Academics, policymakers and community leaders in Oxfordshire came together on 15 July to celebrate the success and share insights and findings from the third Local Policy Lab Fellowship programme.

Supported and introduced by the Local Policy Lab’s Chief Scientific Advisors, the current cohort of 16 Fellows shared their project plans, research and outcomes at a showcase at the Blavatnik School of Government.

The Local Policy Lab, an alliance between Oxfordshire County Council, the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University. It gives students and researchers the chance to work with local communities and understand how policy affects people in Oxfordshire.

Professor Adam Briggs, Deputy Director of Public Health at Oxfordshire County Council and programme policy partner, said: “One of the most rewarding aspects of this programme is seeing students get out of the classroom to embrace the complexity of local government, including the changing landscape of local government reorganisation, and deliver projects that provide really practical ways forward for us to better understand and meet the needs of local communities.

“By exploring questions that matter to people’s everyday lives, from care and support to employment, skills and children’s early years, the fellows are helping us build stronger evidence for decisions that can make a real difference to people across Oxfordshire.”

Aileen Marshall-Brown, Head of Engagement for the Social Sciences Division, University of Oxford, said: “For the fellows, this is an opportunity to apply their research skills to real policy questions, learn more about how evidence is used in practice, and work across institutional and professional boundaries.”

This year’s research projects brought together knowledge from many areas, including psychology, public policy, education, computing and law, and looked at important local issues such as adult social care, children’s early years, green skills, employment and more:

• Measuring What Matters: Identifying Practical Approaches to Evaluating Community Capacity Grants for Grassroot Organisations, by Freya Cole Norton and Ishbel Anderson

• Beyond the Front Door: Equity and Experience in Adult Social Care in OCC, Belen Tomic Perez and Ruben Moss-Keys

• Beyond Counting Conversations: Developing a Meaningful Evaluation Framework for Making Every Contact Count (MECC) in Oxfordshire, by Neha Bhuvarahan and Nandini Bohra

• Mapping Green-Skills Provision Across Oxfordshire, by Khin Oo Thazin and Anna Luiza Barbosa

• Understanding the Impact of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) on Young People's Engagement in Education, Employment and Training, by Nafisa Salsabil Zaman and Valter Manuel Gomes Neto

• Making the Invisible Visible: The Assessment of Harmful Parental Conflict in Children's Services, by Cameron Tan and Charlotte Mason

• Towards Meaningful Outcomes for Families, Children & the System: Evaluating the Adult-Facing Practitioner Role in Domestic Abuse Interventions, by Raquel de Almeida Lima and Otilia Rose-Marie Meden

• Best Start in Life – Good Levels of Development in Oxfordshire, by Pippa Naegeli-Evans and Yasmin Arnould

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Oxfordshire has been recognised nationally for its work to build a healthier, fairer and more sustainable food system, after becoming one of only seven places in the UK to win the Sustainable Food Places Gold Award.

The award celebrates places that have embedded food in local policy and taken cross-sector action to tackle environmental, social and economic food challenges.

Oxfordshire County Council has worked closely with Good Food Oxfordshire, the partnership driving sustainable food change across the county, and other partners to support this work, which aims to make healthy, affordable and sustainable food easier for everyone to access.

Good Food Oxfordshire applied for the award earlier this year, following a silver award in 2023.

Jenny Ekelund, CEO of Good Food Oxfordshire, said: “Winning the Gold Award is an incredible validation of the years spent weaving together local businesses, councils, community groups and farmers across Oxfordshire. It shows what happens when a whole county commits to working as a team.

“This achievement showcases gold-worthy sustainability work being done in all corners of Oxfordshire, from grassroots community projects and local farms to academic research and local government policy. This award belongs to everyone who has grown, served, and advocated for better food in Oxfordshire.”

Councillor Kate Gregory, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Inequalities, said: “Good food is about much more than what is on our plates. It is about supporting local producers, reducing our impact on the environment, helping communities to thrive and making it easier for everyone to access healthy, affordable food, particularly those most vulnerable to food insecurity.

“We are proud to work closely with Good Food Oxfordshire and partners across the county. Together, we are showing what can be achieved when councils, communities, businesses, farmers and the voluntary sector work towards a shared goal.”

As part of the rigorous application process, Good Food Oxfordshire highlighted two areas of exceptional achievement that set Oxfordshire apart: community-centred research through the Oxfordshire Living Lab (FEAST) project and its collaborative, solutions-led approach with Oxfordshire County Council.

Chloe Smee, Sustainable Food Places Partnership Lead and one of the Gold Award assessors, added: “Good Food Oxfordshire has shown what a mature, trusted food partnership can achieve. The care invested in building participative, cross-sector governance has been immense. That often invisible work of holding relationships together pays off when it matters most, ensuring Oxfordshire has an active, resilient network ready to respond whenever opportunities or challenges arise.”

