That is why Oxfordshire County Council is acting.

We are already leading the way on clean transport. Oxfordshire has one of the country's largest fleets of electric buses, helping to cut carbon emissions while making our air cleaner and reducing noise pollution. The progress has been recognised nationally, with Oxfordshire now described as a leader on clean air.

We are also helping residents reduce their own emissions and their energy bills. Through the Warm Homes: Local Grant programme, eligible households can receive free energy-saving improvements, including insulation, solar panels and heat pumps. More than 100 households have already benefited—including a Witney family who have had solar panels and a battery installed at no cost. (Oxfordshire News)

But the transition to a low-carbon economy has to work for communities too. We are working with partners across Oxfordshire to develop a framework that could allow communities hosting large renewable energy projects to share in the benefits—including through community payments and opportunities for shared ownership. (Oxfordshire News)

We are also changing the way the council itself operates. This summer Oxfordshire became the first local authority in England to introduce a dual-fuel hydrogen and hydrotreated vegetable oil highways maintenance vehicle. It is a practical example of how we can reduce emissions from the vehicles needed to keep our roads running. (Oxfordshire News)

Climate action isn't just about reducing carbon. It is about restoring the natural systems that protect us. Oxfordshire's Local Nature Recovery Strategy provides an ambitious, evidence-led plan to restore and reconnect habitats across the county, helping nature recover while making our landscapes more resilient to flooding and climate change. (Oxfordshire News)

And we are making our roads and communities better places to walk, cycle and live. Our new Quiet Lanes programme will create safer routes for walking, wheeling, cycling and horse riding where there is local support, reducing through traffic and making rural roads calmer and safer. (Oxfordshire News)

None of this means the job is done. Far from it. The climate crisis demands that we keep going—and sometimes that means making difficult decisions.

But when people ask what Oxfordshire County Council is actually doing about climate change, the answer is simple: a great deal.

We can tackle climate change while improving people's lives, cutting household bills, protecting nature and creating healthier communities. That is the future we are working to build—and Oxfordshire is determined to lead the way.

Over recent years, heatwaves have become increasingly frequent, posing significant risk to Oxfordshire residents in unsuitable housing. Without appropriate adaptations in homes, higher temperatures can increase the risk of heart attacks, stroke, lung disease and severe mental illness.

In summer 2025, there were 1,504 heat-associated deaths in the UK. The council believes that these deaths are unnecessary and avoidable. Now experts estimate that more than 2,700 people may have died due to heatwaves in England and Wales so far this year.

Under the Warm Homes Local Grant, the council currently receives funding from central government to install adaptations in homes to retain heat in winter. However, there is no funding specifically designed to support the retrofit of homes that suffer from overheating.

Councillor Laura Gordon, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Economy, said: “England recorded its warmest June on record, with another heatwave hitting just two weeks later. This is not a one-off occurrence, but a new reality to which the UK must adapt.

“This is also a health inequalities issue, where those most at risk from heatwaves are often least able to afford effective home adaptations to prevent overheating, while also being more likely to have pre-existing health conditions, mobility limitations or social isolation. Without targeted investment there is a risk that climate adaptation widens health inequalities.

“Oxfordshire County Council is already working to address risk, and this summer will launch its pilot Heat Safe Homes programme. This will provide advice through home visits, local cool home training, community engagement, and the provision of cool packs. We are calling for central government support to expand this work to the scale needed to meet the challenge.”

The council believes that the government should consider expanding this Warm Homes Local Grant to include a Cool Homes Grant to protect our most vulnerable residents from overheating in their homes.

This grant would be used to help install passive and active cooling measures in vulnerable homes that are unable to afford them. External window shutters, blinds, improved ventilation, awnings, and air conditioning could all support these homes to be safe and liveable in summer.

The council has also called for the government to review current planning policies and building regulations which are currently constraining the uptake of external shading and ventilation measures.

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Oxfordshire County Council ‘s principal highways contractor M Group has welcomed the arrival of a 3.5-tonne highways maintenance truck – the first hydrogen-powered vehicle across the company’s 10,000 vehicle UK-wide fleet.

It marks a significant step in both M Group’s and the council’s commitments to reducing carbon emissions.

Compared to diesel, HVO and hydrogen fuel has significantly lower tailpipe carbon emissions by an average of 30 - 40 per cent. It also reduces emissions affecting air quality, such as nitrogen oxide, which support cleaner air across Oxfordshire.

While the fuel source is new, the vehicle is not.

Hydrogen technology specialists ULEMCo have retrofitted a standard maintenance truck, with the conversion funded by M Group. ULEMCo will also adapt a second vehicle, expected to be a medium or larger HGV, which will join the Oxfordshire fleet early in 2027.

Richard Lovewell, M Group’s Business Director, said: “M Group Highways has an ambitious target of being net zero carbon by 2040. We’re excited to be working with Oxfordshire County Council to trial practical solutions that can accelerate the journey to net zero.”

Councillor Liz Leffman, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways Construction and Repair, said: “The climate emergency is the biggest challenge the planet faces, and we are committed to not only reaching our own net zero target as a council by 2030 but to enabling Oxfordshire to be carbon neutral well ahead of 2050.

“We are delighted to be working with M Group to trial this innovative technology which will mean lower emissions and cleaner air across Oxfordshire.”

The dual fuel vehicles will be used to transport crews and materials to sites to carry out repairs and improvements on Oxfordshire’s roads.

Highways crews have received in depth training on how to refuel, maintain and operate the converted vehicles, with a particular focus on driver and public safety.

The drivers’ experience – along with a host of metrics, such as costs and fuel usage efficiency – will help assess the overall success of the trial.

With HGVs and trucks contributing around 17 - 21 per cent of road transport emissions, Oxfordshire’s trial could be pivotal in accelerating the UK’s transition to hydrogen-powered vehicles.

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The grants, ranging from £100 to £1,700, will be used by organisations across the county to fund measures including rainwater harvesting, allotment improvements and flood advice.

The community resilience small grants programme, administered by Community Action Groups Oxfordshire (CAG) and funded by £12,000 from Oxfordshire County Council, supports local events and activities which address or raise awareness of climate adaptation.

Katherine Chesson, Director of CAG Oxfordshire, said: “Community groups are at the heart of ensuring that Oxfordshire's residents are resilient to the impacts of climate change, such as extreme weather events.

“From rainwater harvesting at community gardens to raising awareness of local emergency plans, we're proud to support these fantastic groups to deliver locally led resilience work.”

Since 2007, Oxfordshire has experienced 20 significant flood events, 12 named storms, eight cold snaps, four major heatwaves and three periods of drought.

Councillor Judy Roberts, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Place, Environment and Climate Action, said: “We know that one of the best ways to mitigate against the impact of these increased incidents of extreme weather is to support activities and events that empower local groups to act.

“We received a great field of applications and we are delighted to be able to fund an exciting range of projects. We hope these grants will help some amazing organisations create new connections and raise awareness in order to support new people, local businesses and organisations to take climate action.”

The recipients are:

• Banbury Community Action Group: It will hold a film night and workshop to raise awareness of the need for community resilience and climate adaptation measures.
• Bridge Street Community Garden, Banbury: Funds will be used to upgrade the rainwater harvesting system at the garden to make the site more resilient to climate change.
• Bioabundance, Wallingford: Recognising the potential impacts of food shortages, the group will improve two allotment sites, which were set up to create a citizen network that could rise to support residents in time of crisis.
• Greener Henley: It will deliver a local resilience briefing for the town, tailored to local risks and resilience.
• Hendreds Environment Group: Funding will support the design, printing and distribution of leaflets to communicate the local emergency plan to the community and to educate residents on how they can become more self-reliant and prepare in advance in the event of an emergency.
• Her Land, South Oxfordshire: The group will deliver a workshop on the impact of droughts and flooding and outlining solutions such as rainwater harvesting. It will also install a rainwater harvesting system to better protect its site against extreme weather events.
• One Planet Abingdon: The group will engage with the community to raise awareness of Abingdon’s emergency plan workshop sessions and help residents create personal emergency plans.
• Steventon Parish Council: As a flood response group, it wants to provide every home with a flood education booklet describing what help can be provided within the village and from outside agencies.
• Stonehill Community Garden, Vale of White Horse: Its grant will support expanded rainwater harvesting to better protect the garden against future droughts, thereby improving the biodiversity of the site.
• Sustainable Didcot: Funding will support a month of themed climate resilience events, focused predominantly on water, as drought and flood are the biggest risks Didcot faces due to climate change.
• Transition Lighthouse Empowerment Space, Oxford: The group will purchase and install a yurt for shade at the Wellbeing Community Garden in Sandy Lane, to serve communities who face barriers in accessing and connecting to nature rich spaces. 

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Dean Farrell, who also serves as Witney CSS’s climate action champion, is participating in the eight week programme alongside students from across the globe. The course explores cutting-edge climate science and includes a group project component.

He hopes to focus his main project on Oxfordshire County Council’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2030.

Dean’s journey began with carbon literacy training. The council offers the nationally recognised carbon literacy training to any interested staff to support all non-environmental professionals with understanding of how their role can support meeting climate action targets.

This training sparked a deeper interest in climate action for Dean. Encouraged by his team leader, Selina Crozier, Dean applied for the Oxford course, and, despite initial doubts, was thrilled to be accepted.

Now two weeks into the programme, Dean describes the experience as intellectually challenging and deeply rewarding.

Dean said: “This opportunity means a great deal to me. It’s not just about learning, it’s about proving to myself that I belong in this space. I’m proud to be part of something that could make a real difference.”

Dean plans to share his learning with colleagues and the people supported at community support services across the county through presentations, newsletter articles and social media updates. His goal is to make climate science accessible and relevant to local communities, while highlighting the council’s sustainability efforts.

Selina, Team Leader in Oxfordshire County Council’s Adult Social Care team, said: “Dean is living our organisational values ‒ showing ambition, responsibility, and a real drive to make a difference. We’re incredibly proud of him.”

Councillor Tim Bearder, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care at Oxfordshire County Council, said: “Dean’s achievement is a fantastic example of how individual ambition aligns with our wider organisational goals. His commitment to climate action reflects Oxfordshire County Council’s determination to reach carbon neutrality by 2030 and embed sustainability into everything we do.

“By sharing his learning with colleagues and local communities, Dean is helping to turn strategy into action and inspire others to play their part in creating a greener future.”

Dean’s story is a powerful example of personal growth, community leadership, and the council’s wider commitment to climate action.

Learn more about Witney Community Support Service, and the activities and services it provides to help people stay healthy and independent.

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A trial scheme to make it more affordable for Oxfordshire residents to install solar panels and battery storage has hit the century mark.

Last month, Oxfordshire County Council, and its partners SMS and Metis carried out their hundredth installation as part of their Energy Saver App project, backed by government funding.

All the householders involved had registered their interest in the solar trial after downloading the energy saver app, which was launched a year ago.

Councillor Judy Roberts, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Place, Environment and Climate Action, said: “These installations are now generating significant clean electricity for Oxfordshire.

“They are helping to provide flexibility, enabling our residents to benefit from cheaper tariffs. They have created savings of around £300 a year for the 100 households who have taken part.”

Through the scheme, householders pay £40 a month for the equipment, rather than having to pay thousands of pounds up front.

Barbara and John Hall, from Upper Tadmarton, near Banbury, were among the first residents to have solar panels and a battery installed under the trial in December.

Mrs Hall said: “This scheme is just brilliant because you're not having to pay out a big lump sum but you're getting all the benefits.”

The project is part of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s alternative energy markets innovation programme and backed by funding from the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP).

NZIP is a £1 billion fund for low carbon technologies and systems and aims to lower the costs of decarbonisation, helping enable the UK to end its contribution to climate change.

Tom Woolley, SMS and Metis’s Product and Strategy Director, said: “It’s been such a fantastic partnership and to hit 100 installations is a good point to reflect on the progress.

“There are over 100 more customers contracted and excited about their installations, so we are not slowing down. Together, with our partnership with Oxfordshire County Council, we’re making the energy transition as accessible as getting a mobile phone, and that’s something to be very proud of.”

People can still register their interest in the scheme through the energy saver app, which has so far been downloaded by 9,000 people. Even if they are not chosen for the trial, users can still expect to cut their gas and electricity consumption by at least eight per cent through the energy insights offered by the app.

As well as the solar trial, the council and its partners plan to trial air source heat pump installations for a select number of properties in the future.

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Oxfordshire County Council was rated top in Climate Emergency UK’s (CEUK) 2025 climate action scorecard, which was published yesterday.

Councillor Judy Roberts, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Place, Environment and Climate Action, said: “This is fantastic news and I would like to thank all our residents, officers and partners for their hard work in maintaining our place at the top of this important table and putting climate action at the heart of everything we do.

“Our score reflects our whole organisation’s response to the climate agenda – including work we’re doing on training and engagement, transport, waste, the built environment and nature recovery.”

For the scorecard, CEUK assessed all UK councils on the actions they've taken towards achieving net zero. The assessment consisted of up to 93 questions, depending on council type, across seven sections.

Each council was marked against these criteria before the scores underwent a final audit earlier this year.

Compared to the previous table published in 2023, Oxfordshire County Council increased its score significantly in four areas, and received a gold star for the buildings and heat category.

The council is committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2030, significantly ahead of the national 2050 target. As well as this, it aims to enable Oxfordshire to become carbon neutral as early as possible in the 2040s.

It is also working in partnership with people and organisations right across the county to make Oxfordshire resilient to a changing climate.

Our environment has a significant impact on our health. Recent flooding events in the county, as well as record temperatures in 2022, brought this into the spotlight. These events are going to be more common going forward as climate change intensifies.

Examples of carbon reduction carried out by the council include the installation of energy efficient LED streetlighting across Oxfordshire. The project has cost £40m over four years but will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide being produced by 70 per cent and save around £75m in energy costs over the next 20 years.

CEUK is a not for profit cooperative which has been working with councils and residents since 2019 to share best practice about what councils can do to tackle the climate and ecological emergency and to encourage effective action.

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Oxfordshire County Council has provided funding totalling £5,000 to nearly 30 community groups who are marking GBGW, which runs from 7 -15 June.

These grants range from £95 to £500 for celebrations, festivals, exhibitions, workshops, wildlife projects and events such as therapeutic gardening, making mini nature reserves, upcycling clothing, crop planting, hedgehog protection, and birdbox making.

Councillor Judy Roberts, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet member for Place, Environment and Climate Action, said: “What a privilege it is to be able to help local grassroots organisations put on events for Great Big Green Week.

“We know the appetite in Oxfordshire for this type of community involvement is huge, and it is always wonderful to work with the county’s ever-growing number of community action groups in Oxfordshire. Thousands of people will be attending these events, which will help inspire all ages to do their bit to tackle climate change.”

