Her comments came at the budget-setting meeting of the council on Tuesday, 10 February. The council has been able to deal with a budget shortfall of £5.4m while still investing extra in adult social care (£14m), children’s services (£19m), highways, libraries and other services.

However, the authority already knows that it will need to find further savings of at least £15.5m from 2027/28.

The government will cut grant funding by £27.2m by 2028/29 and assumed the council will make up most of the difference with maximum council tax rises. The effect of this is that the county council will have to put up council tax by 4.99% each year only to see a lot of this money immediately being subtracted by the government and sent elsewhere.

Cllr Leffman said in her speech at the meeting: “We recognise that there are areas of the country with higher levels of deprivation than our own, and it is right that the people in those places receive the support that they need, but this government has failed to recognise the pressures and challenges that we and other county councils face in delivering critical services across a wide rural area.

“In spite of the constraints, and because we have managed our finances very carefully over the past few years, we have not only been able to balance the budget for 2026/2027 but have included investments that will make a difference to the things which are of greatest importance to our residents.

“I am confident that with the investment that we are making in our highways network, with our surface dressing programme for example, along with the new Highways Asset Response Teams that have been out and about in Oxfordshire since the autumn, we will see a significant improvement in the forthcoming weeks and beyond.

“Flooding has become a regular event in many parts of the county thanks to climate change, and we have recognised the importance of tackling this. 

“The decision last year to clear all our gullies on an annual schedule has revealed that much of our drainage system is in urgent need of repair, following years of neglect.

“We therefore propose to allocate £2 million in our capital budget to repairing our drainage system, bringing the total to be spent on our drains and gullies in 2026/2027 to £3.2 million.

“Our library refurbishment programme will continue, with an investment of £550,000 in Didcot coming next, following successful refurbishments in Chinnor, Henley and most recently Witney, where 200 new registrations for library tickets were received in the week following its reopening.”

Councillor Dan Levy, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “We face great pressure because of funding cuts and demand pressures, and there is still lots of uncertainty in areas like SEND provision. Money is being redistributed away from Oxfordshire and other areas on a large scale by the government.

“However, we are confident not only that we are setting an ambitious balanced budget for next year, delivering services to residents, but also that we are ready to face the more difficult years ahead.”

Note to editors

By 2028/29 there is a reduction of £24.1m in funding from central government compared to 2025/26. Within that there is an increase of £3.1m in funding for the Families First Partnership that the government will expect the council to use to fund new investment and activity in preventative services for children’s social care. Excluding that, the underlying reduction in grant funding is £27.2m

People in Oxfordshire are being urged to have their say as part of a statutory government consultation on the future of local government in the county.

The consultation launched today (Thursday 5 February) and will run until 23:59 Thursday 26 March.

There are three proposals being consulted on for Oxfordshire. Oxfordshire County Council is backing its One Oxfordshire proposal, which is for a single countywide unitary council – Oxfordshire Council. There are two other proposals – one proposing two unitary councils and the other three councils. Both of these include West Berkshire.

One Oxfordshire will create stronger, simpler services that are closer to communities, connected and cost effective.

It will bring all services together under one roof, protect high‑performing social care, simplify and improve services through better coordination and save £63 million every year. One Oxfordshire will give residents one front door to access services, stronger local decision‑making, and a unified voice that can drive investment, innovation and sustainable growth.

Councillor Liz Leffman, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “The government’s call for local government reform is both timely and necessary. One Oxfordshire offers a once in a generation opportunity to build a stronger, fairer and more ambitious future for the county.

“It is the only proposal that fully meets government criteria with the scale, efficiency and resilience to save the most money and withstand future financial shocks; the stability to protect and improve critical services; and the simplicity residents want.

“It will bring together all council services across Oxfordshire to create a new single authority, Oxfordshire Council, with the strength and voice to activate exciting and enduring change.

“We will reduce duplication, protect our critical services and have the scale to focus and invest in prevention and early help, tackling inequalities and homelessness.

“By bringing together all the levers of local government into a single, resilient authority, we can unlock the full potential of our people and places, drive innovation and deliver the high quality services our communities deserve.

“We urge people to have their say and take this opportunity to support our positive vision for the future.”

One Oxfordshire will strengthen local democracy through robust neighbourhood governance with a stronger partnership with town and parish councils and a set of new area committees. Local voices will be heard, with clear accountability and a single set of councillors operating at the heart of their areas.

A single unitary council for Oxfordshire will not separate Oxfordshire’s residents, businesses and institutions from the county they are in or move boundaries from the places and communities they recognise.

Oxfordshire County Council already delivers services on a countywide footprint to over 750,000 residents, providing 85 per cent of local government services by expenditure in Oxfordshire. These include adult and children’s social care, some education services, public health, fire and rescue, libraries and museums, roads and transport, trading standards, waste disposal and recycling.

One single council for Oxfordshire will avoid splitting critical services up and means less disruption, including those delivered in partnership, such as health. It will also avoid the costly and risky separation of high-performing services, particularly in adult and children’s social care rated “good” by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission. We will protect and improve these critical services.

One Oxfordshire will streamline and coordinate strategic planning and housing across the whole of the county, delivering more homes in the right places and overcoming the failures of fragmented governance.

A single countywide unitary council simplifies services for residents, businesses and investors and makes them stronger with clear accountability – one set of councillors, one chief executive, one set of services, one senior management team, one set of buildings and one front door to access services. Money saved from creating simpler services can be reinvested into strengthening them.

One Oxfordshire offers the quickest, most cost effective and safest route to a safe, legal and confident new council, one that is ready to transform from day one.

What are the three options

1. A single unitary council for Oxfordshire – Oxfordshire Council. This is our preferred option.
2. Two unitary councils – Oxford and Shires Council and Ridgeway Council.
3. Three unitary councils – Greater Oxford Council, Northern Oxfordshire Council and Ridgeway Council. 

How to have your say

Visit oneoxfordshire.org.uk to find information on all three proposals and how to have your say.

A major change to the way the government distributes grant money to councils means it and many other local authorities will face real challenges from 2026/27 with more significant reductions then required in the following two years.

Although there will also be a significant number of investments in to budgets for adult social care (£14m), children’s services (£19m), libraries and other services in 2026/7 savings are now also being proposed to ensure a balanced budget.

The council knows that it will need to find further savings of at least £14m in 2027/28 (in addition to the £5.4m in 2026/27) because the government provided funding information for three years. As such there will need to be planning work throughout 2026 to meet this large challenge. Further savings will be needed in 2028/29, the first year of local government reform in Oxfordshire. By 2028/9 the reduction in grant funding is £27.2m.

The proposals will now be debated by all councillors at a meeting of the full council on 10 February.

Councillor Dan Levy, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Property, Finance and Transformation, said “This year’s budget features a number of positive investments with significant extra money for adult social care and children’s services to cope with demand. However, we have had to propose some savings to ensure budgets are balanced and we are going to start facing real challenges in future years. We need people to hear that message loud and clear.

“The government has cut grant funding and assumed the council will make up most of the difference with maximum Council Tax rises. The effect of this is that we will have to put up Council Tax by 4.99% each year, but a lot of this money will immediately be subtracted by the government and sent elsewhere. This is both financially difficult and hard to square with local accountability and choice.   Even with 4.99% Council Tax rises, the effect will be that Oxfordshire will have less money to spend on services for residents.

“Money is being redistributed away from Oxfordshire and other areas on a large scale by the government. There will be very real impacts on our budgets and our services in future.

“We respect the government’s desire to put extra money into areas of the country that have higher levels of deprivation. However, do not think this should be at the expense of Oxfordshire and its residents.”

Savings to close the £5.4m budget gap in 2026/7

There are proposals to save £3,9m by setting less money aside for pay inflation; assuming more money will be accumulated in bank interest on money waiting to be spent on services during the year and by reducing contingency funding.

The remaining £1.5m is proposed to be from services by way of the following:

• In 2025/26 the council took the unprecedented step of moving to annual gully clearance, backed by £1.5m of new investment, a significant improvement on previous years. Against the challenging backdrop of central government cuts, the council proposes to maintain additional investment while spending it carefully in order to address the most pressing needs and not duplicate or carry out unnecessary clearances. This means an additional £1.2m is still planned, and the capital budget will include a £2m investment in each of 2026/27 and 2027/28 to improve drainage systems that have been found to require major repair after years of neglect
• The council will seek to reduce operating costs by £250,000 in transport services that it provides in adult social care/children’s services/home to school transport etc. The aim is that there will be no negative impact on the end user. This will be achieved by seeking efficiencies with organisations such as taxi and bus companies. A £1 million saving in this area was included in last year’s budget and the overall budget for this area is £43m.
• The council’s adult social care charging policy currently makes a standard allowance for Disability Related Expenditure (DRE) of 35 per cent.  Subject to a full consultation process the council’s proposal is to consider a reduction of the DRE to 25 per cent which would produce a potential in year saving of £500,000. Following consultation, the council will consider next steps and in the event that it decides not to proceed with this proposal, alternative savings will need to be found.
• After reviewing its inflationary pressure Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue can absorb a previously listed financial pressure of £120,000 for personal protective equipment without any impact to the public or firefighter safety.
• The council has a school improvement team that operates in non-academy schools to support improvement in standards. The team will continue to offer support, and schools do pay towards this without covering the full cost. A government grant that helped towards this was withdrawn over the last three years, and the council has substituted this from its own funds. A first move to schools fully paying for the service is planned, which will allow a saving of £100,000. More than half of Oxfordshire primary schools are academies and all but one secondary school and will therefore not be affected by this proposal.
• By paying for some staffing costs out of its capital programme budget for major projects the council can save £150,000 from its day to day revenue budget.

The most significant changes to local government funding in more than a decade were originally due to be confirmed by government in October but have now been delayed until late November. The council will then not hear specifically how much money it is to receive in grant funding until mid-December.

Oxfordshire County Council is currently expecting to lose around £35 million funding over a three-year period but until specific detail is made clear by the government, large uncertainties remain.

Councillor Dan Levy, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “It is well known that the financial environment for local government has been very tough for some years now. We work hard to balance our budgets and continue to provide much valued, high quality services to Oxfordshire people. Overall, our finances are in a resilient and stable position compared to many other councils.

“Each year as autumn moves in to winter we have to wait to hear what funding central government will provide in grants, and there is always uncertainty until we see the detail in black and white. This year that uncertainty is greatly amplified because of the wide-ranging changes the government plans to the formula it uses to decide how much each individual council in England will receive.

“This creates real complications for our finance experts who have only been able to model the potential outcomes to a very limited extent due to the low amount of information available. We do expect to lose out over coming years but it’s hard to speak in anything other than the broadest terms.

“We do, of course, have all of the usual and continuing pressures on our budgets that have been experienced for a decade or more by us and fellow councils such as inflation and pressures on spend in social care. We also expect the government to increase the national living wage from April 2026.

“Our finances are managed well, and this gives us a strong base from which to seek protection for frontline services. However, there are so many unknown factors as we head into winter and the period when we set our budget for 2026/27.

“What we, and many people in local government, find disappointing is that the most significant change to the distribution of funding being announced for many years is being squeezed into the same timeframe as when councils are actually going through the process of setting a budget. It works against the ability to councils to conduct any meaningful consultation. It makes it very difficult to make the hard decisions that all councils go through when setting budgets and it limits our ability to serve our residents in an effective and cost-efficient way.

“We were promised by the incoming government that there would be improvements to the way that funds were allocated to support local services. We are still waiting for those improvements.”

When the council set its budget for 2025/26 it also set a medium-term plan for future years including 2026/27. This estimated a budget deficit of £2 million before the impact of funding reform. 

New pressures and impacts from the new government funding formula would be added to this

In the same medium-term plan the council worked on the basis of a 3.99 per cent council tax rise in 2026/27. In the summer the government confirmed that the referendum limit above which a referendum would be required for a council tax rise will be 4.99 per cent.

Medium-term financial planning for the council will be set out to the early 2030s so that information is available to support local government reorganisation, currently timetabled to happen in April 2028. Oxfordshire’s district and city councils are doing the same and this is to provide a good basis from which new council structures can work.

Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet today approved the accelerated delivery plan to unlock £27.5 million of investment – known as Section 106 (S106) funding.

By investing £4m of additional funding, which was approved in the 2025-26 budget, it aims to fast-track 33 schemes that otherwise faced delays due to various barriers and funding gaps.

The accelerated delivery programme includes 16 active travel schemes, two bus improvement schemes, six combined bus and cycle schemes, five traffic calming and village improvements, two junction improvements and two strategic link improvements.

The 33 schemes were chosen based on local priorities.

Councillor Judy Roberts, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Place, Environment and Climate Action, said: “Our S106 reserves have been in the spotlight in recent years, and it is only right and proper that public money comes under this high level of scrutiny.

“We are proud of our record of securing S106 contributions from developers to pay for the infrastructure that communities need. However, the process of making sure that money is spent promptly is far from simple.

“That’s why we are continually investigating ways of speeding up the delivery process for the benefit of residents. This accelerated delivery plan should help unlock the funding required to enable work to begin on these much-needed projects.”

S106 money is held for specific purposes related to development and cannot be spent on general council services. In most cases, the projects they relate to are large and complex, can take many years to come forward, and have trigger points when payments can be made.

The rate of spend of reserves of S106 money has increased in recent years as the council looks to deliver the infrastructure that Oxfordshire’s towns and villages need to cope with new developments in their areas. This new scheme is expected to ensure that trend continues.

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In late December, councils across the country were given individual information on their grant funding for 2025/26.

In the autumn, Oxfordshire County Council had said that it would face a £25 million funding shortfall in 2025/26 before taking account of any new funding.

The impact of new money allocated to local government combined with local changes and a recommendation for a 4.99 per cent council tax increase in 2025/26 means proposals can be made to deal with this shortfall with some additional money to allocate to services.

A total of two per cent of the council tax increase would need to be ringfenced for adult social care under rules set down by central government.

Councillor Dan Levy, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “Each year central government allocates grant funding to individual councils and this information is communicated in late December.

“Our finance team has been working its way through this information in fine detail. The analysis is that the council is now able to set a balanced budget in 2025/26 with some additional funding allocated to new priorities on a one-off basis.

“We still look to future years with some concern. While the 2025/26 financial year looks healthier, there remains huge uncertainty about the impact of funding reform that could reduce the funding available to the council beyond that.”

