Find out more about the exhibition by visiting Philippa James’ website.

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Organisations across Oxfordshire are joining forces with University College London’s Institute of Health Equity (IHE) on a two year Marmot Place project, which will tackle health inequalities in local communities.

Marmot Places are local areas that adopt the evidence-based principles and methodology developed by Sir Michael and his team to tackle the social determinants of health and reduce health inequalities.

Although a small number of other places in the country have become a Marmot Place, Oxfordshire will the first county council area to do so.

Councillor Liz Leffman, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “Becoming a Marmot Place represents a commitment by the council towards reducing health inequalities.

“This new partnership will greatly benefit many lives in Oxfordshire and significantly advance our long-term goals of alleviating major health disparities and fostering healthier, more active and safer communities.”

Drawing on extensive data collected over many decades by IHE director and esteemed epidemiologist Professor Sir Michael Marmot, the programme seeks to ensure that 'social determinants' –the conditions in which someone is born, raised, live, work, and age – provide a solid foundation for good health.

The partnership aims to evaluate and build on existing work, measure and tackle rural inequality and utilise research to find innovative solutions to tackling health inequalities.

The new collaboration was launched with an event on 25 November in Rose Hill in Oxford, with an appearance from Professor Sir Michael Marmot himself. Organisations from across the county – ranging from NHS, county and district councils, universities, businesses and voluntary sector – also attended and signalled their commitment to this new partnership work.

Sir Michael said: “Despite being a county of relative wealth and good health we know that is not the experience of all. The conditions in which many people are living harms health, particularly the least well-off and those of ethnic minority groups, who may experience racism and discrimination. The work we are launching today seeks to address the underlying causes of these problems and promote health equity for all.”

In Oxfordshire, the Marmot programme will both complement and build on the work already taking place locally to improve the health of people of all backgrounds, particularly those from disadvantaged communities.

By joining forces with the IHE, Oxfordshire organisations will also now be able to draw on the added expertise of the Marmot team at the IHE as it seeks to deal with those inequalities.

The new link-up will also help prioritise local resources, guide commissioning and inform bids for relevant funding, all with the support of partners from the NHS, academia and the third sector.

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The programme is part of the Local Policy Lab, the new alliance between the University of Oxford, Oxford Brookes University and Oxfordshire County Council. It is an opportunity for students and researchers to engage with their local communities and to better understand the public policy context of the city and local environment where they live.   

At the event's core were presentations from the 19 local policy fellows – the graduate students who have been working on local policy research projects with officers and policymakers from Oxfordshire County Council over the past few months. 

Dr Adam Briggs, Deputy Director of Public Health at Oxfordshire County Council, said: “It’s so exciting to see the Local Policy Lab Fellowship Programme tackling some of our most pressing policy challenges. Our partnership draws on the talents and knowledge of some of the brightest and best students in our local universities, working with council officers to improve health outcomes for residents and address some of the major threats presented by climate change.”

With projects rooted in local communities and focused on addressing climate and health inequalities in Oxfordshire, the fellows introduced the findings of their scoping reviews, data assessments and impact evaluations to a captive audience of academics, local policymakers and civil society organisations. 

 Topics tackled by the fellows ranged from exploring the opportunities to promote health outcomes offered by growing vegetables in NHS hospital sites, to assessing the potential for mapping the quality of greenspace in Oxfordshire and identifying promising practices for schools’ decarbonisation in the county. 

As well as working in close partnership with the council and partners, each fellow was helped by professional research facilitators and academic mentors from Oxford University. 

Councillor Dr Nathan Ley, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health, Inequalities and Safety, said: “I was delighted to be able to join the showcase event earlier this month. I gained a lot of insight from hearing about the 19 fellows and their research projects, and how their important contributions will help us to influence policy for the future and make Oxfordshire a more equal and fairer county for everyone."

 Alex Betts, Global and Local Engagement Officer at the University of Oxford, said: “The Local Policy Lab Fellowship Programme has shown that challenges like climate and global health that exist all around the world have real local importance too, and starting to tackle them at a local level can truly make a difference in people’s lives.  

“It’s been remarkable to listen to the fellows’ recommendations about carbon credit and offsetting, green space wellbeing labs, public directories for social prescribers and other initiatives that can have impact over time, and the Local Policy Lab is committed to continuing to build while learning from one project cycle to another.” 

The Local Policy Lab will continue to build meaningful and long-lasting connections between academic researchers and policymakers at the local level. The lab is expecting to launch the next cohort of the programme in coordination with Oxford Brookes University in the next academic year.

Following an earlier motion, the council’s cabinet is now set to discuss rolling out a scheme to provide period products in 18 libraries and eight children and family centres across Oxfordshire on a trial basis.

Lorna Baxter, Executive Director of Resources said: “During the cost of living crisis, residents have been forced to make difficult decisions about which essentials they can buy.

“We know that in 2023, Action Aid found that 21 per cent were struggling to afford period products – an increase of nearly 10 per cent in just a year. This is a trend that is even higher among younger age groups.

“No doubt it is very distressing for those experiencing period poverty but it can also pose a real health risk. This is why it’s so important that we make it easier for everyone who needs them to access period products.

“Being able to access period products at school, work or in a public place free of charge could be the difference for some between staying at home or being able to go to school, work, exercise, socialise and more. This all can have wider implications for a person’s mental health, wellbeing and future.

“Since the period poverty motion went to the full council meeting of all county councillors back in September 2023, we’ve been working to look at how we can best implement any such scheme.

“We have been looking at a number of options to support residents, including disposable and reusable products. We hope that this trial will help us to determine the most effective way to support those experiencing period poverty in the county.” 

If approved, the scheme will provide period products to anyone who need them in larger libraries, libraries serving priority areas of deprivation, children and family centres, and for council employees in larger council offices.

