Oxford City Business Guide 2022.

CITY BUSINESS GUIDE

Burroughs was created with the sole aim of delivering for clients, with the ethos established at the outset of providing quality, integrity, and experience. Burroughs are a forward-thinking, digitally dexterous organisation, striving to champion sustainability, both inter nally, and through Engineering design. Carbon reduction targets are being set, implemented by a sustainability working group, and enacted company wide.

oughs Pr ojects

The previously collapsed bridge became a bridge that reconnected local communities in 11 months. Working with Historic England, elements of the Collapsed Grade II listed arch were incorporated in the new design.

Renovation and structural building alterations to Grade II listed Coal Exchange building in Cardiff. Through design and careful construction techniques, Burroughs were able to conserve a historic monument such as the World War 1 memorial.

are an independent, award-winning civil and structural engineering and project management consultancy with a strong client and staff focus.

the hear t of Oxfordshire’s knowledge economy, we advise two-thirds of the Oxford colleges on all things proper ty and are the leading adviser to the science and technology sector.

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Welcome to the Oxford City Business Guide 2022-23.

As we recover from the pandemic and adjust to life outside of the EU, cities like Oxford need to be as strong as possible. This is why we were identified by Government as a growth engine within the Oxford-Cambridge Arc, one of the most important areas for boosting national productivity and addressing the housing crisis, enabled by investments such as East West Rail.

Oxford’s new Economic Strategy aims to build on this status, recognising the importance of the city in generating knowledge with huge societal value - in areas such health, energy, and mobility - for the local area, the region and UK as a whole.

Oxford is home to world-leading education and research institutions, the number one location for spin-outs, two for venture capital investment and talent. We are a hugely popular visitor destination, but we must continuously evolve. Investment in zero carbon transport infrastructure is now fundamental to the success of our city as well as our transition to net zero. Commercial space and housing are much needed, and the City Council is involved in regeneration and development projects worth c£4bn to help address these issues.

Inequality is among the most significant challenges Oxford faces. We are the second most unequal city in the country in income terms. Businesses have a key role in addressing this and I would encourage you to get involved in

initiatives like the Oxford Living Wage, and forthcoming ‘Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Charter’ through which organisations will pledge to make a difference in addressing economic and social inclusion.

The city has declared a climate emergency and the collective need to transition towards Net Zero now is also top priority. The city has the opportunity to both respond to this challenge and harness the knowledge developed to grow new low carbon jobs and businesses. Business, alongside government, academia, and individuals will lead this rapid shift.

This, our third edition of the Oxford Business Guide, features a range of organisations offering business support and services. To connect the city’s community, this is complemented by an interactive online local Oxford directory that will feature thousands of Oxford’s businesses and support organisations.

We hope this guide offers a regularly used resource for businesses across the city. We are always keen to hear about ways we can support our business community, so please contact economicdevelopment@oxford.gov. uk with your suggestions.

Cllr Susan Brown, Leader of Oxford City Council

ECONOMIC STRATEGY

Oxford’s new Economic Strategy 2022-2032 will seek to establish a new standard for economic inclusion in the city, whilst leading the transition to a net zero economy. Building on the Oxford’s fundamental strengths and opportunities, the strategy is underpinned by the city’s global leadership in science and technology, purposeful business, and Oxford’s world-class higher education sector.

Evidence gathered to inform our Strategy tells a compelling story of a city which already has significant influence and strength in socially important economic sectors. The evidence also tells us that Oxford is constrained in terms of commercial space, including lab space, and that locations within the city must be more efficiently and sustainably connected. Inequality shown within the statistics is stark and shows us the scale of the environmental challenge ahead of us.

We are visited by around 8 million people per annum and boast world class universities, a beautiful city centre, a vibrant leisure offer and enviable green space.

Our economy is underpinned by internationally important anchor institutions, driven by the aim to support purposeful and societally impactful businesses and products, and provide world-class education

and health outcomes. These include the University of Oxford, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford Science Park, Oxford Business Park, John Radcliffe Hospital and MINI Plant Oxford. We have a talented population – around 60% of whom have a degree level qualification or higher.

We have specialisms in knowledge, science and technology-based industries and have high employment in robust and resilient sectors with strong foundations of innovation. Our universities have been a major contributor to this, with over 170 active spinout companies, many of these commercialising rapidly as they attract new funds.

Oxford may be a small city but is a global leader in many ways. It is home to 151,600 people and 6,000 businesses. We offer 123,500 jobs, which contribute around £6.8bn to the national economy each year.

Whilst Oxford has a strong economy, the benefits of this are not shared equally. In a city with huge potential, where medical and technology breakthroughs are commonplace, too many residents struggle to make ends meet or participate fully in their local economy. Fostering an inclusive economy and enabling people to share in future success is a long-term priority of this strategy. Alongside our own initiatives, the City Council is working closely with the broad membership of the Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership to build on and amplify local efforts to address inequality and inclusion.

Oxford’s role in answering the most prominent questions of our time will be key to economic opportunity and societal opportunities globally, as well as employment opportunities locally and regionally. More than any other city in the world, Oxford has become synonymous with the scientific response to Covid-19.

Source: Makespace

Source: OxWED

The city will also help lead the way in electric and autonomous vehicles, gene therapy, future fuels and the application of quantum technologies, to name a few of our many specialisms. When combined, these areas of expertise create a range of opportunities to address some of the world’s pressing issues. So, if any area has the ability to demonstrate how it can leverage its economy to address pervasive social and environmental issues, it’s Oxford and Oxfordshire.

To capitalise upon these opportunities, we believe we need to embrace global leadership on technology and purposeful business, becoming more diverse, attracting more talent and enabling innovation. This will be about more than just business and knowledge, it is all encompassing, building upon the global leadership characteristics we already possess.

We are committed to putting environmental concerns at the very forefront of our approach to economic development and will achieve this by prioritising a rapid Net Zero transition, aiming to achieve this sooner than 2050 for the city as a whole, and by 2030 for the City Council itself. This rapidly evolving economy will be powered by renewables, new energy storage and grid solutions, low carbon transport, digital infrastructure, sustainable construction methods and ethical consumption.

This is already fundamentally changing the way the City’s anchor institutions and businesses act, plan and make decisions. Net zero will be law by 2050, so the City as a whole needs to act now to not only achieve this in Oxford, but also to ensure that the knowledge and expertise created in the city helps other cities do the same. There is

a range of actions that aim to support this transition in Oxford’s Economic Strategy, many of which are about transport, some about new development, retrofit, and of course the actions that our community of businesses, small or large, must take.

We plan to work closely with local partner organisations and businesses to achieve the goals in Oxford’s Economic Strategy. To find out more, email economicdevelopment@oxford.gov. uk

The Oxford to Cambridge ARC

The Oxford-Cambridge ARC remains a major opportunity to support the continued prosperity and sustainability of the UK. It consists of the five counties around the line between Oxford, Milton Keynes and Cambridge. The area is made up of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire.

The Arc was originally identified by Government as an area of high potential growth, but rather is one of the fastest-growing economies in England. It supports more than two million jobs and adds over £110 billion to the UK economy every year. Alongside Oxfordshire, Oxford is one of a handful of net contributors to the national economy. The city was identified by Government as a growth engine within the OxfordCambridge Arc. The Arc as a whole is potentially one of the most important areas for catalysing national productivity and easing the nation’s housing crisis.

The Government recognised an opportunity whereby together with local partners, we might build a better economic, social and environmental future for the area along the Arc. With high-quality, well-connected and sustainable communities making the Arc an even more attractive place to live, work and visit.

Oxford is strategically placed within one of the country’s most important economic regions. It is an integral part of the Oxford- Cambridge Arc which has been prioritised by Government to drive connectivity, national productivity, and housing

growth. With the right investment, it will become a world leading economic region that has the potential to deliver over £190bn each year to the national economy.

The Arc has the potential to become a world-leading and globally renowned centre for business, innovation and investment in a variety of industries, including AI (Artificial Intelligence), advanced manufacturing and life sciences.

Place-making is part of the strategic approach to planning for growth. The Council continues to work with partners to enhance the area’s natural environment and biodiversity, ensure communities and businesses have access to the infrastructure they need, and ensure new development is more affordable and beautiful so that it enhances Oxford as a place to live, work and to do business.

Furthermore, partners’ work to improve connectivity across the Arc with a new rail line between Oxford, Milton Keynes and Cambridge will link communities with employment and leisure opportunities.

While integrating sustainable and accessible transport options will support our ambition for the Arc and ensure homes and employment sites are situated in the right places, areas like Oxford and the surrounding Arc need government investment and freedoms to benefit the wider UK and contribute to more balanced regional development.

Oxfordshire’s Industrial Strategy

Launched in September 2019, the ambition for the Oxfordshire Local Industrial Strategy is to position the county as one of the top three global innovation ecosystems, highlighting our world-leading science and technology cluster and to be a pioneer for the UK and our emerging transformative technologies and sectors.

The Investment Plan translates the ideas and aspiration of the Local Industrial Strategy into a coherent programme of delivery over an initial 10-year period, up until 2030, worth c£4.3billion. It includes a public sector investment ask of £1.1bn which, in turn, will leverage almost £2.6bn of private sector funding into projects, alongside committed public sector infrastructure funding of £0.7bn.

The portfolio could deliver;

• 24,500 new jobs (gross full-time equivalents)

• 344,400m² of new commercial and innovation floorspace

• 29,400 new homes (based on existing local plans and the Oxfordshire Housing & Growth Deal)

• 2,700 qualifications (NVQ4+ and Apprenticeships)

• Support for over 41,000 adult and young learners.

Delivering the projects will collectively lever over £2.6bn in domestic and foreign private sector investment. More widely, the portfolio will secure a total of £3.6bn of Foreign Direct Investment, and produce GVA of £1.2bn per year from 2030 (based on average Gross Value Added per job).

Our Local Industrial Strategy directly responded to the UK Industrial Strategy – launched by the Government in November 2017 –which aimed to increase growth and productivity across the country and create more prosperous communities.

The UK Industrial Strategy is based on five ‘Foundations’ and four ‘Grand Challenges’ that the Government hopes to address.

The five foundations are:

• Ideas

• People

• Infrastructure

• Business environment

• Places

The four Grand Challenges are:

• Artificial Intelligence and data

• Ageing society

• Clean growth

• Future of mobility

The LIS is a long-term, highlyambitious strategy for Oxfordshire that can also be at the forefront of a future globally-facing UK economy.

Our Local Industrial Strategy is backed by business - providing a business-led framework, detailing how we can realise our fullpotential, raising productivity and commercialisation of our unique innovation assets.

Our Local Industrial Strategy recognises and prioritises local need.

Our Local Industrial Strategy works directly alongside and feeds into other key Oxfordshire strategies, including the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal and Economic Recovery Plan.

Our Local Industrial Strategy has major significance, nationally and internationally.

We are delivering a trailblazing Local Industrial Strategy for the UK government. Our four transformative technologies – with the potential to add up to £180billion to the UK economy by 2030 – are central to the evolvement of the Local Industrial Strategy.

For more information: https://www.oxfordshirelep.com/

Countywide Economic Recovery Plan (ERP)

The actions it proposes are set out across three strategic themes:

The Oxfordshire Economic Recovery Plan (ERP) provides a comprehensive and co-ordinated County-level economic route map for recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, and the damage impacted on Oxfordshire’s People, Places and Businesses. Due to the immediate economic challenges created by the pandemic and the disruption caused to employment, trade, and supply chains in specific parts of the economy, the ERP will have a near-term focus covering an immediate period of 24 months, running from Spring 2021 through to Spring 2023. It will look at the ways and means to maximise existing activities and introduce additional responses, to regain the preCovid-19 growth trajectory for the County and its places.

The ERP provides a flexible framework for Oxfordshire partners to co-ordinate and target interventions and measures to support recovery at the most effective level, where it is most needed – be it County-wide, at district level or in specific wards. The Plan is complementary to existing investment plans, most notably the Oxfordshire Local Industrial Strategy and the Oxfordshire Investment Plan. It also acts as a basis for future proposals to Government under the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the Levelling-Up Fund, innovation investment through the UK R&D Roadmap and funding in support of connectivity projects via DfT and DCMS.

People – relating to the jobs, skills, and mental/physical health of Oxfordshire’s residents; Businesses – across the spectrum of our firms’ sizes and their sectoral specialisms; and Places – reviving and reimagining Oxfordshire’s city, towns, villages, and rural areas.

A key additional enabler across these themes is Connectivity, and ensuring we have the infrastructure to link our people, places and assets, both digitally and physically.

The focus of reskilling people looks at existing measures and response measures. Oxfordshire Investment Plans Actions target proposals include improving labour supplies within and across sectors, as well as tackling social mobility and economic hardship.

Almost 20 actions are proposed under the People Theme. These include continuing the existing work of initiatives such as Activate Learning Care Suite and the Agri-Tech Skills Innovation Centre, through to the proposed Green Construction Skills Centre, and the fast tracking of the Oxfordshire Social Contract/Career Innovations Gateway and OxLife. Two new target proposals are recommended focusing on Supporting Social Mobility and Improving Labour Market Skills Passporting

The Business strategic themes focuses on Business support booster, and supply chain matters. Twenty actions are proposed under the Business Theme. These include continuing the existing work of

initiatives such as ‘Skills Support for Business’ and ‘Innovation Support for Business’, through to the delivery of discretionary grant support and rates relief delivered by District councils, and the fast-tracking of Oxfordshire’s Internationalisation Plan and support for the Visitor Economy.

The reviving Places strategic aim, looks towards town centre renewal, and Visitor Economy Renaissance. Nine actions have been identified to progress Place recovery. These include the early/preparatory works around Oxford North, the planned initiative around new Delivery and Collection Solutions, the proposed Visitor Coach Arrivals project, and the new Rural Gigabyte Vouchers Scheme.

A construction partner you can depend on.