Changes to previous proposals

The combination of a proposed 4.99 per cent council tax rise and additional grant funding from government means the following one-off broad additions can be made to areas of the council’s budget with precise detail to be worked on later by officers:

• £2.1m for pro-active flooding measures and working with communities who have suffered flooding. This would be added to £1.5m new funding that has already been proposed for highway drainage.
• £1m to leverage investment in rail, including supporting active travel access, improvement programmes and the development of strategic cases and masterplans to prove the environmental, economic and community case for rail.
• £300,000 towards working with other organisations collaboratively on planning regeneration in Banbury Town Centre
• £1.3m for active travel measures to encourage walking and cycling would be added to the £500,000 for active travel in rural areas already proposed.
• £400,000 is proposed to support holding the price of a joint ticket (parking and bus fare) at Park & Ride car parks unchanged from 2024/25

A public consultation on the substance of the 2025/26 budget proposals ran throughout December and ended on 2 January 2025.

This followed extensive engagement with residents over the summer on their priorities, including on the budget. This was through the council’s annual residents’ survey and participatory engagement opportunities using an online budget simulator, focus groups and sounding boards for children and young people.

The feedback from this engagement is included in the Cabinet report along with the consultation responses.

Councillor Levy added: “At this stage these remain proposals. Cabinet has now set out its proposed budget and full council will finally set the budget on 11 February. In finalising our proposals, we have taken account of feedback from our budget engagement activity in the summer, from scrutiny committees in December and January and the findings from our budget consultation.”

Oxfordshire County Council launched its Climate Action Framework in 2020, which set out how it wants to cut its own emissions and transform into an organisation that can play its part in Oxfordshire’s green transition.

As part of these plans, the council is now launching the first round of the Oxfordshire Green Investment, which will allow residents and businesses to invest in the greener future of their communities.

It is looking to raise an initial £500,000 to help fund a range of energy efficiency improvements to council owned buildings, such as fire stations and care homes as well as an ambitious tree planting programme.  

While the council invests its own money in many climate change measures, this was seen as a great opportunity to allow the public to be involved in our net zero ambition.

This type of investment, also known as a Community Municipal Investment, will offer a “low-risk” return of [4.4 per cent] a year, which is fixed for the full five year investment term. Anyone can get involved, with a minimum investment of just £5.

Councillor Dan Levy, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance said: “The council wants to lead the way by reaching net zero significantly ahead of the national 2050 target, and wants to inspire local residents and businesses to join it along the way.

“This scheme is a chance for people to get involved and help fund the council’s exciting plans. Initially, we want to raise £500,000 to support a variety of green measures;to decarbonise council-owned buildings; help create cleaner air; and improve local biodiversity for the county as a whole.”

Councillor Pete Sudbury Deputy Leader of the Council with Responsibility for Climate Change, Environment & Future Generations said: “It's great to be able to offer residents of this county an investment designed for a decent return, with a direct impact on improving their local environment and services."

The investment process is managed by Abundance Investment, a leading platform for ethical and sustainable investments. It’s simple (and free) to find out more about how to get involved – just click here to get started.

This initiative is entirely separate from the council’s budget process for 2025/26 and beyond.

Notes to editors:

Investments are long-term and may be hard to sell. Council investments are not a savings account and you  are lending money to a council. Changes in market interest rates may affect the value of your investment if you sell before maturity. Approver: Abundance investment (FRN 525432). Approval date: 25/11/24.

Abundance’s service in relation to council investments (P2P loans) is not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). Tax treatment depends on your individual circumstances and may be subject to change in the future.

Holding investments in an IFISA does not reduce the risk of the investment or protect you from losses. You can still lose all your money. It only means that any potential gains from your investment will be tax free. The tax treatment of your investment will depend on your individual circumstances and may change in the future.

Oxfordshire Green Investment, which is a loan, is Green Loan Principles compliant and is being issued under a Green Finance Framework. This is a voluntary standard which sets out how Oxfordshire County Council intends to manage its green local authority securities in the future, and outlines how it will meet the Green Loan Principles. This assures investors that funds raised can only be used to help them deliver on eligible green projects from within this framework, and Abundance will monitor the use of funds across the investment term to ensure the principles are being adhered to.

Investments into companies that derive significant revenues from thermal coal, tar sands and tobacco production have been excluded from investments by the county’s Pension Fund Committee, which is hosted by Oxfordshire County Council with representatives from other organisations as members.

With the adoption of a new responsible investment policy at its September meeting, the committee decided to exclude investments in thermal coal, as it is by far the highest carbon-emitting source of energy; tar sands, as it is among the most carbon-intensive means of crude oil production; and tobacco, as its products are responsible for killing up to eight million people a year.

The policy also excludes companies producing controversial weapons where their use is complicit in breaches of United Nations’ human rights standards.

The Oxfordshire Pension Fund is committed to actively engaging with the companies it invests in, as this approach is in the long-term interest of the company, investors, and broader society.

However, it is unlikely that engagement with the companies that have significant activities in these areas will lead to meaningful change in their behaviour. The fund and its investment pool manager Brunel will, therefore, concentrate engagement efforts on sectors and companies where engagement will be more effective.

Councillor Donna Ford, Chair of the Pension Fund Committee, said “The pension fund is committed to considering environment social and governance factors in investment decisions to ensure the long-term interests of the fund are protected.

“The fund’s investment view is that tobacco companies represent a financial risk to the fund as they face intense pressure from investors, regulators and consumers, and therefore the decision to divest from tobacco is the right one.

“As a fund, we also have a commitment to be net zero by 2050. Thermal coal and tar sands are some of the most intense emitters of greenhouse gases, as such they are not compatible with our net zero target, so we will be divesting from these highly polluting sectors and reallocating money to more sustainable investments.”

More information

The Oxfordshire Pension Fund is managed by a committee of councillors who are advised by the county council’s director of finance and an independent financial advisor.

All public sector pension schemes were required under the Public Service Pensions Act 2013 to set up a pension board with effect from 2015/16 to assist the administering authorities of their pension scheme in ensuring compliance with national Local Government Pension Scheme and other pension regulations.

The board's key roles are to support and challenge the Pension Fund Committee as it carries out its legal responsibilities.

More information about the board, the committee and the work that they do is available on Oxfordshire County Council's website or the Brunel Partnership’s website. For more information about the pension fund’s policies and investments visit the Oxfordshire Pension Fund investment webpage.

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 service is due to start in November this year, bringing together two separate programmes from Oxfordshire County Council’s public health and health, education and social care (HESC) teams, increasing the overall funding and broadening the potential reach of the programme.

Councillor Tim Bearder, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, said: “The link between financial hardship and health and wellbeing can be a vicious cycle. Poor health can lead to financial difficulties through reduced access to education and limiting employment opportunities. Living with the stress and anxiety of financial hardship can have a damaging impact on long-term health and wellbeing.

“By combining our resources and bringing financial and health advice resources together, we can offer even greater support to people living in Oxfordshire, enabling them to live well and independently within their own communities. Something we call the Oxfordshire Way.”

The new advice service merges the Oxfordshire Specialist Advice Service and the Benefits in Place programme and will provide free, independent and impartial advice to assist people with benefits, debt, budgeting and other financial and welfare issues. It will help to support people to maximise their income, enabling them to look after themselves in their own homes and communities.

This, in turn, aims to bring sustainable health benefits to residents, enabling them to spend more money on activities which support their wellbeing. There will also be an offer of training for people around money management and this will help to build confidence in people and more resilient communities.

Councillor Nathan Ley, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health, Inequalities and Community Safety, said: "While Oxfordshire could generally be considered a healthier part of the country than most others, we can’t ignore that some pronounced disparities remain, particularly with the gap in health outcomes between our wealthiest and most disadvantaged areas. It's clear that health and financial wellbeing are deeply interconnected: poor health can lead to financial strain, just as financial troubles can adversely affect health.

“This reality underscores the importance of our new and enhanced service. By offering this improved support, we're not just addressing a need, we're taking a significant step towards bridging these gaps at the root cause level. It represents a critical move in ensuring those most in need receive the comprehensive assistance necessary for both their financial and health wellbeing."

Data suggests that the amount of people who use the council's existing specialist advice services has increased by nine per cent on previous years and that more than half of those who have been in touch are aged 75 years or older.

Similarly, the complexity of the issues has increased, with 4,549 advice issues managed, an increase of ten percent in the last year.

The refreshed programme has been codesigned following engagement with people who have used the council’s advice services in the previous year. This involvement will continue prior to the launch of the new service, building in suggestions and possible improvements for residents.

As well as uniting the advice services, funds have been set aside to modernise the provision, including the possible use of artificial intelligence to help better signpost people to potential support available to them.

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Proposals to save more than £9.8m in 2024/25 were set out by the county council in November as it seeks to set a balanced budget in the face of continued inflationary pressures and growing demands.

Originally the council had a shortfall of £9.1m to reach a balanced budget but this increased to £11.2m in December after it became clear that grant funding support from central government was not as much as anticipated. The council has proposed measures to close that gap to the extent that there is now a remaining £900,000 shortfall that needs to be closed by the time the council sets its budget later in February.

Councillor Dan Levy, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “We did not receive any additional money from government to close what was a £9.1m gap when we first published our draft budget in late November. Quite the opposite.

“The government has spoken widely about a 6.5 per cent increase of funding to local government. As we’ve said previously, this was a case of smoke and mirrors. This increase assumed councils would take the maximum council tax rise and includes funding announced this time last year. There was nothing new in this sum at all.

“Local government as a whole continues to express deep disappointment having already been viewing the second half of the decade with great concern. The government’s dealings with the sector so far this winter did nothing to alleviate those concerns.

“Our track record of responsible financial management means that Oxfordshire County Council has been in a more resilient position than many other authorities. However, the overall position is extremely challenging. Even now we remain £900,000 short of what we need for a balanced budget.

“Over the coming weeks we will continue to work hard to review our costs and identify further potential measures so we can close the gap and balance the budget.”

It remains the case that budgets in both adults and children’s social care will increase in 2024 with investments to meet pressures outweighing savings proposals.

What are the new proposals?

The new proposals that have been made include:

• A further £3.4m can be added to the budget on a one-off basis for 2024/25 as a result of district councils collecting more in council tax than was originally estimated.
• On the basis of analysis of anticipated demand for adult social care services, £1.5m of demographic of funding that was originally proposed to be added to the budget is now judged not to be required. A total of £8.5m of extra funding for demographic/population growth was included in existing forward plans and this remains. The council has always been responsible in planning ahead over several years to deal with pressure on adult social care stemming from population growth/demographic increases.
• Consumer Price Index Inflation was 3.9 per cent in the year to November 2023, down from 4.6 per cent in October and 6.7 per cent in the 12 months to September 2023. As such, £2.3m that was originally thought to be needed to cover anticipated costs of care packages within adult social care is now assessed not to be needed. A total of £12.3m previously agreed funding remains available to support increases in the cost of care packages from 2024/25.
• When the budget was originally proposed, a £14m investment in children’s services was proposed. However, there were also some savings. These savings are focused on things such as reducing the reliance on expensive agency staff, focusing on keeping families together by preventing the need for children to become looked after by the council, and opening new children's homes/increasing foster capacity to reduce the need for expensive out of county placements. However, half of these savings were not built into overall budget assumptions due to the risk of them not being achieved. Further work has now been done on the achievability of savings and this risk adjustment can be reduced by £1.1m from £5.2m to £4.1m.
• Because of anticipated future reductions in funding there is a need to reduce the size of the organisation in future. A new saving of £1.5m relating to workforce restructuring has been added in 2024/25. Planning for this is underway.

The overall projected budget for 2024/25 is more than £614m. The draft budget is based on a 4.99 per cent council tax rise in 2024/25, with two per cent of this being ringfenced for adult social care. No final decision on council tax or any element of the budget will be taken until 20 February 2024 when all 63 county councillors meet at the annual budget setting meeting of the county council.

Proposals to save more than £9.8 million in 2024/25 were set out in November by the county council as it seeks to set a balanced budget in the face of continued inflationary pressures and growing demands.

The detail revealed by central government to each individual council on local government settlement day (18 December) means that this gap has increased to £11.2m. Grant funding support was not as much as anticipated.

Councillor Dan Levy, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “We did not receive any additional money to close what was a £9.1m gap when we first published our draft budget in late November.

“The government has spoken widely about a 6.5 per cent increase of funding to local government. Sadly, this is a case of smoke and mirrors. This increase assumes councils take the maximum council tax rise and includes funding announced this time last year. There is nothing new in this sum at all.

“Local government as a whole has expressed its deep disappointment. We are clearly now going to have to take some really tough decisions.”

“As has been known since late November our budget proposals for 2024/25 already include more than £9.8m of savings. The whole of local government was already looking at the second half of the decade with great concern and the government’s announcement on 18 December did nothing to alleviate those concerns.

“Our track record of responsible financial management means that Oxfordshire County Council has been in a more resilient position than many other authorities. However, the overall position is extremely challenging and additional savings will need to be found.”

All local authorities are having to deal with the continued impact of slower than forecast falls in inflation in the UK during 2023 and the consequent continued high levels of costs and prices for energy, fuel, materials and staff costs.

The council also continues to experience demand-led pressures and the effects of the growing nationwide costs of supporting children and young people; the rising cost of social care and care placements for both children and adults; and a national shortage of social care workers leading to a reliance on agency staff and higher costs. The overall projected budget for 2024/25 is more than £614m.

The council’s Performance Scrutiny Committee will be updated on the position at its meeting on 19 January before an updated draft of the budget is presented to the council’s cabinet on 30 January.

The draft budget is based on a 4.99 per cent council tax rise in 2024/25, with two per cent of this being ringfenced for adult social care. No final decision on council tax or any element of the budget will be taken until 20 February 2024 when all 63 county councillors meet at the annual budget setting meeting of the county council.

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.

Proposals to save more than £9.8 million in 2024/25 have been set out by Oxfordshire County Council as it seeks to set a balanced budget in the face of continued inflationary pressures and growing demands.

All local authorities are having to deal with the continued impact of slower than forecast falls in inflation in the UK and the consequent continued high levels of costs and prices for energy, fuel, materials and staff costs.

The council also continues to experience demand-led pressures and the effects of the growing nationwide costs of supporting children and young people; the rising cost of social care and care placements for both children and adults; and a national shortage of social care workers leading to a reliance on agency staff and higher costs.

The last Census confirms Oxfordshire has a growing and ageing population, which will continue to increase demand on services.

All of these pressures combined amount to approximately £29.8m. The council proposes to add to contingency funding for risks including inflation by £6.2m meaning an overall pressure of £36m.

