About our budget
Every year Oxford City Council plans for the money it will have available and how it should be spent on delivering services in line with the priorities and objectives set out in our Corporate Plan. We want to hear from you on how best to navigate our challenges, priorities and objectives while continuing to deliver the services that matter most.
Though the financial environment remains challenging, we're optimistic about the future and are dedicated to finding creative solutions to maintain our services. Your support and feedback are essential as we work together to build a brighter future for Oxford City.
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The Council’s new Budget proposals, covering 2026/27 to 2029/30, include:
- £32m to help acquire up to 260 additional homes for Oxford residents who need temporary accommodation.
- £385.6m to build or purchase 1,305 new affordable homes over the next six years
- Funding for a Cowley Branch Line programme manager
- Extending Hinksey Outdoor Pool opening hours to include March and October
- £1m for essential roof works at Oxford Ice Rink
- Reintroducing a creche at Blackbird Leys Leisure Centre
- Recruiting new community response officers to tackle anti-social behaviour
This investment is supported in part by the ‘Oxford Model’, with the Council’s companies expected to generate £12.6m in dividends over the next four years.
Oxford City Council remains the only council in Oxfordshire to publish a full four-year Budget, which reflects the organisation’s financial strength.
The proposals have been developed in the context of local government reorganisation in 2028 and national reforms to local government finance in 2026.
The proposals will use £7.8m of reserves over the four-year period, leaving around £25m of useable reserves. There is uncertainty about the exact level of government funding going forward, with clear information expected just before the end of 2025.
Learn more about the core services we provide and how we fund them
Core services
Oxford City Council provides a wide range of services for Oxford’s 165,200 residents, including:
- 8,077 council homes
- 17 community centres
- Five leisure centres
- Youth clubs and holiday activities
- Parks and open spaces
- Bin collections, street cleaning and grass cutting
- Services such as planning, licensing and food safety
The Council is also involved in major developments in Oxford, including the Blackbird Leys redevelopment, Covered Market transformation, and Oxford Burial Meadow.
The Council pays its staff and contractors the Oxford Living Wage.
Oxfordshire County County provides the city’s other council services, including adult social care, children’s services, transport, public health, fire and rescue, and libraries.
Oxford Model
Oxford City Council owns two companies – ODS and OX Place – which generate income to help fund frontline services. This is known as the ‘Oxford Model’.
ODS carries out street cleaning, bin collections and parks maintenance for Oxford residents, but also sells those services to businesses and institutions to generate income.
OX Place’s main aim is to build new council homes for Oxford residents, but it also builds open market sale and shared ownership homes to generate income and meet Oxford’s other housing needs.
The companies are expected to generate about £12.6m in dividends to the Council over the next four years. Dividends generated through the ‘Oxford Model’ still account for around 10% of the Council’s annual budgeted income. This compares to 28% for fees and charges, 21% for Council Tax, 16% for Business Rates, 20% for commercial rent, and 5% for government grants.
Council Tax
Under the proposals, Council Tax will increase by 2.99% in 2025/26. This is below inflation, which was 3.6% in October.
For a Band D Council Tax property, a 2.99% increase equates to £10.67 per year (or 21p a week), bringing a total charge of £367.38 per annum (or £7.07 per week) to fund Oxford City Council.
Separate Council Tax precepts support Oxfordshire County Council, the Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner and the parish councils in Blackbird Leys, Old Marston, Littlemore and Risinghurst & Sandhills.
Oxford City Council continues to provide a full discount on Council Tax for Oxford residents on the lowest incomes. It is one of relatively few councils across the UK to still do so.
In 2025, the City Council started charging double Council Tax to second homes and empty homes in Oxford. Council Tax is tripled for homes that are empty for five years and quadrupled if they are empty for 10.
Have your say
Budget Consultation 2026-27
The Council spends around £110 million providing public services that you, your family and friends use every day such as refuse collection, street cleaning, parks, and grounds maintenance and homelessness, to name but a few. These services are funded by retained business rates income, council tax and government grant. In addition, we spend another £70 million on council housing in relation to the management and maintenance of our 8,000 strong housing stock, and we are planning to...
Closed consultations
Budget Consultation 2025-26
Oxford City Council spends around £100 million each year providing public services that you, your family and friends use every day. In addition, we spend another £57 m on council housing in relation to the management and maintenance of our 7,869 council homes and we are planning to spend around £800 million over the next 5 years on major infrastructure capital projects in the city. We want to hear from you on our budget proposals for 2025-26. The...
Budget Consultation 2024-25
Every year, we spend around £100 million providing public services that you, your family and friends use every day. Oxford City Council wants to hear from you on its budget proposals for 2024-25. The financial environment for local authorities at the present remains challenging. Dividend returns from our wholly owned companies are reducing as higher interest rates and inflation harm their finances. Inflation is not expected to return to manageable levels for some time to come and mean...
Budget Consultation 2023-24
Every year, we spend around £100 million providing public services that you, your family and friends use every day. Oxford City Council wants to hear from you on its budget proposals for 2023-24. The Council’s finances continue to be impacted from the fallout from Covid. Car parking income continues to recover but is still less than pre-Covid levels as are town hall bookings and leisure centre attendances. Rental income from shops and offices we own show signs of...
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