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Partners from across Oxfordshire came together at an event last Friday, 10 July, to share learning, celebrate community led action and strengthen efforts to tackle health inequalities across the county.

The event, held at Unipart House in Oxford, also marked the launch of Oxfordshire County Council’s Director of Public Health Annual Report 2026. The report reflects on progress since the inaugural report back in 2020, and highlights the importance of partnership working, community insight and local action in improving health outcomes.

Bringing together colleagues from local government, health organisations, and the voluntary and community sector, the event focused on how services and communities can work together to reduce inequalities and improve people’s health and wellbeing.

Councillor Kate Gregory, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Inequalities, said: “This annual report shows both the progress we have made over the past five years and the importance of continuing to work together to tackle health inequalities in Oxfordshire.

“While there is more to do, it is encouraging to see the difference strong partnership working can make in supporting healthier lives and stronger communities.

“The launch event was a valuable opportunity to reflect on what has been achieved so far, share learning, and renew our collective focus on the work ahead.”

Speakers reflected on the progress made over the past five years, as well as the challenges that remain, while also exploring Oxfordshire’s Marmot Place journey so far, practical examples of community led work, and the growing role of Community Health Development Officers in helping local people shape solutions that meet the needs of their communities.

The event also looked at how district councils, voluntary and community organisations, and local partners are contributing to place-based approaches that build on community strengths and gave participants the opportunity to share ideas on how to build on this work in future.

Ansaf Azhar, Oxfordshire County Council’s Director of Public Health, said: “I was pleased to welcome colleagues and partners from district and city councils, healthcare settings, and voluntary and community organisations to the launch event in Oxford.

“My annual report is an important opportunity to look back on five years of work to reduce health inequalities in Oxfordshire and to be honest about where challenges remain.

“Five years on from my first annual report, ‘Some are more equal than others’, it shows that change is possible, but it does not happen quickly or by chance. It takes sustained action, strong local partnerships, and a clear focus on the communities most affected by poorer health outcomes.

“The learning shared during the event will help inform the next phase of this work across the county, as partners continue working together to improve health and wellbeing for all residents.”

Back in 2019, the Index of Multiple Deprivation data identified ten communities in Oxfordshire with small areas among the 20 per cent most deprived nationally. The most recent data, published in October 2025, shows this has fallen to eight.

Find out more on the Director of Public Health Annual Report website.

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Children and young people are at the heart of ongoing efforts to create a fairer future for all in the county, as Oxfordshire County Council commits to acting on the findings of a recent report by the Institute of Health Equity, as part of becoming a Marmot Place.

The report, Starting stronger, fairer futures in Oxfordshire, sets out clear evidence that while people in Oxfordshire generally live longer and healthier lives than the national average, outcomes are not experienced equally, with significant differences between communities.

It brings together data alongside insight from local partners and communities and recognises the strong foundation of work already under way across Oxfordshire, while also noting that further action is needed to ensure that support reaches those who need it most and is delivered at the right scale.

Councillor Kate Gregory, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Inequalities, said: “Oxfordshire is a county with many strengths, but this report outlines that not everyone has the same opportunities to live a healthy life.

“We welcome these findings. Tackling the inequalities highlighted in this report is a priority for this administration, and the evidence will help guide our next steps as we work with partners to reduce inequalities.

“Our aim is to ensure that everyone, regardless of where they live or their circumstances, has the chance to thrive.”

Matin Reeves, Chief Executive of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “This report is an important milestone in our shared ambition to tackle health inequalities across Oxfordshire. It shows clearly that while overall outcomes are strong, there are unacceptable differences between and within communities that we must address.

“We are committed to working with partners across health, education, the voluntary and community sector, and local businesses to build on existing efforts and turn the report’s recommendations into clear and deliverable actions.

“This includes a particular focus on ensuring every child has the best start in life, strengthening early intervention, and addressing the wider factors that influence health and wellbeing.

“By working together, we can build a fairer Oxfordshire where every child and family has the opportunity to lead a healthy and fulfilling life.”

Professor Sir Michael Marmot, Director of the UCL Institute of Health Equity, said: “Oxfordshire has shown real leadership by becoming a Marmot Place. The IHE is now working with nearly 70 places across the country, including the whole of Scotland and Wales. We are building up a wealth of evidence on how to implement the eight principles for greater health equity. The task now for Oxfordshire is to build on the strong work already under way and create the conditions that allow all local residents to flourish, equitably.”

Work is already under way to develop detailed action plans that will translate the report’s recommendations into practical steps. These will focus on improving outcomes for children, young people and families, and supporting healthier communities across the county.

Back in 2019, Index of Multiple Deprivation data identified ten communities in Oxfordshire with small areas in the 20 per cent most deprived nationally. In October 2025, the most recent data showed that this had reduced to eight.