After taking account of proposed savings, funding changes and other factors that help meet pressures, the county council currently has a £9.1 million funding gap.

It will work to close this and present a draft balanced budget in the new year after the government has confirmed its financial settlement for local government before Christmas and further financial information has been received from the city and district councils.

Councillor Dan Levy, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “Households continue to face huge financial challenges this autumn and we are still in a cost of living emergency. Many of the same factors that are causing those issues are affecting local government, including Oxfordshire County Council, and organisations and businesses up and down the land.

“At the county council, we are on the frontline of supporting the most vulnerable people in our communities. As always, we are committed to helping them and their families and they will always be prioritised when we make decisions on budget.  

“This is reflected in our budget, which contains large investments to meet new pressures in many areas, primarily in adult and children’s social care and services for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). To invest in frontline services, we have needed to propose savings in other areas to balance this.

“We seek to manage the council’s finances responsibly and we carefully plan ahead to meet current and future financial challenges. Our budget proposals for 2024/25 include more than £9.8 million of savings. Beyond the budget for 2024/25, it is fair to say that the whole of local government is looking at the second half of the 2020s with great concern as funding issues and challenges look certain to continue.

“Our track record of responsible financial management means that Oxfordshire County Council is in a more resilient and robust position than some other authorities. However, the overall position is still challenging and means we will need to make tough choices.”

New for this year, residents can take part in the budget consultation (for 2024/25) until 10 January using an online budget simulator, which will be hosted on the council’s digital consultation and engagement platform Let’s talk Oxfordshire. The simulator allows residents to try to balance the council’s budget, weighing up tough choices and impacts. People will also be able to comment on the council’s proposed budget with feedback captured using an online form or in writing by Freepost. 

The council is also running three online Oxfordshire Conversations, which offer an opportunity for cabinet representatives to connect with residents on their priorities for local services and explore ideas for how we can make savings to balance our budget. Residents are asked to book.

The events are open to all and will run on the following dates:

• Monday 4 December 1pm to 230pm
•  Wednesday 6 December 7pm to 8:30pm
• Monday 11 December 4:30pm to 6pm.

The council’s budget proposals will be considered by the Performance and Corporate Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 8 December. Later in December, the government will announce council funding levels as part of its local government finance settlement.

This, alongside confirmation of wider financial resources available and the outcome of the public consultation and engagement, will lead to an updated draft of the budget being presented to the council’s cabinet on 30 January.

Currently, the council’s medium-term financial strategy – agreed in February 2023 – is based on a 4.99 per cent council tax rise in 2024/25, with two per cent of this being ringfenced for adult social care. This rise would be less than the current rate of inflation. No final decision on council tax or any element of the budget will be taken until 20 February 2024 when all 63 county councillors meet at the annual budget setting meeting of the county council.

The council’s cabinet will review a report that outlines the process for developing and agreeing the budget for 2024/25 and the assumptions on which the council’s existing medium-term financial strategy (MTFS), agreed in February 2023, is based.

It also provides an update on financial pressures continuing to impact on the county council and local government as a whole, set in the context of the national economy.

At this early stage in the budget process, the council is forecasting it will need to manage new pressures of around £30 - £40 million in 2024/25.

However, as is the case every year, this figure will be updated as the council moves through the budget process and will need to be considered alongside information on future funding received from central government and other sources.

What are the pressures on the council’s budget?

All local authorities continue to face significant increases in inflation that are driving up costs and price increases in energy, fuel and materials. These remain above those forecast by government.

Along with the rest of local government, the council is also continuing to experience high demand pressures from the growing nationwide costs of supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities; the rising cost of social care and care placements for both children and adults; and a national shortage of social care workers leading to a reliance on agency staff and higher costs.

There remains prolonged uncertainty about the government’s plans for the future relating to local government financing, including a new funding model for adult social care. Meanwhile, there have been substantial reductions in funding to local government over the last decade, which means the ability to make savings is reduced.

Oxfordshire County Council is not an outlier in facing these pressures – councils across the country are facing exactly the same issues.

Councillor Dan Levy, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “We know that people across our county are still facing huge financial challenges as we move into winter. Prices are continuing to rise and it is still legitimate to say we are in a cost of living crisis. The county council also continues to face major budget pressures.

“As a council, we are on the frontline of supporting the most vulnerable people in our communities. We are committed to them and their families. However, as the cost of doing this rises and our funding fails to keep pace, we are left facing tough choices.

“Each year the council goes through this initial process of identifying new pressures on budgets and the £30 - £40m figure is where we stand at the beginning of the process this year. We will manage the council’s finances responsibly and we are planning ahead carefully to meet current and future financial challenges.

“We will engage with residents about the big issues that matter most to them and their communities. We encourage residents to take part in budget engagement activities this winter. We will use this feedback to help us shape our budget proposals for next year.”

Currently, the council’s medium-term financial strategy – agreed in February 2023 – is based on a 4.99 per cent council tax rise in 2024/25 with two per cent of this being ringfenced for adult social care. This rise would be less than the rate of inflation.

What happens next?

In late November, the county council will publish the detail of its budget proposals for 2024/25.

The proposals will be considered by the Performance and Corporate Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee during December. The committee’s feedback, alongside the results from the 2023 residents’ survey and wider  budget engagement,  will be reported to the council’s cabinet in January before the budget is set at a meeting with all county councillors on 20 February 2024.

The Oxfordshire Pension Fund is part of the national Local Government Pension Scheme and has been accepted as a signatory to the UK Stewardship Code by the Financial Reporting Council.

The code sets high standards of stewardship for those investing money on behalf of UK savers and pensioners. Becoming a signatory is recognition of the work the fund has undertaken in recent years to become a responsible investor.

Councillor Bob Johnston, Chair of the Oxfordshire Pension Fund Committee, has made the following statement: “I am pleased that the fund has received recognition for its current work. We pledge that we will continue, alongside our investment partners at Brunel, to engage with and challenge the companies we invest into, on a wide range of responsible investment issues, including climate change. We look forward to developing and strengthening our stewardship activities to drive the positive change that will benefit our members.”

To become a signatory, investors need to demonstrate that they are actively using their voice and influence to encourage companies to act in a way that recognises the importance of environmental, social and governance issues, and delivers financial benefits

There are 277 signatories to the code, representing £44.6 trillion assets under management. This includes 189 asset managers, 69 asset owners and 19 service providers. The Oxfordshire Pension Fund is one of 27 organisations that have been added to the signatory list for the first time.

The Oxfordshire Local Government Pension Scheme is hosted by the county council but also represents the district and city councils and organisations such as Oxford Brookes University, academy schools, further education colleges and housing associations.

Find out more about the Oxfordshire Pension Fund’s approach to responsible investment on the county council’s website and the UK Stewardship Code by visiting the Financial Reporting Council’s website.

More information

The Oxfordshire Pension Fund is managed by a committee. The committee, which is comprised of elected council members, is advised by the Director of Finance and an independent financial advisor and is responsible for the pension fund's investment arrangements.

All public sector pension schemes were required under the Public Service Pensions Act 2013 to set up a pension board with effect from 2015/16 to assist the administering authorities of their pension scheme in ensuring compliance with LGPS and other pension regulations. The board's key roles are to support and challenge the Pension Fund Committee as it carries out its statutory responsibilities.

More information about the board, the committee and the work that they do is available on Oxfordshire County Council's website

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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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Oxfordshire County Council has sent letters to over 4,250 residents eligible for support. These residents will be in receipt of housing benefit but no other relevant state benefits, and therefore do not qualify for the government’s cost of living payments.

Claire Taylor Oxfordshire County Council’s Corporate Director for Customers and Organisational Development and Resources said: “We know it’s a challenging time for many residents. That is why we are using the Household Support Fund, money provided by Department for Work and Pensions, to support residents most in need. 

 “This measure is another way the council is continuing to support residents during the cost of living crisis, and I would encourage everyone eligible to respond to their letter as soon as possible.”

 Each letter has a link to a form where residents can securely enter their bank details. They will also receive a unique reference number to protect against fraud. Residents must fill in this form by 28 March 2023 to claim this money.  

 Anyone with concerns or who is unable to access the online form can contact Oxfordshire County Council’s customer service’s team on 01865 956511.

 The council received £3.3 million from Department for Work and Pensions. This funding is the third round of the Household Support Fund to support vulnerable residents. As well as assisting residents who receive housing benefit, the council is offering support to other vulnerable groups:

• £1.1m food vouchers for children and early years on free school meals during school holidays
• Over £500,000 to city and district councils for local emergency welfare schemes
• £200,000 for residents known to the council with long term health conditions and disabilities
• £200,000 for carers across Oxfordshire

In all cases, residents will be directly contacted about support by their school or the council. Those who need to apply for emergency welfare can apply through their city or district council.

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

More information

Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards service is encouraging all residents to ‘Take 5 to Stop Fraud’ during the cost of living crisis.

Stop: Taking a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information could keep you safe

Challenge: Could it be fake? It’s ok to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you

Protect: Contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve fallen for a scam and report it to Action Fraud

Report: You can report fraud or cybercrime to Action Fraud any time of the day or night using our online reporting tool, or by calling 0300 123 2040 (Monday to Friday 8am - 8pm).  If you or someone else is in immediate danger or risk of harm dial 999

For advice on any other consumer issue, or to report a matter to trading standards, call the Citizens Advice national consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 or at citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer  

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It has warned ministers that, without this funding, council taxes will have to rise to meet adult social care costs.

The number of children with special educational needs, and their complexity of need, continues to grow, with demand far outstripping budgets. Meanwhile there are concerns that the recently announced government funding and policy proposals relating to adult social care do not address the immediate and long-term issues and may be unworkable due to these ongoing pressures.

In addition, in children’s social care local government is seeing a rise in the complexity and costs of supporting vulnerable children and families.

Councillor Liz Leffman, the leader of Oxfordshire County Council, has sent letters to Prime Minister Boris Johnson this week outlining concerns ahead of the government’s Autumn budget announcements.

Need to address urgent funding needs

Councillor Callum Miller, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “Adult social care is facing an immediate crisis. The numbers simply do not add up here in Oxfordshire or elsewhere in the country. We welcome the start that has been made to address the challenges in Adult Social Care but none of the recent announcements address today’s funding pressures – and, in some cases, they increase them.

“In September the government said that current ‘demographic and cost pressures will be met through Council Tax, social care precept, and long-term efficiencies’. In Oxfordshire this equates to £9m to meet demographic pressures and potentially a further £6m to meet anticipated inflationary pressures. Unless there is further funding in the Spending Review, we will have to follow the government’s instruction and increase further the charges to our residents through council tax or social care precept. The only alternative would be to cut the adult social care budgets in real terms, with a direct impact on the care we can afford to provide.”

Funding challenges for children's services

Councillor Miller continued: “Reform is urgently needed on a national basis to provide adequate special educational needs funding. Demand for funding is unsustainable. In Oxfordshire we estimate that our county requires £13.8 million extra in funding to maintain current provision level.

“In children’s social care we are predicting that we will need an additional £2m - £3m of spending to respond to the increased demand that has built up during the pandemic. In addition, children placement cost rises for all councils are significantly higher than inflation. Investment is needed to address the placement sufficiency challenges, the lack of availability of suitable quality placements which meet children’s needs, and prohibitive costs charged by the independent sector. We estimate that increased care costs will add another £4.9m of pressures to our council budget. This national situation needs urgent action.

Invest now and transform adult social care

Addressing the adult social care challenge, Councillor Miller said “An increasing number of people both nationally and indeed here in Oxfordshire are waiting for a care assessment, care, and for their support arrangements to start or a review of their support plans because of ongoing and exacerbating staff shortages. If this is not addressed as a matter of urgency, local authorities nationally and here in Oxfordshire will be unable to undertake the additional assessments required to enable people to begin working towards the cap.

“In terms of the Health and Social Care Levy, it is our understanding that adult social care will have access to £5.4bn, out of a total of £36bn, raised through the levy nationally, a significant proportion of which will be attributed to meeting the costs associated with the set-up and implementation of the care cap and moving local authorities towards paying a fair cost of care. This will not assist in stabilising the workforce or meeting that increased demand for support either here in Oxfordshire or elsewhere.

“On a national basis the government needs to tip the balance by putting prevention, early intervention and wellbeing front and centre of policy and spending priorities. Otherwise, we risk pushing social care into the realms of simply being a crisis support service.

“This winter we think government should provide an additional £3bn nationally to stabilise care supply and build up and strengthen care at home, enhance community support, meet unmet needs, and mitigate ongoing, intensifying recruitment and retention challenges and provide a significant package of support for unpaid carers.

“We believe there should be a new employment deal for care staff across the country, including a workforce strategy, adult social care minimum wage, enhanced training, development and career progression, recognition, and regulation. This must include the introduction of a specific adult social care living wage.

“It is also our strong belief that there should be a significant uplift in funding for local authorities to enable them to fully deliver on their statutory duties.

“Short-termism costs more, has a negative impact on people’s lives and stores up problems for the future. We urge government to invest now, transform social care and most importantly people’s lives for the better.”

Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet members have written a response to government to reflect their concerns over future planning policy as set out by in a recent high-profile consultation.

In August 2020, the government published Planning for the Future, a white paper that sets out significant changes to the current planning system in England. It will have a significant impact on planning authorities, including Oxfordshire County Council.

Councillor Yvonne Constance, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport Infrastructure, said:

“We all recognise that the planning system as it now operates needs to change. However, this white paper raises significant concerns, and in light of that we have robustly challenged some of the proposals.”

The changes relate to making local planning blueprints known as local plans shorter and more visual, with a timescale for preparation of 30 months. The white paper also proposes to abolish S106 and the Community Infrastructure Levy and replace it with an Infrastructure Levy, meaning that the current system used by local authorities to negotiate funding with developers for infrastructure such as roads and schools will change significantly.

While the county council can support some of the proposals, such as making local plans easier for people to read and respond to, the council’s Cabinet has a number of serious concerns about other aspects of the white paper. These include the potential that some may decrease local democratic input into plans as they progress. The County Council is also keen to ensure Government does not forget about what the council’s role is within the development process and ensuring infrastructure is brought forward in a timely way.

Oxfordshire County Council’s letter to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the council’s detailed response can be found at:

https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/sites/default/files/file/planning-applications/ResponseToPlanningForFutureConsultation.pdf

The consultation closed on 29 October and invited comments from the public, businesses, local authorities, home builders and other bodies that have an interest in the planning system.

