Your views count - residents asked to help shape the Council’s budget
West Oxfordshire District Council is asking for residents' views on how it spends its money before it decides its budget for the next financial year.
A consultation that opened today (18 November) will ask residents to prioritise council spending as it looks to improve the district while also navigating the financial challenges facing local government.
Councillor Alaric Smith, Executive Member for Finance, said:
"We have an ambitious plan to deliver better services, support communities and improve our district but ten years of funding cuts and high inflation have left us with far less money to spend on local services.
“Whilst recent budgets have increased funding for some areas, most of this has been allocated to the county council and West Oxfordshire’s budget remains tight.
"We are confident in our ability to minimise the impact of the financial challenge, maintain service quality, and invest in our community. However, we want to give residents the opportunity to help shape those decisions."
Despite the financial strain, the Council is committed to minimising the impact on services. Recent efficiencies have been achieved, such as saving £125,000 in customer services whilst still being a top-ranked council and also boosting recycling revenues by £300,000 through renewed contracts.
“Every pound of your council tax counts,” adds Councillor Smith. “We receive about 10% of the total council tax you pay, yet provide more than 50 services, from waste collections to clearing fly tipping to support for people facing homelessness.
“Some services, like elections and water safety, are required by law, whilst others—like leisure centres and local economic support—are choices we make to enhance quality of life here.
“We are asking residents to let us know which of these services we should prioritise. Your feedback will play a crucial role in shaping budget plans for 2025/26.”
To participate, residents can complete the survey online at www.westoxon.gov.uk/budget or pick up a paper copy at the Council offices on Welch Way and Woodgreen, Witney. The consultation period runs from 18 November to 15 December.
Contact Information
West Oxfordshire District Council Communications Team
Notes to editors
- The Council's Executive will be considering a draft budget at their meeting in December.
- The results of the consultation will be reported back in the New Year and will influence the final budget agreed in February.
- The Council is expecting to receive the provisional funding settlement from the Government in late December. This will set out what funding is expected from Government for West Oxfordshire District Council. Whilst the Government’s budget announced in October highlighted additional funding for Local Government, it is not expected that much, if any, of this funding will come to West Oxfordshire because it was targeted at specifics services, most of which are provided by the county council.
- The consultation is being hosted on the Council’s online engagement platform – GoVocal – but paper copies are also available for those not able to access online services.