Exel Construction specialise in new build projects using a variety of o -site manufactured systems using both Light Gauge Steel (LGS) and Timber. Recent projects include houses, flats (private and social rented), student accommodation, o ce fit-out and mixed-use developments.

Our current and recent clients are A2Dominion Housing Group, Style & Space, Soaro Developments and a number of private developers. The normal size of projects we carry out range between £2m and £10m, often on a Design & Build basis.

The Company’s experience and expertise ranges widely across development, new-build and refurbishment. Its skill extends to design development in conjunction with the client and professional advisors, where appropriate, providing a high level of value engineering by its investigative approach to materials selection and construction techniques. Since 2009, Exel have been involved with projects using o -site manufactured buildings and this has become a core part of the business. With pressures on the industry to deliver more sustainable housing at an increasing rate we believe that the continuing demand for this form of construction is inevitable.

Exel’s whole philosophy centres around Client satisfaction with a commitment to the highest of standards carried out with the professionalism normally associated with larger contractors. This is further enhanced by the dedication and personal service that only a smaller company can provide. Value for money and completion to time schedules are key factors in the Company’s success.

BUSINESS SUPPORT

OxLEP Skills

The Skills landscape is complex for businesses to navigate. In order to meet the needs of your business, we are here at OxLEP Skills to help you!

Apprenticeship support

Apprenticeships are one of the best mechanisms available to employers to build diverse, talented, and committed teams from the ground up. Due to the tight labour market in Oxfordshire, many employers find it difficult to recruit. Increasing numbers of businesses

are utilising Apprenticeships and vocational career routes to help them grow, as they enable people to learn while they earn. There are six Apprenticeship levels from GCSE to Degree (see diagram below) and benefits to a business include:

• Better staff retention and loyalty to the business

• Helps to address business skills gaps

• Employees gain an invaluable knowledge of different aspects of the organisation

• Fresh, innovative approaches and ideas

• Provide supervisory and management opportunities for existing staff

Whether you’re a small business looking to employ an Apprentice for the first time, or a large firm looking to utilise your Apprenticeship Levy funds to expand your existing Apprenticeship scheme, OxLEP Skills can provide free support to help you get started.

Celebrating and Championing Apprenticeships

Employers are invited to become Sponsors and Supporters of the annual Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards, which is co-ordinated by OxLEP Skills. Employers take a lead role in the awards by not only

sponsoring a category, but also selecting, and awarding the finalists and winners. Categories include: Intermediate to Higher Apprentice, Special Recognition, Shining Star, Small and Large Apprentice Employer and overall Apprentice of the Year. To view the 2021 Awards highlight film, please go to: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQjUOnWrk8

Not only are Apprenticeships a brilliant way for people to show their true potential, but they also provide a fantastic opportunity for businesses to develop the leaders and skills they need for the future. To help young people understand the benefits of Apprenticeships, OxLEP Skills runs the Apprentice Ambassador Scheme. Employers donate some of their Apprentice’s time, so they can speak at local school and college career events about their career pathway, and why it was the right choice for them.

Building the workforce of the future

To help every young person find their best next step, OxLEP Skills has co-invested with the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) to make high quality, 21st-century careers education a reality for every young person in Oxfordshire.

We work in 49 secondary schools and colleges (including special schools) across Oxfordshire to facilitate meaningful encounters with employers for students of all age groups, such as careers workshops and mock interviews. If some of your staff could volunteer an hour of their time – it could make a dramatic difference.

• Engage potential future employees and become an employer of choice

• Raise awareness of your business with the local community

• Help you meet corporate social responsibility goals and ‘give something back’

• Give staff the feel-good factor

• Provide opportunities for staff development

We are looking for more volunteers from business to support this vital work and can link you up with local schools/colleges and advise on suitable activities.

To have an informal discussion on any of the topics covered here, please email: skills@oxfordshirelep. com

Employer encounters are shown to increase young people’s employability and career readiness, in addition to inspiring and informing them about potential careers. There are numerous benefits for businesses too:

University Support at University of Oxford

The University is also partnering with a number of companies in the local area, demonstrated by the numerous research collaborations we have signed with high tech businesses in the area. Our relationship with Sensyne Health has enabled us to rapidly deploy technologies developed at Oxford University Hospitals in the wider NHS, while our work with local investors and service providers is enabling us to accelerate our entrepreneurial community at pace.

The past two years have shown the University at its absolute best. When faced with a global pandemic, our researchers and staff responded swiftly, producing both an effective vaccine and a hugely successful partnership with global pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca. This enabled us to take an Oxford idea and deploy it worldwide, demonstrating the strength and speed of the University’s capabilities when collaborating with business, saving countless lives in the process.

As the pandemic recedes, we are beginning to ask ourselves what’s next. For us, the findings of the recent IPCC report and COP26 provide a point of focus for us: climate change. Already a contributor of solutions to climate change and other global challenges, Oxford is in the spotlight to rise to the challenge with the UK Government and others looking to us.

It is not just our researchers that facilitate these solutions, but the innovation ecosystem in which we sit. In our response to Covid-19, both with the vaccine and in developing

rapid testing, pandemic equipment and sequencing of pathogens, our wider community played an important role in catalysing and commercialising our technologies. For Oxford to remain a global nexus where transformative ideas synergise with dynamic industry, it is essential that our regional ecosystem grows into an innovation cluster that is truly world-class.

To reach that goal, Oxford is working with partners to bolster collaboration, regionally, nationally and internationally. Locally, we already have a longstanding academic-industrial partnership with Siam Cement Group (SCG), which not only has led to breakthroughs in chemical materials at the SCG-Oxford Centre of Excellence for Chemistry, but also to the manufacture and distribution of the OxfordAstraZeneca vaccine in Southeast Asia. More recently, Novo Nordisk took a floor at our life sciences incubator, the BioEscalator, to collaborate on diabetes research; and INEOS has come to Oxford to work with us on crucial antimicrobial research.

We’re also supporting our entrepreneurial community with more access to space and support. Long-standing initiatives like Oxford Sciences Innovation, the Foundry, the BioEscalator and the OUI Incubator are being joined by innovation districts planned around Osney Mead and the new Oxford North development. These districts will provide space for companies, homes, and critical infrastructure to support growth. Our involvement in the Oxford-Cambridge Arc continues at pace, with the train line between Oxford and Milton Keynes due to be completed within the next two years.

Our current research indicates that our total economic impact from these activities is worth £15.7bn a year to the UK, and this figure is set to expand rapidly as our companies and the region matures. In turn, this economic growth will catalyse our ability to respond to the next global challenge that arrives at Oxford’s door, and we will be able to respond as a community for the betterment of the planet.

Professor Chas Bountra, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Innovation, University of Oxford

Suki Pantal, Worcestershire Founder of Suki's Curries and Spices

Contact us

Business & IP Centre

County Library

Queen Street

Westgate

Oxford OX1 1DJ

Oxfordshire

BIPC@Oxfordshire.gov.uk oxfordshire.gov.uk/BIPC

Please visit our website to view BIPC opening times, get in touch or to book a one-to-one appointment.

Accessibility

Bus stops: One minute walk

Train station: 10 minute walk

Car park: The closest car park is a Westgate Shopping Centre

Disabled parking: New Inn Hall Street, which is a two minute walk

• Level access

• Automatic door

• Lifts

• Disabled toilets

• Hearing loop

There is a good public transport network from the centre of Oxford across the county. Most bus stops are within a couple of minutes’ walk from the library.

Suki Founder

Oxfordshire Libraries and the British Library’s National Network of Business & IP Centres are transforming the way ideas grow into successful businesses. We’re supporting a thriving community of bright and inspiring people in Oxfordshire by partnering with local libraries all over the UK.

Offering insights and access to over £5m worth of free business resources, training and events – both online and in-person – we’ll help you imagine, start or develop your business. Whether you’re just setting out, need advice on protecting your intellectual property, or simply have a brilliant idea you want to discuss, we’re here to guide you.

You can find our National Network in regional hubs around Britain – each one based in a local library. We’ll meet you wherever you live and whatever your ambition. We're bringing business inspiration and support to more people than ever before.

Nurture your ambitions and plan for a bright future.

How can the Centre help you?

We support entrepreneurs and innovators from that first spark of inspiration to successfully launching and growing a business. We hold workshops and events and offer advice on a whole host of subjects, from setting up your business to protecting your intellectual property.

So whether you’re looking to start, grow or run a business, Business & IP Centre Oxfordshire can help.

Learn the skills you need to start and grow your business

Get to know your customers and research your market

Protect your ideas and make money from them

Gain confidence and inspiration and meet fellow entrepreneurs

Get expert advice

What can you do ın the Centre?

Workshops and networking events

We hold a wide range of workshops and webinars on the topics that matter to businesses, from intellectual property to market research, social media to funding.

These sessions are relaxed and interactive and are either free or highly discounted. At networking events you can meet like-minded entrepreneurs and local experts in industry to share ideas and build your networks.

One-to-one expert advice

Our expert staff can discuss your business idea in confidence and help

you identify the most useful information and resources.

Business and intellectual property (IP) information

We have a large collection of business and IP information, with expert staff on hand to guide you to the resources you need.

With market research databases, company information, patent specifications and more, you can pinpoint customers, keep track of your competitors and find an opportunity in your market.

DELIVERING FOR BUSINESS

Whether it’s sharing our expertise and research through consultancy or collaborations, supplying a continual flow of skilled and talented students into the workforce, or hosting inspirational meetings and conferences in our award-winning facilities, Oxford Brookes University is an active contributor to the Oxfordshire business community

RESEARCH

Partnerships to innovate and improve the efficiency and performance of your business

EXPERTISE

Services and consultancy to support product testing and development

TALENT

Access to high-quality graduates, apprenticeships and student placements to address skills gaps

SKILLS

Professional and bespoke courses and training to support CPD

YOUR PROGRESS. YOUR UNIVERSITY PARTNER.

Fresh thinking and new ways of working

We welcome and nurture long term relationships with businesses and organisations. Our knowledge exchange collaborations can help solve your bespoke business problems with innovative ideas and processes that contribute to efficiency and productivity.

Academics and business experts work together and apply for project funding from public bodies. We work with organisations from start-ups to multinationals in areas such as health, engineering and technology, as well as education and social work.

The Oxford Brookes Business School is the home of our world-class, flexible Global MBA programme and offers a wealth of opportunity for business in Oxfordshire, the UK and internationally. This includes:

Help to Grow

Oxford Brookes Business School, recently accredited with the Small Business Charter, is offering a range of business support initiatives for SMEs including the Help to Grow programme for senior leaders to build their expertise. The 12-week practical programme offers one to one business mentor guidance and peer-learning, 90% funded by the government.

The Enterprise Centre

The Oxford Brookes Enterprise Centre launched in early 2022 with the support of the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP) and focuses on start-ups and early stage companies in health and life sciences, digital technologies and related sectors. The Centre comprises ScaleBase, which offers newly renovated office space with co-working, private offices and meeting areas along with a fully furnished entertainment and events space. In addition, the Bioinnovation Hub offers shared use of well-equipped CL2 labs and access to specialist equipment and support.

OXFORD

BROOKESAT A GLANCE

A leading modern university

Our Global MBA course is ranked 12th in the world and 5th in the UK

(QS Distance Online MBA rankings, 2021)

Amongst the world’s top universities in 13 subject areas

(QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021)

One of the UK’s top 50 universities (Guardian League Tables 2022)

‘Meanwhile in Oxfordshire...’

An innovative pilot project from Oxford City Council and Makespace Oxford to transform the use of vacant premises across Oxfordshire is being recognised as a new model of good practice in helping to revitalise town and city centres.

Launched in February 2021, the £1.875m ‘Meanwhile in Oxfordshire...’ programme has been so successful that other local authorities are contacting Oxford City Council for advice on launching their own schemes based on the ‘Meanwhile in Oxfordshire…’ model.

Councillor Susan Brown, Leader of Oxford City Council, said:

“The ‘Meanwhile in Oxfordshire...’ project is one of a range of measures taken by the City Council to support businesses to recover from the impact of the pandemic. Over the past 2 years, a variety of premises have been creatively transformed into the perfect spaces for entrepreneurs, creatives and social enterprises to start and grow their businesses.

“The project also supports Oxford City Council’s objective to enable an inclusive economy, distributing wealth more equitably across the city, including providing affordable spaces for entrepreneurs, creating jobs and encouraging people to visit our local neighbourhood and city centres.”

The programme helps small startups and social enterprises find a home by re-purposing empty retail units into independent shops, cultural venues and creative spaces. In turn, this breathes new life back into Oxfordshire’s high streets and urban centres, supporting economic recovery in the wake of the pandemic.

‘Meanwhile in Oxfordshire...’ sources suitable spaces and matches them to the needs of prospective residents, then fits them out for use. The programme team works closely with local residents and businesses to ensure new tenants of each unit reflect, represent and meet the needs of the area.

Alongside supporting businesses, jobs and footfall, the ‘Meanwhile in Oxfordshire…’ project is targeted to help tackle vacant commercial units and diversify the “mix and offer” of businesses. This intends to promote an increase in footfall and employment opportunities to aid high street recovery.

Commissioned by Oxford City Council, Makespace Oxford were secured as the key delivery partner. The ‘Meanwhile in Oxfordshire…’ programme is a county-wide partnership between Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership and the District Councils, with funding from the government’s Getting Building Fund. Following a £1.875m capital grant, the project is due to run until 2024 at least, complementing the ongoing work being delivered by local organisations such as Makespace.

Lula’s at Community Works

Y.O.U Underwear

Gulp Fiction

Andy Edwards, Makespace Oxford Programme Lead, said: “We’re thrilled to be able to help small, independent businesses and organisations take advantage of the programme and access space without the risk of high rent and lengthy lease agreements.

“The programme allows us to break down barriers to space and give fledgling organisations a unique opportunity to test, develop and deliver their ideas, whilst also reanimating our urban centres and supporting our local economy.”

