Oxford City Council

Oxford City Council is the local authority for the city of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England. Oxford has had a council since medieval times, which has been reformed on numerous occasions. Since 1974, Oxford has been a non-metropolitan district, with county-level functions in the city provided by Oxfordshire County Council.

The city council has been under no overall control since 2023. It is based at Oxford Town Hall.

History
Oxford was an ancient borough, being governed by a corporation from medieval times. The borough gained city status in 1542. It was reformed in 1836 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 to become a municipal borough. When elected county councils were created on 1 April 1889, Oxford was initially within the area of Oxfordshire County Council. Seven months later, on 9 November 1889, the city become a county borough, making it independent from the county council. In 1962 the council was given the right to appoint a Lord Mayor.

Local government was reformed across England and Wales in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, which established a two-tier structure of local government comprising upper-tier counties and lower-tier districts. Oxford became a non-metropolitan district, and county-level functions passed up to Oxfordshire County Council.

In early 2003, Oxford City Council submitted a bid to become a unitary authority. This was received by the Department for Communities and Local Government, but subsequently rejected.

In 2016, Oxfordshire County Council put forward a 'One Oxfordshire' proposal which would see Oxford City Council and the four other district councils in Oxfordshire abolished and replaced with a single unitary county council for Oxfordshire. In 2017, Oxford City Council voiced their opposition to the proposal, and it was subsequently dropped.

Governance
Oxford City Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Oxfordshire County Council. Some outer parts of the city are also included in civil parishes, which form an additional tier of local government for their areas.

Political control
The first election to the reconstituted city council following the Local Government Act 1972 was held in 1973. It operated as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since then has been as follows:

In October 2023, the Labour Party lost control of the council after 9 Labour councillors resigned the party in protest at Keir Starmer's refusal to call for a ceasefire in the 2023 Israel–Hamas war. A tenth councillor resigned the part on 14 November, ahead of a vote in Westminster on an SNP amendment to the debate on the Speech from the throne.

Leadership
Political leadership is provided by the leader of the council; the role of Lord Mayor is largely ceremonial and usually changes hands each year. The leaders since 2000 have been:

Composition
Following the 2024 election, the composition of the council was:

Of the independent councillors, three sit together as the 'Oxford Community Independents' group, two form the 'Oxford Independent Group' and two form the 'Real Independent Group'. The next election is due in 2026.

Premises
The city council meets at the Town Hall on the street called St Aldate's in the city centre. The current building was completed in 1897, on a site which had been occupied by Oxford's guildhall since the thirteenth century. Between 1967 and 2022 the council had its main offices at St Aldate's Chambers at 113 St Aldate's, a 1930s building opposite the town hall, but continued to use the town hall for meetings. In 2022 the council moved its offices back into the town hall.

Elections
Since the last boundary changes came into effect for the 2021 election, the council has comprised 48 councillors representing 24 wards, with each ward electing two councillors. Elections are held in alternate years, with half the council (one councillor for each ward) elected each time for a four-year term of office.

Councillors
Oxford City Council is composed of the following councillors

Climate change
Oxford City Council became the first UK authority to divest from fossil fuel companies in September 2014.

In 2011, Oxford City Council had reduced their carbon footprint by 25% against a baseline of 2005/6, and continues to reduce carbon emissions from its own estate by 5% year on year.

In 2014, Oxford City Council was named 'Most Sustainable Local Authority' in the Public Sector Sustainability Awards.

Oxford City Council leads the Low Carbon Oxford network, a collaboration of over 40 organisations working together to reduce emissions in the city by 40% by 2020.

Oxford City Council also leads on delivering the annual Low Carbon Oxford Week festival, which uses culture, creativity and, community to inspire local people to take action on climate change. In 2015, the festival saw over 60 local organisations partner to deliver over 100 events across the city and attract over 40,000 visitors.

In 2023, Oxford City Council voted to serve plant-based, vegan food at council events. Butchers and animal farmers protested the vote, which came after a similar policy was adopted by the Oxfordshire County Council.

Energy Superhub Oxford
Energy Superhub Oxford is a power optimisation project at Redbridge park and ride. It includes a lithium-ion battery of 48MW/50MWh, a vanadium flow battery of 2MW/5MWh, 20 fast electric vehicle chargers for public use and ground-source heat pumps for residential properties.