Oxford City Council’s latest Residents’ Survey has found a small improvement in levels of satisfaction with the Council’s work, and with their own local area as a place to live.
Residents also made clear that they want to see more house building to tackle the city’s housing crisis.
The news comes after the Planning Inspectorate recommended the withdrawal of the Council’s Local Plan 2040 because it was proposing to go beyond a standard assessment of the number of homes needed.
Oxford City Council carries out an annual survey using its Residents’ Panel to understand what Oxford residents think about the Council and the city. Findings from the survey are used to inform Council decisions around providing services and delivery and budget setting.
Overall results
Key findings of the survey about Oxford:
- 70% of residents are satisfied with their local area – up from 66% in 2023
- 78% feel their local area is a place where people from different cultures and backgrounds get along well – up from 76% in 2023
- Residents feel safe during the day in their local area (87%) and in the city centre (90%), but less safe at night (69% and 68%, respectively)
Key findings about Oxford City Council:
- 54% of Oxford residents are satisfied with Oxford City Council's performance – up from 52% in 2023
- 55% feel well-informed about services and benefits – up from 48% in 2023
- 75% use the Council’s online services – up from 68% in 2023
The Council services residents were most satisfied with were:
- Parks and open spaces (79% satisfied)
- Museums (79%)
- Recycling and waste collection (71%)
The lowest levels of satisfaction were found with the delivery of the Council’s leisure services at 37%. However, this was up from 33% in 2023 and the frequency of use data suggests many residents will not have visited their local leisure centre since the new operator More Leisure took over in April this year.
The survey took place between 8 July and 15 September 2024.
The full survey results can be found on Oxford City Council’s website.
Housebuilding
Only 16% of Oxford residents said they were satisfied that Oxford City Council is building enough decent homes, in line with the 17% level in last year’s survey.
The affordability of housing was also raised when residents were asked to list the top factors that make somewhere a good place to live. The top three factors were:
- Parks and open spaces (43% chose the option)
- Public transport (41%)
- Affordable decent housing (37%)
Oxford City Council seeks to support the delivery of new housing through its Local Plan, which sets out where homes and businesses can be built over the next 15 years. The Council’s wholly owned housing company OX Place aims to deliver more than 2,000 new homes by the end of the decade.
Oxford City Council and housing associations delivered 856 new affordable homes, including council homes and shared ownership, in Oxford over the last five years.
As part of its latest Local Plan, the Council had highlighted a need for 1,322 new homes a year in and around Oxford to tackle the city’s housing crisis – above the target of 762 new homes a year that would otherwise be set using the so-called ‘standard method’ for determining housing need.
However, in September the Planning Inspectorate said there are no exceptional circumstances justifying going beyond the ‘standard method’ and recommended the withdrawal of the Council’s latest Local Plan. The Council is currently considering its options.
Economy and finances
In line with last year’s survey, many residents have a pessimistic view about Oxford’s economy and their own personal finances. This is despite the fact Oxford remains one of the UK’s fastest growing local economies and has an unemployment rate of just 2.3%.
When asked to choose an option to describe the state of Oxford’s economy, 34% said: ‘not doing well’ and 13%: ‘really struggling’; compared to 9% saying: ‘really thriving’ and 26% saying: ‘on the way up’.
Personal circumstances are likely to inform this judgement with only 17% of Oxford residents believing their personal finances will improve in the coming year, compared to 31% who expect them to worsen.
Oxford City Council has put in place measures to make Oxford’s successful economy work for all Oxford residents. To this end, it has created the Oxford Living Wage, created Community Employment Plans and works with local employers and other bodies to encourage local employment. The latest Local Plan had proposals requiring large housing developers to employ local people and large commercial developers to include affordable space for start-up businesses.
About the Residents’ Panel
The Residents’ Panel is a group of 899 Oxford residents.
The panel is managed and maintained by Beehive, an independent polling company, on behalf of Oxford City Council. Beehive has selected the panel members to be demographically representative of Oxford residents.
For more information about the Residents’ Panel, including how to join, visit www.oxford.gov.uk/residentspanel.
Comment
“I am obviously pleased that Oxford residents generally have a positive view of the Council and our core services, including recycling and parks.
“But residents’ continued and understandable concerns about housing reinforce just what a set back the Planning Inspectorate’s decision was earlier this year. Everyone who lives or works in Oxford knows how bad the housing crisis is – we are all living through it every day. Building more affordable housing is my number one priority and one that we have been delivering on. Over the last five years, we have built or enabled 856 new affordable homes in Oxford.
“It’s also clear that while objectively Oxford’s economy is booming, many people are not benefiting from it which is why we have put in place the measures we have to try and make our economy work for everyone.
“What I most want to say to Oxford residents though is: we hear you. Oxford City Council will continue to fight to build new homes, create new jobs and seek fairer wages -and continue to deliver high quality services to everyone in our city.”
Councillor Susan Brown, Leader of Oxford City Council
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