Our commitment
We are committed to building a fairer, greener, city in which everyone can thrive. To support flourishing communities, we are focused on ensuring our services, investments, and policy-making are designed to address Oxford’s social and financial inequalities. We value diversity and seek to find ways to bring communities together. We want to ensure all Oxford’s citizens have fair opportunities and a real share in the city’s future.
Equality, diversity and inclusion are together a key focus for all our work. This is a core part of all our policies and partnerships for our residents, staff and elected members. We want Oxford City Council to have a workforce that reflects the community it serves and to be seen as an employer of choice that values diversity and the perspectives it brings. We are committed to building our reputation as an organisation that is inclusive to the core and provides relevant and accessible services that recognise the value of every individual. As part of this, we recognise the importance of encouraging a sense of belonging, to a place, organisation, community or project, which can be fostered through informal and formal working practices that promote mutual respect and co-operation.
Our Corporate Strategy sets the four key priorities for the council to deliver this vision:
- foster an inclusive economy, in which wealth is distributed across our communities and where all residents can share the benefits of growth
- deliver more, affordable housing, to address Oxford’s housing crisis where existing homes are unaffordable for many and demand for good quality homes outstrips what is available
- support thriving communities, to help ensure everyone is able to play a full part in the life of our city
- pursue a zero carbon Oxford, acting on the clear message from Oxford’s Citizens’ Assembly on Climate Change to continue to take a lead in reducing emissions and increasing biodiversity
As part of delivering these, we will:
- ensure our staff are skilled and confident in delivering services our residents need and the workforce as a whole better reflects Oxford’s diverse population
- implement the Oxford City Council Workforce Equalities Action Plan to boost employee diversity through recruitment and apprenticeships and expand the management opportunities for underrepresented groups such as Black, Asian and women
- implement a new, inclusive Economic Strategy to increase the opportunities for disadvantaged groups to have a fair share in the city’s economy
- deliver services, grants, community and leisure facilities, parks and cultural events that help to bring communities together, reduce inequality, and improve health and wellbeing
- support and enable local voluntary and community groups to play a greater role in improving the city and the lives of residents
- use our influence to ensure Oxford’s diversity is celebrated, and communities are more connected, which will form part of the Thriving Communities Strategy
To deliver high-quality services for the city, we will also:
- work with our subsidiaries Oxford Direct Services (ODS) and OX Place (formally Oxford City Housing Ltd (OCHL)) to ensure the essential services they provide prioritise a focus on equality, diversity and inclusion
- continue our commitment to the Oxford Anti-Racism Charter by encouraging communities, businesses and organisations to take ownership of their own contributions to anti-racism in the city
- ensure that staff employed directly, or on behalf of the city council, are paid at least the Oxford Living Wage, and encourage our suppliers to do the same.
