Open Letter to the Oxford City Labour Group

An Open Letter from the Oxford City Liberal Democrats to the Oxford City Labour Group.

The voters at the City Council election this year did not give any party a majority.

While the Labour minority administration that has been in charge this last year will likely continue, this requires the consent of councillors of other parties, and as the largest opposition group we are setting out what we expect in return for that ongoing consent.

1. That Labour must continue to back our buses, and in particular support the traffic filter trial set to begin later this year, which is desperately needed to realise fast, efficient, reliable public transport.
2. That Labour must raise its game when it comes to addressing our housing crisis. Current policy seeks to build homes on the city’s scraps of green land and to twist the arms of neighbouring districts to build homes for us; meanwhile opportunities to grow upwards in the inner suburbs are slim to nil. This needs to change.
3. That where the administration is planning large new commercial developments, they must assess and ameliorate the adverse impact on housing demand.
4. That we need to double down on green energy. We want to see more rights for householders to deploy green generation, and a strategy to unlock energy-efficient social housing that doesn’t rely on scraps of funding from central government.
5. That they deliver a refreshed, high-quality leisure experience. If we are to live with the controversial Serco leisure contract, we must hold the contractor fast to their agreement and ensure delivery of an affordable, accessible service.
6. We expect the Labour group to seek consensus and constructively engage with opposition amendments on all matters before Cabinet and Council.

We will be working closely with the administration and with other opposition councillors, of all parties and of none, to meet these challenges.

Ultimately, a minority administration governs by the consent of the opposition. If it becomes evident the administration is taking that consent for granted, our recourse is to raise a vote of no confidence, and seek to form a replacement administration from whatever councillors will work constructively to improve our city.

Our residents deserve a stable council, so we will not do this casually or without exhausting all avenues of negotiation first, but we will not hesitate to use such measures if necessary.