The programme’s key achievements (so far) include:

• 30,000 square feet of space secured

• 28 leases secured and buildings activated for use

• 60 organisations supported

• 120 jobs supported.

Programme participant Y.O.U

Underwear was the UK’s highestscoring B Corp (a company verified as meeting high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability) and highest-scoring ethical fashion brand in the world. The ‘Meanwhile in Oxfordshire…’ programme has provided the business with their first shop in the Covered Market, with hopes to continue.

Space Store, a retailer specialising in all things outer space, has joined Oxford’s Covered Market as the latest recruit to ‘Meanwhile in Oxfordshire...’, an innovative pilot scheme to transform the use of vacant shops across Oxfordshire. Offering shoppers everything from

cosmic merchandise to following in a real-life astronaut’s moon boots by booking an interactive astronaut experience, Space Store is the first ‘experiential’ business to open in the Covered Market.

The Community Works in Frideswide Square also houses a number of creative organisations, including Oxford Playhouse and Oxford Poetry Library.

Since launching the programme with Oxford City Council, Makespace has received over 350 applications from independent businesses, organisations and enterprises, indicating substantial demand for affordable workspace across the county.

In the coming months, Makespace will continue to focus on bringing shared and private work spaces on board, both in Oxford City Centre and beyond. Current spaces available through the programme include a converted factory in Bicester, a private studio/office space in Banbury, and two large shared workspaces in Abingdon and Didcot.

For more information on ‘Meanwhile in Oxfordshire...’ programme, please visit: https://makespaceoxford.org/ meanwhile-in-oxfordshire/

Phoebe Nicholson, founder of Oxford Poetry Library, said:

“We’ve been a mobile library operating out of a big purple cargo bike since we were founded in 2017, but having a physical space will make a huge difference to our ability to reach a wider audience, and to grow and thrive as an organisation.”

The future of workspace in Oxford

The Oxfordshire Industrial Strategy highlights Oxford’s role as an ‘ideation’ cluster, creating innovative businesses that scale-up and benefit the wider region and beyond. Oxford’s Economic Strategy recognises the need to deliver more flexible workspace and lab space to meet changing needs.

Oxford has the highest density of university spin-out companies in the country. There are currently around 170 active spin-outs from the University of Oxford and counting, with real ambition to accelerate this. Oxford Science Enterprises invested £160M in those companies in 2021, building on significant investments made over its previous three years.

It is also important to realise that all businesses create significant employment for a range of people and need space too, with their needs evolving fast after the pandemic as companies embrace new hybrid ways of working.

This has led to two key trends taking hold. Firstly, the significant increase in laboratory lettings which now accounts for 50% of all transactions within this sector (VSL & Partners,

2022). Secondly, as a consequence of the pandemic and flexible working patterns, many existing office occupiers are reducing the floor space they occupy, and seeking more flexible, collaborative spaces for their employees and operations to thrive in.

New Workspaces coming soon

The city council and its partners recognise the importance of responding to this increasing demand for business space. Fortunately, there are a growing number of workspace hubs fulfilling a vital role within the local business ecosystem.

Oxford City Council’s Standingford House Enterprise Centre in Cave Street off St Clements, now has planning permission to be redeveloped in order to create a flexible and accessible new workspace through £9.7million plans agreed by the City Council.

The new workspace will see a significantly increased area from 9,700 sq. to approximately 20,000 sq., making efficient use of an important site allocated for employment use in the Oxford Local Plan, and identified as a priority in Oxford’s Economic Strategy.

The new two or three-storey building will be flexible to enable fledgling businesses to easily scale from one desk to a self-contained office. It will offer a range of different spaces, such as breakout spaces, meeting rooms, individual offices and single desks, offering businesses a choice currently unavailable to them.

The new building will be fully accessible and aims to achieve the highest possible BREEAM (Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method) rating of ‘Outstanding’ for sustainable use of materials, energy and access. The building is hoped to be built by 2024.

Standingford House Enterprise Centre

Oxford Brookes Enterprise Centre © Oxford Brookes University

Ahead of this, opening in early 2023, 1-3 George Street, a vacant mixeduse building in a prime city-centre location, will be refurbished to a high standard to provide 7,007 sq. ft. of workspace. Works include a new external lift servicing all floors, internal layout improvements to support flexible working, enhanced services, and fabric improvements to improve energy efficiency, a rear external terrace and internal light well. The proposal aims to secure a BREEAM ‘Very Good’, sustainability standard through further improvements to the building fabric, both air-tightness and insulation, enhancement to triple-glazed windows, as well as the use of PV at roof level.

Both these investments are supported by Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP), who secured £1.93m of investment towards the project via the government’s Local Growth Fund, and is helping support the proposal for some of the workspace to be let at more affordable rates for qualifying start-ups.

Another major requirement is laboratory space for our growing community of life science businesses to get started and grow flexibly – ideally close to the specific knowledge and expertise they need. Meeting this demand has been a challenge and recent research by OxLEP, Bidwells, and VSL&P has revealed that such spaces are in high demand. Yet this research also highlighted that a range of organisations are working hard to rapidly create a larger pipeline of new space across a range of brownfield sites.

Existing Workspaces

Oxford provides a diverse range of workspace for new and fast growing businesses. Among the key providers of space is Oxford Innovation with a total of nine centres (145,000 sq. ft.) in the area. The Oxford Centre for Innovation is based in the city centre and provides space and a support network for science and technology start-ups.

The new 20,000 ft2 Wood Centre for Innovation is now complete, fully operational and lab occupancy is fast on the rise. Grassroots, serving spin-outs at Keble College, is another new space.

The Oxford Science Park, and in particular the Magdalen Centre, (72,000 ft2) provides space in three buildings for small science and technology businesses. There are plans to radically expand this offer with remaining plots coming forward for a range of workspaces and ‘grow-ons’ at the University of Oxford’s Churchill Campus for Medical Sciences serves specialist needs of bio-tech businesses offering 55,000 ft2

There are also several serviced office providers such as Clarendon Business Centres (54,000 ft2) based at four locations across Oxford. Pure Offices provide space in a range of units at the Oxford Business Park. A range of co-working spaces also exist across the city; Wheelhouse, Urbanoid Workspace, Old Music Hall, the POD, and Oxford Innospace among others.

One St Aldate’s, based at Oxford’s historic Town Hall, is run by Oxford Innovation and offers space to rent for small businesses. Combined with the ‘Meanwhile in Oxfordshire…’ offer from Makespace, in partnership with Oxford’s Local Authority, a range of spaces are also available for social entrepreneurs, community organisations and innovators.

The cost of this office accommodation reflects the services

offered. For example, for serviced innovation, centres range from £100 - £450 per desk on a flexible arrangement. Managed office facilities have rents between £25 -£110 per ft2. If you would like to learn more about Oxford workspaces, please contact the Regeneration and Economy team by emailing economicdevelopment@oxford.gov. uk.

Grassgroots © Oxford Science Innovations

What’s new in Business Rates for 2022/23

Not much has changed, but that can be a good thing. The business rates multipliers for this year have been frozen at 2020/21 levels, and they will remain so until 31 March 2023, keeping the multipliers at 49.9p (small business) and 51.2p (standard).The current Transitional Relief and Supporting Small Business Schemes have also been extended for an additional year.

We do have one major change to let you know about. At the Budget on 27 October 2021 the Chancellor announced the introduction of a new business rates relief scheme for retail, hospitality and leisure properties worth almost £1.7 billion in 2022/23. The purpose of the scheme is to support the businesses that make our high streets and town centres a success and help them to evolve and adapt to changing consumer demands.

The Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Business Rates Relief scheme will provide eligible, occupied, retail, hospitality and leisure properties with a 50% relief, up to a cash cap limit of £110,000 per business. Full details of the scheme can be found by following the link below: https://www.gov.uk/government/ publications/business-ratesguidance-202223-retail-hospitalityand-leisure-relief-scheme/202223retail-hospitality-and-leisure-reliefscheme-local-authority-guidance

Oxford City Council has automatically applied the discount to properties that we think will qualify. However, if you feel your business fits the criteria for the discount and have not received it, please complete our online application form. If you have been awarded the discount and your

business is over the £110,000 cash cap, then you must let us know. You can apply for the discount, or opt out if you have received it in error or you wish to decline the discount by using buttons on the webpage below. Please be aware though, if you choose to decline the discount it will not be reinstated.

www.oxford.gov.uk/retail-discount

As lockdowns and restriction have ended, so have the Business Support Grants. All of the Government and discretionary business grant schemes are now closed.

What is on the horizon for Business Rates? The final report for the Review of Business Rates was also published at the Budget. This review commits, in the longer term, to making improvements to the business rates system.

The first of these improvements is to make more frequent revaluations, with revaluations moving to a three yearly cycle starting in April 2023, with the next revaluation in 2026. There will be changes to

support the delivery of the more frequent revaluations, including new duties on ratepayers to provide the Valuation Office Agency with information. A new relief is to be created to support investments in property improvements and a new exemption and relief to support green technologies.

More information on the future Business Rates can be found at: https://assets.publishing. service.gov.uk/government/ uploads/system/uploads/ attachment_data/file/1028478/ BRR_final.pdf

Oxford Business Park becomes ARC Oxford

ARC Oxford is an integral part of Oxford’s innovation ecosystem, on the doorstep of Oxford University and only two miles from the worldleading hospitals in the City such as the John Radcliffe Hospital.

ARC Oxford is home to some of the world’s most impactful science and innovation organisations. Our community includes amongst many others: Oxford Biomedica, a global biotechnology company, developing and commercialising precision medicine tests for life-changing diseases; Ivy Farm, an organisation creating sustainable meat, using cutting-edge bioengineering technology and; Oxbotica, a global leader in the development of autonomous vehicle software.

Our place-based approach concentrates innovative organisations together while remaining part of wider ecosystems that include universities, hospitals, and city-size knowledge economies.

With over 43 major businesses, and 5,000 employees, we’re growing, and making space for more organisations from spinouts to multinationals to join us. Our latest masterplan will ensure we can deliver over 600,000 sq. ft of brand-new science-ready space, from offices, to fully fitted cuttingedge R&D lab facilities - helping to support Oxford’s continued position as a global centre of invention.

“Our rapidly expanding business needed to acquire fully fitted lab space within a very short time frame. The team at ARC Oxford stepped up to this challenge, finishing on time and to a very high standard – we are delighted with the result.”

Evox Therapeutics

From our experience, we know that members want more flexible, fit-forpurpose spaces, and that they want a level of quality of environment that helps them to attract talent. They are also really focused on what being together in person is about –enjoying conferences, meet ups and social events - that’s why we have the Oxford Works, Oxford Factory and the Marketplace which are all designed to facilitate this.

The Oxford Factory is our social hub open to all for a morning coffee stop or lunch spot with over 100 covers internally and additional alfresco seating on the wonderful southfacing terrace.

The Oxford Works is for our members and is an open-plan casual co-working space furnished to create a variety of work spaces, board rooms and a 100-person seminar suite, together with a pool table and table tennis table for socialising and winding down after work.

The Oxford Market Place is an outdoor meeting place to grab coffee from the Oxford Workshop, take time out and have game of table tennis, enjoy a BBQ or catch a movie on our outdoor cinema.

Whether you’re looking for fully fitted start-up lab space or a bespoke R&D HQ building, at ARC

Oxford you can join a community that is building collaboration and fostering creativity, and together we can solve the business of science so that science can change the world.

You can find out more information about the ARC network and space available here arcgroup.io

Innovation community at The Oxford Science Park expands further as companies move into the Hayakawa Building

Rory Maw, CEO of The Oxford Science Park, said, “CyanoCapture and Ochre Bio are highly complementary to the other innovative companies on the Park. We welcome them to the Hayakawa Building, which is also providing valuable space for the expansion of existing occupiers.”

New occupiers include CyanoCapture and Ochre Bio

The innovation community at The Oxford Science Park, one of Europe’s leading locations for science and technology companies, continues to expand as firms move into the newly refurbished Hayakawa Building.

In the facility, new occupiers CyanoCapture and Ochre Bio are joining MiroBio, MoA Technology and Oxford Nanopore Technologies, who are expanding their footprint on the Park, as well as Circassia, which is re-locating from another building.

Both CyanoCapture and Ochre Bio join from the Oxford BioEscalator, meaning the overwhelming majority of its alumni companies are now located at The Oxford Science Park.

With its existing high-specification facilities, the Hayakawa Building was rapidly modified for the new occupiers, including a new bespoke chemistry laboratory for liver health company Ochre Bio.

The building, which has 36,000 sq. ft. of clean room, laboratory and office space, is part of TOSP’s portfolio of Innovation Buildings offering flexible terms for start-up companies. TOSP took over management and control of the building from Sharp Laboratories of Europe at the end of 2021.

“Oxford, through the University hospitals and local industry, is a world-leader in cutting-edge liver disease research and we are delighted to be able to expand our presence here with our new facility at The Oxford Science Park,” said Jack O’Meara, CEO & Co-Founder at Ochre Bio. “We’re impressed with the team’s speed and efficiency in establishing a high-quality laboratory, to enable Ochre to accelerate the development of RNA therapies for chronic liver diseases, a leading cause of death globally.”

“It’s inspiring to be around people who are passionate about what they’re building. The Oxford Science Park is the perfect environment for that. It’s a real privilege to be here.”, added Dr David Kim, CEO and CoFounder of CyanoCapture.

NETWORKS

Oxford leading the way on climate action

Cities are an essential part of the transition to net zero. Cities produce high carbon emissionsbut solutions, such as mass transit and smart energy grids, are more effectively scalable in dense urban populations. Following Oxford’s climate emergency declaration and the Citizens’ Assembly, there was a recognised need to step up ambition.

Detailed and scientifically robust analysis showed that achieving net zero by 2040 is a challenging, yet achievable, goal. Oxford City Council’s estate and operations account for just 1% of the city’s carbon emissions and we are leading the way by committing to reducing those emissions to net zero by 2030. The City Council also plays a key role as a convener of action – we have estimated that we also have the power to influence a further 66% of Oxford’s total carbon footprint.

