The Delegated Decisions by Cabinet Member for Adults is scheduled to meet on 16 December 2025 to discuss contract extensions for Oxfordshire Community Links, and to confirm the minutes of their previous meeting. The meeting will also include an opportunity for councillors to ask questions. Members of the public are able to attend the meeting in person or online.

Oxfordshire Community Links

The main item for discussion is the proposed extension of contracts with Age UK Oxfordshire. Councillor Tim Bearder, Cabinet Member for Adults, is being asked to approve the extension of the Community Network Service contract and the Urgent Community Link service contract for 21 months, from 1 July 2026 to 31 March 2028.

The Community Network Service, branded as Community Links Oxfordshire, offers information and advice to adult residents in Oxfordshire with health and wellbeing needs. It aims to provide easy access to community support, reducing reliance on formal services. The service has four elements:

• Community Connectors
• Community Connectors working with Adult Social Care and Customer Service Centre
• Community development of Good Neighbour Schemes and Community Assets
• Live Well Oxfordshire platform enhancement.

The report pack states that Community Links Oxfordshire has been successful in reducing the need for council services:

Over the period of January 2023 to October 2025, of those being referred to the Community Links Oxfordshire service, 46% no longer needed a service from the Council.

The Urgent Community Link service is designed to help people return home from hospital and support those in the community to avoid hospital admissions. It has two elements:

• Urgent Hospital Discharge element
• Urgent Care Response element

However, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust has decided to withdraw funding from the Urgent Care Response element from 1 April 2026. The report pack says that this is because:

The acuity of the patients in the community is too high for what Age UK Oxfordshire can offer and it has been mutually agreed to withdraw this element of the contract. Oxford Health has concluded that funding is better invested in support for hospital discharges.

This will result in a reduction of £66,384, equivalent to two full-time employees. However, Oxford Health will continue to fund support in community hospitals for a limited time.

The report pack notes that the contracts are funded through the Better Care Fund, and that extending the contracts aligns with the council's strategic vision, the Oxfordshire Way. The report pack says that the Oxfordshire Way is focused on:

• Supporting people to live happy, healthy and independent lives
• Building community resilience and reducing reliance on formal care
• Delivering care closer to home, through strengths-based and person-centred approaches.

Other items

The agenda for the meeting includes:

• Declarations of interest from councillors
• Confirmation of the minutes of the previous meeting held on 21st October 2025
• Questions from county councillors
• Petitions and public address