More information

Oxfordshire is working with University College London’s Institute of Health Equity to understand the factors causing different health outcomes for our population. Health is impacted by many factors in life, such as having good quality homes, a stable income and good education, as well as lifestyle choices such as what we eat and how much exercise we take.  

Marmot places are local areas that adopt evidence-based principles and methodology developed by Sir Michael Marmot and his team, to tackle the causes of health inequalities.

Read the report in full by visiting the Institute of Health Equity's website.

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From rugby and museum trips to cookery lessons and camping, free activities are available for children across the county through Oxfordshire County Council’s Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme this summer.

Open to all children aged four to sixteen in receipt of free school meals, the programme offers up to sixteen sessions of enriching activities over the summer holidays.

Each session lasts at least four hours and includes at least 60 minutes of physical activity, practical advice on eating well, and a healthy meal.

Councillor Kate Gregory, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Inequalities, said: “This programme provides free activities and meals for more than 18,000 children and young people in Oxfordshire who are eligible for free school meals and is something we have introduced in response to the closure of the national Holiday Free School Meal voucher scheme. It helps support children’s health and wellbeing while reducing holiday hunger and social isolation and is just another example of how we are working to tackle health inequalities across the county.

“By taking part in activities such as these, children can build confidence, try new things and stay engaged during the holidays, while they can also give families extra support and access to opportunities they might not otherwise have. Sign up now!”

Activities include sport, arts and crafts, museum visits, science, outdoor adventures, nature-based learning and cookery sessions.

Sessions are being delivered by local organisations in communities across Oxfordshire, with a wide range of options available to suit different ages and interests.

Families can find and book activities by visiting the HAF platform, where eligibility will be checked automatically against existing records. The website includes full details of the activities available in different areas of the county.

Anyone with questions about the programme can email HAF@oxfordshire.gov.uk.

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Single mum of three, Katie Gamble, cut her energy bills with help from Oxfordshire County Council and Welcome the Warmth. She is now encouraging others to check if they qualify.

The scheme is part of the government’s Warm Homes: Local Grant programme, funded by the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero. It offers free energy-saving upgrades to eligible households to help reduce bills and improve energy efficiency. Measures include insulation, solar panels and heat pumps.

As Katie, who is 43, explains, “I have three teenagers and a very busy household, so our energy use is high. When the cost of living increased, our bills really shot up, which was so difficult.

“I found out about the scheme through my job at the council and realised I was eligible. The process was simple. I applied online and heard back from the team quickly.”

Through the scheme, Katie had solar panels and a battery installed at her home, which she says she would not otherwise have been able to afford.

“It was really straightforward. They carried out a survey of my home to check its energy rating, then talked me through the options and the benefits of solar panels.

“They did an amazing job. I still can’t believe it was completely free. There is no way I would have been able to afford it otherwise. I would encourage anyone to check if they are eligible because it could make a real difference.”

Councillor Laura Gordon, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Economy, said: “It is great to see how the Warm Homes: Local Grant has helped Katie and her family make their home more energy efficient and cheaper to run.

“Katie is one of over 100 households that have already benefited from the scheme, and there are a number of ways it can help. With energy costs still a concern for many households, this scheme can help people cut costs and make their homes warmer and more efficient before the colder months return.

Find out more about the scheme and check eligibility by visiting Welcome the Warmth’s website or by calling 0800 038 6775.  

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Pupils in Oxfordshire are arriving at school better prepared to learn, thanks to a county council funded healthy snacks project that is improving wellbeing, behaviour and attendance.

Funded through the council’s wider cost of living programme, the initiative supported four secondary schools in 2025/26 - The Oxford Academy, North Oxfordshire Academy, Cheney School and Henry Box School - with £25,000 to ensure children from low income households are not going hungry during the school day.

The scheme provides targeted early support for pupils while helping schools identify those arriving without having eaten. This enables sensitive safeguarding conversations and more tailored support for families.

The project forms part of the council’s wider package of support for residents facing ongoing financial pressures, with more than 219,000 interventions delivered across Oxfordshire in 2025/26 to help households with essentials such as food and energy.

Schools are already reporting clear improvements in behaviour and engagement. At Cheney School, Deputy Head Louise Elias said: “Self-referrals to the behaviour team for food related issues at the start of Period 1 have dropped to zero. Students are arriving at their first lessons settled and ready to learn.”

Clare Forder, Deputy Head at The Oxford Academy, added: “The community served by the school really needs support with access to food, particularly fruit and vegetables, as there is such a strong correlation between deprivation and poor school outcomes.”

Feedback from pupils at Henry Box School has shown the scheme is helping young people feel safe and supported, while North Oxfordshire Academy has reported a “transformative impact” on student wellbeing, safeguarding, attendance and engagement.

