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Committee raised concerns about safeguarding services for rural schools and maintaining employment rights during the outsourcing of these services.
• Oxfordshire Employment Services: The People Overview and Scrutiny Committee recommended exploring an accreditation scheme to encourage business engagement and expanding the service's scope to support more residents into employment.
• Hire Bike and Scooter Update: The Performance and Corporate Services Overview & Scrutiny Committee sought more information from the Department for Transport, improved evaluation of the impact of e-bike and e-scooter hire schemes, and explored ways to improve availability without inconveniencing pedestrians.
• Our People and Culture Strategy Update: The Performance and Corporate Services Overview & Scrutiny Committee suggested greater granularity of sickness data reporting, realising the potential of existing relationships with partners, and additional consultation concerning the future of the employee engagement survey.

The cabinet will respond to these reports within two months, as required by the Local Government Act 2000[^3].

HR and Cultural Change Quarterly Employee Data Report

The cabinet noted the HR and Cultural Change Quarterly Employee Data Report for Quarter 1 2025-26. The report provided an overview of progress towards delivering the Our People and Culture Strategy , which aims to develop and maintain high performing, innovative, engaged, and agile teams. Key trends highlighted in the report include:

• A decrease in the overall turnover rate, from 13.5% to 12.0%.
• A slight increase in the sickness absence rate, from 8.7 to 8.8 days absence per full time equivalent (FTE).
• An increase in Apprenticeship Levy utilisation, from 89.6% to 93.4%.

Treasury Management Quarter 1 Report

The cabinet noted the Treasury Management Quarter 1 Performance Report 2025/26. The report set out the council's treasury management activities and risks as of 30 June 2025. Key points from the report include:

• Outstanding debt totalled £270 million, with an average interest rate of 4.41%.
• No external borrowing was raised during the quarter, while £2 million of maturing Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) loans were repaid.
• The average in-house return on investments was 4.74%, producing gross interest receivable of £4.964 million.

Business Management and Monitoring Report

The cabinet noted the Business Management and Monitoring Report for Quarter 1 2025/26. The report provided an overview of the council's performance, strategic risks, and an update on the Homes for Ukraine Scheme in Oxfordshire. The cabinet also approved the allocation of Homes for Ukraine grant funding as set out in Annex C of the report.

The report highlighted that eight out of ten strategic risks remained static in their residual risk scores from May to June 2025. However, the report noted that the risk score for Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) had increased due to financial pressures, anticipated policy reforms, and rising demand.

Forward Plan and Future Business

The cabinet considered a list of items for forthcoming meetings, including:

• Fire and Rescue Cover Model Proposals
• Update to the Street Lighting and Illuminated Assets Policy
• Get Oxfordshire Working
• Future Bus Regulation Options
• Capital Programme Monitoring Report
• Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children's Board Annual Report 2024-25
• Oxfordshire Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report 2024-25
• Biodiversity Action Framework and Action Plan
• Local Nature Recovery Strategy
• Delegated Powers Report for July to September 2025
• Strategic Plan 2025-2028
• Business Management & Monitoring Report - Finance Update and Monitoring Report
• Enterprise Zone Business Rates - Forecast and Update on Planned Use
• S106 Project – Accelerated Delivery and Corporate Funding