The 2018 Oxford City Council election is scheduled to take place on 3 May 2018, to elect 24 of the 48 members of Oxford City Council in England. This is on the same day as other local elections in England. Each of Oxford's 24 wards will elect one councillor, with the other seat in each ward next due for election in May 2020.[4]
New Statesman commentator Stephen Bush suggested that a successful result for Labour in the 2018 Oxford City Council election, building on its strong parliamentary performance in 2017, would be to win all the available Green seats.[8] The Oxford Mail's political correspondent Nathan Briant predicted that "Labour are likely to return a healthy number of councillors", but identified potential difficulties for the party: a rise in homelessness in Oxford as in other cities, controversy of the Council's use of community protection notices to threaten to fine homeless people, and a perception of the national Labour leadership as too eurosceptic.[9]
Stephen Bush argued that if the Liberal Democrats' national strategy of appealing to pro-European voters succeeded, one benchmark for this would be an expansion from eight seats on Oxford City Council to double figures.[10]
Policies and campaigns
Conservative
The Oxford Conservative Association's chair Mark Bhagwandin criticised the Labour administration for a lack of affordable housing in Oxford, including at the recent Barton development. He stated he was confident that the Conservatives could improve on their previously weak position in Oxford, and that they would hold Labour to account. The party pledged to freeze the salaries of senior council staff, which Bhagwandin described as "huge".[11]
Green
The Green Party's campaign also emphaised a need for scrutiny and opposition; co-leader Caroline Lucas stated while campaigning in Oxford that "one more Labour councillor won't make any difference", while "one more Green councillor" would ensure the council was "forced to deliver".[12] Lucas identified homelessness as the issue on which Oxford's Green councillors been most active,[12] and the Greens' manifesto highlighted their past campaigns for the council to provide additional homeless shelters and consider the use of rent controls, as well as their role in challenging fines for rough sleepers and removal of their property.[13] Green policies also included addressing air pollution in St Clement's[12] by extending the council's proposed zero-emission zone,[13] and redesignating the entire development on the Lucy Faithfull House site for affordable housing (instead of half as proposed by the council).[11]
Labour
Oxford's governing Labour Party pledged in its manifesto, subtitled Fighting Austerity for a Fairer City, to build 1000 affordable homes and work with adjacent councils on "high quality urban extensions that will increase the availability of affordable homes".[14][15] The Leader of the Council, Susan Brown, advocated more development in the Oxford Green Belt to meet the city's housing needs.[11] Emphasising Oxford's "strong cycling tradition",[16] the manifesto included policies to provide more lanes and parking for cyclists, while supporting cycle hire businesses.[14][17] On homelessness, Labour pledged increased spending and cooperation with charitable and voluntary organisations "with the objective of ensuring that no-one has to sleep rough in Oxford".[14] Other "key pledges" included promotion of an Oxford living wage, support for sports clubs and facilities, and measures to reduce the city's carbon footprint and air pollution.[18]
Launching the manifesto, Susan Brown and Shadow Secretary of State for HousingJohn Healey attacked the central government's austerity programme as responsible for homelessness and other social problems in Oxford and elsewhere, while Healey praised Oxford City Council's track record under its Labour administration.[17] The Guardian journalist and Labour activist Owen Jones canvassed for the party's candidate Rabyah Khan in Summertown.[19]
Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable highlighted the issues of homelessness and unaffordable housing during a visit to Oxford, while the party's Oxford West and Abingdon MP Layla Moran argued that Labour was over-dominant on the council and that additional Lib Dem councillors would provide improved scrutiny.[20] The party's manifesto[21] included pledges to re-examine potential sites in Oxford in order to build "hundreds more houses",[22] with their councillors suggesting that land designated for business development could be reallocated for housing.[11] The Lib Dems supported a review of the Green Belt for new sites for development, with safeguards for "areas of natural, historic, or scientific interest".[22] They proposed increased accommodation and support for homeless people, while opposing fining of rough sleepers.[23] Other pledges included a tourism tax as a source of revenue for public works.[24] The Lib Dem leader on the council, Andrew Gant, suggested that some voters would support the party because of opposition to Brexit.[11]
Candidates
The Labour and Conservative parties have nominated candidates for all 24 seats, while the Greens are contesting 23 and the Liberal Democrats 21. The current Leader of the Council, Susan Brown (Labour), will stand for re-election in Churchill ward.[25] David Thomas, the leader of the council's Green group who was previously elected in Holywell ward,[26] will contest St. Clement's ward against the Labour incumbent Tom Hayes.[11]
Some councillors whose terms end in 2018 are not seeking re-election, including former Leader Bob Price (Labour, Hinksey Park) and Lord Mayor Jean Fooks (Liberal Democrat, Summertown).[25][27]
Candidates are listed below for each ward as in the Returning Officer's Statement of Persons Nominated.[28]
^ abAlthough Labour won 17 seats in 2014,[1] the Northfield Brook seat due for re-election in 2018 has been vacant since the death of Councillor Jennifer Pegg in November 2017.[2][3] This leaves Labour with 16 seats up for re-election in 2018.
^To win a majority, the Green Party would need to gain 21 seats, but it is only contesting 20 seats that it does not already hold.