Cllr Kate Gregory, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Inequalities, said: “During uncertain times and amid continuing cost of living crisis, too many families are facing impossible choices. In Oxfordshire, around 10 per cent of children are living in poverty, and we know that hunger can have a real impact on a child’s experience at school.

“This project shows that something as simple as a healthy snack during the school day can make a meaningful difference. While it is concerning that something so small can have such a profound effect on a child’s education and wellbeing, it also underlines why practical, compassionate support like this matters so much for children and families across our communities.”

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Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet has been asked to approve the new programme next week, which will make use of funding from the government’s Crisis and Resilience Fund from April. It replaces the previous Household Support Fund and will provide around £5.12 million each year to support residents who are struggling.

Unlike earlier schemes, this funding is confirmed for three years, allowing a move away from blanket, one‑off payments and towards more targeted support that links immediate help with longer‑term measures to strengthen financial resilience.

Councillor Liz Leffman, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “We know that cost of living pressures never disappeared for a lot of people, and rising fuel costs, higher food prices and increasing household bills all continue to place strain on residents, and the impact is often felt most sharply by those already on low or fixed incomes. Sadly, we expect that many more households may feel the pinch again with the ongoing fuel crisis.

“This new programme is designed to make sure that support is available exactly where it’s needed, when it’s needed. By moving away from short‑term, one‑off funding and instead securing a three‑year commitment, we can give residents and local services greater stability and certainty.

“That stability means we can do more than simply respond to immediate crises: we can work with people to improve their financial resilience, help them avoid future hardship, and ensure they’re receiving all the help they’re entitled to.

“Our priority is to protect the most vulnerable in our communities and to make sure no one is left without somewhere to turn. This programme is a key part of that effort.”

Help for people in financial crisis will continue all year round through the Residents Support Scheme. This service provides supermarket vouchers, top‑ups for pre‑payment energy meters and essential home items such as fridges or beds, based on individual needs.

Alongside crisis support, the programme will continue to fund services that prevent future hardship. This includes free debt and benefits advice, supporting around 6,000 people each year, along with help to ensure people are claiming all the benefits they are eligible for, and practical support with budgeting, housing costs and financial wellbeing.

Support for families and children remains a priority. Funding for the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme will continue, providing meals and activities for eligible children during school holidays.

The programme will also continue to support community‑based help such as community larders, food co‑ops, community fridges and the provision of hygiene essentials including toiletries and cleaning products.

Additional targeted support will be available for people with extra needs, including disabled residents, older people, carers (including young carers), people fleeing domestic abuse, migrants with specific dietary or medical needs, and people leaving hospital who need financial help to return home safely.

Find out more about help available for rising living costs by visiting the council’s website.

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The gap between some of the most deprived and least deprived communities in Oxfordshire appears to be narrowing, according to recent Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) data.

In 2019, the IMD showed that there were 10 communities in Oxfordshire that had small areas identified as being in the 20 per cent most deprived nationally. In October 2025, the new release of the IMD data showed that this has reduced to eight

Since the publication of the 2019/20 Oxfordshire County Council’s Director of Public Health Annual Report (DPHAR), which focused on inequalities and deprivation across ten communities in the county, there has been a marked focus on collaborative efforts to reduce inequalities in those areas.

In a joined up approach, the county council, city and district councils, the NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire Integrated Care Board, and voluntary and community sector organisations have been working together to tackle inequalities and improve health outcomes.

Ansaf Azhar, Oxfordshire County Council’s Director of Public Health and Communities, said: “There has been a clear commitment from local partners, community leaders, and the public to create a healthier, fairer future for all.

“My next director of public health annual report will reflect on five years of positive and sustained work in our community insight profile areas. The milestone of the release of new IMD data offers an opportunity to renew our shared commitment to tackling health inequalities, while celebrating achievements sharing learning from recent collaborations.”

Councillor Kate Gregory, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Inequalities, said: “While it is great to see progress made in tackling inequalities here in Oxfordshire, there remains a gap between the most and least deprived, more so particularly in some areas, so there is still plenty of work to do. Our continued work as a Marmot Place will also help to build on the progress already made to support the creation of  policies, strategies and services to minimise health inequalities. Together, we are building a healthier, more equal county: one where every resident has the opportunity to thrive.”

Councillor Chewe Munkonge, Cabinet Member for a Healthy, Fairer Oxford, Oxford City Council, said: "It is pleasing to see that progress is being made in tackling health inequalities, one of the city council's key priorities. We are proud of the work we have done to support people to live well, particularly by focusing on community health. This includes working with local partners, including the NHS and Active Oxfordshire, such as our physical activity programmes, YouMove, Move Together and GO-Active, as well as health promotion events and local initiatives across the city."