The government will analyse the responses over the coming months. Changes to the planning system will become law in due course.

For further information contact 01865 323870 or email Press.Office@Oxfordshire.gov.uk

That’s the message from Oxfordshire County Council leader Ian Hudspeth as the authority’s Cabinet approved its Climate Action Framework on Tuesday, October 13.

The document sets out the county council’s plans to make itself a carbon neutral organisation by 2030, and to enable Oxfordshire as a whole to become zero-carbon by 2050. It acknowledges that the council and the county have adapted to cope with coronavirus, and that some of these adaptations have helped reduce carbon emissions.

Cllr Hudspeth said: “The ‘decade of action’ required on climate change has begun with the COVID-19 pandemic. It has changed our world almost overnight.

“We are experiencing a moment in time at which our pace of learning and appetite for change is rapid. We have adopted new skills and adapted how we live and work.

“It is this ingenuity that we will draw upon as we address the climate emergency. We will ‘build back better’ for a zero-carbon, resilient economy, strong communities and a healthy place to live.”

One of the priorities for the council’s Climate Action working group is to retrofit the county’s streetlighting with highly efficient, environmentally friendly LED (light-emitting diode) streetlights.

Scheduled to take four years to complete, the county council is investing £38m over this period – but is expecting it to lead to savings of more than £75m over the next 20 years. As well as the retrofitting, the £38m will also fund the replacement of 23,000 lighting columns which are nearing the end of their lives.

The move will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide being produced by 70%. Currently, the county’s street lights account for around 7,596 tonnes of CO2 every year – representing nearly 35% of the council’s total emissions.

Oxfordshire County Council, which is working jointly with Cherwell District Council, declared a climate emergency in April 2019. It followed this up with a public commitment in November 2019 to prioritise action on climate change across the council’s decision-making, services and activities.

The Climate Action Framework will affect all aspects of council policy and responsibility, including:

• Replacing its fleet with electric vehicles (EVs) and creating more EV charging points
• Generating its own clean power and buying from green energy sources
• Seeing what services can be delivered digitally
• Promoting active travel such as walking and cycling
• Reducing its demand for energy
• Setting sustainability standards for its suppliers
• Helping schools meet their low-carbon targets
• Maximising waste reduction and recycling.

Cllr Yvonne Constance, Cabinet member for Environment, said: “Oxfordshire has a unique foundation from which to build a zero-carbon future, thanks to our proactive and engaged communities, charities and voluntary sectors; world-class academia; a proactive public sector; and a track record of collaboration on transport and energy challenges.

“The future we are aiming for will not be based on business-as-usual decision-making. Zero carbon is integral to our vision for a thriving county.

“Zero-carbon jobs and future-proofed infrastructure will create a resilient economy and help us achieve liveable, healthy communities.”

To read the Climate Action Framework in full go to https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/sites/default/files/file/about-council/OCC_Climate_Action_Framework2020.pdf

Oxbike.co.uk currently displays live maps derived from real time data that show the number of cyclists and other road users at cycling hotspots, live travel times on some of Oxford’s key routes, and the current and historic trends of vehicle numbers on Oxfordshire’s streets. The goal in sharing live data is to demonstrate how easy it is to get around the city by cycling. It will also show how quick cycle journeys can be and encourage people to travel by bike or park & pedal. By presenting data on an easy to use website powered by the [ui!] Urban Pulse data service, the council can now share information about cycling patterns across Oxford. New data sources and technology will be included on oxbike.co.uk when developed to allow residents and visitors to unlock the potential of emerging smart city technology.

Data currently displayed on oxbike.co.uk is collected by Vivacity Lab sensors on the main cycle routes in and around Oxford. The sensors use artificial intelligence that continuously captures, anonymises, and classifies live transport movement including cars, pedestrians, cyclists and buses. Data from the sensors has been used to help develop cycling and walking strategy and policy, understand how Covid-19 restrictions have affected use of public space and to support teams to secure further funding for active travel.

Oxbike is another example of the collaborative innovation work the Oxfordshire County Council iHub has been doing. The iHub builds relationships between the council, academia and business to develop, test and use technology to improve peoples’ lives and drive investment within the county. Since 2015, the iHub has supported over 60 innovation projects; working with partners to deliver projects in Oxfordshire with funding that has come from a range of sources such as Innovate UK, H2020 and Gov Tech.

Cllr Yvonne Constance, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet member for environment said:

“Oxbike is a welcome contribution to our travel and transport work as a county and will enable the council and partners to better understand journey data. This will play a particularly important role as the council looks to expand and develop an upgraded cycling infrastructure amid the recovery from the pandemic and as we look to implement ways to cut emissions and wider transport plans including bus gates for Oxford.”

Llewelyn Morgan, Head of Innovation at Oxfordshire County Council said:

“There has been a lot of expectation of the benefit of connected vehicles, which are now becoming prevalent on our roads. Oxfordshire is committed to be at the forefront of this through enabling applications that benefit our communities. This project will develop an important application by connecting data with smart infrastructure to help improve our knowledge of road use and safety on the road for all users.”

Mark Nicholson, Chief Executive of Vivacity Labs said:

"We're really excited to see the Oxbike website open up our data to the public and look forward to seeing how Oxbike can improve active travel around Oxfordshire."

Visit the site: www.oxbike.co.uk

The investments will enable the development of essential transport links to make sure sustainable infrastructure is built where it is needed to support the development of much needed new homes and jobs in Oxfordshire.

In a development covering the Didcot Garden Town Housing Infrastructure Fund programme or HIF1, the Cabinet took a key decision to accept the preferred alignment of the routes of the four parts of the scheme put forward by its officers.

A sum of £218m from government agency Homes England (HE) (towards infrastructure costs of £234m) will deliver:

• Widening the A4130 from A34 Milton Interchange towards Didcot from single to dual carriageway;
• A new Science Bridge over the A4130, Great Western Railway Line and Milton Road into the former Didcot A Power Station site;
• A new Didcot to Culham bridge between the A4130 and A415 including a new crossing of the River Thames River; and
• A Clifton Hampden bypass

In doing so, the council will also consider the views of local people who submitted views over two consultations to hear residents’ views on plans to support sustainable growth around Didcot. These were held in late 2018 and a second round in March-April this year which yielded almost 700 responses.

In the case of the Housing Infrastructure 2 (HIF 2) scheme, the cabinet agreement means that the council will move ahead with the three parts of the HIF 2 scheme to access Homes England funding agreed in November 2019 worth £102 million to develop:

• An extension of the A40 dual carriageway from Witney to the proposed Eynsham park and ride, including improving cycling infrastructure along the route.
• An extension of the A40 westbound bus lane from west of Duke’s Cut canal and railway bridges close Oxford near to the proposed Eynsham park and ride.
• A40 capacity and connectivity improvements to widen access at Duke’s Cut canal and railway bridges, extending the eastbound and westbound bus priority lane, prioritising bus rapid transit at this pinch point.

In both HIF schemes, the priority is the development of additional highway space, connectivity and infrastructure to encourage more sustainable forms of travel to meet the council’s zero carbon transport network ambitions such as public transport, walking and cycling connectivity. It will also support the delivery of wider health and place-shaping benefits in line with the council’s core policy objectives.

The Deputy Leader of Oxfordshire County Council Cllr Judith Heathcoat said:

“Oxfordshire County Council recognises an urgent need for new homes for its people and that these homes require us to get the right infrastructure in to support them first. We are committed to working with our communities to develop the right infrastructure in the right places to allow them to grow in a sustainable way.

Indeed, sustainability is at the very heart of what we intend to develop for the Didcot Garden Town area. A great boost to the work has now advanced with the award of £218m from homes England in June to allow us to work to get the infrastructure right.”

A series of bold plans by Oxfordshire County Council, combined with a £2.9m two-stage Government grant, will transform residents’ experience of cycling as part of a move to support active and healthy travel combined with a firm commitment to cutting carbon emissions and air pollution.

The popularity of cycling has soared since lockdown began in March. The council is determined to build on this trend and to ensure that the related reduction in air pollution (which is down by as much as 64% in some parts of the county) is sustained in the future.

Research by market research firm Mintel found that, at the beginning of the year, a third of adults in Britain who didn’t currently cycle said they would consider doing so in the future. The active travel fund will allow Oxfordshire to address some of the key factors that deter people from cycling and encourage more journeys by bike. Current measures include prioritising road space for bikes to improve road safety; improving signage and road markings for cycle lanes; and creating more cycle parking in all market towns and Oxford. The next stage of the funding will include more 20mph zones to improve road safety where residents want them.

What will residents notice?

The first phase of the funding is being concentrated over an eight-week period. The steps taken include:

• More purpose-built cycle parking areas, particularly in market town squares, close to rural bus stops, and at park and rides
• More priority given to cycles, from changes to traffic light timings to prioritise people travelling by bike to adapting the road network to allow more space for bikes
• An upgraded maintenance scheme for cycle paths and cycle routes, with improved signage and route markings

The County Council is also working on an exciting programme of structural improvements to support cycling and walking well beyond the active travel fund. As part of the Local Transport and Connectivity Plan, the county is working with the district and city councils on a series of Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs). Didcot, Bicester and Oxford will be the first locations in the county to benefit from them.

The LCWIPs will mean a cycle network for each town, with numbered cycle routes, including links to villages and towns within easy cycling distance. They will also include measures to improve pedestrian access to the main shopping centres (as well as local centres in Oxford).

Planning work is also well underway for a three-mile cycle path along the B4044 between Botley and Eynsham, while construction of the ‘Icknield Greenway’ has now begun - the cycle route linking Wantage to Harwell business park. Work started on the Icknield Greenway on 26 May and is due to be completed on 16 October. The route is one of six key corridors linking Harwell Campus, Milton Park and Culham Science Centre with Didcot, Abingdon and Wantage, and is part of the Science Vale Cycle Network Project. This major scheme is designed to provide improved facilities for journeys by bike and on foot and to encourage sustainable travel across the area.

Cllr Yvonne Constance, Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “The active travel grant will help us get the county back to work, school and leisure. But it is just one part of an ambitious programme of activity to increase cycling, walking and active travel overall.

“Our focus on supporting active transport options through a major upgrade in our cycling infrastructure will improve people’s health and wellbeing whilst helping us as a county attain our goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. It is part of our commitment to creating a sustainable and resilient future for Oxfordshire as we emerge from the coronavirus crisis. We will build Oxfordshire back better.”

Oxfordshire County Council is about to launch a public consultation on the proposed range of transport improvements in Didcot and surrounding areas that will support the creation of new jobs and homes.

The consultation will open on Thursday 19 March. Work on these infrastructure improvements follows the successful funding announcement for £218 million from Government in March 2019 known as the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF). Although the funding for the transport improvements has been announced, Oxfordshire County Council is currently in the final stages of negotiating the details of the funding agreement with Government.

As part of this consultation, public exhibitions were planned across various locations in the local area over the last two weeks in March. Unfortunately, due to the advice from Government with respect to Coronavirus (COVID-19) these have been cancelled. However, residents and businesses can view the plans and submit feedback online until 30 April 2020.

If you know anyone who does not have access to the internet and you think would be interested in this consultation, we would appreciate your help in telling them about it. They can call us on: 07392 318945 or 07833 401067 to discuss the proposals and request printed copies of the consultation materials.

The funding will substantially improve the county’s transport infrastructure, including a new river crossing between Didcot and Culham. The improved infrastructure would enable the development of new housing and employment areas using good sustainable design, supporting improved conditions for cycling.

The four schemes are:

1. A4130 road widening from A34 Milton Interchange towards Didcot
2. A new “Science Bridge” over the A4130, Great Western Railway Line and Milton Road into the former Didcot A Power Station site, back to the A4130 near Purchas Road
3. A new Didcot to Culham River Crossing between the A4130 Northern Perimeter Road at Didcot and A415 near Culham Science Centre
4. A new Clifton Hampden Bypass between A415 near Culham Science Centre and B4015 Oxford Road north of the village.

Since the previous public exhibition events in November 2018, Oxfordshire County Council has been working to address previous comments and updating the design work. The online consultation will show the latest scheme designs and provide an opportunity for local people to comment on these.

All schemes include new and/or improved high quality walking and cycling routes which will give people real travel choice. The lack of suitable crossings over the railway line and river coupled with the success of the Science Vale area has resulted in heavy congestion. The lack of crossings have resulted in limited alternatives to the private car.

Councillor Ian Hudspeth, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, which submitted the HIF bid, said: “This funding will support the creation of new houses including affordable homes and will improve transport links including walking and cycling routes. It is a big boost for Oxfordshire and underlines our commitment to ensuring that the infrastructure is in place to support new homes. The work will mean that the new homes will be supported by infrastructure that will connect residents with main routes whilst allowing them to avoid surrounding villages.”

How to respond:

The online public consultation will start on Thursday 19 March 2020 and close on Thursday 30 April 2020 (closing at 11:59pm). Please follow this link for more details: www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/didcotupdate

The plans include community support for people who have become vulnerable in their community so they can live independently for longer, and more help for struggling families to reduce the chances of children having to go into care.

Funding for children and adult social services will increase by £30 million next year, including an extra £8.1 million from the government. This money is needed to support an increase in adult social care needs for both older and disabled people, as well as the increasing number of child protection cases, which have grown in line with national trends.

The budget proposals also include investment in infrastructure across the county, including an extra £50 million for new and existing schools over ten years, with most of the funding coming from housing developers to meet the need for more pupil places in Oxfordshire.

A total of £30 million will be spent in 2020/21 on repairs to roads, bridges, drainage and footways across Oxfordshire’s towns and villages, with major schemes scheduled in Banbury, Abingdon and Witney.

New funding of £3 million per year will improve local road safety and accessibility, including new pedestrian crossings, improved junctions and better bus stop facilities. These measures are designed to encourage walking and cycling as part of the council’s commitment to improving air quality and active lifestyles.

Councillor Ian Hudspeth, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “This is an investment budget that will help us meet the needs of residents and communities as the county changes in the future. We plan to redesign services with a greater emphasis on preventing problems before they happen.

“We want to do much more than simply manage the growing demands on council services – we want to help all of our Oxfordshire communities to thrive. That means addressing the real causes of that demand for our services so children have the best start in life and older and disabled people can live as independently as possible.”

Responding to climate change is a key feature of the council’s budget, including support for sustainable travel such as improving park and ride services on the A40, and the replacement of over 50,000 streetlights with energy-efficient LEDs. However, all aspects of the budget have to reflect the climate change agenda and how the county council will meet its aim to be carbon neutral by 2030.

