Community action groups granted funding for another year
A network of 127 Oxfordshire community groups has been awarded funding to allow it to continue its work for another year.
Today Oxfordshire County Council approved a grant of £306,200 for the Community Action Groups (CAG) Oxfordshire to continue its work for 2026 - 27.
This includes £100,000 in one-off public health funding in support of enhancing community gardening and land skills, addressing climate anxiety through social action, and the Heat Safe Homes project.
Councillor Laura Gordon, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Economy, said: “CAG Oxfordshire has been running for 25 years in the county and is the largest network of its kind in the country. It is full of committed and passionate groups doing great things in their local communities, working on waste, energy, transport, biodiversity, food and social justice.
“As a council, we are delighted to enter a one-year grant funding arrangement and will be working with them going forward to ensure we continue to support their great work, while being mindful of the significant funding challenges faced by the council in future years.”
The county council has fully funded the network since 2001. The latest grant will run until 31 March 2027 while the council considers its other voluntary and community sector offerings.
In 2024 - 25, CAG Oxfordshire held over 8,000 events and activities, attracting more than 120,000 attendees, and brought almost £6 million in funding and income to the county.
Katherine Chesson, Director of CAG Oxfordshire, said: “CAG Oxfordshire is grateful to the county council for its ongoing commitment to the thousands of volunteers who are making a difference on issues of social change that affect us all.
“Our member groups undertake activities that range from supporting residents to grow and cook nutritious food with zero waste; hosting libraries of things and repair cafes to encourage repairing and sharing over buying new; engaging people in nature recovery and nature engagement plans; and working to bring wealth and power back to communities.”
The council’s policies and strategies benefit from the groups’ activities and awareness-raising on topics such as social justice and equity, waste reduction and recycling, energy, climate mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity and flooding.
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