Councillor Rachel Crouch, West Oxfordshire District Council’s Executive Member for Stronger, Healthy Communities, said: “Our hope is that this new data, and the spotlight it brings, will enable even stronger collaboration and greater investment to bring fairer opportunities to communities facing the biggest barriers to health and wellbeing. While inequalities still exist, the findings are encouraging and underline the importance of sustained action to support the people and places that need it most.”

Councillor Rob Pattenden, Cherwell District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Healthy Communities, said: “These profiles have allowed us to connect with local communities to get a clearer understanding of how we can better serve our residents, improve access to support, and make more informed decisions that make a meaningful difference.

“Through public health funding we have built stronger, more sustainable community services, with Insight Profiles providing the evidence needed to deliver projects like the Play Zones in Ruscote and Grimsbury. We’ve invested over £100,000 in projects to help to narrow inequalities, and we’ll continue working closely with partners and communities to keep this momentum going.”

The Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), compiled by Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, is the official measure of relative deprivation across England and includes indicators such as income, employment, health, education, crime, housing and living environment. All these factors can contribute to the wider determinants and building blocks of health.

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Oxfordshire’s Local Policy Lab has appointed its first Chief Scientific Advisors (CSAs) to provide research leadership as part of its work in reducing health inequalities in the county.

An alliance between the University of Oxford, Oxford Brookes University and Oxfordshire County Council, the Local Policy Lab promotes partnerships between academia, community and government to inform policy and improve quality of life for Oxfordshire residents.

Professor James Robson, Dr Joanna Crocker and Professor Jonathan Reid will each be responsible for leading an ambitious three-year research plan in each of the county’s three priorities as a Marmot place:  delivering a skilled workforce and fair employment, ensuring a healthy standard of living for all, and enabling children and young people to thrive.

The advisors will work in close collaboration with local policy makers, practitioners and communities over the next three years to affect direct impact on the ground.

Dr Martin Reeves, Chief Executive at Oxfordshire County Council said: “We are hugely excited to welcome Joanna, James and Jonathan as our first Chief Scientific Advisors. 

“The advisers will only further strengthen the Local Policy Lab partnership and better help us to meet the needs of, and maximise opportunities for, people and communities across the county.”

The Local Policy Lab was founded in 2024 to bring together Oxford’s universities and councils to tackle Oxfordshire’s biggest challenges and support the county’s Marmot priorities.

Councillor Liz Leffman, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “The appointment of our first Chief Scientific Advisors marks a significant step forward for Oxfordshire.

“By collaborating with universities and local communities, we are continuing to demonstrate our dedication to reducing health inequalities and creating a greener, fairer, and healthier Oxfordshire for all.”

The news coincides with the launch of the county council’s research strategy, at an event earlier in November. The strategy, running until 2030, will drive the council’s use of high quality, people focused research to inform policy for a greener, fairer, and healthier Oxfordshire.

It will strengthen collaboration with community groups, universities, and partners, helping to embed research skills and evidence-based decision making across council services, and create the right environment for impactful research.

About the Chief Scientific Advisors

Professor James Robson

James Robson is Associate Professor of Tertiary Education Systems at the University of Oxford’s Department of Education, where he also serves as Director of Research and as Director of the Centre on Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Performance (SKOPE). His research explores the political economy of tertiary education: how education systems can better connect with employment, respond to skills demand, support innovation ecosystems, and advance social justice.

Dr Joanna Crocker

Joanna Crocker is a Senior Researcher in the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford. She specialises in patient, public and community involvement in health research, with a particular interest in how such involvement can reduce health inequalities.

Associate Professor Jonathan Reid

Dr Jonathan Reid is an Associate Professor of Education in the School of Education, Humanities and Languages at Oxford Brookes University. His research focuses on inclusion and exclusion in education, with particular interest in children and young people with diverse needs, adversity, trauma, and wellbeing.

About the Local Policy Lab

Oxfordshire’s councils, the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University can access a wealth of cutting edge, impact driven research to inform solutions to public policy challenges facing the county.

The Local Policy Lab aims to:

• Connect University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes researchers with county and district council policymakers, local volunteer and charity organisations, and with communities to support evidence-based public policy in key areas. The initial focus is on the socio-economic underpinnings of health inequalities.
• Create opportunities for graduate students, supervised by academics and county officers, to work on existing datasets, collect new qualitative data and undertake impact evaluations.
• Support stronger long-term relationships between Oxfordshire’s councils and universities.

Find out more by visiting the Local Policy Lab’s website.  

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Postgraduate researchers, academics and policymakers in Oxfordshire came together to share findings and insights from the 2025 Local Policy Lab Fellowship programme, which concluded earlier this month.

The Local Policy Lab, an alliance between Oxfordshire County Council, the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University, provides an opportunity for students and researchers to engage with their local communities and to better understand the public policy context in Oxfordshire. 

The 14 Local Policy Lab fellows have spent the last three months working on projects in partnership with policy officers from Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council. Their work helps bring academic insights into local policymaking focused on improving wellbeing and tackling inequalities in the county.