The budget includes ‘invest to save’ proposals totalling £4.8 million across council services, many of which would pay back within a year and lead to further savings of £4.8 million by year four. There are also measures totalling £9.1 million in 2020/21 that will help reduce demand for services in the future.

This approach is part of a council-wide programme of service redesign and organisational change, which enables the council to deliver savings in the future while still improving the services that residents want and need.

Councillor Ian Hudspeth, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, added: “We’ve grasped an opportunity to invest. We are being ambitious about improving outcomes for residents and communities in the future. There remains a lot of uncertainty about funding for local government in the longer term, but I strongly believe this investment budget gives us a solid foundation to manage our finances during the uncertain times ahead.

“We know that the people of Oxfordshire want us to continue to invest in our roads and transport infrastructure – both maintenance and improving how they work for roads users, including for bus journeys, cycling and walking. This is an important part of our overall commitment to reducing carbon and making our contribution to tackling climate change.”

As part of this invest-to-save approach, the county council will provide support for informal care networks in communities that will help older and disabled people live independently. By increasing the ability of communities to provide informal support, the aim is to manage the long-term demand for social care and target resources at those who need help the most.

Prudent budget management, long-term uncertainty

The county council continues to face long-term financial pressures, with government having reduced funding for local authorities since 2010. At the same time, more people have needed support from social services.

To ensure it can continue to invest in services and infrastructure, while meeting the needs of the most vulnerable people in Oxfordshire, the county council has increased Council Tax by 1.99 percent, with a further two percent ‘precept’ – an additional increase allowed by the government on to pay for the growing number of people requiring adult social services. (Raising council tax by two percent or more requires a local referendum.)

The continuation of the Council Tax precept and other government sources from previous years has enabled the council to consider these investments in Investing now puts us in a better position to make further savings in the years ahead, as we expect to have to do.

Budget briefing

This is a summary of the most significant elements of the budget – investments in services and savings. Councillors have approved two sets of budget proposals: the revenue budget that pays for day-to-day services, including the ‘invest-to-save’ measures; and the capital programme that provides long-term investment in transport, schools, broadband and other infrastructure. Full details of the revenue and capital budget proposals below in Further Information.

Family safeguarding model

Initial investment of £2.3 million in a new approach to supporting families in difficulties, including parenting, substance abuse, domestic violence and mental health. The new model was developed in Hertfordshire and has been independently assessed as a successful way to improve the chances of keeping families together safely. Net savings are projected at £1.8 million by year four.

Foster families

In line with national trends, the numbers of young people in care have risen in recent years requiring an increase in fostering and residential placements. The county council proposes to invest £1 million in internal fostering services to increase the number of local foster carers, including increasing support and payments to foster families.

Community networks

An investment of £1.8 million in community networks, capacity, winter projects and alternatives to formal care, funded from the improved Better Care Fund to enable people to be better able to support themselves and help communities to help the most vulnerable locally. Developing these informal care networks is critical to managing future demand for adult services.

Learning disabilities, mental health, and autism

The council will expand support for the growing number of for people with learning disabilities, mental health issues and autism, with an additional £7.4 million a year. There will be a further one-year investment of £2.8 million to transform and improve current housing support for people with mental health issues and/or autism. Proposals also include the withdrawal of a previously agreed saving proposal of £0.3 million for social workers to support people with mental health issues and/or autism.

The council is developing a programme to address future needs of people with learning disabilities, mental health issues and autism, including a transitions service to help young people to live independent lives as adults.

Weight management

The council will increase support for people to adopt healthier lifestyles and reduce risk of long-term health conditions. The council currently funds 200 places for community weight loss programmes such as Slimming World, Weight Watchers and Men vs Fat but the funded places are at full capacity. Funding will be increased by £0.2 million in 2020/21 (and the same in 2021/22) to help tackle obesity by kickstarting individuals’ weight loss journey.

Children with special educational needs or disabilities

Increased funding of £1.2 million has been agreed to support children with special educational needs or disabilities by increasing the number of case workers to meet the growing number of requests for education, care and health plans (EHCPs) and expanding the educational psychologist service. An additional £3.8 million is being added to the budget for home to school transport. Further investment is planned for the following year, including a new service that will help schools to access support for individual children and support learners with identified needs in mainstream schools.

School catering

The county council currently provides meals to around 60 schools – the vast majority of which are primary schools. A total of £0.2 million will be spent on developing a better and more commercial business model, which encourages healthy eating in schools.

School investment

Housing growth in Oxfordshire means that developers will be providing money, through part of the planning process known as Section 106 agreements, which enables the council to provide the extra pupil places needed locally. An additional £50 million has been added to the capital programme over ten years.

Highway maintenance programme

The county council will spend £30 million in 2020/21 from its capital budget on repairs to roads, bridges, signs and lines, drainage and footways. Major schemes on the programme for the coming financial year include: Oxford Road in Banbury; Northcourt Road in Abingdon; Burwell Drive and West End, both in Witney.

Reactive maintenance to ensure that Oxfordshire’s roads operate safely continues as normal – including things like pothole repairs, drain clearance, and streetlight repairs. This year the council will also be investing £640,000 in sign cleaning and vegetation clearing to ensure signs are properly visible. In future years £320,000 a year will be put in this area.

Climate change - meeting our ambitious target

The council will invest in energy and carbon reduction in the coming years. Having already reduced its own carbon emissions by 50 per cent since 2008, it is now gearing up its efforts to become carbon neutral by 2030. The hard work that the county has already done with district councils means that Oxfordshire is the best county for recycling in the country.

The budget includes a £0.7 million investment in “pump-priming” so that the council can implement new ways of working that will bring cash and carbon savings. This work will include renewable energy generation, improved energy efficiency of our buildings and enabling “cleaner” staff travel.

The council’s new electric vehicle purchasing policy will switch its car and van fleet to electric wherever possible. Over the next five years it will be spending £40 million replacing 56,000 bulbs with new LED technology which will not only provide excellent quality lighting but also drastically cut the amount paid for electricity and greatly reduce its carbon footprint.

Sustainable transport investment

As well as investing in directly reducing its own carbon footprint, the council is also making major investments that will help more Oxfordshire residents to travel more sustainably. Its policy now means that all of transport improvement schemes allow for cycling facilities wherever possible – this supports the work being done to tackle congestion on the roads and encourage more and more people to use sustainable transport.

The council plans to spend £32 million on the A40 bus lane and park and ride and a £6.5 million investment in the Botley Road which will result in infrastructure that will make sustainable transport more attractive to more people.

Major capital projects currently being delivered or where work will begin soon (funded through Section 106, Local Growth Fund and Growth Deal) include:

• £4 million on the Science Vale Cycle Network to improve pedestrian and cycle access
• £9.5 million on the Botley Road corridor improvements including walking, cycling and buses
• £0.8 million on the A361 safety improvements with a new shared path
• £4 million on riverside routes in Oxford improving non-road cycle routes
• £1.1 million on connections to Oxford Station includes pedestrian and cycle improvements
• £32 million A40 Science Transit 2 includes an improved path for cyclists
• £5.9 million A40 Oxford North project including improvements for cyclists

The council will also invest £0.5m in improving sustainable travel plans to ensure bus, cycling and walking routes are integral to new housing and business property developments.

Councillor Priority Fund

The county council will continue to invest in communities by continuing the Councillor Priority Fund, which was established two years ago. In that time, councillors have used this money to support a range of community initiatives, many of which have secured match funding to increase the local investment. During 2018/19, there were over 170 different community and charity groups that received funding involving over 60 different towns and parish organisations.

“Given the inadequate response from the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government to the concern of this Council regarding the Oxford to Cambridge Expressway, this Council asks the Leader to write to the Minister of Housing, Communities and Local Government and Highways England in the following terms:

Oxfordshire County Council will work with Highways England on the development of the vision for the English Economic Heartland and the Oxford to Cambridge Arc on the understanding that they will expedite the realisation of the East West Rail Link.

The development of the railway line will ensure the delivery of the growth and housing required, without the environmental impact of a road cutting across the centre of rural England.

Building the Expressway flies in the face of Oxfordshire’s commitment to reduce the use of the car. An action which is necessary to tackle the Climate Change Emergency, which Local Government, including Oxfordshire, has signed up to.

Oxfordshire does not support the building of the Expressway irrespective of which route is chosen.”

The motion was carried with 36 in favour, 11 against and eight abstentions.

Background on the motion

The proposed routes for the new expressway have not yet been decided by Highways England and public consultation is still to be held on the proposals. The consultation was due to be held in Autumn 2019. This will now take place after the General Election.

Further information about the Highways England proposals are here.

If successful, this bid for £218m (towards a total of £234m) will deliver:

• A4130 widening from A34 Milton Interchange towards Didcot;

• A new Science Bridge over the A4130, Great Western Railway Line and Milton Road into the former Didcot A Power Station site;

• A new Culham to Didcot river crossing between the A4130 and A415; and

• A Clifton Hampden Bypass

All schemes include improved segregated walking and cycling routes which will give people real travel choice. The lack of suitable crossings over the railway line and river coupled with growth in the past three decades has resulted in heavy congestion. The same constraints have resulted in limited alternatives to the private car. HIF will enable direct and convenient access between new and existing homes and key employment sites in and around Didcot. The HIF schemes have previously been identified in Local Plan development to deliver growth across South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse districts.

Ian Hudspeth, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council said:

“This bid for more than £200m shows the sustainable growth ambitions of Oxfordshire. It demonstrates that Government is listening and the recognition that infrastructure is required in parallel to the delivery of new homes. The infrastructure will also be vital to economic growth and support job creation in an area important to the local and national economy whilst helping to support the objectives of Didcot Garden Town.”

Cllr Jane Murphy, Leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, and Chairman of the Oxfordshire Growth Board, said: “We are committed to ensuring our residents get the infrastructure that’s vitally needed in our district and in Oxfordshire as a whole – it’s one of the reasons we applied for garden town status for Didcot in the first place. We believe this bid is a strong one and we’re working positively and constructively with all our partners, including the government, to ensure this remains one of the best places to live in the country.”

The HIF schemes have previously been identified in the district councils’ Local Plan development to deliver growth across South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse. The county council has been working in partnership with the two district councils to help enable this necessary infrastructure.

Oxfordshire County Council held a consultation to hear residents’ views on our plans to support growth around Didcot in late 2018.

Oxfordshire County Council expects to hear the outcome of the funding bid by early summer 2019.

The budget proposals are being reviewed by the county council’s Performance Scrutiny Committee on Thursday 13 December before the council sets its budget in February. Residents and other stakeholders can comment on proposals as part of the formal budget consultation process.

Locally and nationally, the number of children at risk referred to social services is increasing. The number of children taken into care by the county council has increased by 80 per cent since 2011. Last month, the Local Government Association released figures showing more than 1,000 children a day are being referred to social services across the country.

To make sure the growing number of children at risk of abuse and neglect are protected, the children’s social care budget has increased annually from £46m in 2011 to £78m this year (2018/19). Next year, the children’s services budget will need to increase to £86m, and up to £95m in 2022/23 – more than doubling in ten years.

Councillor Ian Hudspeth, the leader of the county council, said: “Where a child is at real risk of abuse or neglect we act first, and deal with the budget impact later. We must meet these budget pressures by finding ways to make savings so we can continue to fund services to support the most vulnerable children and adults.”

The growing number of children with special educational needs and disability (SEND) has meant significant investment is planned to meet increasing demand, with further proposals considered by the county council’s Cabinet in December.

Robust financial position despite long-term pressures

Tough decisions taken since 2010 have created a route to financial stability at Oxfordshire County Council as the council plans to set its 2019/20 budget at a time when all councils face financial challenges.

Councillor Hudspeth continued: “Pressure on funding for day-to-day council services remains intense for all councils, including here in Oxfordshire. We have listened to residents so that we can improve our services and continue to support all of Oxfordshire’s thriving communities.

“We have already agreed to invest up to £120m to improve roads and repair and maintain schools. We know these things are the top of many residents’ list of priorities and we have already spent an additional £10m on repairing roads this year.”

Supporting Oxfordshire’s ageing population

The proportion of older people and adults with complex needs in Oxfordshire is rising faster than the national average, with more people requiring care services each year.

As a result, the county council needs to save money in other parts of its budget to find more money to care for people who need our help the most. Next year the county council proposes to increase funding to adult social care services by £5m to account for demographic changes.

Councillor Hudspeth continued: “The government’s autumn budget provided additional funding for social services, which relieves some of the short-term pressures next year [2019/20] but like all councils, our social workers are dealing with more and more children and adults.”

Council Tax proposals

The council’s plan – agreed at the last budget in February 2018 - to raise Council Tax by 2.99 per cent in 2019/20 and 1.99 per cent in the years thereafter remains the same in the new budget proposals.

However, funding for local government beyond 2020 is currently uncertain, with councils waiting for funding decisions from central government which will not be known until late 2019.

The planned redesign of the council around the changing needs of residents and communities will maintain or improve services, with investment in new technology enabling us to save money in the process.

Transforming will enable us to meet future demand for council services – particularly for vulnerable children and adults – while continuing to invest in the county’s infrastructure.

Following agreement of the blueprint for the transformed council, the council is planning for the implementation of the changes and identifying the upfront investment needed, particularly in digital technology. The costs and savings from the implementation of the redesign over the next four years will be reflected in the budget once they have been finalised.

Have your say

We are asking people for their views on our budget proposals and our proposed Council Tax level for 2019/20. Read the consultation booklet and take part online from Thursday 6 December at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/budget. Alternatively pick up a copy of the consultation booklet at a library or email your views to budget@oxfordshire.gov.uk. The closing date for comments is Sunday 6 January 2019.

