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Make your summer... one to smile about 🌞
There are lots of ways to have a great summer in Oxford without busting the budget.
In the run-up to and during the summer holidays, we’ll share free and low-cost summer activities for the whole family.Â
We’ve got youth activity weeks, regular sports and youth club sessions, YouMove and Bonus Card discounts, GO Active ideas and Oxford’s parks and waterways to enjoy.
Keep an eye on our social media accounts and this section of Your Oxford for ideas and get planning how you’re going to #MakeYourSummer in Oxford!Â
Helping refugees settle in Oxford
For the next five years, we have committed to resettle a minimum of eight refugee families a year, to support the government’s refugee resettlement schemes.
The programme will offer families private rented accommodation, and use Home Office funding to provide support services that help the families settle into their new lives in Oxford.
Based on previous successful resettlement projects, the services will include a holistic, person-centred, trauma-informed support service to enable families to become fully independent within the community. They are provided with support and coaching to engage with their landlords and the British education system and have access to employment assistance and specialised trauma counselling.
As a proud City Of Sanctuary, Oxford has already successfully settled 48 refugee families since 2015 under the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Afghan Relocation Allocations Policy (ARAP) and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), using a bespoke supported settlement approach.Â
We want to ensure that everyone feels at home in our great city.Â
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Warren CrescentÂ
Ten homes have now been completed by OX Place and are ready to be let out to people on our housing register.
Built on a former garage site, all 10 homes have three bedrooms. They are adaptable to cope with people’s changing needs, with high space standards, the scope to convert downstairs toilets to wet rooms and provision for through-floor lifts.
Four homes are being let at social rent and the remaining six are being let at affordable rent, all to people on the housing register.
Social rent is calculated with reference to the size and value of a home and average regional incomes. This means Oxford council tenants typically pay around 40% of the rent a private landlord would charge for the same home.
While the government defines affordable rent as up to 80% of an equivalent private rent, the council’s tenancy strategy bases it on local housing allowance (LHA) levels. For council tenants, affordable rent is around 60-65% of the rent a private tenant would pay.
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New homes at Barton ParkÂ
As well as the 10 homes at Warren Crescent mentioned above, we've also got 17 new homes at Barton Park that have recently been handed over to OX Place so we can allocate them to people on our housing register.
Some might think that 27 homes (Warren Crescent and Barton Park) won't make a massive difference to Oxford's housing crisis, but every new home that can be allocated makes a massive difference to the person or family moving in.
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Smoke control area
We're planning to expand the city's Smoke Control Areas to cover the whole of Oxford.Â
Smoke Control Areas stop people from burning high-polluting fuels to protect you from microscopic particles, which can get into lungs and cause serious health conditions.
Oxford currently has 23 Smoke Control Areas in place, covering about 48% of the city but we want to increase this to cover 100%. You can find a map of the locations on our website, or above.Â
The areas started being introduced in 1958 – six years after the Great Smog of London, which covered the capital for five days and resulted in some 12,000 deaths.
Smoke Control Areas aim to reduce the smoke that can be released from domestic and commercial chimneys, reducing the amount of air pollutants emitted into the air and then breathed in by you.
In a Smoke Control Area, you should use an approved appliance or an authorised fuel type. There are some exceptions to Smoke Control Areas for example, houseboats, bonfires and barbeques. However, additional guidance for these is available on our website already,Â
We're planning to consult on the proposals later this year.
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Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy CharterÂ
We have signed a new charter which reinforces our commitment to making the local economy fairer for everyone.
The Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership’s Charter, which was launched earlier this year, is a way organisations show commitment and support to making the county a fairer and more inclusive place to live and work.
As part of signing the charter, we have made 13 pledges, which include using local and purposeful suppliers, supporting employees to volunteer locally, hiring a diverse workforce, and providing work experience and apprenticeship opportunities for Oxford’s young people.Â
The partnership is a coalition of more than 100 local organisations – including businesses, colleges/universities, community groups, and local government – working to share knowledge, expertise and resources to create a more equal region that provides opportunities and benefits for all residents.
Both of our wholly owned companies – ODS and OX Place – have also signed the charter.
Art in the Covered MarketÂ
Later this month, The Covered Market will be hosting a new art exhibition called A felt sense.
The exhibition will run from 22 - 24 July and is the brainchild of members of The British Association of Art Therapists. The artworks on show reflect the processes and healing impact of Art Therapy.Â
The event also signposts you to places where you find out how to access national and local art therapy charities.
You'll find the exhibition in the unit opposite Pie Minister, every day from 10am - 5pm. So why not pick up a pie (or coffee, pizza, wine, beer, sandwich...) and take in some incredible art!
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Face-to-face services at The Westgate libraryÂ
Our face-to-face Customer Services have been based at the Westgate Library, alongside Citizens Advice Oxford, since January 2022. This has made it easier for you to access similar services in one go and allowed us to build good working relationships with Citizens Advice.
We're pleased to say that we have agreed terms for a further three-year lease in the library for face-to-face services.
To make the experience better for you, we will be working on a new space in the library which will offer a waiting area and better privacy. The work will start on Monday 17 July and we expect it to be finished by 31 July.
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Consultations
After extensive searches for a suitable new burial site, Oxford City Council recently announced work is progressing to deliver a new public green space and tranquil burial meadow on land we own off Oxford Road towards Horspath. Â
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We are considering potential changes to our Council Tax Reduction Scheme for 2024/25 and want your views on the changes,Â
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Free emergency contraception
Oxfordshire County Council is working with some local pharmacies to offer free emergency contraception.
There might be any number of reasons people need it. The important thing to know is that if you or a loved one does, emergency contraception is available for free in some local pharmacies.
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 BBC cost of living clinic
We’re supporting the BBC Radio Oxford cost of living clinic at Templars Square next Wednesday, 19 July.
Staff from the council will be there to help with energy advice, advice on benefits and financial support, information on local food services and much more.
We'll be joined by teams from Citizens Advice, the Agnes Smith Advice Centre and SOFEA will be there to give practical help and advice.
Drop in between 10am and 1pm to the event next to Boswells Café in Templars Square, Cowley.
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 Summer activities at MOX
The Museum of Oxford's summer schedule is bursting at the seams with activities aimed at all ages with workshops, walks and an activity a week for the kids.Â
To make sure that everyone is able to engage with their local history they have made the Museum guided tours 'Pay What You Can' – so you can decide how much you would like to contribute. Any donation you give will mean they can keep collecting, researching, protecting and sharing the objects that connect you to over 1,000 years of life in our city.
See what tours are coming up and learn more about Oxford's people, places and objects by heading to their website.Â
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Stay Connected:
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@OxfordCityCouncil
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@OxfordCity
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@oxfordcitycouncil
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