Oxford is leading on energy systems innovation. Two high profile demonstrator projects, Energy Superhub Oxford (ESO) and Local Energy Oxfordshire (Project LEO) can be found within the city. Both present exciting opportunities for Oxford’s communities and businesses.

Zero Carbon Oxford

Oxford City Council held the Zero Carbon Oxford Summit in February 2021. 20 of the city’s most prominent leaders, from the city’s very largest employers, committed to supporting Oxford’s journey to net zero by 2040. The summit saw the formation of the Zero Carbon Oxford Partnership (ZCOP).

ZCOP brings together universities, hospitals, councils and large businesses to support the city in its journey to net zero carbon emissions. ZCOP partners have committed to working together to create a net zero

Oxford by 2040 and to collaborate to build a prosperous, sustainable city, in which we all can share.

The Partnership represents a shift in approach, from focusing just on organisational emissions to committing to collaborate. This allows us to achieve more together than we could individually.

Zero Carbon Oxford Partnership Roadmap and Action Plan

The ZCOP Roadmap and Action Plan leverages the power and influence of the city’s institutions to make ambitious interventions with both environmental and social benefits. ZCOP partners all contributed to development of the Roadmap, working with Oxford City Council and the Carbon Trust. The action plan cuts across multiple sectors and focuses on projects that require cooperation and coordination between partners, unlocking key interventions that would be impossible if working individually.

To stay on track to net zero, some of the most important actions will need to come in the next five to ten years, including:

• A programme to scale domestic retrofit across social and private housing

• Greening last-mile delivery through trialling micro-consolidation centres and quiet delivery

• A mini-hydrogen network feasibility study

• Establishing campus-scale integrated energy systems

Find out more about ZCOP at www.zerocarbonoxford.com

The Zero Emission Zone

Vehicle emissions are one of Oxford’s most significant causes of air pollution and also produce a substantial amount of the city’s carbon footprint. They are harmful to our health and contribute to climate change. The Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ) is a new measure that is intended to encourage individuals and organisations to make positive changes to their travel behaviour. This will improve the air quality in Oxford and reduce traffic, while still maintaining access for those who need it.

The ZEZ is an area where zero emission vehicles (such as fully electric motorcycles, cars and vans) can be used without incurring a charge, but where other motor vehicles may be charged.

All petrol and diesel vehicles, including hybrids, will incur a daily charge if they are driven in the zone unless they have a discount or exemption.

The ZEZ is being introduced in two phases. The first phase is a small pilot area that became operational in February 2022 in Oxford City Centre. This will allow the County and City Councils to test how the scheme will work, before expanding to a wider area in the second phase.

The wider area zone will be subject to further assessments, consultation and funding.

For more information on the Zero Emission Zone and the support available for businesses, please visit: https://www.oxford.gov.uk/ homepage/363/zero_emission_ zone_business_directory

Oxford’s businesses making the local economy work for everyone

but two kinds of businesses in particular are doing so, with Oxford and the wider county leading the way nationally.

As the world, UK, and local communities continue to emerge out of the gloom of the past couple of years, business is playing an increasingly important role in helping to address pervasive social and environmental challenges.

More and more businesses recognise, not only their responsibility to play their part, but also the valuable opportunities to shift the ways in which they operate to have positive impacts on society and the environment, that, in turn, make them more attractive and successful. This isn’t tokenistic, superficial gestures or philanthropy; it’s the evolution of new and powerful business models.

Why?

Now, more than ever, people want to work for, buy from, supply to, and invest in, organisations that operate in ways that are good for the world. The rise of the conscious consumer, the power of social media and the essential need to attract talent and nourish and nurture employees, is also motivating businesses to evolve in ways that make them stand out, as well as really making a difference. With less public funding, it’s also essential for new, collaborative cross-sector collaborations to encourage and support this too.

Oxford and Oxfordshire, leading the way

Any business could, and should, place more emphasis on this,

In 2014, Oxfordshire achieved the accolade of becoming the UK’s first Social Enterprise County, recognising it as a ‘hotspot’ of social enterprise. These are businesses established to address social or environmental issues, with their mission locked in. Like traditional businesses, they aim to make a profit but it’s what they do with their profits that sets them apart – reinvesting or donating them to create positive change.

Mainstream businesses are also changing, and B Corp is one of the leading global movements helping businesses understand how to do this and recognising those who achieve their tough accreditation process by certifying them. These are businesses that create profit, but they place all stakeholders on the same level as shareholders, so are not just focused on making profit. Again, Oxford and Oxfordshire were recognised as a leading region for this, becoming the first ‘B Local’ in the UK, bringing together these organisations and championing this exemplary way of doing business.

OSEP CIC - Championing and supporting this type of enterprise

Initially set up as an informal network in 2013 to support and promote this powerful transition, OSEP was originally established through a collaboration between the two universities. In 2019, having built a strong reputation, it was incorporated as a CIC, or Community Interest Company

(a social enterprise itself). This was formed of the community, for the community, with leading local social entrepreneurs on the board, supported, vitally, by both universities.

Soon after, it secured a three-year European (ERDF) funded contract with OxLEP, Oxfordshire’s Local Enterprise Partnership, through its Growth Hub, to deliver support for such enterprises or those seeking to shift their business models to have more positive social and environmental impact. Because of the outstanding success of the eScalate programme, supporting hundreds of local businesses, funders have invested further to extend it.

OSEP is also working in other ways to promote and support this shift and open opportunities for all businesses to evolve in this way. It is supporting and promoting impressive local organisations and initiatives, many of these backed by the City Council and in some cases acting as key partners, such as the £1.7m ‘Meanwhile in Oxfordshire…’ programme led by social enterprise, Makespace. The programme aims to bring vacant buildings back into use, create and safeguard jobs and traineeships, and provide support to those occupying and reanimating each space. Another City Council partnership is the Owned By Oxford project, redirecting wealth back into the local economy, under community control and for community benefit. It aims to grow locally-led, community-owned businesses that meet local needs and tackle Oxford’s inequalities. Oxford also has a strong and growing Cooperative movement working in these ways too.

OSEP has established itself as a credible and influential community business, existing purely to support others to have more social and environmental impact. A significant factor in helping OSEP in the early stages was financial support from Blenheim Palace, itself having shifted its focus in recent years to enhance the lives of local people and to be the ‘life blood’ of the local economy. Helped by this initial backing, OSEP has been able to position itself as the ‘go-to’ organisation providing impartial and objective support, influence, connections, and information in this field. It contributes to the Oxford Strategic Partnership Economic Growth Steering Board, the OxLEP Business Support Sub-Group and the recently formed Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership, as well as many of the county’s business networks.

Great examples

Many people probably won’t be aware that some of the local businesses they already know are either Social Enterprises (including cooperatives), B Corps, or on the journey to become a business as a force for good. Social enterprise and certified B Corp Y.O.U Underwear, based in Oxford City’s covered market, has been hitting the headlines locally and nationally. Founder Sarah Jordan, has won various national awards and heads, at the time it was certified, the highest scoring B Corp in the UK as well as the highest scoring fashion brand globally.

Other local social enterprises doing inspirational work to address various social issues through trading include: Tap Social Movement, RAW Workshop, Aspire Oxford, Broken Spoke and Yellow Submarine. An exemplar social enterprise is Flo’s - The Place in the Park, demonstrating what can be done when communities come together, supported by business. It has now gone on to support other community businesses itself, with specific work around food poverty and food waste reduction.

Other Local B Corps include Ella’s Kitchen, The Myers Briggs Company, Webmart, Seacourt Ltd, the highest scoring B Corp printing company in the world, medical device manufacturers, Owen Mumford, Sustainable events agency and consultancy, Legacy, and sustainability consultancies, Fit For Purpose, Climatecare and 3Keel.

Get involved!

If you would like to find out more about the ways in which your business can join this movement, or would like any other information relating to organisations or opportunities in this article, follow the links opposite.

OSEP CIC: https://www.osep.org.uk or email hello@osep.org.uk

Social Enterprise UK: https:// www.socialenterprise.org.uk

B Corp UK: https://bcorporation.uk

B Local Oxfordshire+: https://www. linkedin.com/groups/12489004/ OxLEP Business: https://oxlepbusiness.co.uk

OxLEP/OSEP eScalate support programme: https://www.osep. org.uk/escalate-support/

Broken Spoke © David Brugman

The Myers-Briggs Company

Tap Social © Ian Wallman

Oxford Economic Growth Steering Board (EGSB)

In developing Oxford’s new Economic Strategy, partners have considered the future role of the Economic Growth Steering Board (EGSB) to deliver on the global impact, inclusivity and net zero economy ambitions.

Role and Aims

Chaired by Peter Nolan, Founder and Chairman of OcQuila Therapeutics Ltd and former Board Member of Oxford BioMedica, the EGSB will operate as a multi-sector partnership to engage with and provide a consistent voice for the Oxford business community, also representative of residents and their needs. It will build on this to represent a wider group of business sectors.

The EGSB will collaborate widely to enable Oxford to fulfil its role as a world leading city that supports sustainable, inclusive and innovation led economic growth region-wide; aligning with and complementing the strengths of Oxfordshire. The main objectives of the Board will include;

• Regularly reviewing and monitoring the Oxford economic position and progress of the Oxford Economic Strategy, allowing flexibility in line with economic and societal change during a time of relative uncertainty

• Diversifying its membership to become more inclusive, and seek a range of perspectives on economic development priorities.

• Identifying areas of both concern and new opportunity, and acting in partnership to enable positive change, attracting the appropriate support and resources to do so

• Engaging widely with business/ employers in Oxford and

voice their needs, ensuring that these are understood by OxLEP, educational institutions, local authorities and national government alike

• Aligning as needed with wider local, regional and national strategic plans and projects.

The EGSB will play a proactive role in shaping and directing Oxford’s economy. It will be more delivery focused, alongside the existing focus on economic issues and policy. To do this, the group is establishing a more diverse membership in terms of age, gender and ethnic diversity. Future work and engagement may include convening task and finish groups which will focus on specific locations, issues and projects in order to drive change, including;

1. Supporting partners to overcome barriers and blockers

2. Scoping opportunities to maximise impact

3. Identifying potential partners to involve in delivery

4. Championing and lobbying for change

5. Guiding delivery and direction where appropriate

6. The groups will be task focused, time-bound and new topics will be selected on a bi-annual basis.

If you would like to find out more about the Oxford Economic Growth Board, and how to get involved, please email economicdevelopment@oxford.gov. uk

Embracing Carbon Zero

The Government’s target of achieving Net Zero Carbon by 2050 is fast approaching.

Making your proper ty work for you

Ingleton Wood can offer a wide range of ser vices to help manage your proper ty, from routine maintenance to scheduled modernisation and refurbishment.

Step 1: Inspection

Step 2: Programming and prioritisation

as the retrofitting of heating and lighting

As we work towards this target, incremental changes can be achieved by reviewing existing infrastructure, operation and use. Small changes such controls can reduce current operational emissions and provide considerable energy savings

The ongoing advancements in materials,renewable technologies and construction methodology have facilitated a greater commitment to Sustainable Goals and Ingleton Wood is committed to working with our clients on their journey to Net Zero Carbon.

To discuss our ser vices , please contact: ox fo rd @inglet onw ood.co .u k www.ingle to nwood.co .u k

Step 3: Review and budget

Step 4: Under taking the works

Step 5: Annual review

Planned preventative maintenance schedules and facet sur veys are common but often overwhelming,

leading to them being filed and not actioned.

Ingleton Wood take a different approach by working with you to develop a strategy for dealing with the maintenance whilst also accommodating modernisation, expansion and new build where budgets allow.

architecture building surveying building services planning interior design sustainability civil and structural quantity surveying project management CDM and H&S services

New and existing buildings, budget constraints, and meeting Carbon Zero does not have to be challenging

DEVELOPMENT SITES

Creating construction jobs at Oxford North

“64 acres of land, 480 homes for 1,500 people, 1 million sq ft of labs and workspace for 4,500 jobs, three new public parks and shops, bars and restaurants for Oxford.”

Oxford North is the city’s new innovation district being built to celebrate people and enable their ideas and ambition; providing a place for people who want to make their mark on the world.

Thomas White Oxford, the development company of St John’s College, along with new joint venture partners Cadillac Fairview with Stanhope, is busy constructing this new place connecting academia and commerce, invention and investment providing a sustainable place to work, live, learn and socialise.

Working with a highly skilled team of masterplanners and architects, landscape designers and consultants, and in discussion with Oxford City Council, Oxfordshire County Council as highways authority, and OxLEP, Oxford North is seeing the transformation of a significant part of Oxford.

William Donger, chief executive officer, Oxford North said: “We are heavily committed to creating a place, not just to facilitate lifeenhancing science and technology discoveries, but to be a new district of Oxford. A place where people want to live, work, visit and learn. Somewhere which benefits everyone and delivers social value.”

As a large-scale infrastructure project, Oxford North has a Community Employment Plan (CEP).

This focuses on improving employability within the area, engaging with individuals that the council identify to establish their career objectives and identify routes into employment.

The JV partnership has committed to this through engagement with OxLEP, Oxford City Council, the voluntary and community sector and training providers, to establish the creation of a talent pool of local residents that can be linked to the opportunities created.

Oxford North will work with local training providers to develop short courses linked to skills gaps, maximising opportunities for individuals to re-train or be redeployed that come from sectors adversely affected by Covid.

This collaboration and engagement will also provide apprenticeship opportunities for local people.

Since construction started in August 2021, the project has already created more than 200 jobs.

Tom Storey, founder of Storey Consulting, who has been advising on the CEP, said: “The difference between Oxford North and other large developments is the attitude taken to the project; their approach is about maximising positive impact - rather than just mitigating the negative effects of development.

“We have done a great deal of indepth labour forecasting, which has been shared with the local councils to ensure there is time to source the labour required, including a detailed training need analysis.