Main budget proposals

Budget increases to meet the predicated demand for services

• Investment of almost £6m by 2023 to increase care packages to meet assessed needs for adults with learning and physical disabilities. (Adult Social Care)
• An increase of £5.8m is proposed to be added to the budget in 2022/23 in adult social care to meet projected increased need as a result of the aging population. The council’s existing planning up to 2021/22 already includes provision for budget increases of £5.0m in 2019/20 and 2020/21 and £5.6m in 2021/22. (Adult Social Care)
• Invest £3.2m up to 2023 (£800,000 per year) to support the increasing number of children qualifying for school transport – in particular children with special educational needs. (Children, Education and Families)
• Invest £17m to support the predicted increasing numbers of children in care, including more permanent care staff (Children, Education and Families)

Other financial pressures

• Following a review by the Treasury, the employer contributions to the firefighter pension scheme have been increased nationally to meet the future costs of the scheme – this creates a pressure of £1.6m up to 2023. (Communities)
• Energy price increases of approx. 30% in 2017/18 continue to impact on the cost of providing street lighting and along with repayment of borrowing to pay for LED lighting upgrades this creates a pressure of £2.6m up to 2023. (Communities)
• Funding the inflationary increase in the rates the council pays to adult social care providers from 2020/21 to keep pace with potential increases in the National Living Wage and to respond to other inflationary pressures of £3.3m (Adult Social Care)
• A growing number of children in the county have defined special educational needs (SEND). The number of SEND children; the increasing complexity of disabilities, and the legal changes that mean parents can ask for an assessment for more services has contributed to the growing numbers with an assessed need. This is an unavoidable budget pressure of £5.6m as the Department for Education grant does not cover council costs, and Oxfordshire receives one of the lowest grants in the country. (Corporate)

Proposed savings

This is a list of some of the most significant savings that will be considered by members of the Performance Scrutiny Committee on Thursday 13 December.

Children, Education and Families

The following are proposals already announced that will now take place over coming financial years.

• The council is re-negotiating contracts with outside organisations who assist in the provision of children’s social care. Block contracts provide specific varieties of care for pre-agreed payment. This would save £2.65m between 2019 and 2023.
• The council is working on a new model of delivering children’s social care following the example of other councils who have been able to structure themselves differently to deliver faster more intensive and therefore more effective care to families while at the same time streamlining processes. This would save £1.74m up to 2023.
• Moving children in care back home with increased support rather than keeping them in expensive care placements could save £2.491m. This is based on a new ‘safer and sooner’ approach to family support developed with the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).

Communities

• Greater streetlight efficiency due to LED replacements would save £2.6m up to 2023.

Adult social care

• The council currently contributes money towards mental health services that sit with the NHS. This has not reduced over the last five years. Mental health has been protected to date but it is proposed that savings now be made in keeping with savings made elsewhere in adult social care. This would save £1m over 2020/21 and 2021/22 and a further £600,000 on staffing. The reduction in staff spend of £600k with Oxford Health is in order to invest in social work staff for special educational needs and safeguarding and is not an absolute reduction.
• In adult social care, proactive and supportive review / reassessments of learning disability packages of care to increase user independence and ensure best use of resources would save £1.5m
• A person’s care needs are assessed at the time the care is put in place and there are then annual review/reassessments. By investing in a more proactive approach to these review /reassessments care packages can be streamlined to ensure they continue to meet people’s eligible needs while capacity can be released for other people’s essential care needs. With a limited amount of home care the council needs to ensure the right people are getting the right amount of care. This could save £2.4m
• In adult social care, savings of £1.5m are expected as a result of price negotiations with providers on long and short-term care home beds.

Areas of uncertainty in budget setting looking forward to 2023

There are key areas in which councils need more information in coming months:

• Fair Funding Review – the Government is examining the current formula that decides funding allocations for local authorities by updating the assessment of their needs. The Government plans an updated funding formula by looking again at the factors that drive costs for local authorities.
• National Government’s Spending Review – the Treasury is conducting a review across Central Government as to how each much each Whitehall Department will receive in funding. This will affect local government but also defence, health, home affairs, education and all other Government departments.

• Business Rates Retention – the Government is undertaking a review of how much councils should retain in Business Rates that are collected locally.
• Taxbase and collection fund – for 2019/20 the council is awaiting information from district councils about how many homes will be paying Council Tax overall (factoring in housebuilding etc) and how successful district councils have been in collecting Council Tax from those eligible to pay.

The redesigned council will enable residents to report faults or book appointments online, freeing up staff time to help to service users who cannot go online or have complex care needs.

Staff will be given the tools they need to do a better job and spend more time on delivering services to residents. Outdated ICT systems make it hard to join up services and will be replaced, with admin tasks automated to save money and make the council run more smoothly.

The changes will support the county council’s long-term vision of ‘thriving communities for everyone in Oxfordshire’. The redesign is also needed to secure the council’s long-term financial stability as demand for services continues to rise – particularly for children and adult social care.

Yvonne Rees, Chief Executive of Oxfordshire County Council, said:

“We know that the council has to change as the needs of Oxfordshire residents change, and we have to provide more services with fewer resources. Councillors have decided that now is the time to make a major investment to ensure that we provide services more effectively so we can continue to support the county’s thriving communities in the future.

“Residents who are used to booking holidays online or checking their bank balance will see real improvements in their dealings with the council. We also know that computers are not for everyone and I would like to reassure those people that there will still be a personal touch for those who need it.”

The Cabinet approved the plan to work with specialist advisors PwC as the programme management partner, with likelihood of other partners being brought in for specific projects.

Highways England, who are leading on this national project, have identified Corridor B as their proposal, the central corridor from the three broad corridors being considered. However, we still have no indication on which of the sub-options around Oxford would be taken forward.

We will now carefully study the Corridor put forward, including the justification and technical detail which has led to this choice, and how it would affect already stretched roads, such as the A34 and interface with other schemes including East West Rail.

As a member of the Oxfordshire Growth Board, we strongly support better transport links and other infrastructure between Oxford and Cambridge in this strategically important corridor. However, we have set 3 tests to assess the decision-making process for that corridor and, eventually, the final route choice:

• Impact on the A34: it should provide relief to congestion on the A34 and function as a separate strategic route, allowing the A34 around Oxford to work better for local traffic
• Pressure on existing roads: It should not increase pressure on overstretched roads
• Conflation with other schemes: It should be developed separately but alongside other local schemes, to ensure the highway network works for Oxfordshire overall

This initiative aims to be a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to unlock growth that can help us to continue developing thriving, well connected communities for all in Oxfordshire. Invariably, a project of this magnitude and ambition will have an impact, which we will need to ensure is mitigated. That is why we are working with Highways England and in partnership with other councils, organisations and businesses to get the best deal for Oxfordshire. We will continue to do this, and seek clarity on how the corridor choice is developed so that a decision can be made on the best route for the scheme

Oxfordshire County Council could get a complete overhaul to ensure it is ‘fit for the future’ and continues to meet rising demand for services.

The proposed changes, which will be considered by councillors in September, are crucial to enabling the county council to deliver its vision of ‘thriving communities for everyone’.

The transformation plan would protect and improve frontline services for residents, while cutting red tape and reducing the costs of ‘back office’ administration. The proposed redesign of the county council could save between £34m-58m a year and ensure a continued balanced budget, with the possibility of reinvesting in services in the future.

The council needs to save £33m as part of its four-year budget plan, so the lower end of the estimated savings meets that need. The alternative would be finding other savings that would be more likely to reduce services to residents.

Improving customer service and reducing administration costs

Customer service, supported by new technology, will be at the heart of the proposed new ‘operating model’ to make the council much more efficient. Residents contacting the council will see improved customer service, with better use of digital technology freeing up time for specialist staff to provide personalised services where needed.

The proposed redesign also makes working with communities the top priority, so that services are as effective and efficient as possible. This will include improved use of data to target resources where they are needed most and have the greatest impact.

The ‘operating model’ was developed after a review of every aspect of the way the county council works conducted by professional advisors, PwC. The review found the council had successfully managed reductions in government funding over the last eight years, but needed to fundamentally change to meet future challenges of rising demand for services – particularly care for vulnerable children and adults and to use technology to give residents a better service.

Councillor Ian Hudspeth, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said:

“These proposed changes are a crucial part of the county council’s commitment to supporting thriving communities for everyone in Oxfordshire.

“Over the last eight years, the county council has taken some difficult decisions so we can meet the growing demand for services while staying on a sound financial footing. We are now looking to the future to create an organisation that can provide services that Oxfordshire people and communities want and need.

“We still need to save money to meet our budget pressures over the next few years. This review has shown that we can provide more support by cutting red tape and reducing the costs of ‘back office’ administration and making sure taxpayers’ money is spent on providing council services.

“The advice from PwC will more than pay for itself by finding financial savings that we could not have found on our own. This is a golden opportunity to make real changes that would at one and the same time save money and benefit the public. The report clearly says that we can makes these changes without reducing the quality of services for residents.

“Our systems currently do not support staff as well as they could do in order for them to do the best job they can – and we know how frustrating that is because staff tell us that. There’s no doubt they are working hard and trying to do their best for Oxfordshire, but our systems, structures need to better support them. We have a duty now to act on that.”

The new operating model will be considered by county councillors during September, with a decision taken by Cabinet on 18 September. If agreed, councillors would meet again in October to consider how best to implement the operating model and the investment that will be required. Savings could then be made from the start of the next financial year.

As well as reducing the costs of administration, the programme is also looking at innovative ways to deliver services differently, including better use of technology. Ideas being considered include:

• Opportunities to improve the efficiency of home to school transport provision
• Remote testing of fire alarms
• Use of drones in emergency situations
• Assistive technology to help disabled children

The benefits and how the changes would be implemented

Oxfordshire County Council commissioned PwC to do a detailed analysis of the potential savings that could come from redesigning the council and investing in digital technology. According to this analysis, estimated savings in the range of £34-58m per year could be possible over a five-year period.

Implementing the new ways of working would address the savings the council needs to make and could enable future investment in council services. The estimated one-off costs of up to £18m to implement the new operating model, including the necessary digital investment, would be paid back from the savings made

Detailed design work is now well underway and councillors will be updated on progress during September. Much of that work has been based on a detailed “Activity Analysis” of the way the council’s departments and staff within them currently operate.

The detailed business case for implementing the new operating model currently estimates a potential reduction of approximately 600-890 full time equivalent posts at the council over a two to three-year period. The council’s annual staff turnover is about 650 posts so the number of compulsory redundancies is likely to be much fewer.

Council leader Ian Hudspeth added:

“We are committed to reducing the number of redundancies by retraining staff wherever possible to fill the new jobs that would be created as a result of the proposed new council operation.”

Like all councils, Oxfordshire County Council has had to manage a significant reduction to government funding since 2010 while coping with rising demand for services, particularly adult and children’s social care.

Annual savings of more than £300m have been made since 2010, with most of this money being used to meet growing demand for social care for vulnerable children and adults. The council has become significantly more efficient since 2010, including sharing HR and finance services with Hampshire County Council and reducing the number of managers.

Further details can be read in the report to cabinet here

County Council Leader Ian Hudspeth writes:

Oxfordshire is getting its act together to meet the real challenges of economic growth and providing homes for the people of Oxfordshire, now and for future generations. The announcement in the autumn budget of funding for homes and infrastructure is the evidence.

The key that unlocks that growth is transport infrastructure – the connections that enable people to get to work, and encourage business and housing developers to invest. The government has committed to help fund our priorities. These include Didcot, West Oxfordshire along the A40 and north of Oxford; tackling the A34, and providing the infrastrcuture to support Bicester’s ambitious growth plans.

Communities secretary Sajid Javid said he was ‘impressed with the collaborative approach to the deal’ taken by Oxfordshire’s six councils. But the announcement of this funding, linked to delivering ambitious targets for new homes, is just the start. Government wants to see that we can continue to work together with strong local leadership. That is ministerial code for taking tough decisions that will not always be popular.

We quickly need to provide government with a credible plan for housing growth to get the cash. Longer term we need to work together to produce a spatial plan that recognises the importance of planning for jobs, homes and transport for Oxfordshire as a whole. For the first time, developing a spatial plan will force the different parts of Oxfordshire and the different interest groups within it to agree a vision for the future of the whole county that is in all our interests

We have many advantages of wealth and knowledge in Oxfordshire compared to other parts of Britain. But to some extent we are also playing catch up. Cambridgeshire has been better at using the planning system and government investment to capitalise on its science and technology assets. To use a boat race analogy, we are drawing level with both crews pulling hard.

Although that friendly local rivalry will continue, to compete with places much, much further east of Cambridgeshire, we will need to work together. The National Infrastructure (NIC) report on the economic potential of the ‘brain belt’ between Oxfordshire and Cambridge shows that our future prosperity lies as much in working together as competing against each other.

The announcement of the growth deal with Government is a small but important part of what Oxfordshire needs to be a vital part of that growth opportunity. We need to bring the ideas people and their backers to this corner of the globe and then, sure, we can try to get them to Oxfordshire. But amid the uncertainty about investment in UK plc, the most important thing is to get them here.

Last week Sajid Javid told the baby boomers that they had to get real about the need to solve the housing crisis, which is impacting on their children and grandchildren. I agree. But we cannot have growth at any costs, and I was reassured by the NIC’s recommendations about protecting the environment and quality of life.

I am nailing my colours firmly to the mast here – I am for growth that creates jobs, grows the economy and helps our children find a home to raise a family, and their children to do the same. But I also know there are many other important reasons that people want to live in Oxfordshire. The challenge we all face as politicians is ensuring we can have both.

The report makes a series of recommendations to Government on how to maximise the economic potential of the 130-mile corridor that links the two cities over the next thirty years.

The Board will now study the report in detail and looks forward to the Government’s response to its findings.

The project aims to grow the knowledge-based economy across the arc so that it competes on a global stage with areas such as Silicon Valley in the US, while protecting the area’s high-quality environment, and securing the homes and jobs that the area needs.

The area is home to four of the UK’s fastest growing towns and cities, as well as globally-renowned centres of research expertise and advanced manufacturing. Oxfordshire already boasts concentrations of cutting-edge innovation, in particular the Harwell and Culham science parks, Oxford’s universities and medical research centres and the automotive and motorsport clusters particularly in the north of the county.

The NIC’s proposals seek to bring forward investment to harness the region’s economic potential, to benefit local people and boost UK plc in a post-Brexit landscape. It is proposing significant investment funding for new transport infrastructure. This includes strategic schemes - such as East-West Rail connecting Oxford and Cambridge via Milton Keynes, as well as more localised projects - such as the opening of a Cowley Branch Line by end 2019, and improved cycle routes across the county.

The Growth Board has already published an Oxfordshire Infrastructure Strategy that identifies the county’s infrastructure needs up to 2040. It has also recently approved proposals to develop a joint strategic spatial plan for Oxfordshire to provide a county-wide integrated planning framework to support sustainable growth. And it has endorsed plans to develop a ‘Living Lab’ within the county to test and measure the impact of a variety of innovative approaches to improve health, mobility and energy generation.