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The Healthy Start scheme is a national scheme supported in the county by Oxfordshire County Council, Good Food Oxfordshire, Home Start, the city and district councils and the NHS. It provides money for families to help with their grocery shop for healthy food, milk and infant formula.

Councillor Nathan Ley, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health, Inequalities and Community Safety, said: “Good nutrition is essential during pregnancy, breastfeeding and childhood, as it’s a time of rapid growth and activity.

 “Healthy Start makes it easier to plan healthy meals and snacks for children by helping to buy food items that are proven to be beneficial to your child’s diet.

“However, Oxfordshire eligible families that are not claiming Healthy Start are missing out on an estimated total across the county of nearly £360,000. That’s over £260 a year per family!

“Families could save up to £34 a month on healthy food and drinks in their baby’s first year and over £1,200 on food and milk in a child’s first four years. Make sure you’re not missing out by checking your eligibility.”

Parents can also use the scheme to get free vitamins during pregnancy and vitamin drops for babies and young children. These are available through a midwife or health visitor.

Residents can find out if they are eligible by visiting the dedicated NHS Healthy Start website.

Professionals and volunteers can also learn more by visiting Good Food Oxfordshire’s website, which contains a wealth of training, videos and marketing materials.

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Following an allocation of £3,361,256 from the government’s Household Support Fund, the council would be able to provide support for the next six months.

Councillor Nathan Ley, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health, Inequalities and Community Safety, said: “While the rate of inflation has reduced a great deal, the impact is still being felt by many, especially low-income households with many costs remaining very high.

“This is why it’s so important that this funding from the government’s Household Support Fund means we can carry on providing support to those who need it the most for the next six months.”

This funding is the fifth round of assistance provided by the government’s Household Support Fund to support vulnerable residents. All funding must be spent by 30 September 2024.

The programme will provide support to the following groups:

• Children and young people in early years settings, schools and colleges will continue to receive free school meal equivalent support ahead of school holiday periods.
• City and district councils will receive additional funding for locally targeted support as in the previous year.
• The Residents Support Scheme funding will stay at the same level as 2023/24, ensuring anyone experiencing financial crisis can get assistance with basic household costs.

The Residents’ Support Scheme launched back in June 2023 and helps residents with one-off short-term basic living costs such as food, credit for gas/electric prepayment meters and essential household items. During the first 10 months of the scheme, 5,238 applications were received, with 3,620 of those resulting in an award being made.

Residents can learn more about help available during the cost of living crisis at Oxfordshire County Council’s dedicated webpage oxfordshire.gov.uk/living.

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The new health and wellbeing strategy for Oxfordshire, 2024 - 2030, has been developed by Oxfordshire's Health and Wellbeing Board – the partnership between local NHS services, the county council, the city and district councils and Healthwatch Oxfordshire.

Councillor Liz Leffman, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council and Chair of the Oxfordshire Health and Wellbeing Board said: “Health in the county is generally good compared with the national picture. Residents live longer here than elsewhere and remain healthy into older age for longer than the national average.

“However, we still face many challenges: an ageing population, and increased demand for services, mental health and wellbeing remains a challenge, especially for our families, children, and young people.

“We know there are still significant inequalities in health outcomes in many areas of the county. People in our poorest neighbourhoods are experiencing worse health than our more affluent areas and are dying younger from avoidable conditions. This is a reflection of the national picture – the life expectancy gap is widening in the UK.

“We know that by working together there are many opportunities to be had to tackle this. This strategy provides a strong and unified vision for the county over the next six years. We hope that it will allow us to tackle many of the barriers that people face in seeking good health and wellbeing, by focusing on the things people need to be healthy – stable employment, a warm home and environments that encourage healthier living.

“We have already made tremendous progress and I am confident that with our new health and wellbeing strategy, we can achieve even more.”

The strategy can be read in full by visiting Oxfordshire County Council’s website.

The development and publication of the Oxfordshire health and wellbeing strategy is a statutory duty of the Oxfordshire Health and Wellbeing Board.

The board's joint working approach aims to improve everyone’s health and wellbeing, but especially of those people who have health problems or are in difficult circumstances due to age or vulnerability.

This strategy has been informed by the themes in the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care System Strategy published in March 2023. The new strategy also incorporates data and insight from the Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA 2023) of Oxfordshire’s population and the factors affecting health, wellbeing and social care needs.

In developing this strategy, more than 400 residents of Oxfordshire and diverse partner organisations responded to the strategy through a public consultation. Concerns and ideas expressed have been considered and incorporated into the final strategy.

Over 1,000 residents from many seldom heard communities were also engaged with to learn what challenges they face and what helps them stay well and healthy. Residents can find out more by reading Healthwatch Oxfordshire’s engagement report. 

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The gender pay gap is the difference between the average (mean or median) earnings of men and women across a workforce.

 A report to a meeting of full council (all 63 county councillors) in December reported that there had been a decrease in the mean gender pay gap from 2.3% in 2022 to 1.2% in 2023.

Cllr Liz Leffman, the leader of Oxfordshire County Council said: “We are committed to improving our approach to equalities, inclusion and diversity. While councillors were welcoming of news that the gender pay gap is so small and better than nationally there is still a small way to go to equalise the situation. We are keen that there should never be any barriers for women to progress into higher paid roles, or roles where they are under-represented.”

Since 2017, an employer that has a headcount of 250 or more employees on a ‘snapshot date’ has been required to comply with regulations on gender pay gap reporting. Gender pay gap calculations are based on employer payroll data drawn from a specific date each year.

This specific date is called the ‘snapshot date’. The ‘snapshot date’ for Oxfordshire County Council (as with most other public authority employers) is 31 March every year.

The council must report and publish its gender pay gap information by 30 March of the following year.