Fellows shared their findings with an audience of academics, local policymakers and community partners at the event on 10 July at the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government.

Dr Foyeke Tolani, Head of Research at Oxfordshire County Council, said: “The Local Policy Lab Fellowship programme is laying the groundwork for real change and opportunity. Our partnership draws on the talents and knowledge of some of the brightest and best students in our local universities, working with council officers, to improve health outcomes for residents and address inequalities in our county. We are prioritising high-quality, people-centred research to ensure Oxfordshire becomes a fairer, greener, healthier county.”

Building on last year's pilot programme, and integrating fellows and researchers from both the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University, the projects ranged from exploring how family hubs could strengthen family care provision in Oxfordshire to understanding the factors that influence fair pay and workforce diversity.

Each project supports one of three Oxfordshire priorities as a Marmot Place:  supporting a best start in life, creating fair employment, and ensuring a healthy standard of living for all.

Professor Alexander Betts, Pro-Vice Chancellor of External Engagement, Sport and Community​ at the University of Oxford, said: “It’s wonderful that we can combine the academic assets of Oxford’s two universities and share these with the county and city councils to support evidence-based policymaking in these key areas.

“These projects, which are guided by real and pressing policy issues, have been co-created between our fellows, policy mentors and advisors, along with community partners and participants, so that together we can improve the quality of policymaking and meaningfully address the socio-economic underpinnings of health inequality in Oxfordshire.”

About the Local Policy Lab

As the home to two large universities – the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University – Oxford (and Oxfordshire) can access a wealth of cutting edge, impact driven research that could inform solutions to public policy challenges facing the city and county.

The Local Policy Lab aims to:

• Connect University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes researchers with county and district council policymakers, local volunteer and charity organisations, and with communities to support evidence-based public policy in key areas. The initial focus is on the socio-economic underpinnings of health inequalities.
• Create opportunities for graduate students, supervised by academics and county officers, to work on existing datasets, collect new qualitative data and undertake impact evaluations.
• Support stronger long-term relationships between Oxfordshire’s councils and universities.

Find out more by visiting the Local Policy Lab’s website.  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In March 2023, community and voluntary organisations and the county council launched a community research network for Oxfordshire. With funding from UK Research & Innovation (UKRI), the network’s shared ambition has been to address local inequalities in health and wellbeing and tackle the 14-year gap in life expectancy across the county.

The network seeks to bring people together to collaborate with local councils, academic institutions and health services to work on research projects that will benefit their communities. It builds on Public Health England’s post-covid recommendation that communities are central to informing and identifying solutions to persistent health inequalities based on lived experience and must be equal partners in the research process.

Initial network membership was developed with inclusion at its heart, and while this approach is consistent with the standards expected by UK research funders, it won’t surprise anyone involved in community research that such involvement hasn’t always been the norm.

As part of its work, the network commissioned Healthwatch Oxfordshire to produce a report exploring community research in the county. They heard from local residents and voluntary groups about experiences of working with academics and statutory organisations.

Equal partners

While the report gave some notable examples of good practice, it was also evident that all too often research failed to recognise and build on previous work, or to follow through on promised actions.

Crucially, communities also voiced a feeling of being researched ‘on’, rather than ‘with’.

If we are to understand how to tackle persistent health inequalities, then people with lived experience need to be equal partners in all steps of the research process.

For many in local government and beyond, this means a new way of working that values communities, supports skills development, recognises and develops capacity and simplifies bureaucracy.

Building on community voices, Healthwatch Oxfordshire’s report identified four guiding principles for how to do things better:

• Nothing about us without us
• Commit to action
• Value lived experience and time
• Be open, transparent and accountable.

Adopting these principles can support councils and academic institutions in their collaborative work within communities.

Firstly, these principles mean placing a greater emphasis on co-production throughout the research process, and taking time to map and coordinate study plans with ongoing and previous research being done elsewhere.

Secondly, councils and universities should work with communities to develop a shared understanding of what ‘good’ looks like, including providing examples of best practice and learning.

And thirdly, there needs to be a shared expectation and agreement for a ‘continuous ongoing dialogue’ with communities. This is both to share research findings and to feed back action needed from those in positions of power to ensure long term change.

Changing 'extractive' approaches

Oxfordshire’s Community Research Network has a role supporting all of these steps and can help provide leadership in coordinating public involvement and holding institutions to account.

Healthwatch Oxfordshire’s report calls for a commitment from research institutions and academics to ensure “principles of equity, trust, respect, openness, collaboration and willingness to change ‘extractive’ approaches to research, with communities as equal partners”.

The four principles identified in the report will help to achieve this commitment but will require investment in time and money from communities, councils and academics alike. And ongoing evaluation of the network will help us to understand how and under what circumstances its changes to public and community involvement influence research questions, participation, and dissemination, and ultimately, local health and inequalities.

