Government & Politics
Browse news and stories about local government and politics in Oxfordshire, including the administration of Oxfordshire county and the city and district councils by the representatives elected by those who live there.
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West Oxfordshire District Council could dip into cash reserves to fund jobs
The council has listed an equivalent of 20 full-time jobs, costing more than £676,000 in salaries, that it would like to push forward in the next financial year.
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Appeal sees farm get its glamping wagons months after council rejection
The Lowlands planning committee at West Oxfordshire District Council had initially turned down an application from Church Farm on Church End in South Leigh, for three glamping wagons.
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Council tax could go up next year to help fund Thames Valley Police
Residents in Oxfordshire are being asked to have their say on plans to increase the policing portion of council tax to fund Thames Valley Police.
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South and Vale District Councils agree revised timetable for creating Joint Local Plan 2041
The authorities are working to create a Joint Local Plan, which will seek to deliver the councils’ ambitions for zero-carbon, sustainable development and genuinely affordable homes in the districts up to the year 2041.
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Last chance to apply for Oxford City Council’s Sustainable Warmth Grant
The Sustainable Warmth grant is available for homeowners, and tenants and landlords of privately rented properties, to install free energy-saving measures in their homes.
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Council gets over 10,000 applications in new licensing scheme for private rented homes
Oxford City Council offered a three-month early bird discounted rate to encourage landlords and agents to apply early to license their rented properties.
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Council cabinet member faces questions on Oxford United’s new stadium proposal
This week’s meeting of the full council saw Councillor Calum Miller (Lib Dem, Otmoor), the county’s cabinet member for finance, face two very different questions on the proposals in quick succession.
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West Oxfordshire District Council leader to ‘put residents first’ after challenging 2022
The leader of West Oxfordshire District Council, Councillor Andy Graham has promised to ‘put residents first’ after challenging 2022.
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County Council appoints new Chief Executive amid debate over how long it took
Dr Martin Reeves is set to switch from the same role at Coventry City Council, a post he has held since 2009, after the move was confirmed at a meeting of the full council on Tuesday, 13 December.
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Councillor Emily Smith steps down from leadership role at Vale district
She has taken a new full-time job with a local charity and put forward her deputy Councillor Bethia Thomas (Lib Dem, Faringdon) as her replacement.
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Government funding could be affected if county resists maximum council tax hike
The county’s cabinet member for finance, was fielding questions from the performance and corporate services overview and scrutiny committee over initial proposals for the council’s budget from April 2023.
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A first look at Oxford City Council’s proposed budget for 2023/24
The council has balanced the budget despite facing unprecedented financial pressures as a result of rising inflation and interest rates, the economic downturn and the legacy impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on some key income streams.
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1,400 households in Vale of White Horse to be lifted out of paying council tax from April
District councillors at the Vale unanimously agreed to remove the restrictions requiring low-income households to contribute towards their annual council tax bill.
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Oxfordshire County Council names new Chief Executive
Dr Martin Reeves has been named as new Chief Executive of Oxfordshire County Council, to take over from the Interim Chief Executive, Stephen Chandler.
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County Council to quell rising children’s services costs by “revising thresholds
In its latest financial report to cabinet, the council predicts it will overspend by £8.7m on children’s services in this financial year, much of which is due to children placed into social care.
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Planning decisions will be affected as West Oxfordshire council confirms housing land shortfall
The council has published that it can evidence only a 4.1-year supply for new homes versus the 5-year target set by the government of its local plan to carry full weight when planning applications come forward.