The Oxfordshire County Council meeting scheduled for 4 November 2025 included an address by the Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, Mrs Marjorie Glasgow BEM, and consideration of the new strategic plan, changes to financial regulations and the youth justice annual plan. Councillors were also expected to discuss a number of motions, including one to end the Oxford Congestion Charge scheme.

Strategic Plan 2025-2028

The council was scheduled to discuss and potentially approve and adopt the Strategic Plan 2025-2028. The plan builds on the existing 2022-2025 plan and retains the vision of a greener, fairer and healthier Oxfordshire.

The plan reportedly includes nine headline projects to be delivered by 2027:

• Better spaces for residents and visitors in town centres, with pilot projects in Banbury, Witney and Wantage
• Work with transport partners towards a countywide integrated rail and bus offer, including better connectivity and combined timetables and ticketing.
• Creation of two dedicated highways response teams to tackle issues in priority areas.
• Roll out a network of family hubs.
• Help people overcome barriers to employment through initiatives like Connect to Work.
• Support young people leaving care into employment.
• Increase the number of children who reach a good level of development at age five.
• Deliver more specialist school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
• Support an expanded and coordinated programme of youth provision.

The plan also includes wider objectives such as:

• Continuing to roll out the Local Transport and Connectivity Plan, encouraging the use of public transport, cycling and walking.
• Making it easier to travel by train, bus and bike by building mobility hubs across Oxfordshire.
• Creating quiet lanes / greenways in rural areas to make walking, cycling and horse riding safer and more enjoyable, including a greenway link connecting Thame with Haddenham & Thame Parkway Station.
• Improving how the council deals with flooding.
• Continuing to reduce carbon emissions from council buildings and vehicles.
• Speeding up efforts to protect nature and wildlife in Oxfordshire.

A report by REMind Research, commissioned by the council, included feedback from focus groups with residents. The report noted that residents showed interest in being involved and consulted on policies affecting them. It also identified key areas which were consistently and strongly advocated for by residents: transport/traffic, education, health, and social/community.

Financial Regulations

The council was scheduled to consider amendments to Section 5 of the Financial Regulations, which sets out the arrangements for capital expenditure. The proposed amendments included increasing the limit for Cabinet approval for new inclusions and variations to capital schemes from £1.0m to £2.0m, to align with the key decision threshold of £2m. It was also proposed that in exceptional circumstances, up to £0.500m funding for exploratory feasibility works could be approved by the Executive Director of Resources and Section 151 Officer, following discussion and recommendation at, and with the support of the Strategic Capital and Commercial Board.

Youth Justice Annual Plan 2025-26

The council was expected to consider adopting Oxfordshire's Youth Justice Annual Plan 2025-2026. The plan outlines progress against the previous year's priorities, performance data, a plan for the forthcoming year and how the partnership is meeting its statutory responsibilities against the Youth Justice National Standards for Children and the national Key Performance Indicators.

The core priorities for Oxfordshire's youth justice service for 2025-26 are:

• Working in partnership to develop the prevention & diversion offer in Oxfordshire, which will support a reduction in First Time Entrants.
• Working in partnership to improve outcomes for children with SEND in the youth justice system in Oxfordshire.
• Working in partnership to improve support for arrested children.
• Working in partnership to address over-representation and disproportionality for justice-involved children in Oxfordshire.
• Working in partnership to effectively support victims of youth crime in Oxfordshire.

Motions

Several motions were scheduled for discussion:

• Councillor Liam Walker, Leader of the Opposition Group Oxfordshire Alliance, put forward a motion calling on the Leader and Cabinet to immediately end the operation of the Oxford Congestion Charge scheme¹ and ensure no further expansion or reintroduction of similar charging schemes without full public consultation and support.
• Councillor Gavin McLauchlan raised concerns about the South East Strategic Reservoir Option in Abingdon, part of the Thames Water Resources Management Plan. He requested that the Leader write to the Secretary of State to request clarity on how an emergency discharge would be managed and to provide a commitment that the council would be provided with the resources to do so before any Development Consent Order is considered.
• Councillor Nathan Ley's motion concerned routine weed clearance on county pavements. The council was asked to note the historic withdrawal of routine weed clearance and the resulting concerns about accessibility, safety, and neighbourhood appearance; recognise the council's statutory duty to keep pavements free of hazards; and request an officer report with options for re-establishing pavement weed clearance and scheduled maintenance, including alternatives to glyphosate², and how the council can support towns and parishes to reduce reliance on chemical spraying.
• Councillor Liz Brighouse OBE, Leader of the Opposition Group Labour & Cooperative, proposed that the council, being deeply concerned by the impact of poor mental health on adults and children in the county, ask the Health and Wellbeing Board to request an appropriate overview and scrutiny committee to investigate and report back on how services provided by Oxford Health and other organisations are tackling this issue.
• Councillor Maggie Filipova-Rivers' motion, seconded by Councillor Emma Markham, addressed community cohesion. The council was asked to recognise the risks to communities if disinformation, suspicion, and intolerance go unchallenged, and commit to addressing them wherever they occur; work with partners to ensure the safety and wellbeing of everyone in communities and that racism is confronted wherever it occurs, in schools, workplaces, and on streets; and request that Cabinet supports the co-production of a community cohesion action plan with key stakeholders in consultation with councillors, including actions to support community-led dialogue and ensure appropriate resourcing is considered during budget setting.

Other Matters

• Councillor Mark Lygo, Chair of the Council, was scheduled to address the appointment of a member to the vacant position on the Planning and Regulation Committee, and the delegation to all council committees of the authority to appoint to its vacant committee seats in accordance with legislation.
• The Leader of the Council was expected to present a report covering the Cabinet meetings on 10 September 2025, 16 September 2025 and 21 October 2025.
• The council was also scheduled to note the use of Special Urgency for a Key Decision taken on 1 September 2025 by the Leader of the Council regarding Woodeaton Manor Academy Funding.
• The calendar of meetings for the 2026-27 Council year was to be presented to Council for approval.