Some grants will be used to make events, including Oxford Pride – which is set to attract around 20,000 people to South Park on 7 June – more environmentally friendly.

This is the fifth year that Oxfordshire has thrown itself into the campaign, which is run by the national campaigning organisation the Climate Coalition.

Residents can find out about GBGW events taking place near them on CAG Oxfordshire’s website.

Katherine Chesson, Director of CAG Oxfordshire – the county’s community action group network – said: “Great Big Green Week is a chance to celebrate the good that is happening and engage new audiences locally.

“It’s always a joy to see the breadth of activities and events taking place across Oxfordshire – organised by groups deeply embedded in their communities and run by people passionate about making change happen locally. We’re proud to support them through our network and grateful for the continued support of Oxfordshire County Council.”

Oxfordshire County Council has been supporting CAG Oxfordshire for nearly 25 years, organisationally and financially, as the number of groups has risen to more than 120. Their expansion forms a cornerstone of the county’s climate strategy – for both delivering a greener county and for increasing community climate resilience.

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Oxfordshire County Council, Oxford City Council and West Oxfordshire, Cherwell, South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils have joined together, under the Future Oxfordshire Partnership, to deliver pioneering local area energy plans (LAEPs) for Oxfordshire, to address climate change and secure cleaner, more affordable energy for the county.

The plans will provide clear, strategic, and community-focused actions for transforming the way local energy such as wind and solar is generated, used, and managed, supporting both local and national climate goals.

They will assess how building improvement measures such as insulation and low-carbon heating can reduce reliance upon fossil fuels. At the same time, they will improve the quality of information necessary to plan and deliver the energy we will need from the electricity grid, ensuring homes and businesses can benefit from cleaner, more reliable power in the years to come.

To develop the plans, the authorities will work with local communities and businesses to identify projects that will help manage the transition to cleaner energy. The plans will identify specific actions for each district, together with more strategic projects to be delivered at the county level.

Councillor Liz Leffman, Chair of the Future Oxfordshire Partnership and Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “It doesn’t make sense to spend energy, and therefore money, transmitting electricity made by burning gas through wires and pylons over miles and miles to people in Shrivenham, for example, when they could use the cheap energy created at a nearby windfarm or excess electricity made on a neighbour’s roof. This is why we need a local area energy plan.

“This project is a fantastic example of what can be achieved when we work together to tackle challenges. The six councils of Oxfordshire are joining forces and working with the community to make a plan for a greener, fairer energy system.”

The LAEPs will also provide more information to energy network providers, enabling them to plan and invest in necessary electricity grid upgrades ahead of demand. This is key to ensuring that Oxfordshire has the energy capacity to meet its future needs, powering homes, businesses, and delivering locally generated renewable energy.

Ove Arup & Partners have been appointed as lead consultants in the development of the LAEPs. These plans will play a critical role in shaping a sustainable future for Oxfordshire, demonstrating how local collaboration can make a significant impact in addressing global challenges.

Stuart Hallett, from Arup, said: “With a renewed focus on transitioning the UK’s energy system to net zero, supported through new functions such as the Regional Energy Strategic Planner (RESP) and access to investment vehicles targeted at decarbonisation interventions, such as Great British Energy and the National Wealth Fund, it is vital that regional scale LAEPs are developed and shaped to align with these strategic mechanisms as well as enabling local scale decarbonisation to happen.

“As advocates of a whole-system approach to energy planning at this scale, we are delighted to be working on this industry leading work, supported by our partners Global City Futures and Oxford Brookes University, to deliver a stakeholder led plan, placing people, business and communities at the heart of a cost effective and just transition, whilst enabling network infrastructure investment to be planned effectively.”

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Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet today approved the adoption of the Oxfordshire climate adaptation route map and a delivery plan for its implementation. The route map contains 82 measures, including 15 priority actions for 2025 - 26.

The measures will help ensure the county’s natural environment, communities, infrastructure, buildings and businesses are prepared for more regular and severe flooding, a higher likelihood of water scarcity, cold snaps, storms and more intense and prolonged heatwaves.

Councillor Dr Pete Sudbury, Deputy Leader of Oxfordshire County Council with Responsibility for Climate Change, Environment and Future Generations, said: “The risks to Oxfordshire from the impacts of climate change are significant. Lessons from around the world in recent months warn us that extreme weather can devastate communities, often without warning, causing deaths, destroying dreams, wrecking businesses and devastating supply chains.

“Oxfordshire is not immune. The increasingly frequent flood events, the record 38C heatwave in 2022 and the extreme levels of rainfall in 2024 are a harbinger of things to come, because we know the rising temperatures driving more extreme and larger scale weather events will continue for at least the next 30 years. We are all in this together.

“Without concerted and decisive action, the impacts of these events will only get worse. The health and wellbeing of our residents and communities will suffer, the size of the local economy will shrink, and our biodiversity and natural habitats will be increasingly threatened.

“That’s why it’s vital to prepare. We, as a council, have led the development of this programme for Oxfordshire working with our partners and many stakeholders to plan against these risks. The jointly developed route map sets out how this plays out over the coming years. Now we can all work together to put these recommendations into action.”

Failure to adapt would disproportionately affect Oxfordshire’s vulnerable residents. Heatwaves and flooding particularly impact the elderly, very young, those with certain disabilities and many living in deprived communities who have limited ability and resources to adapt.

The route map, which has already been endorsed by the Future Oxfordshire Partnership, was developed by Oxfordshire’s councils, businesses, the universities, the NHS and community groups, to enable the county to take collective action and build long-term resilience to a changing climate.

Some of the long-term actions include capturing weather data, tree planting and biodiversity programmes, analysing fire, flood and drought risk, monitoring the colonisation of new species, assessing changes to the risk of diseases spread by insects such as ticks, and analysing the threats to roads and bridges.

It also recommends resilience training for carers, expanding schemes that promote household, school and business resilience, and researching the effectiveness of cool spaces.

The potential impacts of climate change on Oxfordshire’s historic buildings, pollution levels, food security and pest outbreaks will also need to be assessed.

The 15 priority actions for 2025 - 26 include establishing working groups, identifying funding sources, developing adaptation plans, analysing habitats, species and crops, which are most at risk from climate change, and producing adaptation guidance for developers.

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The council’s cabinet today committed itself to extending the current carbon neutral target for its own estate and move into carbon dioxide removal.

Councillor Dr Pete Sudbury, Deputy Leader of Oxfordshire County Council with Responsibility for Climate Change, Environment and Future Generations, said: “Even when the UK signed up for net zero in 2019, we knew that wouldn't be enough. Since then, things have got a lot worse, as we can see almost every day on screens or in our real lives.

“The uncomfortable reality is that negative emissions – actively removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere – are the last throw of the dice, as we struggle to control the escalating damage from extreme weather, but the supply chains aren't growing nearly fast enough. Alongside aggressive action to end the burning of fossil fuels, building those supply chains in time is a ‘do not fail’, and starting now with small investments makes a big difference in the next 10 years.

“Today's decision marks a point where we, in Oxfordshire, take a leadership role in this area.”

The government recently pledged nearly £22 billion for two ‘carbon capture clusters’ on Merseyside and Teesside, over the next 25 years, to store carbon emissions from energy, industry and hydrogen production.

Cllr Sudbury explained: “There are concerns that this investment is simply a way of extending the life of fossil fuels in industry. This is not what we should be using carbon capture for. It needs to be used to take down the carbon dioxide that is already there and that needs to go hand in hand with ending the use of fossil fuels as fast as possible – not subsidising their continuation.”

The council’s cabinet also agreed to support recommendations to rapidly scale the market for carbon dioxide removal through the council’s policy making and partnership activity, to help grow this underdeveloped market. The council will also work with partners to look at ways this initiative can benefit rural economies and support adaptation to an already changing climate.

The three methods of securing negative emissions most applicable to Oxfordshire are:

• Afforestation and reforestation – planting trees and restoring forests to absorb carbon dioxide.
• Biochar – organic matter heated to high temperatures in a low oxygen environment that enhances soil’s ability to store carbon and increases soil fertility, drought and flood resilience.
• Soil carbon sequestration – which includes practices like no-till farming as well as the use of biochar.

The council has taken specialist advice on its strategy from Prof Steve Smith, Arnell Associate Professor of Greenhouse Gas Removal at the University of Oxford’s Smith School of Enterprise and Environment.

Prof Smith said: “The market for carbon dioxide removal technologies is currently at an early stage, and so this initiative by Oxfordshire County Council will help kickstart development. I look forward to the local authority tapping into the expertise and the opportunities to scale some of these solutions here in Oxfordshire.”

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The ‘Dark Skies’ proposals are due to be discussed tomorrow (Thursday) at a cabinet member’s decision meeting of the Deputy Leader of Oxfordshire County Council with Responsibility for Climate Change, Environment and Future Generations, Councillor Pete Sudbury.

However, ahead of the meeting, Cllr Sudbury said he intends to defer the decision until further work has been carried out, including more consultation, and talks with the police. It follows safety concerns raised by communities and other groups about the impact of the proposals.

Cllr Sudbury added: “This was intended as a technical document, which was meant to be a framework on which to base next stages, including consultation, and authorise expenditure. Unfortunately, it was quite understandably seen as a plan for immediate implementation.

“As a result, it set a lot of hares running, and I apologise for any upset caused.

“I'm grateful to all the people who have written to me and would urge them to speak at the meeting tomorrow because this is a real opportunity to influence how this goes forward.”

Although no decision will be made tomorrow, public speakers are still welcome and the deadline to register to speak, either online or in person at County Hall, has been extended until 12.30pm tomorrow. To register, email committeesdemocraticservices@oxfordshire.gov.uk

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As well as the chance to reduce their energy bills ahead of winter, Oxfordshire householders have an extra incentive for downloading the Energy Saver App.

In response to the energy price cap rising from 1 October, Oxfordshire County Council is launching a new monthly prize draw for app users.

Starting in October, three lucky bill payers every month until January will win £225 – the average cost of a household’s monthly energy bill – creating 12 winners in total.

People can automatically enter the prize draws by downloading the app, connecting it to their smart meter, and logging in every month to view tips and savings.

The app, which launched in July 2024 and has been downloaded more than 1,800 times so far, is available exclusively to Oxfordshire residents. It is designed to help households save energy and reduce their bills.

Even if you don’t win, residents using the app are expected to save more than £200 annually on their energy bills.

Councillor Dr Pete Sudbury, Deputy Leader of Oxfordshire County Council with Responsibility for Climate Change, Environment and Future Generations, said: “We expect everyone who signs up will be able to cut their gas and electricity consumption by at least seven per cent and save themselves money.” 

The app connects to smart meters to gather information about electricity and gas usage, providing personalised tips and insights to help users cut their energy consumption.

Tom Woolley, SMS and Metis’s Product and Strategy Director, said: “Helping people save money by reducing their energy consumption is good for the planet and your pocket.”

The app is independent of energy suppliers, ensuring there are no hidden catches. It is supported by Oxfordshire County Council in collaboration with independent energy infrastructure and solutions provider SMS and its cloud-based energy transition platform Metis. It is funded by the government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

The app also offers users the opportunity to participate in trials for energy saving smart appliances like solar panels, batteries, and heat pumps.

Full terms and conditions of the prize draw can be found on the Energy Saver App’s website.

The app can be downloaded free of charge by visiting Google Play or the App Store.

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Health is the untold story when we talk about our changing climate.

It took 28 years before the UN’s annual climate convention, the Conference of Parties (commonly known as COP), made its first ever health declaration in 2023. This is surprising given the negative impacts of climate change on health, wellbeing and inequality, and the clear opportunities for better health through climate action.

Climate action informs everyone of our current public health priorities at Oxfordshire County Council. This will enable us to deliver better health for local people faster and more fairly.

That is why this year, my Director of Public Health annual report presents the local impacts of climate change on health and provides a roadmap for how local politicians and decision-makers can act to improve health, look after our environment, and, at the same time, reduce emissions both in Oxfordshire, and nationally.

My report does not make a political case for change. It lets the evidence speak for itself. Problematic weather events are becoming more frequent: since 2007 there have been at least 18 severe flood events, eight cold snaps, four major heatwaves and three periods of drought in the county.

Recent flooding in Oxfordshire brought this into the spotlight. The loss of livelihood and the impact on our mental health and wellbeing was unprecedented. These events are going to be more common going forward.

In 2022, there were 65 excess deaths during periods of higher temperature across Oxfordshire and in 2019 an estimated 2,300 years of healthy life were lost due to air pollution in Oxford.

Across England, total costs of heat-related deaths from climate change and related socioeconomic change has been estimated at £6.8bn per year in the 2020’s, rising to £14.7bn per year in the 2050’s. In Oxfordshire, at least 51 care homes, 40 healthcare and GP facilities are also estimated to be at risk.

During the September 2023 heatwave alone, total ambulance demand across Oxfordshire increased by over eight per cent and patient acuity increased with higher numbers of category one (life threatening) and two (emergency) calls alongside a relative reduction in category three (urgent) calls.

But acting on climate change has the potential for many immediate positive health benefits. This means better health for everyone, from newborn babies to working-age adults to older people.

The impact of climate change is already felt most by our most disadvantaged communities, and so it is especially important that any actions we do take include and account for those most at risk.

Everyone and every organisation has an important role to play. But the responsibility to make a change cannot and should not be shouldered by individuals alone. We need real structural changes, and system wide actions to mitigate and adapt to our changing climate and to improve health.

There are a number of things local authorities can do to tackle climate change for the sake of the health of residents: improving the quality of our housing stock to make it more sustainable and energy efficient; better, more reliable transport networks that enable people to travel actively and keep fit; green social prescribing that reduces barriers to accessing and engaging with green space – particularly critical here for people living in the most deprived areas of Oxfordshire.

Oxfordshire County Council, system partners and community action groups are already working hard to address our changing climate – with immediate and longer-term positive benefits for health and wellbeing, but there is still plenty more that we can all do.

In Oxfordshire, we are calling for every climate action, policy and strategy to identify and maximise the opportunity to improve our health and wellbeing.

And by the same token, every health action, policy and strategy should mitigate and prevent the negative health impacts of our changing climate.

By framing the climate change debate in this way from a health co-benefits perspective, we are more likely to attract a significant new cohort of the population to change their behaviour due to immediate health benefits to the individual rather than the environmental benefits alone.

Local authorities and health professionals must work together to support urgent climate action for the sake of our health of our local populations. We need to urge others to do the same by changing their narrative for climate action so that the benefits to our health are front and centre.

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Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet today noted the biannual update on the delivery of its climate action programme.

Councillor Dr Pete Sudbury, Deputy Leader of Oxfordshire County Council with Responsibility for Climate Change, Environment and Future Generations, said: “We choose to lead on climate and to put it at the heart of everything we do because that is what this situation requires.

