The 2018 Oxford City Council election took place on 3 May 2018, to elect 24 of the 48 members of
Oxford City Council in
England. This was on the same day as
other local elections in England. Each of Oxford's 24 wards elected one councillor, with the other seat in each ward next due for election in May 2020.[3]
The
Labour Party sought to defend its majority on the council, which it had controlled since 2008. Key issues in the election campaign included
affordable housing,
homelessness and
air pollution. The results saw Labour gain two seats from the
Green Party while losing one to the
Liberal Democrats. This left Labour with 36 seats, the Liberal Democrats with 9 and the Greens with 2.
New Statesman commentator Stephen Bush suggested in March 2018 that a successful result for Labour in the 2018 Oxford City Council election, building on its strong parliamentary performance in 2017, would be to win all the available Green seats.[8] The Oxford Mail's political correspondent Nathan Briant predicted, "Labour are likely to return a healthy number of councillors", but identified potential difficulties for the party: a rise in
homelessness in Oxford as in other cities, controversy of the council's use of
community protection notices to threaten to fine homeless people, and a perception of the national Labour leadership as too
eurosceptic.[9]
Stephen Bush argued that if the Liberal Democrats' national strategy of appealing to pro-European voters succeeded, one benchmark for this would be an expansion from eight seats on Oxford City Council to double figures.[10]
Policies and campaigns
Conservative
The Oxford Conservative Association's chair Mark Bhagwandin criticised the Labour administration for a lack of
affordable housing in Oxford, including at the recent
Barton development. He stated he was confident that the Conservatives could improve on their previously weak position in Oxford, and that they would hold Labour to account. The party pledged to freeze the salaries of senior council staff, which Bhagwandin described as "huge".[11]
Green
The Green Party's campaign also emphasised a need for scrutiny and opposition; co-leader
Caroline Lucas stated while campaigning in Oxford that "one more Labour councillor won't make any difference", while "one more Green councillor" would ensure the council was "forced to deliver".[12] Lucas identified homelessness as the issue on which Oxford's Green councillors been most active,[12] and the Greens' manifesto highlighted their past campaigns for the council to provide additional homeless shelters and consider the use of
rent controls, as well as their role in challenging fines for rough sleepers and removal of their property.[13] Green policies also included addressing
air pollution in
St. Clement's[12] by extending the council's proposed
zero-emission zone,[13] and redesignating the entire development on the Lucy Faithfull House site for affordable housing (instead of half as proposed by the council).[11]
Labour
Oxford's governing Labour Party pledged in its manifesto, subtitled Fighting Austerity for a Fairer City, to build 1000
affordable homes and work with adjacent councils on "high quality urban extensions that will increase the availability of affordable homes".[14][15] The Leader of the council, Susan Brown, advocated more development in the
Oxford Green Belt to meet the city's housing needs.[11] Emphasising Oxford's "strong cycling tradition",[16] the manifesto included policies to provide more lanes and parking for cyclists, while supporting cycle hire businesses.[14][17] On homelessness, Labour pledged increased spending and cooperation with charitable and voluntary organisations "with the objective of ensuring that no-one has to sleep rough in Oxford".[14] Other "key pledges" included promotion of an Oxford
living wage, support for sports clubs and facilities, and measures to reduce the city's carbon footprint and air pollution.[18]
Launching the manifesto, Susan Brown and
Shadow Secretary of State for HousingJohn Healey attacked the central government's
austerity programme as responsible for homelessness and other social problems in Oxford and elsewhere, while Healey praised Oxford City Council's track record under its Labour administration.[17] The Guardian journalist and Labour activist
Owen Jones canvassed for the party's candidate Rabyah Khan in
Summertown.[19]
Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrat leader
Vince Cable highlighted the issues of homelessness and unaffordable housing during a visit to Oxford, while the party's Oxford West and Abingdon MP
Layla Moran argued that Labour was over-dominant on the council and that additional Lib Dem councillors would provide improved scrutiny.[20] The party's manifesto[21] included pledges to re-examine potential sites in Oxford in order to build "hundreds more houses",[22] with their councillors suggesting that land designated for business development could be reallocated for housing.[11] The Lib Dems supported a review of the Green Belt for new sites for development, with safeguards for "areas of natural, historic, or scientific interest".[22] They proposed increased accommodation and support for homeless people, while opposing fining of rough sleepers.[23] Other pledges included a tourism tax as a source of revenue for public works.[24] The Lib Dem leader on the council,
Andrew Gant, suggested that some voters would support the party because of opposition to
Brexit.[11]
Candidates
The Labour and Conservative parties nominated candidates for all 24 seats, while the Greens contested 23 and the Liberal Democrats 21. The current Leader of the council, Susan Brown (Labour), stood for re-election in
Churchill ward.[25] David Thomas, the leader of the council's Green group who was previously elected in
Holywell,[26] contested
St. Clement's against the Labour incumbent Tom Hayes.[11]
Some councillors whose terms ended in 2018 did not seek re-election, including former Leader Bob Price (Labour,
Hinksey Park) and
Lord Mayor Jean Fooks (Liberal Democrat,
Summertown).[25][27]
Results
Labour increased its majority on the council, holding 36 of 48 seats after the election. The Greens, in what the Oxford Mail described as "an awful night" for the party, saw two of their three seats up for election won by Labour, while their leader David Thomas lost his place on the Council when his attempt to win
St Clement's from Labour failed. This left the party with just two councillors.[28] The Liberal Democrats won
Quarry and Risinghurst from Labour, which was Labour's first loss of a seat in Oxford since 2006.[29]
The highest turnout was 54.9% for Iffley Fields, and the lowest 19.9% for Northfield Brook.
Note: no
UKIP candidates stood in this election, compared with two in 2016 and six in 2014. Two independent candidates were standing, compared with three in 2016 and four in 2014. Plus/minus percentages are calculated with respect to the
2016 Oxford City Council election. In addition to the 2 seats that Labour gained relative to the 2016 election, Labour also took back a seat they previously held that had become vacant in November 2017 (see
Northfield Brook).
Total number of seats on the council after the election:
The Northfield Brook seat contested at this election had been won by Labour in 2014.[4] It was vacant between the death of Councillor Jennifer Pegg in November 2017 and the May 2018 election.[31][32]