With 2022 drawing to a close, we look at the most important stories from our councils.
This is part two of our review of the year in politics in Oxfordshire.
JULY
Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet voted unanimously to keep low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) in Cowley, with one acknowledging: “We will be judged by the end result.”
The decision, which relates to LTNs in Church Cowley, Florence Park and Temple Cowley, came with a promise to “undertake further community and stakeholder engagement in order to further refine and improve the scheme” by spring 2023.
AUGUST
An investment of £161 million to imporve Oxford railway station was announced by the Departmentfor Transport, with rail minister Wendy Morton telling The Oxford Mail that the improvements would boost the city with new jobs and tourism.
Network Rail’s plans to increase capacity at the station will lead to the complete closure of Botley Road and the station, as the rail bridge in Botley Road needs to be replaced as part of the expansion plans.
Among the upgrades to be completed by 2024 are the creation of a new track, platform and entrance on the west side of the station.
SEPTEMBER
Oxford’s politicians and councillors shared their memories of the Queen after she passed away.
The city council flew its flags at half-mast for the period of national mourning.
Susan Brown, the leader of the council, said: “While our thoughts are particularly with Her Majesty’s immediate family over their loss, people across our city and across the world will also feel this loss as the Queen has been part of all of our lives for so many years.”
The Lord Mayor of Oxford, James Fry, invited King Charles III to visit the city “often” but also called for change, urging him to apply pressure on the Government over policy.
He said: “We hope to welcome King Charles III frequently to the city he already knows well. His support for causes close to the hearts of city residents is appreciated.”
OCTOBER
Oxfordshire won’t be part of a government scheme aiming to create areas where planning regulations are relaxed in an attempt to drive growth.
The government said that Investment Zones aim to “drive growth and unlock housing”, with sites benefiting from tax incentives, planning liberalisation, and wider support for the local economy.
But Councillor Liz Leffman, who leads Oxfordshire County Council, wrote a letter to Simon Clark, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, explaining why the council does not think the initiative was not the right move for the area.
Meanwhile, a county councillor was selected by the Liberal Democrats as the party’s parliamentary candidate for Henley.
Freddie Van Mierlo was chosen to stand as the Lib Dems candidate in the next general election, in a bid to win the seat from the Conservatives.
Henley’s current MP John Howell has been representing the constituency since 2008.
NOVEMBER
Controversial plans to introduce six traffic filters in Oxford were approved by Oxfordshire County Council.
Members of the council’s cabinet approved the plans at an extraordinary cabinet meeting.
A group of opponents gathered at County Hall to protest ahead of the meeting.
READ MORE: Oxfordshire and Oxford council abused over traffic filters
A total of 52 people addressed councillors during the meeting, including residents, business owners and representatives from campaign groups Cyclox and Oxfordshire Liveable Streets.
About 40 people also attended the meeting from the public gallery and two people had to be escorted out of the chamber by security due to outbursts.
Climate change denier Piers Corbyn also requested to address the meeting and was allowed to speak for two minutes.
The filters will be installed under an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order, as the authority said it would be difficult to assess the impact of the scheme beforehand.
The order allows councils to assess and test a scheme over time before making a long term decision about whether to stop or extend the experimental measures or make them permanent.
A group of parents held a protest at County Hall ‘against a wide range of systemic failings’ in the county council’s provision for children with SEND.
They held banners reading ‘Stop failing our children’, ‘OCC, stop ghosting families and stop breaking the law’ and ‘Our children exist, their needs exist, we exist! Stop ignoring us and listen!’ and took with them school bags and other items to represent ‘each child failed by Oxfordshire County Council.’
Some parents had also addressed councillors saying that failings are not just down to national funding issues, but also down to decisions made by the council.
DECEMBER
South Oxfordshire residents gathered to oppose a major road scheme proposed by Oxfordshire County Council.
The protest was held in front of County Hall in Oxford ahead of a full county council meeting, as about 30 residents and members of environmental groups got together to oppose the scheme.
In June, the cabinet gave the go-ahead for the next phase of the HIF1 Didcot and surrounding areas major infrastructure project with a revised deal with the government.
HIF1 is the combination of four projects to ensure there is capacity to connect a wave of new houses set to be built to the south of Oxford.
And Oxfordshire County Council was ordered to pay more than £7,000 to the mother of an autistic boy to make up for a year of education he missed when he was unable to attend school.
The woman complained to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, which investigates individual complaints about councils, all adult social care providers and some other public service organisations, after her autistic son was left without education when he became too anxious to attend his primary school.
The council was ordered to pay a combined £4,000 for the missed education and a further £1,000 to acknowledge the distress caused by the faults.
The council should also reimburse the £2,200 cost incurred by the mother in commissioning a private educational psychologist assessment because of the council’s delays.