“Climate change is the greatest threat facing humanity and public bodies need to be on a war footing to tackle it. However, alongside this threat comes the opportunity to do things in a better, more sustainable way – heralding an end to pollution, an enhanced natural world and a fourth industrial revolution.

“We want Oxfordshire to be at the forefront of this because if we can’t make it work, with a world-leading innovation economy and the finest seat of learning in the history of human civilisation, then who can?”

The three pillars of the climate action programme are: becoming a climate active council; decarbonising the council’s estate and operations by 2030; and enabling Oxfordshire’s transition to net zero.

Cllr Sudbury added: “Ending climate pollution and especially fossil fuel use will bring in real benefits. In the last five years, our climate leadership, working alongside committed local partners, has pulled over £210 million of investment into Oxfordshire to make homes more energy efficient, expand electric vehicle charging, reduce waste, promote active travel and invest in electric buses.”

Emissions are being cut by the installation of energy efficient LED streetlighting across Oxfordshire. The project has cost £40m over four years but will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide being produced by 70 per cent and save around £75m in energy costs over the next 20 years.

A scheme to help schools improve their energy efficiency has been extended into 2024-25, and the council has also been providing home upgrade grants for low-income residents.

Another key task is to keep Oxfordshire’s people, businesses and institutions safe from an increasingly chaotic and destructive climate.

The council’s vital community services are directly threatened by more frequent extreme weather, including this winter’s flooding, and heatwaves, as experienced in Oxfordshire in 2022 when temperatures reached a record 38.4C.

Cllr Sudbury added: “We need co-ordinated action, both preventative and reactive, across all our areas of responsibility including emergency planning, highways, fire and rescue, flooding, public health and local nature recovery.

“We’ve been laying the foundations for that resilience with organisations and businesses across the county.”

The report highlights a heat health action plan, which has been developed to support vulnerable residents during possible heatwaves and planning for extreme heat.

The council has also been working with Exeter University on a toolkit, shortly to be released, to help local decision makers improve climate adaptation and resilience, and to develop bespoke climate adaptation action plans for council-maintained schools to reduce flooding and overheating.

The report also measures progress towards enabling Oxfordshire’s transition to net zero by monitoring scenarios in the Pathway to Zero Carbon (PAZCO) document. This is a publication partly commissioned by the council and produced by Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute and the sustainability consultancy Bioregional to provide an evidence base for the transition.

While most of these measures are not within the council’s direct control, it is able to influence a significant number of them. The council wants to work with the government on a to help accelerate decarbonisation for businesses, homeowners and public and voluntary sectors.

Cllr Sudbury said: “None of us are alone in this. There is a huge swell of energy, focus and determination across all sectors of our society to make the fundamental changes needed to survive and thrive, ending the pollution and destruction of the only planet we have.

“We need to work fast and hard and above all we need to work together.”

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In his annual report Ansaf Azhar has called climate change one of most significant threats to the population both in Oxfordshire and globally.

He said: “Our environment significantly influences our health. Recent flooding in Oxfordshire brought this into the spotlight, where some suffered a loss of livelihood and we saw a negative impact on mental health and wellbeing. These events are going to be more common going forward.

“This is why I want to talk about the health impacts of climate change and the positive benefits of climate action for individuals, families and communities.

“The actions that we can all take to improve climate health also immediately improve our health and the health of others.  All of us should to take positive climate action not just because of the environmental benefits realised years ahead, but the health benefits we will get from it immediately.    This means better health for everyone – whether we are talking about newborn babies, children, teenagers, working-age adults or older people.

“Everyone and every organisation has an important role to play. But individuals  cannot shoulder this responsibility alone. We need real structural change and joint partnership actions to mitigate and adapt to our changing climate and to improve health.

“We are already working hard together with partners to address our changing climate – with immediate and longer-term positive benefits for health and wellbeing, but there is still plenty more that we can all do.”

Producing an annual report is a requirement for all directors of public health. The reports look independently at issues which affect the health and wellbeing of the population in Oxfordshire and  make recommendations for improvement.

The report is available to read in full on Oxfordshire County Council’s website.

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Money from the Department for Transport will seed fund a major rollout of infrastructure worth over £10m that will see more than 1,300 public chargers delivered in the county by the end of 2025. The rest of the funding will largely come in the form of investment from the EV chargepoint operators themselves.

Oxfordshire County Council led the application in close collaboration with Oxford City Council and Cherwell, West Oxfordshire, South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils.

The programme aims to create a reliable, easy-to-use, contactless EV charging network spanning the county. This will give more people the opportunity to switch to an EV – regardless of where they live or their parking situation – to improve Oxfordshire's environment and air quality.

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Deputy Leader of Oxfordshire County Council with responsibility for Climate Change, Environment, and Future Generations said: “This funding will provide a huge boost to Oxfordshire’s growing EV charging network and build on our leadership in this field, removing one of the blocks to EV ownership. One of our top aims is to get reliable, contactless public EV charging into rural and deprived areas, ensuring that nobody will be left behind in the transition to driving electric.”

The programme, known as OXLEVI, will be the largest deployment of public EV charging infrastructure ever seen in Oxfordshire and will treble the amount of public chargers currently available.

The focus will be on standard 7kW chargers that residents without home chargers can use overnight at discounted rates. The new EV chargers network will also provide much needed top-up charging for residents, visitors, commuters and working drivers during the daytime.

The scheme is expected to include the installation of rapid chargers and charging bays suitable for van drivers, disabled drivers and EV car clubs. Most of the new EV chargers will be installed in off-street parking locations such as council car parks, building on the success of the Park and Charge project, which installed 250 EV charging points across council car parks in Oxfordshire between 2021 - 2022.

In line with national policy change, the LEVI funding will see Oxfordshire County Council take on the responsibility to deploy EV Infrastructure on the highway, including delivery of phase two of the Go Ultra Low Oxford project (GULO), which will see a minimum of 100 GULO chargers delivered in Oxford alongside the LEVI chargers.

The county council is also looking to launch a grant scheme to enable parish councils and associations to create community EV charging microhubs by installing EV chargers at village halls and community centres.

Some EV chargers will also be installed on the highway in areas where insufficient suitable off-street car parking is available.

Councillor Anna Railton, Oxford City Council’s Cabinet Member for Zero Carbon Oxford and Climate Justice, said: “This funding will help ensure that electric vehicle charging infrastructure is consistent across both Oxford city and county by aligning it under one countywide approach, while securing the principles set out in the Oxford EV Infrastructure Strategy – with access as equitable, convenient and easy as possible for residents. We are looking forward to collaborating with the county council with their rollout within the city to help meet Oxford’s electric vehicle charging needs.”

Councillor Freddie Van Mierlo, South Oxfordshire District Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Nature Recovery, said: “This investment will complement and expand capacity already delivered by South Oxfordshire District Council in its car parks, which is proving popular, especially in Henley.

“Market towns and rural areas can often lack suitable off-street parking, putting off EV ownership. I’m pleased this scheme is focusing on filling these gaps to better support residents wanting to switch to EVs, as well as supporting parish and town councils.”

Councillor Bethia Thomas, Leader of Vale of White Horse District Council and Cabinet Member for Climate Action, said: “EV ownership is growing in the Vale, recent grants through our Climate Action Fund have gone to EV projects such as charging points in Blewbury and an EV car club in Harwell. For EV use to grow even further, the number of chargers has to increase in readiness, and we should do all we can to facilitate this.”

Councillor Andrew McHugh, Cherwell District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Cleaner and Greener Communities, said: “Supporting environmental sustainability is a key priority to Cherwell District Council and this funding will enable us to improve and expand access to electric vehicle charging across the district.

“Electric vehicles are rising in popularity as more people look to play their part in addressing the challenge of climate change. There’s already a great level of take-up for electric vehicles in north Oxfordshire and I hope that those considering one will be encouraged to do so by our expansion of charging infrastructure and provisions.”

Councillor Andrew Prosser, Executive Member for Climate Change at West Oxfordshire District Council, said: “This latest funding announcement is great news. Boosting the number of publicly available electric chargers and investing in a wider network of charge points is pivotal to helping people transition to electric, while giving those who’ve already made the move more opportunities to charge at a time and place convenient to them.”

Anthony Browne, Technology and Decarbonisation Minister, said: “This Government has a plan to help speed up the installation of EV chargepoints, which we’re getting on and delivering. This dedicated funding to local councils is part of our plan to ensure people can switch from a petrol or diesel car to an EV when they choose to do so.”

Oxfordshire’s councils will shortly be tendering for suppliers to deliver and operate the new public EV charging network and will announce more details of site locations following full feasibility studies later this year.

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Oxfordshire County Council carried out the work using ‘cold recycling’ with its contractor Milestone Infrastructure and its supply chain partners Aggregate Industries, Drayton Construction, Hazell & Jeffries and OCL Regeneration in September and October.

During this programme, over 4,000 tonnes of cold recycled material was laid, saving an estimated 75 tonnes of carbon – equivalent to 92 flights from London to New York. It also avoids the environmental impact of disposing of thousands of tonnes of waste planings – the top layer of road surfaces removed due to damage – and the need to extract virgin aggregates.

Councillor Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport Management, said: “This is just the latest in a series of schemes we are carrying out with our contractor to improve the quality of Oxfordshire’s roads. By embracing innovation, we are making our residents’ money go further, helping ease the burden on highways budget and cutting carbon emissions in our own projects.”

Five schemes were completed across the county using cold recycling:

• Park Road, Didcot
• Kingham Hill Lane, near Cornwell
• Merton Road, Ambrosden
• B4450 Station Road, Kingham
• Aston Road, near Ducklington.

This technique involves recycling stockpiled road planings and processing them ready to be reused in resurfacing projects.

This material, known as Foambase® or cold recycled bound material, uses 94 per cent of recycled aggregates bound with foamed bitumen and other hydraulic binders. It uses just five per cent of the energy compared to that used in the manufacture of traditional asphalt. This offers a 50 per cent savings in embodied carbon compared with using standard materials.

Richard Lovewell, Business Director for Milestone on the Oxfordshire Contract, said: “Carbon reduction is a key strategic target for both Milestone and Oxfordshire County Council. It is therefore imperative that we look for new ways of working to maximise the use of recycled materials within our highway maintenance contract.

“Our innovative solution of recycling waste materials arising from other maintenance schemes not only reduces carbon emissions but also creates cost savings, especially through not having to pay high specialist disposal costs. This delivers the dual benefit of additional reinvestment into the county council road network whilst taking another step to achieve Milestone’s target of net zero by 2040.

“This project is another great example of Milestone and Oxfordshire County Council working together to deliver sustainable solutions to maintain the county’s roads.”

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Oxfordshire County Council was rated top in Climate Emergency UK’s (CEUK) 2023 climate action scorecard, which was published this week.

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Deputy Leader with responsibility for Climate Change and Environment, said: “Congratulations and thanks to outstanding work by officers right across the council, including our amazing climate team, and for support across the political spectrum for achieving this result.”

For the scorecard, CEUK assessed all UK councils on the actions they've taken towards net zero. The scorecard assessment consisted of up to 91 questions, depending on council type, across seven sections.

Each council was marked against these criteria before the scores underwent a final audit. This work was completed between January and August 2023.

Oxfordshire County Council is committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2030, significantly ahead of the national 2050 target. As well as this, it aims to enable Oxfordshire to become carbon neutral as early as possible in the 2040s.

It is also working in partnership with people and organisations right across the County to make Oxfordshire resilient to a changing climate.

Cllr Sudbury added: “There are two questions we need to keep asking: ‘What would we do if climate really was an emergency?...because it is'. And, ‘How do we keep our citizens safe, and our businesses and institutions working, as the impacts of extreme weather cause increasing damage, both locally and to our global supply chains?'

“These questions are at the forefront of our mind as a council and inform all the decisions we take. It is heartening to see that this work is being recognised.”

CEUK is a not for profit cooperative which has been working with councils and residents since 2019 to share best practice about what councils can do to tackle the climate and ecological emergency and to encourage effective action.

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Last week (5 October), the two councils won the ‘Exemplary Contribution to Net Zero’ award at the 20th UK National Transport Awards show for their collaboration on the Oxford ZEZ.

The two councils introduced the Oxford ZEZ pilot in February 2022. The first of its kind in the UK, the ZEZ pilot covers all or part of nine streets in the heart of the city centre, restricting polluting vehicles from entering streets between 7am and 7pm every day. 

The project was praised for the technical planning, collaboration and political will required to introduce the ZEZ in Oxford.

The two councils worked closely together on planning for the project and on engagement with residents and partners. Last year, both councils were also awarded the prestigious clean air award for their work on the ZEZ.

Within the ZEZ pilot, zero emission vehicles such as electric cars can be used in the zone free of charge. All petrol and diesel vehicles, including hybrids, incur a daily ZEZ charge of up to £10 unless they have a discount or exemption. The charge varies depending on the emission levels of the vehicle.

Proposals are being developed to extend the ZEZ to a wider area in the city centre. These proposals will be subject to future public consultation.

Initial air quality reports for 2022 have found that air pollution levels decreased overall both within the zero emission zone pilot, and the surrounding streets. A full report on the impact of the ZEZ pilot will be published later this year.

The ZEZ has also been a catalyst for accelerating the transition to zero emission vehicles in Oxford, with several businesses already shifting towards zero emission vehicles within their fleets.

More information can be found on the county council’s zero emission zone webpages.

Councillor Anna Railton, Cabinet Member for Zero Carbon Oxford and Climate Justice, said: “It is great news that the Oxford zero emission zone pilot has once again been recognised for its importance and innovation in tackling air pollution. It was a major moment in our city’s journey to tackle toxic emissions, and I am delighted that it is being praised as an exemplary scheme.”

Councillor Andrew Gant, Cabinet Member for Transport Management at Oxfordshire County Council, said: “I’m absolutely delighted that our pioneering work to improve air quality, cut carbon emissions, and move towards zero emission travel in the city has been recognised again. It is a significant national recognition of our practical work towards our vision of healthier, greener and fairer county. I would like to recognise the hard work and commitment of all our officers who have got this scheme to this point, and I look forward to seeing it take its part in transforming Oxford and Oxfordshire in the future.”

Have your say

The two councils are currently consulting on proposed changes to the charging scheme in the ZEZ pilot. The proposed changes include:

•  Continuing the discounts for Blue Badge holders, disabled tax class vehicles and residents and businesses within the zone indefinitely by removing the discount end dates.
• Keeping the ZEZ pilot charges at their current level by removing the planned increase in daily charges from 1 August 2025.

A survey is open on Oxfordshire County Council’s digital engagement and consultation platform, Let’s talk Oxfordshire, until 5pm on Tuesday, 24 October.

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The council won the award for the best climate action and decarbonisation initiative at the recent Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) Service Awards 2023.