“Not only is this project about providing opportunities to improve employability for those in the county that may otherwise struggle to enter the labour market – but it’s also about upskilling and creating further opportunities for local workers.”

See the project for yourself, visit: oxfordnorth.com.

Go West!

The West End is a unique and once in a generation transformation opportunity for Oxford. This new district, stretching from within the West of the city centre to Osney Mead, will bring forward an internationally significant neighborhood, as a vibrant mixeduse quarter. The City Council and partners are commitment to high quality development that befits an evolving innovation district in a city of global presence.

It will be a place where the world’s best ideas and Oxford’s extraordinary breadth of talent converge, taking Oxford’s success to the next level. Oxford is such a popular place to do business that demand for space far exceeds supply, especially for labs and offices.

We have the highest density of life science jobs, the highest level of venture capital investment outside London and the third highest rate of patent applications of all UK cities. The Local Plan identified the West End as the most sustainable location to accommodate this demand and boost our local economy. With over 30 Oxford colleges, institutes and halls within easy walk of the West End this is a desirable place for business to converge for talent and knowledge transfer.

The West End will create good jobs and retain talent as it will be a liveable quarter of the city, with new homes: a place where people will want to live, work and play well together.

Economists have established the pipeline West End developments would together generate 44,400 job years and generate £62m local spend over the construction period alone. The new homes and additional jobs being brought forward will then mean each year we should see £56 million in additional local spend. The district fuels our

aim to level up within Oxford, with well-paid jobs, local traineeships and work placements, supply chain opportunities, and access to space for local communities.

What is an Innovation District?

Innovation Districts were first pioneered in the U.S.A., but have since been developed across the world, including the U.K. They recognise that innovation happens when professionals in different fields collaborate in pleasant working environments. They create an environment where leading-edge anchor institutions and company HQs cluster and connect with startups, business incubators and accelerators, by offering a critical mass of workspace of different size, scale and price points. The Brookings Institute has identified they succeed when they are physically compact, transitaccessible, technically-wired and offer mixed-use housing, office, and retail.

The vision relies on strategic leadership to bring forward plans

into reality. The major landowners are working together and a Strategic West End Board is now in place.

Our priorities are to:

• Create an iconic and welcoming global gateway to support Oxford as a world leading global innovation ecosystem.

• Maximise economic and residential development opportunities to create a welldesigned and integrated, commercially viable station quarter that catalyses development across the West End.

• Improve rail infrastructure to meet growth in demand and support the introduction of services such as East-West Rail and the vision to re-open the Cowley Line to passengers.

• Provide an efficient city centre transport interchange that reduces congestion and provides better connectivity –to facilitate both ‘first and last mile’ and across Oxfordshire journeys.

Significant headway has been made on a number of these infrastructure and connectivity improvements:

Illustration of proposed Osney and Oxpens bridge

• Exciting new plans for Oxford railway station are rolling in! An improved station is key to our plans to meet projected passenger demand as new links open up, making Oxford an ever more vital National Hub. The efficiency of the station is a fundamental factor in attracting talent and reducing current congestion. It is the most important facility that major R&D firms value when choosing a location and a compelling case to HM Government to help us create the new global gateway that a city like Oxford needs.

The station recently attracted £69 million funding from the Department of Transport towards creating new capacity and improving connectivity on this busy route. An additional platform (platform 5) will pave the way for new passenger services, including East West Rail:

A new second station entrance on the west side of the station, with a ticket office and potential retail space, will help improve passenger experience and open up access from the west of the city.

A new, wider rail bridge over Botley Road will allow for the creation of two new 4m wide cycle/footpaths underneath, which will help vastly improve the layout of this vital road into the city. For the wider station site, a masterplan is underway to improve the experience by foot and by pedal, and the public transport interchange.

Network Rail and partners are taking the next steps in the bid to reopen the Cowley Branch Line as a passenger line, providing fast public transport links from south Oxford into the city centre and beyond. This is one of the least affluent areas of Oxford, and improved transport connections would help open up work and business opportunities and support the development of the planned and much needed new homes.

The business case for opening the Cowley Branch is supported by the connections it would make between the West End and other areas of the innovation eco-system: the Oxford Science Park, Oxford Business Park and development of South Oxford Science Village, with the ultimate aim of a regular halfhourly train service.

Other aspirations for the rail network across Oxfordshire include:

• Expansion of capacity on the North Cotswold link, which would unlock connections to the North West to Worcester and Hereford and East to London, including the development of Hanborough as a transport hub to facilitate the Cotswold Garden Village.

• Provision of a new station and train service at Grove would open up significant opportunities on the existing main line.

• Supporting growth in seven Oxfordshire hubs by improving connectivity between them –Oxford, Didcot Parkway, Oxford Parkway, Bicester Village, Banbury, Hanborough, and Culham.

• Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme is a major project to protect our city and enable us to keep enjoying our waterways. Oxford City Council are working with the Environment Agency.

• A new ‘Osney Bridge’ over the Thames is coming forward to connect Oxpens to Osney Mead, supported by significantly improved walking and cycling routes, making Oxpens Meadows a more accessible green space to enjoy.

• Project LEO, Local Energy Oxfordshire, is a sector-leading collaboration between a number of partners at Osney Island. It is bringing forward one of the UK’s most ambitious, wide-ranging and innovative energy trials, seeking to accelerate the UK’s transition to a zero-carbon energy system.

These improvements are key to providing the best quality, best connected homes and businesses. A number of development sites are coming forward:

Walking from the station to the city centre, renovations have already been made to the Jam Factory site, with more investment to come from Nuffield and Christchurch Colleges to make the most of the heritage and this prime location.

Oxpens, the largest development in the city centre area, is being promoted by OXWED, a joint venture company between the City Council and Nuffield College, as a mixed-use scheme. This area will be transformed into an exciting

Oxford Station Phase II

neighbourhood with new homes. The riverside will be opened up to provide new public space for people to enjoy for community, events and leisure activities. It will offer labs and offices to meet the needs of emerging industries and technologies, catering for large and medium enterprises through to co-working and shared facilities for start-ups and smaller businesses. The plan is complemented with homes, a hotel, cafés, restaurants and shops, with an emphasis on independent and local ‘Oxford’ operators.

Osney Mead Industrial Estate also fronts the Thames and is widely regarded as an underutilised industrial estate in need of modernisation, with scope to connect much better with the riverside paths and wider city. The University of Oxford is a principal landowner and, with other stakeholders, is preparing a comprehensive masterplan for the long-term diversification of the site. This includes a new worldleading multi-disciplinary hub and co-working space - The Energy Systems Accelerator (TESA) –which aims to find radical solutions for environmental sustainability in our energy systems. There are emerging plans to transform the area to harness the economic potential of Oxford’s diverse knowledge base in a mix of business incubation, R&D uses and accommodation.

Leading and guiding development in a Spatial Framework

The City Council, working with consultants, has prepared a Spatial Framework for the West End. The importance of its existing uses and its significance to the city means that it is vital that any redevelopment of the site is carefully managed from the outset. The framework takes a holistic and integrated approach to placemaking and set high expectations for future developments here. In this age of a climate crisis and recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, these high expectations include the need to exceed Oxford’s current sustainability operating standards for the public realm, housing, commercial developments and adaptive re-use of existing buildings. The spatial framework provides advice on a range of matters including movement and connectivity, public realm, green and blue assets, infrastructure, design and the spread of uses.

This evidence has informed a Supplementary Planning Document, which will provide further design guidance and advice to steer development towards realising the vision for the area. This helps to ensure development takes place in a cohesive way, giving more certainty to developers and outcomes that are greater than the sum of their parts.

You can anticipate plenty of opportunities to understand and get involved in the direction of future development this year with the West End Strategic Planning Guidance coming forth and a number of significant developments engaging on their plans.

https://www.oxford.gov.uk/ westend-osneymead-spd https://consultation.oxford.gov. uk

OX Place – the new name for Oxford’s affordable housing developer

Affordable housing has a new face in Oxford following the renaming of Oxford City Council’s housing company, Oxford City Housing Ltd (OCHL).

OCHL is now OX Place. Its mission remains unchanged.

Set up by the council in 2016, OX Place aims to build more than 2,000 new homes for rent and sale in and around Oxford in the next 10 years. These will include more than 1,100 council homes providing the genuinely affordable housing that Oxford needs.

The new brand launched today will support OX Place’s intention to deliver high quality, design-led and sustainable homes for the people of Oxford.

“We’re a local company working for the people of Oxford. We’re not a big national developer looking to make large margins. We plough profits back into council budgets to help provide genuinely affordable council homes and to invest in essential services.

“Our new name and strapline –homes for living, homes for life – reflect our core values. We want to build desirable, modern, and sustainable homes to the highest standards so more people in Oxford can afford to stay in the city, maybe owning their own home and being part of a community.

“We’re developing a mix of shared ownership homes and some for sale on the open market. We’re also building homes which will be transferred to Oxford City Council and let at genuinely affordable rent to people on the housing waiting list.

“But at the heart of everything is our aspiration to develop Oxford’s brownfield sites – some of which wouldn’t work for larger developers because there isn’t enough money in it for them – to create high quality homes that are genuinely sustainable and affordable.”

OX Place managing director, Helen Horne

“We are proud to launch this new and refreshing brand for OX Place. Investing in high quality housing for our city is a priority and the dedicated team at OX Place will help turn this into a reality.

“Oxford needs homes and Oxford is now getting homes, thanks to OX Place’s plans to build a wide range of housing for shared ownership, open market sale and social rent.

“We want Oxford to remain a desirable place to live, but we also want to address its lack of affordability. OX Place’s plans will make a tangible difference to the options available to local people wanting to live and work in Oxford –now and in the future.”

Councillor Alex Hollingsworth, Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Delivery

Creating high quality, modern and sustainable homes is a key priority. And OX Place’s approach to sustainability will also contribute towards the council achieving the goal of being a net zero city. Homes are responsible for 29% of Oxford’s carbon emissions.

Oxford needs homes

High demand and scarce availability mean that Oxford is among the least

affordable places for housing in the UK. People on average incomes are priced out of the housing market and private rents are nearly double the average for England as a whole.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), in 2021 the median house price in Oxford was £430,000 – 12.32 times median gross household earnings (£34,896) in the city. For England as a whole, the median house price is 9.05 times median earnings.

Half (49.3%) of homes in Oxford are now in the private rented sector, where the ONS reports a median private rent of £1,500 a month for a three-bedroom home. The equivalent amount for England as a whole is £850.

The cost of housing pushes people into hardship, overcrowded conditions, or out of Oxford altogether. Half of Oxford’s workers have to commute into a city in which they can’t afford to live.

This leads to growing unaffordability, increased congestion and higher carbon emissions across Oxfordshire, as well as difficulties for employers in recruiting and retaining staff.

The cost of housing means that a third of Oxford’s children live below the poverty line and is a key factor behind poor educational outcomes.

Community Employment Plans

New development and infrastructure are important to achieve the vision set out in Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy, which aims to position Oxfordshire as one of the top-three global-innovation ecosystems, highlighting the worldleading science and technology clusters that exist within our region; an industry which often requires fitfor-purpose space for research and development and manufacturing.

• Supporting delivery of over 49 career events

• Employment and skills opportunities for over 95 individuals who are furthest from the labour market

OxLEP Skills has promoted the use of Community Employment Plans, also known as Employment, Skills and Training Plans, in the development and construction sectors for several years.

The Community Employment Plans help to maximise the economic benefits that can be achieved through development. Plans are employer-led initiatives which aim to improve skills and training provision for local communities. This can either be skills that are needed during the construction phase of the development, or for the end-use of the development, such as a supermarket, hotel or science laboratory.

Whilst Oxfordshire has many strong assets such as its academia, numerous science parks and business clusters - which make it a prime location for business and industry - the region does experience a tight labour market.

At present, Oxfordshire practically has a near full employment level which creates high demand for talent within the labour market. Whilst this sounds like a top headline as it can be associated with higher wages for workers, it can lead to economic conditions that slow growth and intensify inequality within the job market, as demand for particular skills in a limited pool increase.

Community Employment Plans help balance the contradiction between demand for skills and the need for new development, as they seek to support the skills and training requirements for organisations whilst simultaneously ensuring that local communities feel the benefits associated with new development.

Working collaboratively with local authorities and developers, OxLEP Skills supports the creation and implementation of Community Employment Plans by identifying activities to address skills development and potential delivery partners within Oxfordshire.

Community Employment Plans can include a variety of activities, such as:

• Job creation for local communities

• Apprenticeships

• Work experience placements

• Supporting local schools, colleges and universities with career development programmes

Whilst the outcomes from each Community Employment Plan can be modest, on an accumulating effect, they can produce brilliant outcomes. Across Oxfordshire, OxLEP Skills currently supports 11 Community Employment Plans, which, over the next couple of years, aim to deliver within Oxfordshire:

• 53 Apprenticeships

• Over 48 weeks of work experience weeks for local students

OxLEP Skills can support developers and employers to connect with existing employment and training networks. This helps them make the most of established resources, and to access support as it becomes available, such as the Social Contract, launching in 2022.

The Social Contract is a new £1.7million programme of activity, led by OxLEP Skills, set to make a significant and positive impact on Oxfordshire’s skills ambitions. As a major driver to ensure businesses ‘grow their own’ talent, the programme will support Apprenticeship Levy-paying businesses in Oxfordshire to unlock their Levy and pledge unused funds to local smaller organisations.

Retaining Levy payments locally will support vital skills-growth across Oxfordshire, help employers develop talent pipelines and retain key skills within the county. Grants will be available to employers to support learners with barriers or challenges to starting an Apprenticeship, such as travel or childcare costs.

If you are a developer or employer within Oxfordshire looking to gain a better understanding of how you could implement a Community Employment Plan to support local skills, or want further information on the support that could be available to you through the Social Contract, please contact OxLEP Skills at: skills@oxfordshirelep.com

OXFORD’S REGENERATION & ECONOMY SERVICE

Oxford City Council’s Regeneration and Economy service works closely other services and partners to support sustainable development, growth and economic inclusion across the City.

