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£2.5m in council tax energy rebate still waiting to be claimed
Over 17,000 households in Oxford have still not applied for the government’s council tax energy rebate, making a total of £2.5m in unclaimed benefits.
The government announced the rebate back in February 2022 as part of its response to rising energy bills, however, local authorities are responsible for administering the payment.
If you pay your council tax by direct debit, we will debit the payment direct to the bill payer’s bank account.
For those who are eligible for the rebate but who do not pay by direct debit, you will need to fill in an online form to claim the £150 payment.
Claims can only be made online, and not by phone, email or in writing.
We know that this one-off payment is a substantial sum of money, especially when times are hard. Many people are struggling at the moment so we’re encouraging residents to claim what they are entitled to. We have also created a resource page which has further information and available support to help.
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Clean Air Day
Yesterday, 16 June, was Clean Air Day. Clean Air Day is the UK's largest air pollution campaign, bringing together communities, businesses, schools and the health sector.
To mark the day, we published our annual report on Oxford’s air quality.
As expected, air pollution levels in Oxford are increasing again after a significant drop in 2020 due to the pandemic, with a 14% increase in air pollution levels. This is largely due to the easing of coronavirus lockdown measures and increasing traffic across the city.
In 2021, we introduced 20 new monitoring locations to help us understand the impacts of transport schemes, including the ZEZ, Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, and the proposed ‘Core Schemes’. This data will be used as a benchmark for future years to capture the impact of these schemes on air quality levels.
You can read more about the data and find the full report using the button below.
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 Five years on from Grenfell disaster
"Five years ago today the world changed as 72 lives were claimed in the disaster at Grenfell Tower. Oxford City Council stands with the 72 people who died, their families, friends and the survivors of Grenfell. We hope the official enquiry into the disaster will eventually bring them closure and peace. Grenfell was an avoidable tragedy and those responsible for it need to be held to account.
“But most of all, we need this: no more Grenfells.
“I’d also like to reassure tenants and leaseholders in our own tower blocks that Oxford City Council won’t compromise on their safety and wellbeing.
“In 2016 and 2017, on the advice of Oxfordshire Fire Service our tower block refurbishment programme included the installation of sprinklers in flats and communal areas – still not a legal requirement. We also upgraded our fire safety systems to include heat and smoke detectors in all flats and smoke detectors in all communal areas, directly connected to the Fire Service, fire doors and automatic venting systems in stairwells.
"After Grenfell, we were one of the first councils to complete the replacement of potentially unsafe aluminium composite panels at Evenlode and Windrush towers in 2018. Last year, we removed high pressure laminate (HPL) panels from Hockmore Tower and balconies on Evenlode and Windrush towers following changes to government safety standards.
“All five of our tower blocks now feature non-combustible sheet aluminium rain screen panels and mineral wool insulation – the safest type of cladding.
“Last October, 55 mph winds dislodged some of the new replacement cladding from Evenlode Tower and we are now working with our contractor to re-inspect our tower blocks to ensure they will withstand any future extreme weather events. We thank affected residents for their co-operation and patience.
“The safety of tenants and leaseholders in their homes will continue to be our absolute top priority as a landlord.”
A statement from Councillor Linda Smith, cabinet member for housing.
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Covid Additional Relief Fund still available for local businesses
The COVID-19 Additional Relief Fund (CARF) is still available to support local businesses that were affected by the pandemic and have not been able to adapt to that impact, but are also not eligible for existing support.
We're dedicated to supporting our local businesses and encourage any business owner to get in touch if they want some advice on accessing support.
If you have questions or are unsure about your businesses eligibility for the scheme, you can email us at carf@oxford.gov.uk
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Worcester Street parking goes cashless
From 1 July, Worcester Street car park will become cashless.
The move follows a successful trial at the Gloucester Street car park, which started in January of this year and is part of a move to going cashless across all of our services.
Payment machines at the car park’ will only accept card payments, however, alternative methods through pay-by-phone provider RingGo or via Hozah will also be available.
The trial at Gloucester Green ran smoothly and showed that cashless payments in car parks can work well. Many car park users have already stopped paying by cash in favour of the other methods. A change to a cashless system across all sites would see an annual saving of around £12,000.
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Oxford Preservation Trust
Get involved with Oxford’s weird and wonderful heritage and help open up Oxford for everyone to enjoy! Oxford Preservation Trust’s annual Oxford Open Doors festival is planned for the weekend of Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 September 2022, and we are looking for volunteers to help run this hugely successful event.
Volunteers can get involved with Oxford’s exciting heritage and help others discover secrets and treasures which are usually hidden away. Roles range from acting as stewards at venues and bucket shaking to giving information to visitors.
Volunteers spend a morning, an afternoon or the whole weekend in interesting, historic, and scenic buildings and green spaces (no prior knowledge needed) which are not always accessible to the public.
If you are interested in volunteering this year then follow the button below.
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Funding for Electric Taxi drivers
This week, we announced a final set of £5000 grants for Oxford city licenced Hackney Carriage owners to transition to an ultra-low emission vehicle.
Funded by the Energy Superhub Oxford project, there are five additional grants now available and they must be claimed by 24 June 2022 at the latest due to the tight funding deadline of this project.
This brings the total number of these grants to 22, with 17 grants already allocated to ULEV purchasers.
Applications will be accepted on a first come, first served basis and proof of purchase of a ULEV Hackney Carriage is required, either a full purchase or proof of a paid deposit by 24 June.
The £5,000 grant is a contribution towards the costs of purchasing a new or second hand Ultra Low Emission Hackney Carriage.
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