Government & Politics
Follow Government & Politics in Oxford and just beyond, including council decisions, elections, public policy and political developments affecting local communities.
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Ex-planning chair in a call to arms over housing land supply in West Oxfordshire
The advice comes from council officers after an inspector ruled that the land set aside for new homes in the region had been overestimated by up to a quarter.
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West Oxfordshire Council to pay planning appeal costs over “vague” report
The council has been ordered to pay the planning appeal costs, after it was found to have made “vague” and “unsupported” assertions, despite it’s original decision being upheld.
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Inspector finds West Oxfordshire DC has overestimated housing land supply
The finding comes as part of an appeal that was dismissed by the Planning Inspectorate – a national body that has the final say when applicants are unhappy with outcomes from councils.
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Oxfordshire councils unable to agree on Oxfordshire Plan 2050
The plan to create a joint vision for where and how many houses will be built in the county was one of the commitments made by the six Oxfordshire authorities.
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Council needs extra £4.5m, with £20k per week to place one child in care
Oxfordshire County Council expects to need an extra £4.5m to pay for just nine children under its care – including one whose placement costs up to £20k per week.
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Splitting shared services from Cherwell to cost County Council over £860k
Splitting the shared services delivered in partnership with Cherwell District Council is expected to cost Oxfordshire County Council more than £860,000 by March 2024.
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Council leader to seek ways of preventing a repeat of mass walkout by Tory councillors
The leader of Oxfordshire County Council is consulting officials over ways to prevent a repeat of a mass walkout by Conservative councillors at a council meeting last week.
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Conservative councillors carry out mass walkout from council chamber
Conservative councillors staged a mass walkout from the council chamber before the end of Tuesday’s meeting for all Oxfordshire councillors.
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Joint Design Guide website adopted to help create high-quality, sustainable development
The Joint Design Guide website is an interactive document that will help create high-quality and sustainable development in South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse.
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Councils approve revised plans for Didcot Garden Town development
The ambitious plans will focus on providing community benefits, a retail recovery strategy, encouraging healthy lifestyles and helping to tackle climate change.
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Cherwell District Council to consider cost-cutting efforts to cover £1m budget shortfall
The district’s most recent forecasts anticipate another £987,000 will have to be found in order to balance out lost income or larger costs.
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Have your say on draft proposals that could change your parish
Residents across South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse have another chance to comment on changes which could affect how their local area is run.
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Pandemic and cost of living crises hit Oxford City Council’s financial outlook
The City Council needs to have delivered increasing levels of savings and additional income generation totalling £5.5 million annually from the financial year 2026/27.
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Oxford residents encouraged to apply for sustainable warmth grant funding
Nearly £2m of grant funding is available for Oxford homeowners & residents in private rented homes to install energy efficiency and cost-saving measures to help reduce the rising cost of bills.
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Oxford City Council to deliver over 2,000 affordable homes in five years
Last year, the Council delivered 241 new affordable homes, with nearly two-thirds let at genuinely affordable social rent, which is around 40% of the equivalent private rent in Oxford.
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County Council spends more than £8m on agency staff in three-month period
A third of the spend relates to “the need for qualified social care staff”, with holders of interim posts and engineering and surveying workers making up a further fifth each.