The service delivers regeneration, economic development, city centre management, visitor management and manages a range of development projects in the built environment, working in partnership with business, education, and public sectors. The service also works on aspects of green transport and housing delivery, working with a range of services and partners.

Recognising that our business community is vital to the sustained success of the city, here are some of the many ways in which we work directly with businesses to offer support, advice and partnership opportunities:

• Delivering a programme of strategic projects and developments to enhance the city’s offer to business

• Development and business support programmes, workspace provision, and access or signposting to skills and employment programmes

• Informing you of where to access wider business support and networks, such as Oxfordshire LEP’s Growth Hub.

• One-to-one meetings where we understand and address your issues, and keep you updated with the work of the City Council

• Regular updates to inform the business community of the latest developments in Oxford

• Providing a variety of information to support investment and

relocation decisions, including economic data and available commercial space

• Connecting you with regulatory services in local government

• Hosting events relevant to the needs of the business community;

• Oxford Business Forums: informing you of local issues

• The Talk of the Town: aimed at networking city centre businesses

Contact the team for more information by emailing economicdevelopment@oxford.gov. uk or citycentre@oxford.gov.uk

INCLUSIVE ECONOMY PARTNERSHIP (OIEP)

The Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership brings together over a hundred organisations - employers, business, education, community groups and local government.

We are working together because Oxford is the second most unequal place in the UK, in terms of income, housing affordability and life expectancy. Education attainment is below average affecting all generations. These problems extend across the whole of Oxfordshire.

We are working to create opportunities for all people in Oxfordshire, making use of everyone’s potential, so that we can all benefit from Oxfordshire’s success. Our aim is to create an environment and communities that can adapt to change, a region that is resilient in the face of shocks in the economy and a workforce that responds to different needs and different kinds of work in the future.

We are a county-wide group, working to share knowledge, expertise and resources to address some of our greatest challenges. This is not a short-term initiative, but a long-term endeavour. Our vision is an Oxfordshire that creates opportunities and benefits for all communities and people within our region.

The work of the Partnership:

WHY was the Partnership formed?

• Oxford is the second most unequal place in the UK – we see this in terms of income, housing affordability, life expectancy –for example, there is over ten years’ difference in life expectancy between our wealthiest and our poorest people

• There is below average educational attainment across the county –this is cross-generational, with whole families affected

• There are too many wasted opportunities – we need to create opportunities for all people in Oxfordshire to benefit from our success, making use of everyone’s potential

• This work also allows us to adapt to change – to be resilient to shocks in the economy and to respond to different needs and different kinds of work in the future

• While we are making good progress in ensuring that people receive at least the Oxford Living Wage, our county is still unaffordable for many people [for our children and our grand-children].

WHAT does the Partnership do?

We take good practice and are looking for ways to amplify or scale these activities so that they have the greatest level of impact.

We are focusing on four areas initially:

1 Inclusive employment –Employment

• Working with employers –accessible and inclusive. How companies recruit.

• What’s in it for employees? How can we help people to understand the opportunities and how can we prepare them for work? Confidence and skills. Matching people to employment.

Examples include: Apprenticeships – more of them and open to a wider range of people, Work placements – equally open to all to have the opportunity of a relevant and informative work placement. Recruitment policies within companies

2. Educational attainmentEducation

We are focusing on attainment of GCSE English and Maths as this can create a barrier to moving forward into the next level of skills development.

3. Social value and procurement –Buying local

Spending money locally, initially from public sector organisations like our councils and our universities, puts money back into the local economy and creates opportunities for local businesses. We are looking at how we can grow the amount of money that is spent within our county, for our county. We are also looking at how the businesses that benefit from this are investing in our local communities, through jobs, training or improving our environment.

4. Place-based interventions –Investing in places that need it most Targeted investment in the areas of the county that need it most.

Communities need to be part of our work to ensure that money spent in our county helps address some of our biggest challenges – health, environment, housing. We need need to ensure that we can answer these questions - what are the benefits that can be created for local people? How are the benefits of development shared locally?

5. OIEP Charter

The Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership has created an ‘Inclusive Economy Charter’. This allows organisations and individuals to pledge their support to the mission and to make commitments to actions they will take.

The Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Charter is a statement of our shared commitment to creating a more inclusive local economy and reflects the ambitions of the Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership.

Mission: The Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership is working together to create a more equal and sustainable region that creates

opportunities and benefits for all people within the county. We are working to tackle some of our region’s biggest problems to create a fairer environment where everyone can contribute and share in our success.

By signing this charter, people are demonstrating their support for and commitment to making Oxfordshire a fairer and more inclusive place to live and work.

The charter is aimed at both individual people and organisations. When we use the term ‘organisations’ this refers to a wide set of groups such as community groups, residents associations, faith groups, charities, businesses and institutions like our schools, universities, councils and social care and health services. Everyone is welcome to join us in this important work.

When you sign the charter, you are pledging support the work of the Partnership for the next calendar year. After a year, we will ask you to renew/update your pledges.

HOW does the Partnership work?

We are working in partnership so that we can share expertise, resources and create links between different areas of work.

We are using working groups – a group has been set up for each of our four themes – education, employment, buying local and investing in places that need it most.

Our focus is on tackling areas that really need attention, which will have impact and will really make a difference.

We are ambitious but we are also realistic. We know that to drive change it takes time, so we will identify practical things that we think will make a difference and we will focus on them.

We intend to identify new areas of work as well as building on things that we know have worked in the past. This might involve pilot projects, trialling new

collaborations or partnerships, sharing best practice and ensuring that organisations are not working in isolation.

We will share our plans and ideas with local community groups so that we can ensure that they are relevant and will work in practice.

The Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership brings together over a hundred organisations - employers, business, education, community groups and local government. This county-wide group is working to share knowledge, expertise and resources to address some of our greatest challenges.

The Role of Businesses: The Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership wants more businesses and employers to get involved in our work.

Creating opportunities for individuals in our county creates opportunities for businesses and for employers, including growing the local labour market with improved skills and access to a greater diversity of talent and capabilities. We also want to see more opportunities to buy and procure from local providers so that your spending power returns money to the Oxfordshire economy.

Companies are increasingly looking at how they serve society, their ethics and values, and how their activities impact the environment –this is usually referred to as ESG –a company’s Environmental, Social and Governance standards. ESG factors can influence a whole range of stakeholders - how employees view the organisation they work for or how the community perceives the value and actions of a business. ESG is also increasingly being considered by investors in companies of all sizes. Getting involved in the

Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership provides a way for your business to demonstrate your commitment to the ‘S’ in ESG.

Our working groups are developing action plans and we are looking for businesses and employers who can help to take these plans forward with new ideas, initiatives, and pledges of support.

How to get involved

We need support and support and contributions from all individuals and organisations – everyone is welcome to get involved.

There are different ways that you can get involved:

• Join the partnership or one of the working groups

• Help take action in response to the plans and activities identified by the working groups

• Join one of our focus groups

• Help test our ideas and plans

• Sign the Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Charter and make your pledge of commitment today

We are planning ways for residents/citizens/community groups to provide their views/ suggestions/advice on this work – if you have suggestions on ways we can do this, please get in touch

If you would like to find out more or get involved, please email Clayton Lavallin, clavallin@ oxford.gov.uk

Will you be the next accredited Oxford Living Wage Employer?

Accreditation is based on selfreporting, is entirely voluntary, and there is no associated charge.

Benefits of being an Oxford Living Wage employer

• Apprentices are not covered in the Oxford Living Wage accreditation, but employers may choose to include them.

What is the Oxford Living Wage?

Receiving a liveable wage that covers household and family costs is one of the most important reasons why employees work hard and stay with their employers.

The Oxford Living Wage has been created to promote liveable earnings for workers, and reflects that Oxford is one of the most expensive cities to live in the UK.

The Oxford Living Wage is set by Oxford City Council and fixed at 95% of the Living Wage Foundation London rate. The current Oxford Living Wage, from September 2022 through to 1st April 2023, is £10.90 per hour. The new rate for 2023-24, will be £11.35 per hour. In order to retain their Oxford Living Wage status, employers need to reaccredit in April each year.

Paying the Oxford Living Wage can help with talent retention and attracting the best applicants, by showing that you value staff at all levels of your organisation.

• Increased motivation and retention for employees. 75% of employers said being part of the Living Wage scheme had increased motivation and retention of staff, and 64% said it had improved staffmanagement relationships.

• Differentiate your business from competitors. Use the OLW logo in your recruitment publicity and marketing materials.

• Improve the reputation of your business. More of Oxford’s businesses and consumers will recognise that you value and invest in your workforce.

Criteria

The accreditation system is based on self-reporting, requiring a signed letter from the company or institution committing to the current Oxford Living Wage:

• All directly-employed staff must receive the Oxford Living Wage rate to qualify. If contractors are engaged, there must be a commitment to moving contractors to the Oxford Living Wage when it is practicable.

• Every November the new Living Wage rates are announced. Employers renew their commitment to the new rates in writing to the Council.

• The Council reserves the right to remove employers from the accredited list if it receives information, or otherwise takes the view, that the employer is no longer compliant.

• The Council reserves the right to update or amend these criteria, or update the accreditation system, with due notice.

How to accredit

It’s simple. If you meet the criteria, please send a letter/ email confirming you are an Oxford Living Wage Employer, by email: EconomicDevelopment@oxford.gov.uk

Once your accreditation is confirmed you will be provided with the Oxford Living Wage logo and promotional materials. Our press team may also contact you about local media promotion.

More information about the Oxford Living Wage is at: www.oxford.gov.uk/livingwage Information about the Living Wage Foundation can be found at https://www.livingwage.org.uk/

OWNED BY OXFORD

Owned by Oxford is a partnership of local organisations using the principles of Community Wealth Building to create an inclusive, people-centred local economy where wealth, power, and opportunity are shared more widely.

Anna Thorne coordinates the partnership through the Community Action Group Oxfordshire. Anna says:

“We’re working with partners at the City Council, Makespace, Aspire, the Solidarity Economy Association and Cooperative Futures to spread wealth and power across Oxford. We do this by supporting and enabling the growth of locally-led, community-owned businesses that meet local needs and tackle Oxford’s inequalities.

“Our Oxford communities are already buzzing with ideas, skills and passion. Owned by Oxford

is all about being led by the community – so we go where the energy is. We’re collaborating with a range of grassroots projects, bringing investment, resources and development support where needed.

“This work might mean helping a community business to access affordable spaces to operate from, providing hands-on practical advice to establish a cooperative, helping local entrepreneurs to access flexible enterprise development grants, or supporting a community group to raise a community share offer to buy a local asset.

“We’re really excited about spreading ownership and control of the local economy more widely, and see cooperative business models, community access and ownership of land and property, and the growth of the co-op sector in Oxford as important and lasting ways to do this.

“We focus much of our energy on Oxford’s most disadvantaged neighbourhoods and marginalised communities but we’re keen collaborate with anyone looking to redirect wealth back into the local economy, for the control and benefit of local people.”

Jacqui Gitau, from African Families in the UK, says:

“We’re really grateful for the support we’ve received so far from Owned by Oxford. They’re helping us access funding and advice which will help us transition to a sustainable enterprise model so that we can keep on helping our local community.”

Maybe you’re involved in or looking to start an initiative that fits our Community Wealth Building model; or perhaps you’re working for a large organisation and want to explore how you could make the money you spend have a greater impact in the local area; or you might be considering a transition to a different ownership models for your business.

We’d love to talk more about how we can support you on that journey. To discuss further, contact the team at: info@ownedbyoxford.org.uk

For more information on the Owned by Oxford partnership visit: https://ownedbyoxford.org.uk/

n JERICHO – OXFORD’S BEST KEPT

SECRET

If you either live or work in Jericho you’ll often find yourself having a ‘pinch myself’ moment when you stop and think just how lucky you are to spend time in this incredible neighbourhood. It’s little wonder Jericho was voted one of the coolest places to live in the UK in 2019.

Located just fifteen minutes’ walk from the hustle and bustle of Oxford’s city centre, you find yourself in a proper neighbourhood high street filled with an array of restaurants, cafés, pubs and bars, an art gallery, pharmacy, stationery shop, wellness centre, yoga studio, hairdressers, flower shop, book shop and record shop. There are no empty shops in Jericho – it’s a vibrant hub of 54 amazing businesses. The jewel in the crown of Jericho, and something we’re really proud of, is our legendary cinema of over hundred years, The Phoenix Picturehouse.

Jericho has a certain cache which elevates it above other neighbourhoods, attracting visitors from far and wide. It’s become a destination for a great evening out. But the small independent businesses are the lifeblood of our community too, with locals having so much on offer to them literally on their doorsteps.

FOODIE HEAVEN

Jericho is a foodie heaven with a wonderful mix of over two dozen restaurants, cafés, pubs and bars to try. Jericho is teaming with Victorian pubs – all of them buzzing and vibrant. A lunchtime favourite is Opera Café on Walton Street which is famed for its friendly staff, excellent coffee and chicken wraps (it’s the perfect spot to fuel up on caffeine on your way to Port Meadow

for a stroll). Manos Deli, further down Walton Street is a great place to pick up some excellent authentic Greek food, and Branca Deli and Restaurant is known for its array of freshly made salads made by their own chefs.

On a warm summer evening walking up and down Walton Street can feel a bit like you’re on holiday. There’s a great vibe and a huge choice of places to eat and drink. A local favourite is The Standard on Walton Street. It opened in 1972 and is still owned and run by the same delightful family. It’s a real gem of a restaurant serving authentic Bengali and south Asian food (using family recipes) with lots of vegetarian choices too. It does get very busy, so it’s best to book. Giles Coren is also a Jericho fan, saying of Zheng, ‘Possibly the best authentic

Chinese-Malaysian restaurant in the country’. It’s also a great place to pop into for a takeaway when you’ve got an empty fridge!