Adam Briggs, deputy director of public health, Oxfordshire CC; Veronica Barry, executive director, Healthwatch Oxfordshire; Nigel Carter, director, Oxford Community Action

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The £25,000 grant supports the development of community research in Oxfordshire and provides the opportunity to bid for further funding later in the new year.

The funding will help Oxfordshire County Council’s public health team to further develop their award-winning approach to research into what makes people healthy, helping to improve health and tackle inequalities across the county.

Working alongside Aspire Oxfordshire, Banbury Muslim Mosque Society, Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action and Oxfordshire Mind, the funding will help build a network to support the development community-led research strategy for Oxfordshire, with a focus on the wider determinants of health and inequality.

Dr Adam Briggs, Deputy Director of Public Health at Oxfordshire County Council, said: “We are really excited to be part of this network bringing together community groups and volunteer organisations as well as local health care organisations and universities.

 “Over the next six months, the network will run a series of community events and workshops to learn about what research means to local residents and to better understand what community research is already taking place. This will put us in a great position to develop a community-led research strategy to better understand what drives poor health and inequalities in Oxfordshire and what we can do about it.”

Laura Price, Chief Executive Officer at Oxfordshire Community & Voluntary Action, said: “We’re delighted to be involved in such an important project bringing communities and their own voice and experience into research through the creation of a countywide network with so many great partners.”

Paul Roberts, Chief Executive Officer at Aspire Oxfordshire, said: “Community-led research is vital if we are to tackle the wider determinants of health and inequality effectively in Oxfordshire.

“We’re pleased to support this new development effort because we can see how it is moving absolutely in the right direction: it will help provide opportunities for engagement; it will foster a partnership approach to build trust and enable co-production of services; and it will encourage a wider range of people to be actively involved in service design and delivery.”  

Jess Willsher, Chief Executive Officer at Oxfordshire Mind, said: “For too long, decisions have been made for people rather than with them, contributing to the perpetuation of health inequalities. We’re delighted to be part of meaningful work that redresses the power imbalance, and to listen to and learn from people experiencing health inequalities. Working together, we can create positive and meaningful change, leading to healthier futures for all.

Yasmin Kaduji, Project Lead at Banbury Mosque, said: “We are keen to work with with the wider BAME community at Banbury Mosque and make them part of the research process to better understand inequalities. It’s such a pleasure to work with partners collaboratively, and together we will bring changes for the better that will lead to a better future for everyone.

Organisations and individuals who want to get involved can find out more by contacting the public health team at public.health@oxfordshire.gov.uk.

Find out more about the programme, and the work of UKRI by visiting the UKRI website.

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The team’s work has included a partnership with researchers from the University of Bristol and NIHR Clinical Research Network Thames Valley and South Midlands to evaluate the approach the county council has undertaken in Bicester and Witney to promote active travel, which includes cycling and walking, to work, school, and other journeys.

The awards recognise the contributions of network-supported staff who make NHS, public health and social care research happen in hospitals and community settings. Members of the team have also promoted a wider regional local authority public health research group, the first of its kind in the region.

Councillor Mark Lygo, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Equalities, said: “Active travel is a priority for the Fair Deal Alliance in Oxfordshire as a part of our ambitions to deliver on climate action targets and improve health and wellbeing.

“I am delighted to see the team’s innovative research into the work being undertaken has been recognised with this prestigious award.”

The research study is funded through the NIHR Public Health Intervention Responsive Studies Teams (PHIRST) scheme to explore the barriers and enablers to active travel in market towns.

With the study’s inclusion in the NIHR’s research portfolio, the council has been successful in securing further support from the NIHR Clinical Research Network to deliver the project.

Dr Adam Briggs, Oxfordshire County Council’s Deputy Director of Public Health and lead for public health research, said: “We are delighted that the hard work of the team to promote public health research in local government has been recognised with this award.

“Research is a vital tool in helping us to understand what works to improve wellbeing and tackle inequalities in Oxfordshire. Whilst we still have lots to do both in the council and with our regional academic and health and care partners, this award shows that we’re heading in the right direction.”

Professor Manu Vatish, Clinical Director of the NIHR Clinical Research Network Thames Valley and South Midlands, said: “This is a well-deserved award for Oxfordshire County Council's active travel health study. This reflects the dual approach of the NIHR Clinical Research Network supporting not only NHS clinical research studies, but also research that promotes healthy behaviours. Huge congratulations!”

As part of the council’s ongoing active travel research, the research team is looking for volunteers to take part in focus group discussions. These will be held in a public place in Witney and Bicester, lasting up to one hour. Discussions aim to look at attitudes to walking and cycling, opportunities to do so in the towns and what might be done to encourage residents to walk or cycle. Volunteers should be people who commute to work, or older adults aged between 65 and 75 years.