It was recognised for its energy insights tool and energy flexibility trials, successfully demonstrating the crucial role local authorities can play in moving away from the use of polluting fossil fuels. The work formed part of the Local Energy Oxfordshire scheme – also known as Project LEO.

Project LEO, which has been trialled over a four-year period, is an ambitious, wide reaching, collaborative energy demonstrator scheme. It has provided a blueprint for a greener, more flexible and fairer electricity system for the UK in the future.

The council led the development of a strategic energy mapping platform to support local area energy planning and provided assets, including buildings, to participate in the flexibility trials. 

Project Lead Inga Doherty, Oxfordshire County Council’s Climate Policy and Programme Team Leader, said: “We were delighted to pick up the APSE award for best climate action and decarbonisation initiative. The energy mapping platform is already contributing to decarbonisation work across the county and will be used to develop a robust, well informed, local energy plan for Oxfordshire.

“We also demonstrated how council assets can contribute to a transition to a net zero energy system. It’s fantastic to lead on initiatives that help us move over to cleaner energy that bit sooner and to have our work recognised by APSE.”

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, said: “Project LEO is a big jump towards the energy system of the future, and it is really gratifying that our contribution to it has gained national recognition. This ground-breaking work in Oxfordshire has documented the path to a national system that we need by the early 2030s.”

The Local Area Energy Planner Plus (LAEP+) energy mapping platform, developed with commercial partner Advanced Infrastructure Technology Ltd and tested by Oxfordshire’s city and district councils, provides a spatial picture of how and where energy is used across the county and informs where changes are needed to enable the transition to net zero.

A wealth of data was provided through a successful collaboration with Energy Systems Catapult – a not for profit centre of excellence that bridges the gap between industry, government, academia and research.

It has already been used to inform the rollout of electric vehicle charging infrastructure and identify areas suitable for inclusion in retrofit programmes to make buildings more energy efficient.

It will be key to developing a local area energy plan that identifies opportunities to reduce demand, maximise the use of the county’s existing energy infrastructure and scale up renewable generation.

Lily Cairns Haylor, Head of Product and Co-founder at Advanced Infrastructure said: “In transitioning to a net zero energy system, the LEO LAEP+ energy insights tool has demonstrated its remarkable value in saving time and resources while pinpointing optimal locations and timing for the deployment of low-carbon technologies, including EV charge points.  We are extremely proud to have partnered with Oxfordshire County Council on Project LEO in our shared mission to decarbonise the local area.”

Mo Baines, APSE Chief Executive, said: “We received over 300 submissions for the awards this year, with each one demonstrating a clear commitment to the goals of continuous improvement and the delivery of excellence in public services.

"On behalf of everyone at APSE, I would like to congratulate each one of our incredible finalists – you are a credit to the communities you serve.”

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Cllr Liz Leffman

Oxfordshire County Council leader

“Our nation has to do something about recovering biodiversity. Here in Oxfordshire, we are committed to playing our part as it’s essential in tackling the climate emergency, and ensuring we have a healthy environment, not just for ourselves, but for the species which live in this county.

“This project is about creating a network between the various patches of land that exist along the Thames. Long Mead is one of the most biodiverse wildflower meadows anywhere in the UK and it’s amazing that we’ve got it here in Oxfordshire. We have the opportunity now to expand that. The county council owns two adjacent pieces of land and we want to recreate what’s been created at Long Mead.”

Catriona Bass

Chief executive of the Thames Valley Wildflower Meadow Restoration Project 

“Long Mead is one of the very few remaining ancient flood plain meadows in the country. There are only four square miles left of this particular habitat in the whole of the UK – that’s about the size of Heathrow Airport. Roughly 25 per cent of this surviving habitat is in and around Oxfordshire. It’s a habitat that is on the verge of extinction, so we have a great opportunity and a huge responsibility both to protect it and then restore it.

“It's a landscape that’s only visible for about two months a year, so it’s disappearing without our knowing it. Here we have this fantastic opportunity with the county council to use their land, which is ripe for restoration, to create a nature recovery network linking Long Mead with other ancient meadows along the River Thames and areas of special scientific interest. We’re delighted that the council is joining us to create this connected network.

“It's a difficult and long-term project, but these are irreplaceable habitats. It’s absolutely critical that we protect them.”

Cllr Pete Sudbury

Oxfordshire County Council cabinet member for climate change & environment

“Wildflower meadows are some of the most biodiverse sites you can get. They also lock up a lot of carbon dioxide. The more biodiverse they are, the better they are at storing carbon.

“The UK is one of the most biodiversity depleted countries in the world. There is a lot of evidence that as you chip away at biodiversity, at some point you lose whole ecosystems. And we depend on healthy ecosystems to produce the food that we eat, to keep the air purified, and so on, so losing biodiversity is a really bad idea.

“Oxfordshire County Council owns a site next door to Long Mead which has been very badly degraded by being overgrazed as a pasture, but which could be restored. By transferring the lease to the owners of Long Mead we believe they will be able to restore it.

“We have a unique opportunity here to create a continuous band of wildlife-rich meadows all the way to the middle of Oxford.

“The natural world is our entire life support system. Degrading it is a very bad idea. We need to not only help it recover but to make it stronger because it’s probably also our strongest bulwark against climate change.”

Prof Kevan Martin

Co-founder of the Thames Valley Wildflower Meadow Restoration Project 

“A wildflower hay meadow like Long Mead provides hay which feeds the cattle or sheep in winter and it also provides the aftermath grazing for the cattle. Long Mead, which is in the Domesday Book, has been doing that service since before the Norman invasion of 1066. So, for 1,000 years, pretty much the same thing has happened. That’s an extraordinary thing in agriculture.

“The impact of climate change means that we now have started thinking about other things. One particular issue that worries us in this region is flooding, which has become more frequent. But these meadows are actually built to be flooded – that’s part of the ecology. The plant populations that have built up on the meadow are extremely resilient, so if anything is going to get you through climate change, it’s these meadows. When they flood, silt comes on to the meadows and in medieval times these were the most valuable fields because they had free fertiliser coming from the silt.

“The plants found on the meadow, which are perennial and are often very deep rooted, pull down carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and then it’s stored in the soils and stored very deeply. Because the soils are never disturbed – they are never ploughed, all that happens is hay is taken – that carbon stays there. The storage is massive. In the top 10cm you’ve got over 200 tonnes of carbon per hectare.”

Caroline Svendsen

Nature recovery network senior advisor for Natural England

“As part of a 25-year environment plan, the government has a commitment to create a connected nature recovery network across the whole country. Here in Oxfordshire, Long Mead and its surrounding meadows are an absolutely key part of that network. We’ve seen from history that we can’t reverse biodiversity decline just by protecting these meadows in isolation, we need to connect them together and make them bigger to create this network. These meadows are going to be a vital part of that in Oxfordshire.”

Oxfordshire County Council is carrying out the trial in North Street, Middle Barton, with its contractor Milestone Infrastructure and their partner Aggregate Industries to develop the use of Gipave – a Graphene Plus-enhanced asphalt.

North Street is the third Oxfordshire site to trial the innovative material. A 725-metre stretch of the road will be laid with Gipave, while an adjacent length of road will be resurfaced using conventional high performance asphalt, so that the two surfaces can be compared accurately.

It follows a successful pilot scheme in Curbridge in 2019 – the first use of the product in the UK – and a trial on Oxford’s Marsh Lane in March 2022.

Councillor Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highway Management, said: “We know how important the quality of our roads is to our residents. That is why we’re delighted to be involved in this latest trial to see how we can make our residents’ money go further and make our road surfaces stay in good condition for longer.

“Innovation is at the heart of what our highway teams do, as we have shown with previous Gipave trials and our recent event in Steventon where Milestone tested seven different pothole repair methods on the same road. Increasing the lifespan of road surfaces will reduce the need for resurfacing work, ease the burden on highways budgets, and cut carbon emissions for the life cycle of a stretch of road.”

Phil Raven, Head of Technical Design for Milestone on the Oxfordshire Contract, said: “This is another significant step to test the benefits that this innovative material can bring. As we look for new ways to reduce carbon emissions within highways maintenance, developing materials that last longer is an important part of Milestone’s plan towards achieving net zero by 2040.

“Not only can this lead to longer term carbon reduction, it has the potential to reduce disruption to road users and achieve long term savings for highway authorities. This trial project demonstrates the benefits of international industry collaboration with a highway authority that is committed to trialling new innovations.”

Gipave, which has been developed by Iterchimica, also uses waste plastics which would not normally be recycled. Meanwhile the asphalt containing Gipave can itself be entirely recycled – promoting the ‘circular economy’ which reduces waste and the need for new materials.

Recent in-service testing and analysis of the original 2019 trial site showed the new asphalt material is forecast to increase the lifespan of the asphalt pavement by approximately 165 per cent compared to conventional resurfacing methods, with a corresponding carbon saving of 40 per cent over 20 years.

The Middle Barton scheme is a £450,000 resurfacing project which also includes kerb and drainage repairs. The scheme started on 17 July and is planned to last for four weeks.

The surfacing works are being carried out under full overnight road closures to reduce the disruption to road users and local businesses and residents.

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It is one of 48 councils set to benefit from a £14 million government funding pot, enabling it to work with local communities to develop a tailored nature recovery strategy for Oxfordshire. Local nature recovery strategies will help communities map out the action needed in their area to restore nature, working closely with local stakeholders, from farmers to schoolchildren, to meet the government’s England-wide nature targets.

The county council will work closely with Oxfordshire’s city and district councils, as well as Oxfordshire’s Local Nature Partnership and environmental organisations, to co-ordinate these plans for nature recovery in Oxfordshire.

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, said: “This marks a big step forward in turning this pivotal national strategy into action. The natural world is our best protection against climate change and this strategy helps achieve that.

“I’m delighted that we’re able to step up and be the responsible authority for Oxfordshire, capitalising on powerful alliances we’re already building. We all know the vast magnitude of the task and that the time has come for rapid action, strengthening the natural world against the inevitable disruptive impacts of our disintegrating climate system.”

Matt Whitney, Manager of the Oxfordshire Local Nature Partnership, said: “For nature to recover, we need to work together.

“We’re delighted to collaborate with so many talented and passionate organisations and people working for nature. Together we can make the new local nature recovery strategy a powerful tool for restoring our natural habitats so that nature and people can thrive together.”

Environment Secretary, Therese Coffey, said: “We depend on nature for everything and now nature really needs our help. Across the country, local nature recovery strategies will enhance wildlife habitats that reflect the wonderful tapestry of nature that exists on our isles.”

The announcement was made on Friday 30 June, the same day the government launched its £25m Species Survival Fund to help drive the action needed to halt the decline in species, which complements the local nature recovery strategies.

The new funding will support projects with grants of up to £3m to tackle habitat loss, safeguard our fragile ecosystems and create nature-rich landscapes full of wildlife-friendly habitats such as grasslands, woodlands and wetlands.

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In 2021, Oxfordshire County Council embarked on a four year project to fit all of the county’s streetlights with environmentally friendly light-emitting diodes (LED).

A total of 86 per cent of lights have now been converted. When completed, the £38 million project is expected to lead to energy savings of millions of pounds over the next 20 years.

The LED lights will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide being produced by 70 per cent. Before the conversion programme started, the county’s streetlights accounted for around 7,596 tonnes of CO2 every year – representing nearly 35 per cent of the council’s total emissions.

Councillor Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highway Management, said: “The LED streetlighting programme is biggest single project that we, as a council, are undertaking to reduce our own carbon emissions. So I am delighted it is on course to be completed next year, despite problems due to issues such as global material shortages.

“This will significantly help us to achieve our target of becoming a carbon neutral organisation by 2030 and save council taxpayers millions of pounds over the next two decades. It’s a real win-win.”

Last year, 24,383 LED units were fitted meaning that, by the end of March 2023, 51,992 of Oxfordshire’s 60,326 streetlights, wall mounted lights and lights on electricity poles have been converted.

As well as funding the LED conversions, the £38m is also enabling the replacement of 23,000 lighting columns, which are at the end of their structural life. This part of the project is scheduled to be completed by the end of March 2025.

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Engineering firm ULEMCo has partnered with Oxfordshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service to develop a hydrogen fuel cell that will extend the range of specialist electric vehicles including fire engines, ambulances and street sweepers.

Following a successful research period, the government has now awarded ULEMCo £3.9m to develop the project and potentially produce a prototype. The project is worth £7.8m, with industry matching the government’s financial contribution.

Funding for the ‘HYER Power’ project has come through the Advanced Propulsion Centre Collaborative Research and Development programme, which supports ambitions to build an end to end supply chain for zero emission vehicles in the UK. It is part of a £77m investment in seven collaborative UK heavy duty and commercial vehicle projects.

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, said: “Hydrogen could play an important role in our efforts to decarbonise. I’m delighted that we are partnering with ULEMCo on this important step in exploring and advancing zero carbon solutions.”

Rob MacDougall, Chief Fire Officer for Oxfordshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We are absolutely committed to act towards our net zero target and building on the work we have already done to move part of our fleet away from internal combustion engines. Heavy fire engines pose a particular challenge and we feel that hydrogen powered fuel cells can play a promising role in delivering on the county’s climate action ambitions.”

Amanda Lyne, Managing Director of ULEMCo, said: “We are delighted to see this recognition and commitment to developing hydrogen mobility as part of the solution to net zero. Hydrogen is essential for viable zero emission solutions in applications such as emergency response vehicles due to the rapid refuelling that enables the vehicle to be ‘fit to go’, and to provide the full flexibility and range required for the job. Our strong relationship with Oxfordshire County Council will enable us to make rapid progress moving to production-ready hydrogen fuel cell designs.”

Nusrat Ghani, Minister for Industry and Investment Security, said: “This cutting-edge work is going to mean clean, green vehicles designed and built in the UK can increasingly take on the toughest jobs, from haulage to public transport. Our automotive industry keeps setting the pace globally when it comes to seizing the potential of new technologies. Today’s multi-million pound boost will help them stay ahead of the international competition, while continuing to support high quality jobs and economic growth.”

The research project, which was announced in 2021, involved creating a detailed model of the hydrogen energy requirement. This included the energy needed to pump water for a minimum of four hours, as well as the optimal range for such a vehicle.

The project comes as the county council works towards becoming a net zero carbon local authority by 2030 for its own operational emissions.

Other partners in the project with ULEMCo include Technical Services (UK) Ltd for cooling capability, Altair Ltd for vehicle energy system modelling, along with Emergency One for the fire engine solutions.

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The training covers key issues in relation to the impact of everyday actions on the climate, and steps that can be taken to reduce emissions, both as individuals and as teams within the council. Employees then pledge actions they will take following the training to reduce their carbon footprints.

