About the
Partnership

Overview

The partnership's purpose is to deliver the bold aims of the Strategic Vision for Sustainable Development in Oxfordshire which all six councils have adopted. The FOP will:

• Coordinate local efforts to manage economic, housing and infrastructure development in a way that is inclusive and maximises local social and environmental benefits;
• Support the development of local policy that meets the UK Government’s stated aim of net zero carbon by 2050, and contributes towards biodiversity gain whilst embracing the changes needed for a low carbon world; and,
• Seek to secure funding in the pursuit of these aims and oversee the delivery of related work programmes delegated to it by the joint committee’s constituent local authority members.

It does this by overseeing the delivery of projects that the councils of Oxfordshire are seeking to deliver collaboratively in the fields of economic development and strategic planning. This cooperation has helped Oxfordshire to secure over £500m of additional investment, such as through the City Deal, Housing and Growth Deal, Housing Infrastructure Fund and the Oxfordshire Rail Connectivity Study. The Future Oxfordshire Partnership also has an important role in representing Oxfordshire on matters of regional interest.

The Partnership meets six times each year to discuss issues facing Oxfordshire’s future, most often in a non-decision-making capacity. It is supported by four Advisory Sub-Groups (Infrastructure, Environment, Housing and Planning), a Scrutiny Panel and a small team of officers who are tasked with delivering on elements of the Partnership’s work programme.

Through this website, you can find more information about our structure, meetings, membership and how to ask us a question. The full terms of reference for the Future Oxfordshire Partnership can be found here.

Governance

Voting

All six voting members of the Future Oxfordshire Partnership are elected representatives nominated by their respective local authority. Future Oxfordshire Partnership meetings are held in public, with the papers published online a week in advance. The Future Oxfordshire Partnership’s Terms of Reference allow for circumstances where a member authority that does not support a particular proposition may opt out of it.

Following the Future Oxfordshire Partnership’s negotiation of the terms of the Oxfordshire Housing & Growth Deal with Government, its adoption was agreed by affirmative votes in all six councils and the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP) Board. The Future Oxfordshire Partnership is responsible both for decisions about how Deal money is spent and for overseeing the work undertaken to deliver the agreed outcomes.

Advisory Groups

Recognising the value in involving a wider group of elected members in considering detailed aspects of delivery of infrastructure, housing, the environment and planning, Advisory Groups have been formed focusing on each of these areas.

The Chair of each Advisory Group is drawn from the voting members of the Future Oxfordshire Partnership, with the express requirement that their role is to act independently in the interests of Oxfordshire and the Future Oxfordshire Partnership, and not of their own political group or local authority area. The other members of each Advisory Group are drawn from elected members from each Council. OxLEP’s Board provides similar advisory oversight of the work undertaken in the Deal’s Productivity workstream.

Scrutiny Panel

The Future Oxfordshire Partnership Scrutiny Panel ensures effective and coordinated scrutiny of the work and decision-making of the Future Oxfordshire Partnership. Its membership comprises three councillors from each authority and it is empowered to review any decisions and make recommendations on reports to the Future Oxfordshire Partnership. This additional joint scrutiny function complements rather than replaces the existing Scrutiny Committees of each authority.