There are also opportunities for an accompanied walking or cycling journey later in the year, and a follow-up interview with a researcher.

People are offered a £30 shopping voucher for taking part in the focus groups and a £50 voucher for the accompanied journey and interview. Anybody interested should contact tricia.jessiman@bristol.ac.uk or on 07977 902012 to find out more. Participants do not need to be frequent cyclists or walkers.

For more information about research and to search for studies seeking volunteers visit bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk.

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The project will see a hydrogen fuel engineering firm called ULEMCo partner with Oxfordshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service. Funding for the project has been secured from Innovate UK under the Transition to Zero Emission project.

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change Delivery & Environment, said: “Hydrogen could play an important role in our efforts to decarbonise, especially where battery powered electrification is challenging in heavy duty vehicles like fire engines. I’m delighted that we are partnering with ULEMCo on this innovative feasibility study as an important step in exploring and advancing zero carbon solutions. The county council’s fire & rescue service will provide operational insight while the council’s unique Innovation Hub along with Climate Action team will work with ULEMCo to facilitate the project.”

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

Amanda Lyne, Managing Director of ULEMCo, said: “We are excited to be working on this important initiative to plan the future of specialised utility vehicles such as fire tenders”, said. “Hydrogen has tremendous potential for enabling zero emission vehicles in the short term.”

The eight-month research project will involve creating a detailed model of the hydrogen energy requirement. This will include the energy needed to pump water for a minimum of four hours, as well as the optimal range for such a vehicle. The test process will gather real world data based on the performance of a fuel cell over the course of the project.

ULEMCo will design the hydrogen fuel cell electric powertrain for the fire engine, with the goal being a full specification and detailed engineered design for a prototype vehicle. This will enable the next stage of development, which will involve the production of a prototype.

Alongside the study, the county council will develop a plan for the hydrogen refuelling requirements across its fire and rescue service, and wider plans to develop a hydrogen infrastructure across the county.

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

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The Oxfordshire launch of phase two of the GovTech Catalyst initiative on work to transform the existing Oxfordshire traffic management system will allow two new and complementary technology solutions to be developed and completed by June 2022.

Tim Spiers, Director of IT, Digital and Transformation at Oxfordshire County Council, said: “The challenge is to be ready for the new wave of transport. That means different and cleaner power sources and brand-new technology such as computer assisted transport.

“Oxfordshire is also the first council to include connected and autonomous vehicles in its local transport plan. These vehicles can be anything including cars, bicycles, e-scooters, vans and buses.

“As challenge owners, we look forward to working with both suppliers over the next few months to develop proof of concept products that will help the county council as the highway authority to meet our obligations under the Traffic Management Act and be ready to support all forms of new mobility from active travel to autonomous vehicles.”

The GovTech Catalyst funding has allowed the council to support Alchera Technologies and City Science with £500,000 each to develop a system fit for the introduction of connected and autonomous vehicles as well as other new transport options, such as electric vehicles.

The two partners were chosen after bids submitted by five suppliers. Alchera impressed the council with its approach to integrating multiple data sources and City Science with its approach to system integration and user interfaces. The work by the partners will be focused on developing proofs of concept that bring together a variety of transport data sources held by the county council.

Anna Jordan, Head of Operations for Alchera Technologies, said: “We’re excited to work with Oxfordshire County Council to enable more data-driven mobility infrastructure and provide the tools to deliver its game-changing smart transport programme. Data will play a key role in the future of transport and how we move around, especially as lockdown restrictions begin to ease and activity across cities, towns and transport networks surge back to pre-COVID rates. “To manage this change, making dynamic decisions while adapting to new travel patterns and co-ordinating growing networks of new and existing mobility options will be key. Public and private transport authorities can now rely on Alchera’s tools to interpret and react to data from multiple sources, for accurate, real-time decision making. Ultimately, this will enable transport networks to become more seamless, sustainable and resilient than ever before.” 

Laurence Oakes Ash, Chief Executive of City Science, said: “City Science is delighted to be continuing our work with Oxfordshire County Council in helping it transform traffic management. There are several challenges preventing desired progress in the network management market, in particular, limiting seamless linkage between legacy systems and advanced opportunities emerging from new mobility.

“Our solution allows secure access to the information of existing legacy systems. This means that we can create a configurable customer interface providing a seamless coordination and integration of multi-modal control of existing and new mobility. Developing effective, scalable, and net-zero solutions to transport planning and infrastructure is the reason City Science exists.”

The systems developed will lead to a prototype system that will be capable off offering transport data to technology development companies and the public.

As well as work to enable connected and autonomous vehicles on our roads, other developments that could emerge from the research are live data apps on transport flows and patterns. The research involved and the final product will also enable better collaboration within the council on data sharing work on transport.