THE MAGICAL BACK STREETS OF JERICHO

Formerly workers’ cottages, the houses here are predominantly Victorian and it’s easy to get lost on your way to the pubs tucked away down the quiet, narrow streets. The Old Bookbinders pub opened in 1869, has a strong community feel and is always busy. It’s a great place to catch up with friends over lunch. Another highlight is the friendly grocery shop, Ali’s Jericho Stores (9 Albert Street). This is a proper neighbourhood shop, and they go above and beyond to help the community.

JERICHO’S MUSIC SCENE

If you were in Jericho in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s you’ll remember the vibrant music scene at the time. The Jericho Tavern nurtured the careers of Supergrass, Radiohead and Ride and are still doing the same today for new upcoming talent. Check out their gigs listing. Live music goes on all over Jericho with open mic nights in the Old Bookbinders (Wednesdays) and the Harcourt Arms (Sundays). The Rickety Press has added to the music offering with live music on Sunday evenings with the Harcourt Arms also putting on incredible live line ups.

If you fall in love with Jericho (and you will!) there are two estate agents who can point you in the direction of covetable Victorian terraces or elegant three story town houses in our neighbourhood. Thomas Merrifield and JCP Estate Agents are the guys to speak to.

WHISTLESTOP TOUR

To ‘get under the skin’ of Jericho you’d ideally need to spend a few hours here. You’d arrive in time for a late lunch in one of our amazing cafés and restaurants (or the Jericho Café does a very good brunch if you arrive earlier!). A visit to Jericho’s art gallery Rona Painting Gallery should be on your list. You can see exhibitions there by local artists such as Zelga Simone Miller, Chase Marsden and Jane Strother. Her current exhibition is of surrealist artist, Desmond

Morris’ paintings. You’d then wander over to Port Meadow (a huge ancient grazing meadow which has thankfully escaped being built on) a few minutes’ walk from Jericho. On your way there glance at the impressive classical architecture of the Oxford University Press building and the space ship style modernity of the Blavatnik Business School. Port Meadow is where everyone heads to on a hot day: the riverside becomes an impromptu beach! That would be followed by a pick me up beer back in Jericho at The Victoria, a beautiful tall brick pub loved by families and young people alike, and then onto see a film at the Phoenix Picturehouse. If you still had some energy left, Love Jericho Bar (great DJs on Fridays) and Freuds are open till late.

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Follow the Jericho businesses on Independent Jericho Instagram. There are ‘stories’ every day updating you on what’s going on.

HOW TO GET TO JERICHO

On foot: we’re just ten minutes from the city centre. Make sure you head all the way down Walton Street as most of our shops are there.

By bike: there are cycle racks next to the Blavatnik Business School.

By car: There’s some short stay free parking and up to three hours on street-metred parking in Great Clarendon Street and on Walton Street. There’s also some less expensive off-street parking in the Walton Well Road car park. After 6.30 pm the parking charge is reduced throughout Jericho.

By bus: the nearest bus stops are on Woodstock Road next to the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter. It’s about a five minute walk into Jericho.

By train: we’re a 15 - 20 minute walk from the main train station –walk along Hythe Bridge Street over the river and turn left into Walton Street. It’s a ten minute bus ride from Oxford Parkway (get off near north Parade on Banbury Road and walk the rest).

CITY CENTRE ACTION PLAN

Oxford city centre, like town and city centres up and down the country, has experienced the most challenging of times over the last two and half years.

For its business owners, managers and teams, it has meant either long periods closed with staff on furlough and then re-opening in Covid-19 restricted conditions, or open but with dramatically reduced footfall and the need to find new ways of working. As we live with the new norm, the uncertainties continue:

• What will the working from home/ office balance look like?

• When will tourism numbers return to pre-pandemic levels, and might we see different categories of visitor?

• Will universities, colleges and schools return to business as usual?

• What will the outcome mean for businesses that rely on office staff, students or tourists for their success, and for a public transport system that is so important to Oxford?

• Where will policy on issues like business rates, rent backlog and permitted development settle?

• What will be the ongoing impact of the national changes town and city centres faced before Covid-19, the switch of spend to online rather than bricks and mortar among them?

The foreword to the Oxford City Centre Action Plan, which will guide policy and projects to 2030, sets the challenge:

“As Oxford begins to emerge from the pandemic, having done much to protect and meet the needs of the most vulnerable, the focus must be on turning one of the most difficult periods in the city’s history to one of positive response and action.”

There is also a great deal that’s positive to build on.

During the first lockdown in 2020, a leading retail industry body told a committee of MPs that “One in five shops in Britain will never reopen.” For Oxford city centre, that would have meant an additional 117 vacant units, and a devastating impact on its vitality and on jobs.

In 2021, twenty-five businesses opened in vacant city centre units. High-profile national brands and new, and in some cases, expanding, independent names were added to the list.

This more positive picture was due to a huge amount of hard work across our stakeholder community. Done first and foremost by the businesses whose resilience and willingness to innovate, change, work together and invest, made such a difference.

The city’s landlords and agents had to play their part too, both in engagement with existing tenants and, where their unit was to, or became vacant, to adjust to new circumstances and help deliver the strong letting run that has since developed.

Our councils stepped up also. First in the response phase, supporting businesses by facilitating a big grants and rate relief programme, and then with on-street measures and communications campaigns to make the best of reopening.

A key element of that phase was the joint focus from both City and County councils on providing outside seating for hospitality businesses who had re-opened but with restrictions on the number of customers they could have indoors.

By 2022, around 100 businesses city-wide had benefited from this initiative – two thirds of those in the city centre - and many said that without it, they wouldn’t have survived. It also transformed the look and atmosphere of key

streets, including Cornmarket, St Michael’s Street and, during what were temporary and trial partpedestrianisations there, George Street and Broad Street.

Oxford city centre has also continued to see significant investment in new buildings and repurposing others. Work on Jesus College’s landmark Northgate Development on Cornmarket continued throughout the lockdowns, and conversion of the former Boswells store into a hotel is nearing completion. The Clarendon Centre will be redeveloped across a range of new uses including R&D.

This is the first of a further stream of investments we’ll see at the heart of the city centre and in the Rail Station/ West End sector (outlined elsewhere in this Business Guide).

The Oxford City Centre Action plan was adopted in June 2022, and contains a series of proposals to further boost the local economy, create new job opportunities and make Oxford a go-to destination for work and play. Improved transport links and new public spaces will open up the city like never before.

Oxford has been named as one of the UK’s fastest growing cities, as well as the top UK city for economic success and well-being

of the community for the fourth year in a row. As we emerge from the pandemic, the focus is now on turning one of the most difficult periods in the city’s history to one of positive response and action.

Oxford is facing the future with new businesses, new jobs, new initiatives and new investment. It is already a different city centre in a number of ways. There are surely further challenges to face, not least of which will be balancing competing demands on use of space, so that our city is inclusive and accessible and the best it can be for all those who live, work, study and visit here.

EXPERIENCE OXFORDSHIRE

Experience Oxfordshire is the official Destination Management Organisation (DMO) for Oxfordshire. It is the trading arm of the parent charity, Experience Oxfordshire Charitable Trust, and is a not-forprofit partnership organisation committed to the promotion, management and development of Oxfordshire as a great destination to live, work, visit and do business. We work with businesses and stakeholders to improve growth and productivity across the visitor economy and lead Destination Management across the county, while ensuring that tourism works for everyone across Oxfordshire.

At Experience Oxfordshire, we have a growing partnership network of businesses spanning all parts of the visitor economy. Through effective

collaboration, we are all working to make Oxfordshire a leading destination for tourism, culture and business. As part of our committed efforts towards growing the visitor economy, we work with our partners to help support their businesses through our marketing, development and commercial channels.

Services for our partners include regular promotion on our website, inclusion in marketing literature and across social media, travel trade exhibitions, as well as a range of exclusive networking events hosted by Experience Oxfordshire, and exciting press opportunities.

Experience Oxfordshire also works in partnership with VisitBritain and VisitEngland to promote the county and our partners to a national and international audience, ensuring that Oxfordshire is kept in the spotlight.

In addition, Experience Oxfordshire venue finding services promotes the county’s best venues to the vital meetings, incentives, conference and events (MICE) market. We work with our partners to promote and market the county as a great business events location through a website, PR, events and conference booking service.

Experience Oxfordshire also operates the award-winning Oxford Official Walking Tours, which welcomes over 40,000 visitors to Oxford each year. All the tours are led by expert guides and offer a unique learning experience of the city and further contribute to the wide offering of activities for visitors.

Oxford City Council Leader

Councillor Susan Brown said:

“Experience Oxfordshire plays a central role in the city’s tourism and hospitality economy and will be extremely important in the recovery of the city’s visitor economy post-pandemic. They are a very effective voice for the sector and have been a vital source of information for the visitor economy during these difficult times.”

Experience Oxfordshire hope that with the continued support of the public sector, stakeholders and local businesses, we can continue to showcase Oxfordshire’s worldclass offering in the tourism sector, and therefore invite readers to get in touch today to find out more about the services and activities that we undertake and how to become a partner.

Find out more at:

www.experienceoxfordshire.org [Consumer Site]

www.experienceoxfordshire.org/ partner [Partnership Site]

www.experienceoxfordshire.org/ venues [Venues Site]

www.oxfordofficialwalkingtours.org [Oxford Official Walking Tours Site]

Find out more about our partnership packages by calling our Partnership team on 01865 686439 or email partnership@experienceoxfordshire. org

AND EMPLOYABILITY Activate Learning – Supporting Skills and Employability

Activate Learning is a pioneering education group with a global reach, committed to transforming lives through our approach to learning.

As one of the largest Further Education providers in the UK, operating across Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Surrey. As well as our FE provision, we also comprise a multi-academy trust, a University Centre status higher education provision, and an apprenticeship and business training function via Activate Apprenticeships.

Our vision is to achieve far-reaching, progressive change and impact through learning as we seek to provide work-ready talent for business.

Within Oxfordshire we run Banbury and Bicester College in Banbury, and City of Oxford College based in Oxford, and at our Technology campus in Blackbird Leys. Opened in 2022 is the brand-new South Central Institute of Technology, which brings a suite of cuttingedge courses and apprenticeships designed and delivered in partnership with employers such as Vodafone, IBM and HP.

Our award-winning Learning Philosophy, supported directly by local businesses, is at the heart of engagement with our students, helping to prepare young people for employment and supporting those out of work find new opportunities.

Working with local businesses is crucial to the success of our

students and the future of the local economy, as it helps us to develop the skills that we know local employers need. This can be supported in a range of ways:

• Work Placement – either a short one- or two-week placement to introduce a young student to the sector of their interest or a longer industry placement aligned to the new TLevel vocational education qualifications

• Project-based learning and curriculum development –helping to design and deliver curriculum projects aligned to the student’s qualifications to help bring their learning to life with practical real-world examples

• Masterclasses – delivering a talk or demonstration about your business and the sector you operate within

• Company location visits –exposing students to your business working environment or to innovative technology in your workplace

• Employer advisory boards – helping to guide our future teaching and learning strategy by providing input to our investment plans for curriculum development

• Training – bespoke in-work skills, apprenticeships and higher technical qualification training is available across our campuses (and online) in digital, leadership and management, construction, accountancy and many other subject areas.

We have also successfully managed a range of employability projects for many years, including those under the European Social Fund and directly with the Department for Work and Pensions and local Job Centre Plus offices. Therefore, if as a local business you are looking to offer job opportunities or work trials for those who are out of work or looking to re-skill, then our Employability Projects team will be able to support you.

If you would like to get involved in any of these partnership opportunities, then please contact us via businessengagement@ activatelearning.ac.uk. www.activatelearning.ac.uk/

Inclusive Recruitment and Self Employment support with Aspire Oxford

“I have referred several clients to Aspire’s Enterprise Development Programme, and have always received very positive feedback. Nearly all have been inspired and report increased confidence after having been engaged. At least two have gone on to create websites and begin their freelance journey. This is a very valuable service and one that I hope will continue

Aspire Oxford is an awardwinning employment and housing charity and social enterprise. For over 20 years, Aspire has been working to support people facing homelessness, poverty and disadvantage in Oxford city and beyond, to address their unique needs and help them to secure fulfilling employment and safe housing.

A key priority at Aspire is engaging with local communities, working alongside Oxford City Council and other forward-thinking organisations to encourage socially responsible business practices, promote a more inclusive local economy and create more meaningful employment opportunities.

Under its parent charity, Aspire operates a variety of professional services through its wholly-owned trading company, Aspire Enterprise Services Limited, which invests operating profits back into the charity. To find out more about AES, visit: www.aspireoxfordshire.org/ aspire-enterprise-services-ltd.

If you’re looking to build back better as an inclusive recruiter, Aspire’s Social Recruitment Enterprise Hire2Inspire is here to help, providing professional and competitively-priced support to introduce inclusive recruitment practices for Oxfordshire employers. The Hire2Inspire team provides recruitment support to match employers with the skills of talented, work-ready candidates from marginalised backgrounds.

In addition to supporting employers to reach diverse talent, resolve staff shortages and increase staff retention, Hire2Inspire offer inclusivity, equality and diversity workshops, and an annual Employers’ Conference informed by the lived experience of Aspire’s charity and social enterprise workforce.

If you’d like to improve the inclusivity of your organisation’s recruitment practices, contact emily@ aspireoxford.co.uk.

For individuals facing barriers to self-employment, Aspire’s Enterprise Development Programme offers intensive, specialist and tailored advice for those looking to start a new business.

into the future.”

Samuel Haines, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust

This support includes the programme’s ‘Getting into Business’ course, where learners can explore business ideas and access practical advice across four days. Additional guidance from the team is available through drop-in business clubs, where participants can access peer support and hear from guest speakers with experience of setting up their own businesses.

Local people and community groups can also access enterprise development and employment support at Aspire’s Enterprise Hub in Cowley, brought online with corporate partner The Midcounties Co-operative.

