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Housing

Construction work starts in Blackbird Leys! 🏠💥 Construction work on new homes, retail space and community facilities has started in Blackbird Leys. The plans by housing association Peabody (formerly Catalyst) and development partner Oxford City Council include: 210 new homes (83% for social or affordable rent and 17% for shared ownership) around the district centre 84 new homes for shared ownership at Knights Road New green spaces New shops A new community centre Improved roads with a segregated cycle route Earlier this week, work started on the development around Blackbird Leys Community Centre. Councillor Linda Smith, Cabinet Member for Housing, is pictured at the site.

Calling all Blackbird Leys residents! ✨

Did you know there are currently community centre engagement events happening in your area?

We have been working with Transition by Design, an Oxford-based architecture and design group, to understand what residents want from the new community centre in Blackbird Leys 🤩.

The engagement events started last Saturday, and the next one will take place on Tuesday (30 January) between 12pm and 2pm at The Venue in Barns Road.

You can also share your views about the community centre redevelopment by filling in the online form below.

Communities

Serco Leisure chosen as Oxford's new leisure provider

This week we officially approved the award of Oxford's leisure contract to Serco Leisure.

The award, which our Cabinet approved on Wednesday, will see significant investment and more staff across Oxford's leisure centres. It will also deliver savings over the contract term.

When many councils up and down the country are grappling with the closure of key facilities due to budget pressures, we are maintaining and elevating our leisure facilities.

Serco Leisure has 30 years of leisure management expertise, including managing Sport England's national sports centres and leisure contracts for other local authorities.

Oxford comes together for the Holocaust Memorial Day

As a community, Oxford marked Holocaust Memorial Day today with an in-person service at Oxford Town Hall.

Holocaust Memorial Day is an annual day to remember and learn about the Holocaust, Nazi persecution, and the genocides that followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

The service featured video testimonies from survivors of the Holocaust and the Rwandan Genocide, which took place 30 years ago.

Climate Emergency

New study links fewer asthma hospital admissions during Covid-19 lockdowns to reduced air pollution

New data has revealed that Oxford residents with asthma had fewer hospital visits in 2020 compared to the previous five years - and this was largely due to less air pollution.

The study, which was conducted by OxAria in collaboration with the University of Birmingham, investigated the link between air pollution levels in Oxford during the 2020 lockdowns and hospital admissions for acute asthma around the same time.

Their results showed:

• During 2020, major air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter fell sharply (18% - 33%) compared to averages for the previous five years
• There were 41% fewer hospital stays for severe asthma during 2020 compared to the previous five years
• When monthly levels of nitrogen dioxide increased by just 1µg/m3, it led to a 4% increase in asthma hospital admissions

The annual Big Garden Birdwatch starts today! 🎉

The RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch aims to build a picture of how our garden birds are faring.

It is the UK's largest citizen science wildlife survey.

To take part, simply count the number of birds that visit your garden, balcony or local park for one hour between 26 and 28 January, and then submit your results.

Economy

A partnership packed with potential 🎉👨‍💼👩‍💼

Does your business help make Oxfordshire a fairer place for everyone?

If you think it does, please consider joining the Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership.

The partnership is a collaborative network of local organisations committed to fostering a region where everyone has access to opportunities and benefits. 

It includes well-known members, such as Oxfordshire's councils, Oxford University Hospitals, Blenheim Palace and Estate, and Ellison Oxford Ltd.

Oxford

Have your say on our new strategy

Consultations

Smoke Control Area Expansion We have opened a public consultation on plans to expand our longstanding Smoke Control Areas to cover the whole city. The plan would replace the current patchwork of 23 Smoke Control Areas covering about 48% of Oxford with a single Smoke Control Area for the whole city. This consultation will close on 31 January 2024.

Oxfordshire County Council

New strategy hopes to boost health outcomes for all ✨

More than a thousand people in Oxfordshire have contributed to the county council's development of a new five-year strategy, aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of the local community.

The new health and wellbeing strategy for Oxfordshire, 2024 - 2030, has been developed by Oxfordshire's Health and Wellbeing Board – the partnership between local NHS services, the county council, the city and district councils and Healthwatch Oxfordshire.

In developing this strategy, more than 400 residents of Oxfordshire and diverse partner organisations responded to the strategy through a public consultation. Concerns and ideas expressed have been considered and incorporated into the final strategy.

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