Councillor Liz Leffman, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “We are proud to receive this award, which highlights the importance we place on climate action. Our employees have shown great enthusiasm when it comes to putting the climate at the heart of all the decisions we take.”

Carbon literacy training is part of the council’s climate action programme, established following the declaration of a climate emergency in 2019, and setting out aims to become a net-zero council by 2030, and county by 2050 in its climate action framework.

The award was received following delivery of training to 200 employees, leaders and elected members, with the ambition to expand the training in the next 18 months to reach 15 per cent of council staff for silver accreditation.

Martin Reeves, Chief Executive of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “By becoming a bronze accredited carbon literate organisation, we have demonstrated our commitment to genuine low carbon action, environmental and economic impact and the building of a low carbon future for all.

“We now look forward to increasing our capacity across the council by achieving silver accreditation.”

Dave Coleman, Co-founder and Managing Director of The Carbon Literacy Project, said: “Carbon literacy is an essential skill, vital to every workplace, community, and place of study. It is the foundational knowledge, and a catalyst to empowering people to act on climate. However, carbon literacy is only the first step.

“The actions taken and pledged by learners as part of their carbon literacy have an immediate impact within their organisation. However, it is the maintenance of these and further actions, supported by carbon literate organisational culture, that reaps the greatest rewards for both participants and their organisations.”

More than 4,000 organisations use the carbon literacy training, an internationally recognised format by the United Nations and UK government as a proven method of building organisational capacity on climate action.

Carbon literacy is defined as ‘an awareness of the carbon dioxide costs and impacts of everyday activities, and the ability and motivation to reduce emissions, on an individual, community and organisational basis’, and revolves around a day’s worth of learning and action on climate change.

A carbon literate organisation is an organisation that has been accredited by The Carbon Literacy Project as being ‘culturally carbon literate’; maintaining a substantial proportion of its workforce as carbon literate and demonstrating its carbon literacy through its organisational behaviour. Accreditation is a tiered system with bronze, silver, gold and platinum levels, requiring increasing levels of commitment to action on climate change and creating a low-carbon culture.

Log on to the Climate Action Oxfordshire website for ideas about how to reduce your carbon footprint

Oxfordshire County Council has again been named the best performing county council waste disposal authority in England. In 2021 - 22, residents recycled, reused or composted 58.2 per cent of their household waste, according to the latest government figures.

But despite this success, the council said it is not complacent and will continue to look for ways to improve its figures even further.

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, said: “I want to thank our residents and waste management teams for once again putting Oxfordshire at the top of the table.

“However, we’re not recycling over a third of what we could, and we need to look for ways of really shifting the dial on that. We know this is what the people of Oxfordshire expect of us.”

The total amount of household waste produced in Oxfordshire was 301,902 tonnes for 2021 - 2022. And 150,086 tonnes were reused, recycled and composted, which created a carbon benefit equivalent to 121,308 tonnes of carbon dioxide compared to disposing of it through landfill.

Oxfordshire’s five district and city councils, which operate the kerbside collections, also achieved excellent results in their national category. South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse came second and fourth respectively with recycling rates of 62.7 per cent and 61.9 per cent, while West Oxfordshire, Cherwell, and Oxford City councils were all in the top performing 22 per cent.

Along with the county council, the district and city councils make up the Oxfordshire Resources and Waste Partnership (ORWP) – a collaborative partnership which works together to improve recycling and waste management services for residents.

Vicky Beechey, ORWP Manager, said: “Oxfordshire local authorities have long been recognised as high performing in recycling and their ongoing delivery of excellent recycling and waste management services. To see partners’ hard work reflected in these figures is testament to the commitment of those involved to deliver best value and positive environmental outcomes for Oxfordshire residents.

“As ever, we will not be resting on our laurels with more to do to improve recycling, reuse, and composting rates. Everyone has a role to play in maintaining and improving on how recycling and waste is managed correctly; using tools such as the Waste Wizard to help put the items we have in the right place – whether that’s for reuse, to repair or to throw away.

“ORWP partners know times are really challenging for residents and by taking proper action we can all reduce food waste, keep items in use for longer and reduce the amount of waste we produce – for the benefit of everyone.”

For those looking to reduce their waste further, the Community Action Group network and Replenish project have lots of opportunities to get involved with local schemes, and tips on how to reduce waste and improve their local environment. Residents can also visit Climate Action Oxfordshire for ideas on the practical things they can do to reduce waste and make better climate choices with the time they have available. 

Visitors to Oxfordshire’s seven household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) were recently asked to separate recyclable material from their general waste before disposing of it.

By sorting their mixed rubbish out before their visit, residents can prevent items that can be recycled from ending up in the general waste and bulky skips – increasing the county’s recycling rates further.

Users are also reminded that the cost to customers of disposing of DIY and other chargeable waste at Oxfordshire’s HWRCs has risen from 1 April. While most items can still be left free of charge, DIY waste is legally classified as industrial waste and incurs a small charge.

The county council is currently carrying out a consultation into its HWRC strategy for the next 20 years. One of the aims is to provide places where people can give things to be used again, recycle things easily and safely, and throw things away in the right way.

People can have their say on the strategy on the council’s Let’s talk Oxfordshire website by 8 May.

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Oxfordshire County Council’s climate team was successful in the second phase of applications to the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG2). The £630m government-funded grant scheme provides energy efficiency upgrades and low carbon heating to low income households living in fuel poverty.

The HUG2 funding will deliver whole-house retrofit installations to at least 310 properties across Oxfordshire that are not heated by mains gas – instead heated, for example, by electricity, liquefied petroleum gas, coal or oil.

Councillor Mark Lygo, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Equalities, said: “Those who live in poor quality housing are more likely to suffer from long-term health conditions such as respiratory illnesses and struggle with fuel poverty. We know that the risk of fuel poverty is, unfortunately, increasing as the cost of living crisis continues.

“Therefore, we hope that the programme will help to expand on and complement the work we are already doing, such as through our Better Housing Better Health service, to make vital home improvements to reduce fuel poverty and improve health conditions.”

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, said: “A quarter of carbon emissions in the county come from our homes. The least energy efficient homes not only tend to be more expensive to run but also have a greater carbon footprint as a result.

“However, this retrofitting service will allow residents in energy inefficient homes to get improvements required to not only reduce their fuel costs, but also their carbon footprint, removing the funding barrier for those residents most in-need.”

Retrofitting funding will prioritise insulation first, followed by sustainable heating, including air source heat pumps, and then consider renewable, free electricity generation via solar panels.

The programme is available to residents who own their home or privately rent, do not use mains gas for heating, have a combined household income of less than £31,000, or are on means-tested benefits. Homes should also have an energy performance certificate rating of D or below.

Lord Callanan, Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance, said: “This investment will help thousands of households to heat their homes for less, keep them warm for longer and could save hundreds on their annual energy bill.

“The green energy sector is growing, and this funding will support green jobs and provide the training needed to deliver these vital upgrades to homes.”

For those wishing to find out more, an expression of interest form is available at oxfordshire.gov.uk/retrofit.

Oxfordshire County Council, in collaboration with the districts and city councils, also funds the Better Homes Better Health service. This service supports residents with energy efficiency advice, accessing grant funding and improving access to eligible benefits to reduce fuel poverty and improve health conditions. Residents can call the advice line on 0800 107 0044.

Further information, including eligibility, will be added to Oxfordshire County Council’s website nearer to the project start, in April 2023. The retrofit team can be contacted at retrofit@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Households not eligible for HUG2 grants still have time to see if they can apply for help with retrofitting their properties through HUG1 scheme.

The scheme runs until the end of May and aims to improve poorly insulated homes for low income residents in properties with an EPC rating of D or below. Details are available on Oxfordshire County Council’s website.

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Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet today adopted the plan, which includes hierarchies of road users and priority for roadworks in line with its Local Transport and Connectivity Plan and its commitment to climate action.

Councillor Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highway Management, said: “We face a huge challenge in meeting residents’ travel needs as the population and associated infrastructure grows, while avoiding the economic damage caused by severe congestion and enabling a zero-carbon Oxfordshire by 2050.

“We have a once in a generation opportunity to make a significant shift away from private car use, towards more flexible working patterns and greener travel choices – reducing pressure on the road network and creating the space for local traffic improvements.

“Essential to achieving our priorities and policies is a transport system that enables the efficient movement of people and goods, while promoting greater use of sustainable travel modes.

“This network management plan explores the challenges that we face and explains how we will manage Oxfordshire’s highways to deliver an effective, sustainable transport system for people and businesses.”

Key objectives of the plan include minimising disruption, providing quality information to the travelling public, supporting active travel, improving journey time reliability, and maximising the effective use of road space.

The user hierarchy prioritises walking and wheeling, cycling, riding and public transport ahead of motorcycles, shared vehicles such as car clubs, and cars, vans, and lorries.

Network management will also make decisions to support road safety, especially following the council’s adoption of the vision zero strategy to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries from road traffic collisions in Oxfordshire by 2050.

There are approximately 30,000 accidents on Oxfordshire’s roads, 1,700 reported injuries – including 300 of a serious nature – and 30 deaths, with a higher proportion of serious incidents than many local authority areas due to a higher amount of rural road links on the network.

The hierarchy for the priority of roadworks is:

• emergency repairs
• works of national importance (such as HS2 and East West Rail)
• county council new and improved infrastructure projects
• digital connectivity infrastructure projects
• large public events
• major utility infrastructure and works
• small scale utilities
• highway maintenance activities.

The county council receives more than 35,000 applications to work on the roads each year – 87 per cent of which come from utility companies – with approximately 600 live sites on the network at any one time.

The county council is responsible for the maintenance of more than 4,500km of roads in Oxfordshire. As in other parts of the UK, the condition of the road network has deteriorated over recent years as government funding has not kept up with need.

The report warns that the potential impact of housing and jobs growth on the county’s transport networks could see traffic on many junctions exceed capacity by 2031, with severe delays on many routes, especially the A34, A40, A338 and A4074.

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Last March, Oxfordshire County Council was awarded £32.8 million from the government’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme.

Along with £6m from the council itself and £43.7m from bus companies Stagecoach and the Go-Ahead Group, which includes the Oxford Bus Company, Thames Travel, and City Sightseeing Oxford, the scheme will deliver the electric buses and the infrastructure to charge them.

Following the signing of contracts between the bus companies and the manufacturers, and the council’s approval of trial traffic filters in Oxford to help reduce bus journey times by at least 10 per cent in the city, confirmation of Oxfordshire’s ZEBRA scheme has now been finalised.

Councillor Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways Management, said: “This is a huge boost in the move towards creating a sustainable, decarbonised public transport system, and improving air quality.

“We believe that, along with other schemes proposed in the county, this new fleet of electric buses will transform our public transport system and encourage more people to travel by bus.”

Rachel Geliamassi, Managing Director for Stagecoach West, said: “We're excited to be announcing this major milestone for Oxfordshire, which will be a major step forward in improving air quality across the region. This builds further on the major investment being made by Stagecoach across the country to support the transition to a zero emission bus fleet. 

"We look forward to working with our local authority partners on their plans to further decarbonise the city, which will help us to speed up journey times and attract more people out of their cars and on to reliable, sustainable public transport services." 

Luke Marion, Oxford Bus Company Managing Director, said: “This ground-breaking plan and significant investment will radically improve air quality in Oxford. We look forward to continuing to work with key partners to deliver this ambitious project, which will make bus travel an even better option for getting around our city."

Roads Minister Richard Holden said: “We want to see a better bus network around Britain and that means reliable, affordable, clean buses, and we will do everything possible to decarbonise our transport network and support skilled jobs in next generation bus manufacturing across the UK.

“We’ve already invested hundreds of millions of pounds to kick-start the rollout of zero emission buses nationwide, and it’s great to see Oxfordshire County Council, Stagecoach and Go-Ahead Group making use of our funding to transform its fleet to electric. This move will boost UK manufacturing, drive down emissions and improve bus services for people across the region.”

Councillor Louise Upton, Cabinet Member for Health and Transport, Oxford City Council, said: “Air pollution is a major cause of poor health in Oxford and cleaning up our bus emissions is an important step towards better air quality for everyone who lives, works, and visits Oxford.

“Buses are a vital part of how many people travel around Oxford, especially the 30 per cent of Oxford residents who do not own a car. Let’s not underestimate the importance of the county’s proposed congestion-busting traffic measures in giving the bus companies the confidence to invest in these electric buses. Hopping on a brand new electric bus, with free WiFi and stop announcements for the partially sighted, will make bus travel a much more attractive option for everyone.

“We are looking forward to seeing these new buses on Oxford’s roads as part of a zero emission bus network. It all helps to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and fulfil our aim of cutting the city’s carbon footprint.”

Transport is the largest contributor to nitrogen dioxide (NOx) emissions in Oxford, accounting for two thirds of the total emissions, with both diesel cars and buses contributing to roughly one third of the transport emissions each.

The arrival of the 159 electric buses is expected to support a further drop in NOx levels that will help clean up Oxford and Oxfordshire’s air pollution, reduce noise pollution and help make Oxfordshire a net zero carbon county well before 2050.

Oxfordshire was one of only 12 local authorities to successfully apply for ZEBRA funding and is one of the biggest schemes in the country.

All the new buses are being manufactured in the UK and are expected to arrive by March 2024. It will be one of the largest orders outside London and will mean that most services across the Oxford Smartzone will be operated by battery electric buses.

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Oxfordshire County Council has sent its responses to a series of consultations taking place concerning future water supplies, including the Water Resources South East (WRSE) draft regional plan (see attached document).

The WRSE plan includes proposals for a reservoir located between Abingdon, East Hanney, Steventon and Marcham, which would hold up to 100 million cubic metres of water – known as the South East Strategic Reservoir Option (SESRO) – as well as other options for securing future water supply.

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, said: “We have consistently opposed this reservoir proposal, which we believe could turn out to be a damaging white elephant  that will not be resilient to the kind of multi-year droughts we are seeing in many parts of the world.

“It will arrive too late – climate change is worsening rapidly, and this scheme takes 20 years before it does anything. Putting more than a billion pounds into this project will delay quicker and more reliable schemes, including recycling and transfers from less water-stressed regions, which provide the early, powerful climate resilience we believe is urgently needed.

“The consultation uses outdated figures for population growth and exaggerates water need.

“Securing water supplies for the people of Oxfordshire in the medium to long term is something we as a council will do all we can to help, which is why we organised the recent water summit to look at the issues surrounding it. But building a huge reservoir, damaging the environment and the lives of the people living in this area, is not the answer.”

The SESRO previously appeared in the WRSE emerging regional plan, which Oxfordshire County Council responded to in March 2022. Despite about half of the 1,150 responses indicating direct opposition to it, the giant reservoir proposal was not removed from the draft plan.

A similar reservoir proposal was also rejected by the government in 2011 following a public inquiry.