Councillor Bob Price, Chair of the Oxfordshire Growth Board and Leader of Oxford City Council, said: “Oxfordshire is at the centre of the UK’s knowledge-based economy. This region is already growing strongly and the Oxford-Cambridge ‘brain belt’ offers an opportunity to create a fourth economic powerhouse for the UK to rival those in London, the Midlands and the North. This economic growth needs to be matched by investment in infrastructure and provision of more high quality affordable housing, as well as social infrastructure such as schools and hospitals, while protecting our high-quality environment.

“There are some eye-catching numbers in the NIC report that looks right out to 2050 and covers a wide arc. Our focus across Oxfordshire today and over coming years will be to ensure that development is properly planned, is sustainable and works in the interests of existing and well as future residents. In particular, we want to improve connectivity and tackle congestion to make Oxfordshire an easier place for everyone to travel around.”

Councillor Ian Hudspeth, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, the strategic planning authority, said: “As the transport lead for Oxfordshire we take great encouragement from the report’s call for Government to commit to and accelerate both East West Rail and the Expressway, to look at re-opening the Cowley branch line and to make Oxford `world class for cycling`.

“We have been calling for the right infrastructure to support growth and new housing for a while now. The recent short term announcements, including for Botley Road and the new slip roads from the A34 at Abingdon, have been very welcome but it is these longer term and major investments that will make the real difference for residents to get around more easily and for businesses to contribute to the UK’s economic success over the coming decades.”

Nigel Tipple, Chief Executive of Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP), said: “This announcement is extremely welcome news for Oxfordshire and the regions identified in this report.

“Just last week, PwC’s ‘Good Growth for Cities’ report announced Oxford as being one of the two highest-performing cities – in relation to growth – anywhere in the UK. This follows last month’s announcement from Irwin Mitchell and the Centre for Economics and Business Research who said Oxford had the second fastest-growing economy of any UK city.

“It is clear that Oxfordshire continues to reaffirm a position of having a world-leading economy and this report further identifies the global opportunities and strengths our region has to offer.”

The six councils represented on the Oxfordshire Growth Board are Cherwell District Council, Oxford City Council, Oxfordshire County Council, South Oxfordshire District Council, Vale of White Horse District Council and West Oxfordshire District Council, together with the OxLEP.

NIC report: "Partnering for prosperity: A new deal for the Cambridge/Milton Keynes-Oxford Arc": https://www.nic.org.uk/publications/partnering-prosperity-new-deal-cambridge-milton-keynes-oxford-arc/

The draft Infrastructure Strategy is an independent report commissioned by Oxfordshire’s six councils who make up the Oxfordshire Growth Board. Developed in partnership, it sets out the investment in transport, schools, hospitals and other infrastructure needed to support the predicted growth in population, and meet the future needs of Oxfordshire families, their children and grandchildren in terms of jobs and homes across the county to 2040 and beyond.

Major investment projects include:

• Improvements to the A34
• Rapid bus routes linking key locations
• East-West Rail connecting Oxford to Cambridge
• A long term strategy to address congestion on the A40
• Redevelopment of Oxford Station
• A new Garden Town for Didcot
• Incentives to encourage businesses to locate and expand within the Science Vale.

Once adopted, the Oxfordshire Infrastructure Strategy will provide an agreed template for planning and directing around £9 billion of mainly central government investment to support Oxfordshire’s growth to 2040 and beyond. The Oxfordshire Growth Board will consider the final report on 26 September 2017.

That investment is linked to number of key national decisions expected over the next few months. These include the publication of the Government’s Industrial Strategy and the second report from the National Infrastructure Commission; allocations from the Housing Investment Fund and the autumn Budget.

There is still time for residents and businesses to have their say on the emerging infrastructure strategy for Oxfordshire before 10 September 2017 by visiting: www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/growthboard.

Councillor Bob Price, Chair of the Growth Board and Leader of Oxford City Council, said: “Across the county, people need places to live, with a great environment, transport and other vital infrastructure to support them. Oxfordshire sits at the centre of the UK’s knowledge economy and must play a key role in the nation’s future growth story. This is only possible by attracting significant investment to the region, and the Infrastructure Strategy shows Government and other infrastructure funding partners the investment Oxfordshire needs in a clear and co-ordinated way. It helps set Oxfordshire’s course for the future.”

Councillor Ian Hudspeth, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council and Growth Board member, said: “As the lead for transport and highways in the county; improved, new and appropriate infrastructure is key to how we see Oxfordshire growing and developing in the coming years. We want to see benefits for both new and existing residents. To achieve this we are working closely with partners including OxLEP, our Local Enterprise Partnership, and all of our local planning authorities. This joined-up approach in Oxfordshire is vital if we are to achieve our ambitions through this strategy.”

Nigel Tipple, Chief Executive of OxLEP (Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership), said: “The need to ensure Oxfordshire benefits from an infrastructure that is fit for purpose and one that doesn’t hold back dynamic economic growth – whilst being sensitive to the environment – is a key priority.

“As a county, we need to maintain growth but – similarly – ensure that our future infrastructure fully-supports our desire to grow.”

The Oxfordshire Growth Board is a joint committee of the six councils, formed to provide strategic planning for all the challenges that the growth agenda for Oxfordshire brings.

The six councils represented on the Oxfordshire Growth Board are Cherwell District Council, Oxford City Council, Oxfordshire County Council, South Oxfordshire District Council, Vale of White Horse District Council and West Oxfordshire District Council.

This release is issued on behalf of the Oxfordshire Growth Board.

The trial is thought to be the first on-street charging pilot of its size in the world, and the University of Oxford has described the project as having “global scientific significance”.

It will see six different charging technologies installed – ranging from cable gullies to retrofitting lamp posts with charging stations – with the aim of finding the best solutions for Oxford residents.

Councillor Ian Hudspeth, Oxfordshire County Council Leader, said: “We are committed to working with partners to facilitate the transition to a low emission fleet in Oxford and Oxfordshire. This is a great project and a great example of using Oxford as a ‘living lab’ to get new ideas on the ground fast to benefit residents.

“The pilot element of the project is a learning experience - identifying the best charging solutions for different situations and locations and using our assets in better, smarter ways will help minimise costs. We hope to take what we have learnt from this project and look at how we can support on street charging across the whole of Oxfordshire.”

Dr Tim Schwanen, Director of University of Oxford’s Transport Studies Unit, said: "The project has global scientific significance because we know surprisingly little about how electric vehicle users and local communities adapt to new charging infrastructure, especially if this is provided on residential streets where availability of a parking space is not guaranteed."

Currently, residents who own electric vehicles and have on-street parking in Oxford’s narrow terraced streets struggle to charge their cars.

The first phase of the project will see 30 charging stations installed. Ten of these will be available for the general public, 10 for Co-wheels Car Club vehicles, and the remaining for individual households.

Installation of the charging stations will begin this month (August) and they will be ready for residents and the general public to use in October 2017. The trial will last for 12 months.

The best solutions from the trial will then be rolled out in approximately 100 sites across Oxford’s residential streets. This is expected to happen in 2018.

Oxford City Council chose the locations after calling for Oxford residents who either owned or wanted to own an electric vehicle to come forward. These 20 volunteers will provide feedback on the chargers as part of the trial.

Download app to locate chargers

The network of public chargers will be managed by NewMotion, a Dutch company that brings a wealth of experience from the Netherlands to support the project.

People who wish to use the public chargers can apply to NewMotion for a free charge card and download the NewMotion app for real-time information on where chargers are available.

Co-wheels Car Club plans to introduce 10 new electric cars in Oxford from this autumn, and will use the new charging points to power them. Alongside the project volunteers, Co-Wheels Car Club will also collect feedback on the chargers.

The resident feedback on the charging stations will be collated and analysed by researchers from the University of Oxford’s Transport Studies Unit (TSU). The results will then be fed back to the Government to inform national and local authority investment in charging stations in the future. The findings will also be shared with the global research community through publications in peer-reviewed academic journals.

Renewable energy company Good Energy will provide power to the public chargers from its network of solar, hydro, wind and biofuel generators. This means electric vehicles using the public charging points will be run entirely on renewable energy.

Private chargers will be run from the residents’ own energy supply.

Oxford City Council, which is managing the project, is working in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council on the scheme.

The project, called Go Ultra Low Oxford (GULO), has been made possible after the City Council and County Council secured an £800,000 grant from the Government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV).

The Government set up the £40m Go Ultra Low Cities scheme to encourage thousands of people to consider switching to an electric car.

The aim of Go Ultra Low Oxford is to reduce air pollution in the city and further lower the city’s carbon emissions by giving more people the option of driving and owning electric vehicles.

Although work by the City Council and County Council has helped reduce air pollution by an average of 36.9 per cent in the last decade, nitrogen dioxide levels are still above the legal limit in some areas of Oxford.

In July, Oxford City Council joined leaders from cities across England to criticise the Government’s Clean Air Plan, and called for Secretary of State Michael Gove to do more to crack down on polluting vehicles.

Air pollution is estimated to cause 40,000 deaths a year in the UK, according to a report from the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

Councillor John Tanner, City Council Executive Board Member for a Clean and Green Oxford, said: “I’m thrilled that Oxford City Council is leading the delivery of the Go Ultra Low Oxford Project with Oxfordshire County Council.

“This Government-funded project is tackling a real issue for many Oxford residents who would like to drive electric, but can’t have a charger at home because they have no driveway.

“By 2027 more people could be buying electric cars than petrol or diesel, and our project will help us prepare for this future.”

Richard Falconer, Managing Director of Co-wheels Car Club, said: “There is a lot of interest from our Oxford members to have more electric vehicles on our fleet so this project is a brilliant opportunity.

“Many Co-wheels members don’t want to add another car to our busy roads and would rather use a shared vehicle when they really need one, now they have the option to reduce the impact on our environment even more by using a zero emission car.”

Notes to editors

Further information on the Go Ultra Low Oxford project – including the locations of the new chargers – can be found at www.goultralowoxford.org.

NewMotion charge cards can be applied for at https://newmotion.com/en/products/charge-card.

The NewMotion app can be downloaded at https://newmotion.com/en/products/public-charge-app.

Co-wheels Car Club is an award-winning social enterprise working to develop and improve access to more sustainable car use for communities across the UK. People can join the car club at www.co-wheels.org.uk.

The companies and technologies being trialled in Oxford are:

• Bicester-based company Zeta Specialist Lighting produces extremely slim-line charging posts (130mm wide), perfect for installing on some of Oxford’s narrow footways.

• Ubitricity provide a ‘simple socket’, which can be fitted to lamp columns. These can only be used with a smart cable, which activates the socket, calculates the energy used and communicates remotely with the Ubitricity billing system to charge customers for their share of the energy used.

• Evolt provide:

  • A smart charging unit which can be attached to lamp columns – this can be used with any cable, and communicates directly with the billing system.

  • A smart double-charging post, capable of charging two cars in three to four hours.

  • A home charging system paired with a cable channel which will keep home-charging cables safely tucked into the pavement and allow residents to use their own home energy supply for charging.

• Franklin Energy and Ensto provides a slim-line smart double charging post which can charge two vehicles at the same time while managing the energy demand on the electrical grid.

Government funding has been awarded to South Oxfordshire District Council to accelerate the delivery of Didcot’s Northern Perimeter Road – a vital piece of local infrastructure.

As a critical transport link around Didcot, it will be one of the new roads that will be key to the success of Didcot Garden Town, a locally-led development which aims to build over 15,000 homes by 2031.

This funding will help relieve pressure on local transport networks and accommodate the expanding communities in the local area.

The infrastructure investment promises to boost economic growth across the Science Vale and enterprise zone, increasing employment by 20,000 over the next 20 years.

County Councillor Ian Hudspeth, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council said:

“The county council is pleased to see Oxfordshire’s growth ambitions recognised by the funding announcement today (August 10). The Northern Perimeter Road will provide a critical link in and around Didcot and will provide the much needed infrastructure to support the new homes planned for Didcot.

"Oxfordshire County Council looks forward to working in partnership with South Oxfordshire District Council and Lady Grove East developers to ensure the scheme adds to the successful delivery of Didcot Garden Town, ensuring that Oxfordshire continues to be a thriving place to live and work.

“We have a long history of delivering major road schemes and improvements using government money to enable the road network to meet the demands of the future and look forward to starting work on this latest investment in Oxfordshire transport.”

Housing and Planning Minister, Alok Sharma said:

“We need to deliver the right infrastructure in the right places to speed up house building and deliver the homes this country needs.  This £6.2m funding is excellent news for the Oxfordshire area, promising to boost local growth and turbo-charge the delivery of thousands of new homes.”

Transport Secretary, Chris Grayling said:

“We are investing record amounts in improving our roads which will lead to faster journeys, less congestion, more job opportunities and better community links.  The Didcot northern perimeter scheme will benefit motorists and support the vital development of thousands of new homes, boosting the local economy.”

HCA Chief Executive, Nick Walkley said:

“This autumn, the HCA will relaunch as Homes England with the ambition of creating a better housing market. We’re determined to get more homes built now and increase the rate of future development. This development is a fantastic example of how we fund infrastructure which is the vital first step in developing a new garden town, creating a new community and providing much-needed homes and jobs.”

The Government’s Housing White Paper sets out how well-planned, well-designed new communities have a crucial role to play in meeting the country’s long-term housing needs. Across England, Government is supporting the locally-led development of 10 Garden Towns and Cities, as well as 14 Garden Villages.

Good design is at the heart of the plan

Didcot Garden Town’s delivery plan sets out a vision for the development of high quality housing and the transformation of the local area. Good design is at the heart of the plan, prioritising high quality public and green spaces. In keeping with its location at the heart of Oxfordshire’s Science Vale, cutting-edge technology will underpin and enable development.

A mix of affordable and private rented homes will be supported not only by new roads but by a host of other new facilities, including new cycle paths, a leisure centre, new schools, shops and more green spaces. Guided by residents, this development promises to rejuvenate the area whilst retaining the unique character of Didcot town.

The Department for Local Government and Communities (DCLG) has also awarded grant funding for critical infrastructure to drive the delivery of other large-scale housing projects across the country. This includes:

• £2.6m for the regeneration of Poole Power Station in Dorset;
• £1.25m to fund infrastructure in the Waterside area of Nottingham; and
• £9.6m for the development of Parkhurst Urban Village on the Isle of Wight.

Councillor John Cotton, Leader of South Oxfordshire District Council said:

"The district council made a commitment to residents in Didcot that the Garden Town project would deliver infrastructure. So I'm really pleased that we are able to fund the completion of the northern perimeter road - a project that has been sat waiting for years.

