Oxford City Council leader Susan Brown has announced her new cabinet for the 2026/2027 year. Brown, who also leads the Labour group on the Council, has appointed seven Labour councillors to the cabinet following local elections on 7th May in which Labour lost its overall majority but remained the largest party on the Council. The 7th May elections saw Labour win 20 seats, whilst the Green Party made significant gains to secure 13 seats.
The councillor roles cover a range of issues, ranging from housing and environmental health, to anti-social behaviour and leisure. The cabinet has announced that it will focus on local neighbourhood measures as well as building new affordable housing in the city.
Councillor Linda Smith, Cabinet Member for Housing, told Cherwell that the Council will “support the development of purpose-built student accommodation” and that “growth in student numbers should be matched by growth in university-provided accommodation”. The Councillor referred to the Council’s recent approval of Mansfield College’s proposal for a new 174-student accommodation building as an example of such action. Councillor
Smith also told Cherwell that the Council will be “protecting student renters and driving up standards in the private rented sector … Through inspections, enforcement action, civil penalties, and prosecutions”.
The cabinet has also pledged to explore extending Oxford’s Living Wage, currently set at £14.06 an hour. The wage represents 95% of London’s, yet the rising cost of living has forced a reevaluation by the Council to ensure residents of Oxford can continue to afford living in central parts of the city. The policy may affect students who stay in the city for work during vacations.
The new cabinet takes office amid growing debate over the relationship between the council and the University of Oxford’s expansion plans. In April, the Council rejected an application by Regent’s Park College to convert the Oxfam Bookshop on St Giles’ Street into its Middle Common Room. However, plans for a new Oxford graduate college in Headington have also recently been approved.
Councillor Susan Brown told Cherwell: “Our Local Plan aims to balance [Oxford’s history and sustainable development] and makes it clear that all new developments must respect Oxford’s heritage … and contribute positively to the city’s character and identity.”
The 2026/27 cabinet also has the challenge of managing the changing organisation of the Oxford City Council. Oxfordshire’s existing Council will be replaced with a unitary structure in 2028, with the six existing councils expected to be abolished on 1st April 2028. In 2027, Oxford will begin preparing for this transition by establishing a shadow unitary council. In spite of these changes, the Council insisted to Cherwell upon the importance of continuing to fulfil its goals as the last Council to exist in the current form.