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Oxfordshire County Council organised last month’s event, which featured representatives from Thames Water, campaigners from the Group Against Reservoir Development (GARD), county, district and parish councillors, water regulator Ofwat, the Environment Agency, researchers from Oxford University and Oxford Brookes University and other stakeholders.

Its aim was to bring together groups to discuss the issues and explore sustainable solutions for the county. It was held against the backdrop of Water Resources South East (WRSE) developing a plan for securing future water supplies for the region, and draft water company management plans that are also being developed.

Items for discussion included draft proposals to build a seven square kilometre reservoir between Abingdon, Steventon and East Hanney – plans that have been consistently opposed by Oxfordshire County Council over the last 15 years.

The event was chaired by Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, who said: “This water summit was a safe space to communicate insights into the pressures driving water usage up and the difficulties involved in the plans to meet that demand. It allowed us to hear all sides of the reservoir debate and we have a whole list of follow-up actions.”

The issue of climate change and the need to develop resilience, safeguarding water supplies against extreme weather events, was a powerful underlying theme, as well as uncertainties around population growth and our ability to reduce water use, which have potentially deep impacts on the need for new supplies.

Cllr Sudbury added: “Climate change is the real wild card here because it involves deep uncertainty, particularly around exactly the extreme events (for example multi-year droughts) that would most threaten water supplies.”

WRSE is currently consulting on its draft regional plan, with Oxfordshire County Council expected to issue its response to the proposals in early 2023.

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The final EV charging hub in the Park and Charge Oxfordshire project went live this month at Claremont short stay car park in Bicester.

It marks the completion of the 20th hub successfully delivered in the project and means a total of 250 EV charging points have been delivered across the county since May 2021.

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change Delivery and Environment, said: “The reaction from Oxfordshire residents has been overwhelmingly positive, from EV drivers and prospective EV drivers alike.

“Park and Charge is enabling local people who don’t have private off-street parking to have a convenient location to charge their EVs overnight, meaning more Oxfordshire residents have the opportunity to drive electric. It’s another great reason to make sure your next vehicle is an EV.”

The hubs have been seeing very promising usage level with over 3,300 individual EV charging sessions taking place across the Park and Charge network in October alone – a 23 per cent rise in the number of charging sessions since the previous month.

The EV chargers have been designed and produced by local Bicester-based company – EZ Charge – who will operate the chargers for the next 10 years.

Oxfordshire has the highest uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) in the country, with 32 per cent of all new vehicles sold in August being fully battery electric EVs.

The 20 Park and Charge locations, each containing between 10 and 16 EV charging points, are:

• Cattle Market and Claremont car parks in Bicester
• Curtis Place car park, Kidlington
• Windsor Street and Calthorpe Street West car parks in Banbury
• Woodford Way car park in Witney
• Black Bourton car park in Carterton
• Hensington Road car park in Woodstock
• Back Lane car park in Eynsham
• New Street car park in Chipping Norton
• Cattlemarket and Goldsmith’s Lane car parks in Wallingford
• Kings Road and Greys Road car parks in Henley
• Southern Road car park in Thame
• West St Helens, Audlett Drive and Cattle Market car parks in Abingdon
• Portway car park in Wantage
• Southampton Road car park in Faringdon.

Councillor Sue Cooper, South Oxfordshire District Council Cabinet Member for Environment, Climate Change and Nature Recovery, said: “We’ve been pleased with the interest in the EV chargers in South Oxfordshire, with one car park in Henley alone having more than 1,000 sessions in its first three months. The uptake of charging bays has been higher than expected in some car parks but in others it will take longer as habits change.

“Having plenty of spaces to charge EVs will help those thinking of buying an EV but do not have a charging point at their property.”

Councillor Sally Povolotsky, Vale of White Horse District Council Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency and Environment, said: “We’ve been very pleased to bring EV chargers to the Vale-run car parks as part of our council goals to reduce carbon emissions. There has already been a high rate of EV ownership in Oxfordshire which is why we have undertaken this long-term project investing in the infrastructure to make it easier for those to make the switch to an EV whether or not they have access to easy charging at home.

“The scheme has been designed to encourage local residents without off-street parking to switch to an EV as they can park and charge in our car parks overnight. This has already proved popular in Abingdon with nearly 20 per cent of charging sessions at West St Helen car park being done overnight.”

Councillor Andrew Prosser, Cabinet Member for Climate Change at West Oxfordshire District Council, said: “Latest statistics suggest that a third of all new cars bought in Oxfordshire are now fully battery electric, which is well ahead of the rest of the UK. Projects such as Park and Charge are helping to build countywide EV infrastructure that supports this growth in EV ownership.

“We want to make it easier for EV drivers to charge up and give motorists the confidence to purchase their first electric vehicle. Maximising opportunities to grow this network will accelerate the shift to ultra-low emission transport and our pathway to net zero carbon emissions.”

Councillor Dan Sames, Cherwell District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Cleaner and Greener Communities, said: “The pioneering EV charging project has exceeded expectations and usage continues to grow. We are delighted to have been able to expand the project and create more charging hubs within Cherwell.”

The £5.4 million project was funded by grants from Innovate UK and the Office for Zero Emissions Vehicles as well as private investment from local companies Zeta and Urban Integrated. It has provided the biggest ever single boost to public EV charging infrastructure in the county.

The network of ‘fast’ EV chargers have a power rating of 7kW to 22kW, which means EV drivers can get between 25 and 75 miles of charge for every hour they charge, depending on the rate at which their vehicle can charge. These innovative chargers are highly robust and reliable, and have multiple payment options including contactless ‘tap and go’, ensuring that EV drivers can always get a charge when they need one.

More details on how to use the chargers and the Park and Charge scheme are available at www.parkandchargeoxfordshire.co.uk.

The Park and Charge project is a key part of the Oxfordshire Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy, which was named Public Sector Infrastructure Strategy of the Year at the 2022 Electric Vehicle Innovation & Excellence Awards (EVIEs).

Oxfordshire County Council is currently working with all other councils across Oxfordshire to roll out further residential EV charging hubs in car parks right across the county, pending securing appropriate funding.

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The Woodland Creation Accelerator Fund has offered a share of £9.8 million in funding to 57 local authorities across England to bring on board new staff and access the professional expertise needed to drive tree planting and woodland creation activity at a local level.

More than 100 new green jobs will be created across the country, with an emphasis on upskilling professionals from outside the forestry sector. This will help to expand the industry’s workforce, address skills shortages and help to grow the economy.  

Oxfordshire County Council will create two new community tree and woodland planting roles as part of its collaboration with Oxford City Council and Cherwell, South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse and West Oxfordshire district councils. The two new recruits will work to increase tree cover through training volunteer groups and further engaging the local community in woodland creation activities.

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, said: “We know we need to play catch-up with the increasing impacts of climate change. One of the most versatile and effective ways of tackling many climate impacts, including heat, storm, heavy rainfall, and soil erosion, is planting trees.

“Understanding and agreeing what trees to plant, and where, is a high priority of all Oxfordshire’s councils and the money from this joint bid for funding will allow us to do that as rapidly as possible.”

Richard Stanford, Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, said: “Local authorities have set out a range of inspiring and ambitious plans which equate to more than 10 million trees being planted on public land across England by 2025. The Woodland Creation Accelerator Fund will provide the support and resource needed to turn these aspirations into results, marking a significant step forward in our collective efforts to treble planting rates in England. 

“Growing both our treescapes and the forestry sector workforce through this fund demonstrates how protecting and restoring our natural world with trees can unlock environmental, economic and social benefits for everyone.”  

Hannah Bartram, Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport, said: “The Woodland Creation Accelerator Fund is set to make a real difference, supporting local authorities to accelerate their tree and woodland planting plans and helping to tackle the climate change and biodiversity crises. 

“The fund has been well received and demand has been high – it will support local authorities across the country, equipping them with the new staff, skills, and expertise needed to drive tree planting and woodland creation commitments.” 

Over two thirds of upper tier local authorities in England applied for the Woodland Creation Accelerator Fund, representing a blend of urban, mixed, and rural applications. Planting will take place across the country, in both deprived areas with lower tree cover, as well as through ambitious schemes expanding existing woodlands in rural settings.

Since the fund’s launch in June, an additional £2m has been made available through the government’s £750m Nature for Climate Fund in response to the high level of interest in the grant, the quality of proposals submitted and the recognised need for support.  

The Woodland Creation Accelerator Fund has been promoted by the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport (ADEPT), on behalf of DEFRA and the Forestry Commission. ADEPT will continue to support the successful local authorities over the next two years. 

For more information, go to Woodland Creation Accelerator Fund on GOV.UK or read the Forestry Commission’s blog.  

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On 15 November the council’s cabinet reaffirmed its commitment to climate action, adapting to the challenges created by climate change and the importance of nature and the natural environment, by endorsing the statement.

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, said: “Our emphasis on climate action, and on improving adaptation and resilience to extreme weather, is not a side project. It needs to steer every decision we take.

“On 19 July this year, Oxfordshire experienced the highest temperature ever recorded in the county – 38.4C. In other parts of the country the temperature reached 40.2C – breaking the previous UK record of 38.7C.

“The impact of climate change is being felt here in Oxfordshire right now and it is accelerating. Under all possible scenarios, Oxfordshire will be increasingly exposed to risks from a changing climate affecting individuals, communities, businesses, and supply chains. Not to mention the natural world which is, ultimately, our life support system.

“Without action, the escalating frequency and severity of extreme weather events – including heatwave, drought, flooding and storms – will pose increasing risks to our services, buildings, and infrastructure. Failure to respond rapidly and at scale would be an act of negligence.”

The Oxfordshire environmental principles included in the statement are to:

• bring Oxfordshire to net zero carbon as early as possible in the 2040s
• adapt to the challenges of climate change
• protect, restore, enhance and create new nature areas and natural capital assets
• use natural resources sustainably
• be an exemplar for environmental sustainable development
• ensure that existing and new communities see real benefits from the approach
• resource ambitions, monitor and review regularly.

Putting action to address the climate emergency at the heart of its work was already top of the council’s nine strategic priorities.

The statement also builds on environmental commitments made by the council as part of the Future Oxfordshire Partnership.

The next step will be to shape a new strategic framework for Oxfordshire, alongside partners, to ensure that nature, the environment, and climate action are proactively designed into the policy-making process. 

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Oxfordshire County Council wants to make residential areas safer and more attractive places to walk and cycle. To enable this, 20mph speed restrictions are being used to help promote alternative modes of transport for local travel.

Consultations are currently taking place into plans for Abingdon and the Ladygrove area of Didcot. The council is seeking the views of residents, businesses, commuters, and visitors before the decisions are made.

The Abingdon proposals involve replacing the majority of existing 30mph speed limits on the main residential roads – those bounded by the ring road and those south of the River Ock – with 20mph limits. Additionally, the existing 40mph speed limits on the ring road would be reduced to 30mph.

Full details, and the chance to have your say, are available on Let’s Talk Oxfordshire until Friday 30 September.

The Didcot proposals are to bring in 20mph speed limits throughout the Ladygrove area – those roads lying north and east of the railway line – to replace existing 30mph limits.

New roads within the Willowbrook Park development north of the A4130 accessed via Franklin Gardens will also be included, along with both Copse View and Oakend Lea. The remaining roads in Didcot south of the railway line would be unaffected.

For more details, or to make your comments before 30 September, visit Let’s Talk Oxfordshire.

The proposals have been put forward following road safety concerns raised by both town councils. The aim is to improve road safety for all users and reduce the county’s carbon footprint.

Further details about how the council is making it easier for communities to request 20mph limits can be found on Oxfordshire County Council’s website.

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Oxfordshire County Council is strongly urging the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) to withdraw its proposals to significantly cut planned investment and modernisation of energy infrastructure that will help people and organisations make the transition to greener energy.

The UK’s electricity system is set up in three parts: the generators, the distribution grids (which are split between national and local), and the end supply companies – to whom people pay their bills. Ofgem is conducting a consultation relating to the local distribution grid companies.

The local electricity grid companies, known as district network operators (DNOs), are in a monopoly position and, as a result, Ofgem approves their business plans for every charging period. With the next period (2023 - 28) Ofgem has released a consultation on what it is proposing to change to those draft business plans being submitted. They include short-term cuts in previously proposed levels of investment, which could lead to increased costs to the consumer in the long-term.

Three DNOs cover Oxfordshire: Western Power Distribution, which covers about 10 per cent of the county to the north around Banbury; UK power networks, which covers the areas around Thame and Chinnor; and Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks, which covers the rest of Oxfordshire.

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, said: “We condemn the time and effort spent on a consultation that will have negligible impact upon bill payers, for whom the problem is in the order of thousands of pounds, while significantly disabling urgent and necessary modernisation.

“In light of the accelerating impacts of climate change and the clear and stark warnings from every reputable scientific body regarding the need to accelerate the energy transition, we must condemn, as reckless and foolish, any proposals that wilfully downgrade and slow that transition.

“We believe it is clear that cutting already inadequate investment in grid capacity to support future electrification of heat, transport, housing and employment growth will significantly impact Oxfordshire economically, environmentally and socially.

“No long-term cost impact assessment has been completed for this important decision. We estimate that the level of cost savings for householders will be minimal, around £10 per year, while the longer-term impacts will have a greater cost, especially to those on lower incomes. The October fuel cap will still be a staggering £3,549 per year.

“We have already seen several new commercial and residential developments experiencing prohibitively costly grid connection offers and delays. The work being delivered under the groundbreaking innovation project Local Energy Oxfordshire indicates the potential opportunities for flexible services and future needs of the transition from DNOs to district network service providers.

“With several electric vehicle companies, charging companies and supply chain organisations based within Oxfordshire, there is a direct impact upon the local economy from the proposals to provide a reduced number of EV connections.

“The Oxford Low Carbon Economy report estimated that seven per cent of the local economy was based upon the low and zero carbon industry, with the potential to add £1.35 billion to the local economy and an additional 11,000 jobs by 2030, with the correct policies. The proposed restrictions will have an ever further and growing constraining impact on the local economy and jobs.”

Oxfordshire County Council declared a climate emergency in 2019, as did the UK government. Working with other local organisations, the county council developed the Oxfordshire Energy Strategy and Pathways to a Zero Carbon Oxfordshire reports. Both allow a target of meeting net zero for the county by 2050 or earlier.

In its response to the Ofgem consultation, the county council has said it can find no evidence of any detailed assessment in which Ofgem has taken these factors into consideration when making its draft determination. The council considers that Ofgem would be failing to meet its duties and responsibilities if the proposal were approved given they include “to deliver net zero” and “ensuring a fair treatment for all”.

Councillor Sudbury added: “Electric vehicle uptake in the county is already well ahead of other areas (approximately 40 per cent share of new vehicle registrations in June 22, the highest rate in the UK) and we expect installation of heat pumps to increase significantly in the next five years. DNOs have regularly indicated the challenge for large scale uptake of EVs and heat pumps on low voltage networks, with several innovation challenges looking to directly address these areas.