“Once completed, the road will relieve pressure elsewhere in the town and provide a real boost to other Garden Town proposals."

Further information

South Oxfordshire and the Vale of the White Horse District Councils have recently finished consulting on their delivery plan. The responses received will now be collated and taken into account as the delivery plan takes shape on the ground. The final plan will be launched in the autumn.

The remainder of the funding required for Didcot’s Northern Perimeter Road will come from contributions secured from developers responsible for nearby housing developments, and additional business rates income from Didcot’s second Enterprise Zone.

Every garden town the government is supporting will provide at least 10,000 new homes, either in high quality new communities or as transformational development, both in nature and in scale, to an existing settlement. The 10 garden towns & cities and 14 garden villages (1,500 to 10,000 new homes) in the government’s programme have the potential to deliver over 200,000 homes.

Councillor Ian Hudspeth, the Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “Oxfordshire County Council is investing millions of pounds on cycle route improvements and will continue to do so in future. Our Local Transport Plan is an ambitious 20 year strategy, which in Oxford includes cycle route improvements to provide safe and direct access to a range of destinations. Over the last few years the county council has also delivered a number of schemes that support more cycling including at Frideswide Square and The Plain roundabout.

“We are currently implementing a £12.5m package of improvements as part of the ‘Access to Headington’ project that will deliver new and improved cycle routes and priority as well as a number of innovative cycle features such as segregated ‘hybrid’ cycle lanes and cycle pre-signals. All of these improvements are designed to help people move around the county in a healthy way while supporting Oxfordshire’s thriving economy. We also have a programme of cycling projects across the county, including a £4.5m package of schemes in Science Vale. “We want to make cycling accessible to everyone in Oxfordshire, regardless of age, background or cycling experience.”

Councillor Bob Price, the Leader of Oxford City Council: “We are delighted to welcome Andrew Gilligan to Oxford, our cycling city where already thousands of people commute to work by bike. We will show him our aspirations run much higher – we want Oxford to become not just the UK’s cycling capital, but an international model that inspires cities across the world to promote cycling as a means to tackle pollution and congestion, and keep people healthy. The City and County Councils have spent significant amounts in recent years to improve cycling infrastructure across Oxford, but funding from the National Infrastructure Commission will allow a significant step change. We want to see more segregated and car-free cycling lanes that link transport hubs with employment sites, and more cycle parking in the city centre and at park and ride sites, to further encourage people to commute by bike. For a city with what is essentially a medieval street plan that’s challenging; but with the right backing it is achievable.”

Pic.1 (l-r) Cllr Hudspeth, Andrew Gilligan and Cllr Price. Pic.2 Cllr Price, Andrew Gilligan, and Cllr Hudspeth.

The e-bikes were kindly on loan for Mr Gilligan’s visit by a local retailer Bike Zone, located on St Michael’s Street in Oxford. Both Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council are keen to encourage greater use of e-bikes, which are ideal for less confident cyclists and people keen to improve their health but concerned about their fitness to cycle.

Two new south-facing slip roads at the Lodge Hill Interchange will help end years of congestion and pave the way for up to 1,700 new homes in Abingdon.

The long-awaited scheme, which will receive up to £9.45 million over 4 years, will also boost growth in the wider Science Vale area, where up to 20,000 new jobs and 20,000 new homes will be created by 2031.

This is on top of the £2.3 billion Housing Infrastructure Fund, announced earlier this month, which will pay for local infrastructure across the country to support local housing delivery.

 Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said:

“Local leaders in Oxfordshire want to go for growth, and so that’s why I’ve pledged more than £9 million of Government cash for this A34 upgrade scheme.

“Most people are willing to accept new housing in their areas, but they don’t want to see massive development when local roads are already under pressure.

“This funding will bring much-needed improvements to the A34 for motorists and help to deliver thousands of new homes that Oxfordshire desperately needs.

“This is thanks to the hard work of former MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, Nicola Blackwood, who tirelessly campaigned for this interchange to receive Government funding, working closely with Oxfordshire County Council and the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership.”

Councillor Ian Hudspeth, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council said:

“The County Council is pleased to see Oxfordshire’s growth ambitions recognised by the funding announcement today. The delivery of much needed housing in and around Abingdon is heavily reliant on funding for new slips at Lodge Hill.

"Residents have been concerned that large numbers of houses will be built before the necessary highway infrastructure is in place. This announcement means that vital infrastructure will be built at the early phase of development to cope with the associated additional traffic.

"Oxfordshire County Council will continue to work with our partners at Highway’s England to deliver the scheme as quickly as possible to ensure Oxfordshire is a thriving place to live and work.”

Nigel Tipple, Chief Executive of OxLEP, said:

“This announcement represents a further positive step in ensuring Oxfordshire has an infrastructure that is fit for purpose, supporting the county’s desire to grow.

“Securing a strong infrastructure is a priority for OxLEP and we are confident that this prioritised Local Growth Fund investment will bring a variety of benefits across a number of key areas.

“We expect the Lodge Hill investment to unlock greater housing growth in the area, give better connectivity to key ‘hubs’ – such as Milton Park and the Harwell campus – as well as relieving pressure around the A34 Marcham Interchange.”

The report by AECOM, a professional and technical services firm highlights the need for long-term investment that will be required to plan for and manage growth in a way that supports the local economy and protects quality of life across the county.

For the first time Oxfordshire councils are working together to develop a joint infrastructure strategy, detailing the county’s key infrastructure requirements.

Some of these have been outlined already in individual Local Plans and the Local Transport Plan, but the Oxfordshire Growth Board has looked more comprehensively at what is going to be required further into the future across all areas.

Major investment projects include:

• Improvements to the A34
• Rapid bus routes linking key locations
• East-West Rail connecting Oxford to Cambridge
• A long term strategy to address congestion on the A40
• Redevelopment of Oxford Station
• A new Garden Town for Didcot
• Incentives to encourage businesses to locate and expand within the Science Vale.

Once complete, the Oxfordshire Growth Board will have a new infrastructure strategy that will identify, map and support the county’s strategic infrastructure requirements. It will include evidence of the infrastructure required for strategic transport, energy and the utilities, waste management, flooding and water management, green infrastructure, education, adult social care and broadband. It will be clear on what is needed to keep Oxfordshire thriving to support anticipated growth to 2040 and beyond and what it will cost to deliver it, currently estimated at £9 billion. This will help infrastructure providers to plan for the future.

Outgoing chair of the Oxfordshire Growth Board, Councillor Ian Hudspeth, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: "Across the county, people need places to live, with a great environment, transport and other vital infrastructure to support them. We remain committed to attracting the necessary investment to the region so that we can have the right infrastructure in place through to 2040 so that residents, businesses and visitors continue to thrive.”

Incoming chair of the Oxfordshire Growth Board, Councillor Bob Price, Leader of Oxford City Council, said: “It is really important that we plan the infrastructure needed to support Oxfordshire and its growth. By having an integrated strategy that clearly shows the infrastructure needed to support future growth such as new housing developments and new businesses, we stand a greater chance of securing the necessary funding to deliver what is required.”

Nigel Tipple, Chief Executive, Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP), said: “The need to ensure Oxfordshire benefits from an infrastructure that is fit for purpose and one that doesn’t hold back economic growth – whilst being sensitive to the environment – is a key priority. This draft strategy is aligned with the priorities set out in our own strategic economic plan for Oxfordshire and – as a Local Enterprise Partnership – we will continue to champion our economy with the aim of securing future funds for key projects.

“Oxfordshire has seen 45,000 new jobs created over the past five years, representing over half of a 2031 target of 85,600 new jobs. As a county, we need to maintain this growth but – similarly – ensure that our future infrastructure fully-supports our desire to grow.”

Bringing together all this evidence will allow Oxfordshire to engage in strategic discussions with Government and other infrastructure funding partners to understand how it will cohesively address the challenges that providing the scale of infrastructure required presents.

The AECOM report is published on the Oxfordshire Growth Board website at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/growthboard and there is an opportunity to submit comments online.

Funding will be sought from various sources including the Government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund which is designed to deliver more homes and help support significant new growth initiatives, which includes funding for unlocking sites for new homes in areas of high demand.

The Oxfordshire Growth Board is a joint committee of the six councils, formed to provide strategic planning for all the challenges that the growth agenda for Oxfordshire brings.

ENDS

Notes to editors

The six councils represented on the Oxfordshire Growth Board are: Cherwell District Council, Oxford City Council, Oxfordshire County Council, South Oxfordshire District Council, Vale of White Horse District Council and West Oxfordshire District Council.

Plans for up to 2,500 homes on the old airfield at Grove have been officially granted outline planning permission after Persimmon Homes and Taylor Wimpey signed a legal agreement with Vale of White Horse District Council and Oxfordshire County Council that sets out the infrastructure the developers will provide to support the new housing.

The airfield site is over 140 hectares in size, 64 hectares of which will be built upon. The development will include new schools for children at both primary and secondary school age, a community hub, a local centre for shops and other community facilities, a community park, playing fields and an ecology park. It will also include around 800 affordable homes.

The next stage is for the developers to submit detailed planning applications and once those are approved, building can begin.

Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council said: “This agreement brings lots of key infrastructure and funding to support the housing growth. As well as land for new schools, the agreement secures over £40m towards new primary and secondary education facilities and key road infrastructure (Wantage Eastern Link Road). We look forward to the delivery of key infrastructure to support this much needed housing growth.”

Cllr Matthew Barber, Leader of Vale of White Horse District Council, said: “We are very pleased to have got to this stage – a lot of work and effort has gone into this from all parties. The expansion of Grove in the 60s and 70s gave thousands of families the opportunity to find a home of their own, in a good neighbourhood in the Vale. The airfield development will provide that opportunity to their children and grandchildren.”

Richard Briggs, managing director for Persimmon Homes Wessex, said: “We are delighted to have been granted outline planning for this new development which will bring much-needed starter and family homes to Oxfordshire.”

East West Rail will eventually connect Oxford in the west with Cambridge in the east, a ‘corridor’ running across the south of England which experts believe could become the UK’s answer to Silicon Valley. It will improve rail journeys for potentially millions of passengers by opening up new routes for regional and cross-country travel and reduce the need to go into London for onward connections.

It is being supported by the East West Rail Consortium, an alliance of councils including Oxfordshire County Council.

Network Rail is a holding a consultation on the section between Bicester Village and Bedford, including a spur between Princes Risborough and Milton Keynes via Aylesbury (known as the Western Section Phase Two) which began on June 30 and runs until August 11.

Public exhibition dates

• Bicester (July 10, 12-8pm, John Paul II Centre, Henley House)
• Launton (July 13, 12-8pm, Sports and Social Club, Bicester Road)

This part of the scheme will use existing rail lines, some of which have become freight only or, in other areas, have been mothballed. Trains should be running by the mid-2020s at the latest.

Councillor Yvonne Constance, Cabinet Member for Environment at Oxfordshire County Council whose portfolio includes strategic rail said:

“East West Rail is a once in a generation opportunity to secure a huge step in connectivity within Oxfordshire and across the whole Oxfordshire to Cambridgeshire area. It is a key part of the Government’s investment plan for the Oxford to Cambridge growth corridor, and the new infrastructure and rail services it provides would bring more frequent services in Oxfordshire directly connecting Bicester, Oxford and Didcot. This will in turn help reduce pressure on our busy road network, especially the A34.

“With phase 1 of the scheme between Oxford, Bicester and London already open and very successful, the consultation sets out what is proposed for Phase 2, to reopen the railway between Bicester and Milton Keynes/Bedford, along with a route down to Aylesbury. This in turn would link to the next section, the new route on to Cambridge. We encourage everyone in Oxfordshire to take a look at what is proposed and respond to the consultation before 11 August.”

Councillor Mark Shaw, chairman of the Joint Delivery Board for the Western Section, said: “East West Rail is about so much more than upgrading old bits of track to take on new passenger and freight services. It is an essential piece of infrastructure which will unlock the region’s huge economic potential and support planned housing growth - that’s why it has the support of the councils which sit along its route. We continue to lobby for it to be completed as soon as possible.

“However, I recognise that people who live near to the route may have questions about how East West Rail’s construction and new services could affect them. That’s why I’m encouraging as many people as possible to go along to the public exhibitions and speak directly to the engineers, planners, environmental experts and property specialists involved in the scheme. Residents can also submit their views to Network Rail’s consultation, so please, make your voice heard.”

Phase One of the Western Section, a link between Oxford, Oxford Parkway and Bicester Village, was completed last year. The Central Section, between Bedford and Cambridge, is the most challenging part of the scheme as much of the old railway has been built over. A route via Sandy has been identified as the ‘preferred corridor’ for a new line and work on this continues. Work is also continuing assessing ways the existing connections between Cambridge and Norwich and Ipswich in the Eastern Section can be improved.

Following a study of the region by the National Infrastructure Commission, its deputy chair, Sir John Armitt, said: "the corridor connecting Cambridge, Milton Keynes and Oxford could be Britain’s Silicon Valley – a globally recognised centre for science, technology and innovation".

To take part in the consultation log on to ewrconsultation.co.uk. The consortium’s website is www.eastwestrail.org.uk

Local roads are also set to benefit from Oxfordshire County Council being given a share from a national roads fund but details of the exact proportion of money to be allocated to Oxfordshire and other councils in England have yet to be confirmed as well as the type of road which would eligible for funding.

Bev Hindle, Strategic Director for Communities at Oxfordshire County Council said: “We welcome today’s announcement from the Government, confirming their support and commitment to invest in the A34 (M4-M40), East West Rail and the Oxford to Cambridge Expressway. We will continue to talk to Government and partners about the county’s transport infrastructure strategy to ensure the needs of future generations who live, work or travel through Oxfordshire can be met and planned for.

He continued:  “As the Transport Secretary said, getting transport spending right is absolutely crucial which is why the county council and members of the Oxfordshire Growth Board are working on a the development of an Oxfordshire Infrastructure Strategy which will identify, prioritise and cost Oxfordshire’s future infrastructure to 2040. We already know that existing funding will not deliver the scale of infrastructure investment required which is why we will work together to explore alternative sources of funding.

He concluded by saying:  “I am delighted the Government has highlighted England’s Economic Heartland as one of a number of partnerships in England that have been created between local authorities with the aim of becoming a Strategic Transport Authority. As a co-founder of England’s Economic Heartland, the county council is working hard with eight local authorities (Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes, Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, Luton, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough) to improve physical connectivity between larger urban centres, with a particular emphasis on east-west connectivity, and improved access into and within larger urban centres.”