Oxford city council has agreed a new budget which will see the construction of over 1,500 council homes, two new community centres, and council tax rises. Initially proposed in December, the budget is balanced for the next four years and will utilise £19m in profit from council-owned companies to fund services and investments.
Oxford has one of the longest social housing waiting lists in the country, with an average wait time of 5.2 years. 1,558 new homes will be constructed over the next eight years, bringing the council’s total housing stock to 9,500.
A pilot scheme assisting those in supported accommodation will also be allocated £200,000. This follows £600,000 of additional funding from the national government to help with homelessness prevention.
Aside from housing, the budget includes £2.5m to reopen the Cowley Branch Line, a rail service connecting Cowley and central Oxford, and an additional £157,000 for gritting pavements and bike lanes. A further £1m will also enhance the redevelopment of the Covered Market, two new community centres will be constructed in East Oxford and Blackbird Leys, and the council will introduce a freeze on pitch-hire fees for sports teams.
Despite additional funding from national government and council-owned companies, the budget will see council tax increase by 2.99% in 2025/26. Second homes will also be charged double council tax from this year.
Households where everyone is a student enrolled in full-time education are exempt from paying council tax in the UK. The council also remains committed to providing a full discount on council tax for residents on the lowest incomes.
Deputy Leader of the Council Ed Turner said: “We’ve been listening: our residents’ survey said that people wanted their City Council to get the basics right so we are stepping up spend on graffiti removal, pavement repairs and gritting, verge cutting, litter picking and free play provision. We will build more than 1,500 new council homes to help local families in housing need.
“This is in the context of a shortfall in government funding, but we have managed to avoid major cuts to frontline services by our ‘Oxford Model’, which uses income from our wholly owned companies, partnerships and commercial property to support the front line.”