“Climate impacts are already imposing very significant global and local costs. The requirement to decarbonise rapidly in this decade should be of the highest possible priority, to avoid much greater future costs and wider threats to our health, economic and social wellbeing.

“We have been clear to Ofgem that we think it is failing to meet its duties by making these proposals and we urge them to alter their plans.”

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Climate Action Oxfordshire – www.climateactionoxfordshire.org.uk – lists measures people can take and rates them according to effort, impact, and cost. It also gives people an idea of what financial savings they can make and includes tips and links on how to get started.

From small changes such as washing your clothes on a cold cycle, creating a wildflower area or using rechargeable batteries, to recycling more, eating less meat, and – for those with a bigger budget – getting solar panels or an electric vehicle, the website is full of practical things you can do with the time and money you have to spare.

It is a joint venture set up by Oxfordshire County Council, Oxford City Council, Cherwell, South Oxfordshire, West Oxfordshire, and the Vale of White Horse district councils, and OxLEP – the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership.

The one stop shop has sections aimed at individuals, communities, and organisations, including businesses, and advice on transport, lifestyle, shopping, home and biodiversity matters.

Councillor Andrew Prosser, Cabinet Member for Climate Change at West Oxfordshire District Council, said: “There are so many opportunities for residents to reduce their energy use, particularly around the home which is a major contributor to climate change emissions. Simple steps really can add up, whether that’s draft proofing windows and doors, changing lightbulbs to LEDs and being more diligent about turning off lights, or replacing old appliances to those with a better energy rating when it’s time to renew.

“The new Climate Action Oxfordshire website brings together a whole range of positive actions residents can tap into to make their homes more sustainable, from quick wins that can be easily achieved to those actions which require a bit more input, for those who are able to go that bit further. We would urge everyone to take a look.”

Councillor Sue Cooper, South Oxfordshire District Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Climate Change and Nature Recovery, said: “Our residents are consistently among the best recyclers in the country. This is down to a combination of their efforts and us providing a service which makes recycling easy.

“However, there's always more people can do to reduce waste and to take climate action and so I'm very pleased that the new website will help people to find more information on what they can do at home and in their community. While we look to recycle as much as we can, our aim is to reduce the amount of waste we produce overall.”

Councillor Sally Povolotsky, Vale of White Horse District Council Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency and Environment and electric vehicle (EV) owner, said: “Thanks to the park and charge scheme we now have 250 new EV charging points across the county. If you are keen to make the switch to an EV vehicle, you can find lots of useful information on the new website, including about the huge benefits that doing so can bring to our climate and our air quality.”

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, said: “One of the many great things about this new website is that it puts people in touch with our community action groups. We recently welcomed our 100th group into the fold and it is inspiring to see them tackle climate change on a local level.

“Around 8,000 Oxfordshire residents are already involved, on projects including low carbon transport, energy, biodiversity, social justice, food and waste. If you want to get involved, log on and find your nearest group – or get advice on setting up your own.”

Imogen Thomas, Cabinet Member for Zero Carbon Oxford and Climate Justice at Oxford City Council, said: “Tackling the climate crisis can seem like a big task, but there are ways that anyone can get involved. Using less energy means not only saving carbon but saving money, at a time when we are all feeling the effects of the cost of living crisis.

“Many of us can also play a role in boosting biodiversity in our green spaces. If you have a garden, you can explore what native seeds you can plant to encourage wildflowers. If you live in a flat, why not explore how you can volunteer your time to a community garden or your local green space. Big or small, your actions can make a real difference.”

Councillor Dan Sames, Cherwell District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Cleaner and Greener Communities, said: “We could all do with reducing the amount of items we throw away in a bid to reduce our impact on the planet. This new website will help people find homes for unwanted items lingering around the house, in garages or sheds by encouraging and helping them to repair, reuse or donate things like bikes, furniture and electrical items.

“While these are small changes, they will help us move to a One Planet Living model. There are organisations in Cherwell district that will provide you with the help you need. It’s now just a click away.”

Nigel Tipple, Chief Executive of OxLEP, said: “The introduction of this platform gives businesses the information and practical, positive steps that can be taken to support a more sustainable future in the workplace.

“We would therefore encourage our business community to make use of the Climate Action Oxfordshire site and understand how certain adjustments will collectively make big impacts and support the drive towards a cleaner, more sustainable future for us all.”

The Climate Action Oxfordshire website contains filters so that users can tailor it to their own circumstances. It will be regularly updated with new information and advice to help the county’s residents do what they can to reduce their carbon footprint.

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Layla Moran MP, representatives from Oxfordshire County Council, city and district councils, Oxford Bus Company, Stagecoach, bus user groups, health services, employers and the city’s universities attended the event at the Said Business School on Friday 24 June. Anneliese Dodds MP, who had proposed the summit, was unable to attend due to illness.

Issues up for discussion included fares, ticketing options, coverage, accessibility and ease of understanding of the bus network, journey speeds and reliability, image and public opinion. Industry experts were in attendance, while the audience included representatives from disability and young people’s groups.

Councillor Liz Leffman, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, gave a presentation about why buses are key to the authority’s commitment to tackling climate change, and making Oxfordshire a greener and fairer county.

She said: “This bus summit was a really important opportunity for us at the county council to get together with the bus operator and other partners across the county – including the health services, universities, and employers – to talk about how we can create a sustainable bus network.

“We want to get people out of their cars and that way we can reduce our carbon footprint quite significantly, and that what this summit was all about.”

The summit was one of a number of measures aimed at helping the bus industry recover from what has been a time of unprecedented pressure, due to COVID-19, uncertainty over government funding, high fuel costs, and a shortage of drivers.

Last month saw the launch of a campaign to encourage people back on to the buses by highlighting the savings they can make, compared to travelling into Oxford by car.

Luke Marion, Interim Managing Director of Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel, said: “Oxfordshire’s inaugural bus summit really helped further educate key stakeholders on the huge opportunity we have in the county to vastly reduce our carbon footprint via improved connectivity and the introduction of net zero bus technology.

“There was a lot of positive energy in the room and it is crucial we continue to work together to deliver our ambitious vision for what could be the UK’s leading electric bus network.”

Rachel Geliamassi, Managing Director of Stagecoach West, said: “Being a part of events like the bus summit give me optimism that we are really on the edge of transformation. I'm hopeful that this newly forged partnership will stand strong as we decarbonise our bus network and deliver our shared vision.

“The rest of the UK should watch this space as we drive Oxfordshire into exciting new territory.”

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Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet unveiled its draft Local Transport and Connectivity Plan (LTCP) last October, which – among its many ambitions – aims to cut car journeys by a quarter by 2030 and reduce them by a third by 2040.

It also plans to increase the number of cycling trips from 600,000 to one million by 2031 and deliver a zero carbon transport network by 2040.

On Tuesday, the council’s cabinet approved the contents of the LTCP for adoption by the county council next month. This included strategies for freight and logistics, active travel, and innovation.

Councillor Duncan Enright, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Travel and Development Strategy, said: “We are incredibly grateful to the people who spared the time to take part in this consultation. More than 1,000 people made the effort and the fact that there was overall support for our vision, key themes, and targets shows that there is understanding of the need to make transport more sustainable.

“We know that this is just the start and that we face considerable challenges along the way. There will be tough decisions around how we use existing road space, but it is healthy to start these conversations and to look at alternatives to single occupancy cars, which can only lead to more congestion and pollution for our county.”

The LTCP is a wide-ranging document with 54 policies, which aim to provide the backbone for the council’s commitment to invest in an inclusive, integrated and sustainable transport network for the county.

It looks at ways of reducing the need to travel and discouraging unnecessary individual private vehicle use through making walking, cycling, public and shared transport the natural first choice.

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Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet has approved plans which could see its own corporate carbon emissions almost halved by 2024/25.

The authority produced 10,774 tonnes of CO2 in 2020/21, but measures outlined in its carbon management plan could see this cut to 6,000 tonnes within three years.

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, said: “I’m delighted at the dedication and skill of our small climate team and how far we’ve come in a year. As an organisation, we’re continuing as an exemplar in reducing our own direct emissions, but now also driving forward to decarbonise our supply chains and taking a lead on work with partners and other organisations to extend this work across the whole of Oxfordshire.”

Cabinet also approved the climate action programme delivery plan for 2022/23 aimed at decarbonising the authority’s estate and operations by 2030, and transitioning Oxfordshire as a county to net zero ahead of the national target of 2050.

Measures include increasing active travel – walking and cycling –  improving electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure, supporting households in fuel poverty to increase energy efficiency and reduce bills, and encouraging behavioural change among businesses and residents.

The delivery plan also looks at adapting and improving resilience to extreme weather events, increasing biodiversity, and developing a nature recovery strategy.

One of the main projects to cut emissions is the conversion of Oxfordshire’s streetlights to low-energy LED lighting. Nearly half have so far been changed as part of a £40 million project which will save council taxpayers £77m over a 20-year period.

Other ways in which the council is helping Oxfordshire become net zero and tackle climate change include:

• Shaping a net zero transport system through the new Local Transport and Connectivity Plan.
• Investing in public transport to bring 159 electric buses to Oxfordshire.
• Installing EV charging points in council car parks for residents without off-road parking.
• Piloting a zero emissions zone in Oxford city centre.
• Supporting more than 100 community-led climate action groups, the largest network of its kind in the UK.
• Helping residents recycle and compost 59.5 per cent of all household waste – top place in England for eight years in a row.
• Trialling hydrogen technology to power fire engines.
• Partnering with councils, universities, community, and private sector to create a smart clean energy system through Local Energy Oxfordshire.

Cllr Sudbury added: “The Climate Change Committee’s recent risk assessment tells us that we need to move with alacrity to protect our citizens, organisations and businesses from the dangerous and accelerating impacts of climate change in our own country, and from its global effects as they impact on us and the supply chains we rely on for our basic needs.

“That will be our priority for the next year, and we will be looking to involve as many individuals, groups and organisations as we can in this critical task.”

Another key tool in the council’s plans is the Pathways to a Zero Carbon Oxford (PAZCO) document, which is being developed as a countywide decarbonisation roadmap. The report was jointly funded by the council, alongside partners in local government, academia, and business, to outline different potential pathways to achieving a zero-carbon economy in Oxfordshire by 2050, with milestones for 2030.

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The proposed new strategy has been developed in partnership with organisations including Good Food Oxfordshire, district and city councils, community groups, local farmers and other food businesses, to improve Oxfordshire’s food system and make it more sustainable, affordable and resilient.

The plans will be going to the council’s cabinet for approval on 24 May and will be adopted by colleagues in district and city councils over the coming months.

Councillor Mark Lygo, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health, said: “Around nine to 14 per cent of our population in Oxfordshire experience food insecurity. The ongoing cost of living crisis means households are facing an average hit of £1,200 to their incomes this year alone. This is disproportionately affecting lower-income homes, with some of the biggest price rises being seen in value ranges and basic items. 

“On top of this, food systems contribute to around 40 per cent of greenhouse emissions. And for example, just one per cent of our food in Oxford comes directly from a local source (51 per cent of the county’s food comes from within the UK, while 48 per cent comes from the EU and beyond).

“Food production plays a vital role in our local economy. Our food economy accounts for one in 10 jobs, and is responsible for 10 per cent of our local economy as a whole. Money spent in local food shops, cafes and production also supports three times as many jobs as the same equivalent spent in national chains.

“A local food strategy will help us develop a localised, sustainable food system. This will help ensure that healthy and sustainable food is affordable and accessible for everyone, help to meet our climate and sustainability targets and improve our food supply resilience. 

“We are proud to be leading the way in becoming one of the first local authorities in England to implement a local food strategy, and this is central to our key priority of tackling inequality across the county. We couldn’t have done this without partnership working so I am really proud that this strategy has been developed with Good Food Oxfordshire and our city and district partners”

Fiona Steel, Good Food Oxfordshire, said: “We are delighted that our local councils have embraced the food strategy and are committed to improving our local food systems. Across Oxfordshire we have an amazing array of community groups, growers and other food businesses, who are committed to a fairer, healthier and more sustainable food system for Oxfordshire. We have a long way to go but we are already pointing in the right direction and working together we can make a real and lasting difference.  We are looking forward to working with local areas to develop food action plans that benefit all members of our communities.”

In 2021, the National Food Strategy stressed the need for local areas to develop their own localised food strategies to tackle the ongoing fragility of food systems in the UK, affordability and the environmental and health impacts of the food we eat.

This is the first phase of the strategy and over the next six months we will be working with the community to develop action plans to deliver our ambitions in the strategy.

The strategy supports the county council’s strategic plan, which sets out its vision to create a greener, fairer and healthier county. It will be delivered through the development of an action plan in each of Oxfordshire’s districts.

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Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet endorsed the updated tree policy when it met today. It will put the emphasis on a ‘presumption in favour of trees’ because of the host of benefits they provide to the climate, the environment and the places where people live.

Bill Cotton, Oxfordshire County Council’s Director of Environment & Place, said: “This is a bold and ambitious long-term policy to increase investment in trees across the county. Trees are valuable assets for so many reasons and we aim to give them more prominence when looking at areas including planning, transport, connectivity and health.

“We want to move away from simply maintaining and managing the trees on our land to actively encouraging and enabling more trees to be planted in both rural and urban settings. This can help tackle climate change and increase resilience to it, as well as improving people’s quality of life – both now and in the future.”

One requirement of the policy is to plant two new trees for every tree that has to be removed from county council land. It also promises to explore new tree planting opportunities and extra investment to carry it out, stricter guidelines for those wanting to remove existing trees and implement proactive care to prolong the lives of established trees.

The main climate benefits of trees, due to their ability to mitigate extremes of heat, cold, wind, rain, and drought, include:

• removing and storing carbon from the air
• reducing urban temperatures through canopy cover
• preventing flooding by reducing the pressure on drainage systems
• wind speed reduction
• cutting air pollution
• enhancing biodiversity
• supporting sustainable agriculture.

Their presence has also been shown to contribute directly to improved wellbeing and mental health, enhance street design and even reduce crime. Research has shown that public open space with trees tends to be used more than space without trees and this increases casual surveillance – deterring criminal activity.

The new policy will not compromise the council’s ability to deal with trees which pose a danger to the public or to property.

The scope, scale, and business case for direct investment into a tree planting programme will be considered as the next step for key consideration as part of the 2023/24 annual budget setting process. Money to fund tree planting would also be sought from numerous national grants, sponsorship, carbon offsetting by businesses and developer contributions.

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Oxfordshire County Council has been awarded £32.8 million from the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme.