If you’re considering selfemployment and looking to take your first steps, please contact sophie@aspireoxford.co.uk.

The Aspire charity also provides employment development, homelessness prevention and housing support for people experiencing long-term unemployment and barriers to work, including access to digital devices. To find out more, visit: www.aspireoxfordshire.org.

Kickstart Scheme

Since September 2020, Oxford City Council’s Economic Development Team (EDT) in partnership with DWP has been acting as a gateway for the Government ‘Kickstart scheme’ to support employers and the unemployed to benefit from the scheme across Oxfordshire.

The Kickstart Scheme offers

• The Kickstart Scheme placements are 6 months, 25 hours per week for 16-24 year olds referred from DWP as part of the scheme because they are on Universal Credit or long term unemployed The placements must be new roles created specifically for the scheme and not replace previous roles in the organisation

• All employers receive a grant per placement of £1,500

• Salaries are paid by DWP for placements at minimum wage although many employers at our encouragement are topping up the salary at their own expense to pay Oxford Living Wage (OLW)

The support we offer as gateway

• We provide free of charge support at every step of the application process

• We provide a placement pack we’ve created for employers to use when they start hosting Kickstart placements

• We accept and then administer the DWP grants to employers

• We support and keep in touch with employers throughout the placement and

• We signpost employers to support/advice as required.

Outcomes of the Scheme

Economic development outcomes to date include-

In its first year, Oxford City Council secured over 137 placements for over 55 employers from sectors as broad as: charities, museums, theatres, manufacturers, community associations, arts organisations, youth groups, retail, hospitality, IT, accountants, filmmakers, church and faith groups, food banks, cafés, media, fashion, designers, HR consultants, sports groups, social enterprises, CICs, direct services, restaurants, carbon reduction specialists, bakeries, recording studios, chefs, advice agencies, city farms and many more.

The Employers have been supported to secure over £50k in grant funding and a further £100k in salary payments.

• Employment for unemployed young people 16-24 years, both as part of the scheme and in many cases after it ends with the host employer.

• Upskilling for young people with employability skills for future job options

• Ongoing skills, training and employability support enables access to labour market postplacement

• Employers, supported to employ new members of staff supporting economic recovery

For more information on our role as gateway please contact: Clayton Lavallin clavallin@oxford.gov.uk or Carmel Conway cconway@oxford.gov.uk

PLANNING FOR OXFORD’S FUTURE

The wealth of historic and architectural assets in Oxford is a significant draw for investors, visitors and those looking to locate in the city. However, the city is ever involving and these assets require careful and thoughtful management. Most new buildings, changes of use and advertisements will require planning permission or consent. The city contains a large number of listed buildings and conservation areas and any impact to these would need to be considered as part of the planning process so that Oxford’s world class heritage can be protected and where possible, enhanced.

The Planning Service at Oxford City Council can provide advice and guidance to help businesses successfully gain the necessary planning permissions. Highly experienced officers can help by identifying key issues and constraints, and offer advice on ways to overcome concerns.

Our planning duty service gives quick, informal guidance about planning matters. A more detailed pre-application advice service is also available which provides more detailed and bespoke advice through meeting(s) and/or through written response. This can provide access to specialist advice including contaminated land, drainage and flood risk, sustainability, ecology, trees and planning policy. Early contact with the Planning Service prior to submitting a formal application is encouraged, as this can be beneficial in helping businesses to identify and resolve issues at an early stage which can make the process of applying for planning permission more streamlined and efficient.

The Planning Service also operates an enforcement service, ensuring,

amongst other things, that planning conditions are met so that nearby residents and businesses are not adversely affected.

For more information on the planning service, please visit https://www.oxford.gov.uk/ planning

Oxford Local Plan 2040

Oxford City Council is currently working on the development of a new Local Plan 2040 following the adoption of the Oxford Local Plan 2036 in June 2020. The Local Plan 2040 will set out the planning strategy for meeting the needs of the city. It will set out where new homes, businesses and community facilities will be built to make Oxford a better place to live, work and visit. It will also look at how we can protect the things that make Oxford special such as open space, ecological habitat and areas of heritage.

An Early Issues consultation was carried out between August and September 2021. This invited views on what should be considered the most important issues facing the residents of Oxford. The areas of focus were the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the response to the climate emergency, overcoming inequalities, local neighbourhoods and the environment. We also produced an Issues Paper, in which we identified specific issues we believe the Local Plan could help address. We are currently collating and analysing the responses to both sets of consultations, and will published a summary of findings in due course. The next step in the process is a consultation on policy options and potential development sites, commenced during the autumn of 2022.

For more information on the Oxford Local Plan 2040, please visit https://www.oxford.gov.uk/ info/20067/planning_policy/1460/ oxford_local_plan_2040

ODS: Services for businesses from a ‘doing good’ company

We have capabilities in housebuilding and construction; responsive and reactive repairs and maintenance; civil engineering and hard/ soft landscaping; waste collection and recycling; grounds and tree maintenance, pest control; fleet maintenance including repairs, servicing and testing; EV infrastructure; and more. No matter the size and scope of your project, we can design an appropriate, cost-effective solution by tailoring our services, contracts and pricing structure, to meet your unique requirements and reflect your priorities.

What our customers say

“All works were carried out right first time, in an efficient and professional manner. ODS are well versed in the processes of working within Oxford and the stakeholders with whom strong relationships and interest need to be protected.”

Chris Rafferty, Project Director, Laing O’Rourke Construction, following remedial works at Westgate, April 2021

At ODS, our dedicated teams have decades of experience delivering ‘best in class’ services for local authorities, businesses, schools, universities and residents across Oxfordshire.

We’re council-owned, which means we understand how to make places better to live, work, and visit. We are agile, commercially-minded, and committed to providing high-quality, cost-effective services.

We want to do business in a better way – one that’s good for everyone, balancing purpose for profit. We call it ‘doing good’.

Our services

Whatever your service need, we can help. We offer the best of both worlds – the integrity of a large, local authority-backed company, coupled with the innovative and flexible mind-set of a company committed to doing things better.

By choosing us, you will benefit from the experience and commitment of our diverse workforce of over 650 mostly local people, who live our values and go above and beyond for our customers.

Our capabilities

We pride ourselves in the services we offer being of the highest quality.

Recycling and waste:

• Mixed recycling, food, glass, garden and general waste collection service (zero to landfill)

• Bulky waste collections

• Event waste management

• Waste auditing and performance monitoring

• Bin wash services

• Roll on/off skips and compactors

• Hazardous waste collections

• Morning city centre sack collections

Construction and new homes:

• Restoration

• Refurbishment

• Historic renovations

• New builds (including zerocarbon builds)

• Design and build projects

• Major and planned projects

Civil engineering:

• SUDS construction paving

• Footway and carriageway construction and surfacing

• 278 construction and remedials

• Hard/ soft landscaping and surfaces

• Fencing repairs and installations

• Sign manufacturing and installation

• Road marking and line painting

• CCTV drain surveys

• Drainage and jetter services

• Winter maintenance services

• A wide range of civil engineering works, including car park surfacing

• Resurfacing and paving services

Fleet and electric vehicles:

• Vehicle collection and drop off for MOTs, servicing and repairs, including hybrid and EV vehicles

• Onsite ATF Lane

• Fleet and vehicle maintenance

• Bodywork repairs and tyre service

• Vehicle air-conditioning repairs, re-gassing and servicing

• Vehicle washing and valeting

• MiDAS certification and driver training

• Approved tachograph centre for tacho testing, calibration, repairs and new unit installations

• Hackney carriage and private hire driver assessments

• Hybrid and electric vehicle service, repairs and MOTs

Property maintenance:

• 24hr/ 365 responsive repairs and maintenance

• Electrical inspections, installations and compliance

• Gas servicing, heating repairs, installations and compliance

• Bespoke joinery manufacture and installations

• Cyclical and capital works

• Property improvements, refurbishments and alterations

• DDA adaptions and home improvements

• Void works

Grounds maintenance:

• Tree services including surveying, planting and maintenance

• Play area inspections and installations

• Sports and turf management and maintenance

• Countryside management

• General horticultural maintenance

• Cemeteries services, including memorial testing and grave excavation

• Thorough deep cleans and hot washes

• Graffiti and flyposting removal

• Abandoned vehicle and bicycle removal and disposal

• Fly tipping and sharps removal and disposal

• Road and pavement sweeping

• Weed spraying and treatment

Pest Control:

• Regular routine visits

• Reactive emergency visits and treatments

• Preventative monitoring and treatments

• Recommendations on proofing and housekeeping

• Bird proofing, trapping and shooting

• Other proofing services

• Insect identification

• Electric fly killer maintenance and installations

Get in touch

We welcome your call, email, or visit to discuss how ODS can match our capabilities to your needs.

01865 335400

www.odsgroup.co.uk businessdevelopment@odsgroup. co.uk

Marsh Road, Oxford OX4 2HH

What our customers say “We have been using ODS for our line painting and other road related services for many years. The teams deal with us quickly and easily and the returned work is of a very high standard. All in all, a very cost effective and reliable service.”

Matt Holmes, Oxford University Hospitals, NHS Foundation Trust, line painting and roadworks,

April 2021

We strive to o er a wide range of options for the community, and our existing portfolio includes a ordable rent, shared ownership, private sale, student and key worker accommodation. Our mission goes beyond housebuilding, and we recognise the importance of working closely with the community as well as providing care and support initiatives.

Paradise Street

Paradise Street is a city centre development of 30 private rented homes. The scheme features a mix of one and two-bedroom apartments and is close to the recently renovated Westgate shopping centre. Residents are only a 10-minute walk from Oxford Station. The new scheme o ers a significant improvement to the street landscape and provides an alternative accommodation option for the local market

Gibbs Crescent

Gibbs Crescent is a 100% a ordable scheme comprising of 140 new homes, 69 of which are social rent and 71 are shared ownership apartments. Overlooking the picturesque Osney Mill Marine, the development is located at the heart of the city centre and is less than a 10-minute walk from Oxford station. The transport hub serves key routes, including to London, Birmingham, and Bristol

Spencer Court, Churchill Drive

Spencer Court is new key worker accommodation. The modern scheme is made up of 19 cluster flats and will provide 91 ensuite rooms for Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust sta . The development highlights our commitment to making a di erence in the communities in which we operate in.

For more information about A2Dominion or to get involved in future projects here in Oxford please contact Jim Smith, Head of Land and Planning (West). Jim.smith@a2dominion.co.uk, 07917 077830 or David Price, Head of Strategic Land. David.Price@A2Dominion.co.uk 07974 667017

CGI Paradise Street

A2Dominion has a strong track record of providing high quality homes in the Oxford area and beyond.

Supply Chain Tr ansfor mation Par tner

We have been improving supply chains for more than 30 years. Over this time, we’ve learned a thing or two about how valuable an intelligent supply chain can be.

We’ve worked with the best companies in the world. That experience, coupled with technologies like data analytics and automation, can deliver your ‘next generation’ supply chain that’s smarter, faster and more agile than ever before

To understand how you could benefit from implementing an intelligent supply chain, get in touch:

Delivering S ound P lans

Viability Matters

Whether you’re making decisions on affordable housing, Local Plan policy, Community Infrastructure Levy or specific developments, finding the right balance always involves a key question: is it viable?

At the Dixon Searle Partnership, we’ll help you find the answer.

As a specialist consultancy, we undertake development viability studies exclusively for local authorities across the UK.

With a wealth of experience in viability in planning, we can advise and work with you to develop policy and provide detailed financial assessments on specific schemes. All helping you to balance viability with the numerous, often conflicting, pressures you and your communities face

For more information, including det ails of our current vacancies, please cont act Richard Dixon or Rob Searle at DS P. tel: 01428 28 8101 e: info@dixonsearle.co.uk www.dixonsearle.co.uk @DixonSearle

Offering a home from home for businesses in Wantage and other nearby towns, Boston House is an ideally-located workplace designed for the challenges of modern work. It’s a space that lets you enjoy a more balanced work-life, making use of facilities that promote productivity and features that offer improved wellbeing, from well-equipped meeting rooms to a courtyard garden filled with greener y. And, best of all, it’s home to a community of businesses who inspire, motivate, and support each other, with countless opportunities for networking and collaboration.

That makes Boston House the perfect place for ambitious businesses, particularly those in the field of science and technology, to base themselves. We’ve designed the workplace to meet the needs of modern businesses, with unbranded ser viced office spaces available in a range of sizes on flexible terms and meeting rooms able to be booked by the hour

A purpose-built flexible workplace situated amongst the rolling hills of South Oxfordshire, home to stunning views and a thriving business community.

Energy saving

Switching off non-essential equipment in an office overnight saves enough energy to run a small car for 100 miles.

Saving energy saves you money, protects your reputation and helps combat climate change.

Your organisation could save up to 10% through housekeeping actions which cost little or nothing.

Source: www.carbontrust.co.uk

IT’ S LO C AL OX F ORD ONLINE BUSINESS DIRECTORY

Oxford City Council is proud to be part of launching an exciting new service for businesses in Oxford, connecting local businesses with local customers, free of charge and keeping trade inside the local economy

@OxfordCityCouncil www.oxford.gov.uk

‘It’s Local’ is an online business directory, built for today’s mobile generation, that accompanies this Oxford Business Guide.

At itslocaloxford you can find business services by keyword or company name. It is fully integrated with Google maps, directions and Streetview and includes direct links to businesses’ websites and social media including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

‘It’s Local’ is a business directory for businesses and people who live in, work in and visit Oxford. There’s no download or install to worry about. The service is dynamic, sending device-appropriate pages to mobiles, tablets, laptops, desktops and Smart TVs.

Scan the QR CODE above to connect you to itslocaloxford

Market your business for FREE!

Search for local companies

Shop Local and support the Oxford economy!

Notes:

‘Its Local Oxford’ is compatible with most web browsers, including Google Chrome, Firefox and Microsoft Internet Explorer (version 9 and above).