Along with £6m from the council itself and £43.7m from bus companies Stagecoach and the Go-Ahead Group, which includes the Oxford Bus Company, Thames Travel, and City Sightseeing Oxford, the scheme will deliver the electric buses and the infrastructure to charge them in a package worth £82.5m.

This funding will support plans to create a zero carbon transport network in Oxford. Last month, Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council announced updated proposals to introduce a city wide workplace parking levy, traffic filters and a wider zero emission zone. 

The proposed traffic filters will help reduce bus journey times by at least 10 per cent in the city. Consultations on the traffic filters, zero emission zone and workplace parking levy will take place in summer this year, with a decision due at the county council’s Cabinet in the autumn.

The commitment from bus operators is dependent on reduced bus journey times. The county council will receive funding from the government after its Cabinet has made a decision on the proposed traffic filters.

The new electric buses will be used on bus routes operating wholly within the Oxford Smart Zone, an area covering all of Oxford and stretching from Kidlington in the north to Sandford in the south, and from Cumnor in the west to Wheatley in the east. They will save an estimated 9,200 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year – the equivalent of taking more than 6,000 cars off the road. They could start to be delivered to Oxfordshire’s roads between the summer of 2023 and the spring of 2024.

Bill Cotton, Oxfordshire County Council’s Director for Environment and Place, said: “This is wonderful news for Oxfordshire and a major leap forward for transport decarbonisation and cleaner air in the county. Along with other transport schemes proposed in Oxford, this new fleet of electric buses will transform our public transport system and encourage more people to travel by bus.

“We are looking forward to working with our partners at Stagecoach, Go-Ahead and Oxford City Council to create a sustainable and reliable public transport system.”

Phil Southall, Managing Director of Oxford Bus Company, Thames Travel and City Sightseeing Oxford said: “This is excellent news and a pivotal step in our collective aim to radically improve air quality in Oxford. Go-Ahead Group, Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel have always been at the forefront of introducing sustainable low-carbon technology in the UK and Oxfordshire bus operators have committed £43m to the electric programme. However, to make a fleet transition financially viable we need to speed up bus journey times by 10 per cent.

“We now look forward to the public consultation on transport and connectivity in Oxford this summer. We are committed to a zero emission future, but the cost of delivery makes it critical we all work together to ensure it is delivered effectively. If this can be done, we can provide 159 electric buses in two years.”

Rachel Geliamassi, Managing Director at Stagecoach West, said: "We welcome today's announcement, which will complement the significant investment and initiatives by operators as we work together to transition to a zero emission bus fleet and help the country achieve its net zero ambitions. 

"Stagecoach has already started its journey towards our target of a fully zero emission UK bus fleet by 2035, and there is also a major opportunity to deliver cleaner air by people switching to more sustainable public transport, cycling and walking. Britain’s buses have an exciting future ahead, helping decarbonise the country, as well as driving economic recovery and levelling up our communities."

Tom Bridgman, Executive Director for Development at Oxford City Council, said: “The city council welcomes this government funding which will support both councils’ plans announced last month to introduce a city wide workplace parking levy, traffic filters and city centre zero emission zone.  

“In order to achieve the maximum benefits of having a modern electric bus fleet, Oxford’s roads need to have more space for buses, cyclists, and pedestrians to move freely, and quickly – without being stuck in traffic. The city council will be working with Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford’s bus companies on making the case for the traffic-reduction measures which would facilitate the delivery of these new electric buses, one of the key benefits for Oxford and the county as a whole.”

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Oxfordshire County Council – along with the district and city councils in Oxfordshire – is supporting Food Waste Action Week, a national campaign set up by the charity WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme). It runs from Monday 7 March until Sunday 13 March.

The campaign will share practical advice, food savvy behaviours and tips on how people can easily reduce the amount of food that is wasted in our homes.

The UK throws away 6.6 million tonnes of household food waste a year. This food waste is responsible for nearly 25 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions, equivalent to 5.4 per cent of the UK’s territorial emissions.

The majority, 4.5 million tonnes, is food that could have been eaten and is worth approximately £14 billion (or £60 a month an average family with two children). It requires an area almost the size of Wales to produce all the food and drink currently wasted in the UK.

Throughout the week the campaign will be sharing tips to make the most of leftovers, how to defrost frozen food, store food properly and how to shop more effectively by planning your meals.

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council Cabinet Member for Climate Change Delivery and Environment, said: “The average family wastes the equivalent of eight meals every single week. Reducing food waste can save families an average of £700 per year, reduce the amount of edible food that ends up in our bins to be disposed of, and fight climate change.

“The Food Waste Action Week campaign will highlight simple actions we can all take to reduce the amount of food we throw away each week.”

Look out for videos and messages which will be released during Food Waste Action Week on Oxfordshire Recycles Facebook and Twitter. The Replenish Project – run by Oxfordshire’s community action groups – will be running a competition to win ‘The Canny Cook: freezer & store-cupboard meals on a budget’. Oxfordshire residents are encouraged to share their #RescueRecipes ideas to be in with a chance of winning one of five of these books! People are encouraged to use the hashtag #FoodWasteActionWeek when they get involved.

Everyone can make a difference, and something as small as saving your leftovers to eat for lunch the next day and encouraging friends and family to do the same means you’re doing your part. Visit Love Food Hate Waste to find out how you can get involved, help the planet – and save money too. Look out for its great video at the beginning of the week, which will be posted and shared on social media, and to find out who its celebrity is!

Think you’re pretty good at eating what you have at home? Help reduce food waste even more, by using your local community fridge, or apps like Too Good To Go and Olio.

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Eighteen groups, social enterprises, individuals, businesses, and other organisations picked up the High Sheriff's Climate Action Heroes Awards for their schemes, ranging from wildlife restoration work to renewable energy projects.

Three community action groups also picked up £500 grants each from Oxfordshire County Council to help them achieve their targets.

Imam Monawar Hussain, the High Sheriff of Oxfordshire, said: “The climate emergency is the single biggest issue facing humanity and so I offer my heartfelt congratulations to all the recipients of this prestigious award. It has been humbling and inspiring to read the nominations.”

“Taking my theme of celebrating Oxfordshire's heroes, I felt that it was appropriate to celebrate as many individuals, community groups and businesses as possible, who are passionate about climate action and who have made a demonstrable contribution to their local communities.

“I hope that by doing so, not only is this an opportunity to celebrate and recognise outstanding contributions to climate action in the county, but this will also act as a catalyst and an inspiration, for further climate action initiatives in our county.”

One of three double award winners was Thame Green Living. It scooped a prize in the community action category for its Thame Green Living Plan, while its founder and driving force Charles Boundy also won an individual award for his work.

The group, previously known as the RSA Thame Group, created a 10-year environmental plan for Thame from 2020-30, focussing on the themes of biodiversity, water, air, energy, and waste.

Mr Boundy said: “It has been a big part of my life for eight years, from concept to delivery, after starting with a blank sheet of paper. I wasn’t a rabid environmentalist to start with, but I am now!

“We’ve had tangible results such as planting trees, putting in footpaths connecting meadows, encouraging the regeneration of grass verges, setting up walking routes, and promoting cycling. We’ve also introduced schemes for discounted solar roof panels, electric car charging and a local electric car hire club, among others. But it’s also a long-term change project to inform people about the issues, encouraging them to stand up and be counted.”

Also picking up two prizes was the Marston Community Gardening project in Oxford. It was given a £500 grant from Oxfordshire County Council, while the group’s co-founder Alistair Morris claimed an individual award.

Marston Community Gardening began life in 2018 with Mr Morris and his colleagues sharing seeds and produce from their gardens and allotments. It has now expanded into 25 different projects, including food growing and sharing, the planting of several community orchards, two community woods, a handful of wildflower meadows and borders, a couple of hedgerow wildlife corridors, regular litter picking, an eco-hub, incorporating a food larder, tool sharing, bike repairs and cleaning product refills, flower garden, and an electric car share scheme.

Speaking about their plans for the grant, Mr Morris said: “Every single penny we receive goes towards the community. We’ve got a big year coming up in terms of how much produce we can provide. We’re encouraging people to grow veg in their own gardens and can provide them with raised beds, compost, and seeds too.

“Community gardening is a lovely and sociable thing to do but also helps tackle the huge challenge of climate change by reducing food miles. It brings the community together and we need to work together to tackle the problems. If we want to see significant progress, we’ve all got to do it – and we’ve got to do it all!”

Kidlington-based Cherwell Collective, which provides activities guiding people to lower their carbon, distributes surplus food, helps people learn to grow their own food and much more, was a winner in the social enterprise category. Emily Connally of the collective also received an individual award.

The full list of winners in the different categories were:

Community Action

• Nature Recovery Network and Long Mead Wildlife Site for their Nature Recovery Network and Thames Valley Wildflower Meadow Restoration Project
• Watlington Climate Action Group for Watlington Climate Action, Green Plan and Community Renewable Energy
• Thame Green Living for Thame Green Living Plan
• 21st Century Thame for #ThameTrees
• Hinksey Trail Regeneration CIC
• Uffington Community Garden Association
• Sustainable Wantage Community Benefit Society Ltd

Social Enterprise

• Earth Trust’s River of Life II
• Cherwell Collective
• FarmED CIC

Individuals

• Hilary and Graham Brown of Sustainable Woodstock (UK)
• Alistair Morris for various community and green projects, including Marston Community Gardening
• Charles Boundy of Thame Green Living
• Emma Arnold of WeSET Education Programme
• Emily Kerr of Share Our Cars
• Emily Connally of Cherwell Collective

Business/Public Sector

• Dunn School Green Group at the University of Oxford
• Orthotics Team at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, part of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

£500 Prize Grant Awards for Community Action from Oxfordshire County Council

• Watlington Climate Action Group
• Uffington Community Garden Association
• Marston Community Gardening.

The awards ceremony was held at the Oxford Trust’s Wood Centre for Innovation in Headington Quarry, Oxford. A total of 28 nominations were received, with the judges looking at their impact on reducing carbon emissions, sustainability, potential for scaling up, innovation, engagement, and legacy before choosing the winners.

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On Tuesday, Oxfordshire County Council approved its 2022/23 budget, which included funding for a three-year programme to support the implementation of 20mph roads across Oxfordshire. The money will pay for sign-only measures and the intention is to encourage more walking and cycling and create safer and more pleasant places for communities.

Councillor Tim Bearder, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways Management, said: “I'm delighted that my fellow council members have voted through a truly exciting and ambitious budget that recognises that travel and transport plans are fundamental to reducing our carbon emissions in Oxfordshire. Our policies can also make our towns, villages safer, happier, and less polluted place to live.

“To encourage cycling and walking we are investing £8m in a programme to make 20mph the new normal in residential areas across Oxfordshire. We are also putting aside £6m to support our bid to government with the bus companies for electric buses. We recognise that if people are to willingly leave their cars at home, we must provide exceptional alternative forms of transport. Under this alliance no-one will be left behind as we move towards a more sustainable people-centric transport network.”

Since the council’s Cabinet approved the new 20mph policy in October 2021, 70 communities have applied to be included in the scheme. Officers are now developing a programme to deliver this first tranche, which will include 20mph schemes within Oxford and around many of its towns and rural villages.

However, more applications are welcomed from communities who want to be included in the next phases. The scheme is free to town and parish councils, with the county council funding sign-only changes for areas wishing to be part of the changes as long as locations meet the agreed criteria for 20mph restrictions.

Town and parish councils will be expected to fund any traffic calming measures or speed-activated signs that may be required to further reduce speeds in their areas.

Applications for 20mph streets and roads need to be supported by the parish or town council and by the relevant local county councillor. More information is available on Oxfordshire County Council’s website.

Oxfordshire County Council has already been developing 20mph pilot sites to test the impact of the policy on neighbourhoods. Roads in Cuxham, Long Wittenham and Wallingford Central have been cut to 20mph, while similar pilot schemes are planned for Wallingford North and Kirtlington. Data from the sites will start being analysed in the coming weeks.

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It is the largest network of its kind in the UK, with groups working on transport, energy, biodiversity, social justice, food and waste. Projects range from running repair cafes and community fridges to developing community-owned solar farms. 

Oxfordshire County Council has been supporting CAGs for 20 years, organisationally and financially, and the expansion of these projects forms a cornerstone of the county’s climate strategy – for both cutting carbon emissions and for increasing community climate resilience.

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, said: “It is wonderful news that we are celebrating our 100th community action group in Oxfordshire. Every CAG is a piece of the jigsaw we need to put together when it comes to tackling climate change. They prove that the appetite is out there for meaningful change in the way we live our lives to combat this urgent threat.

“As a council, we want to make it as easy as possible for people to do the things that they know will make a difference and community action groups play a really important role in this.”

Henry Owen, Lead Coordinator at CAG Oxfordshire, said: “The CAG network has almost doubled in size in the last three years. This growth in people taking action locally shows the increased awareness of the issues around climate and the environment. 

“Supporting grassroots groups and activity not only feeds into the global impact on the climate crisis but also benefits individuals and communities through increased wellbeing, finding new connections to people and the natural environment and offers a collective a sense of purpose.” 

More details about CAG Oxfordshire are available on cagoxfordshire.org.uk

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Oxfordshire libraries will be giving away free rolls of food waste caddy liners to residents from Wednesday 8 December.

Although all households are provided with food waste recycling collections by their district council, it is estimated that the food waste thrown away in general rubbish bins that could have been recycled costs Oxfordshire County Council more than £2 million extra a year in disposal costs.

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate change and Environment, said: “After making sure edible food is not wasted in the first place, home composting or recycling food waste using the kerbside collection are the next best thing people can do to reduce the impact of waste disposal on the climate. That’s why we are giving away these caddy liners to make it easier for residents at a time when we know that food waste is likely to increase significantly.

“I would urge people to pop down to their local library and grab a roll while stocks last. Reducing the amount of food waste that ends up in general rubbish could save the council millions of pounds – money that would be better spent on other projects to improve people’s lives.”

Recycling food waste costs less than a quarter of the price of disposing of it with general rubbish. General rubbish in Oxfordshire is burnt to generate energy which already reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared to landfill, but recycling food waste doubles the climate change benefit. The recycling process generates green electricity and a fertiliser that is used on farmland across the county.

Each year the council already recycles nearly 25,000 tonnes of food waste – such as vegetable peel, bones, eggshells, plate scapings and used teabags – but it estimates that a similar amount wrongly ends up in general waste.

Residents are also being reminded that Oxfordshire’s seven household waste and recycling centres (HWRCs) will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, and will close at 3pm on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. More information, including details of where to find HWRCs, is available at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/recyclingcentres.

More information about how to reduce your food waste and recycle more this festive season – including links to the Love Food Hate Waste campaign, which contains money-saving tips, storage hints, and recipes to make the most of your leftovers – is available online or from the Oxfordshire Recycles’ Facebook and Twitter accounts.

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