Oxfordshire County Council reveals 'tough' £10m savings plans

Councillor Dan Levy, in charge of finances, said the authority was in a "challenging" position

A council has set out plans to save £10m next year.

The bulk of savings announced by Oxfordshire County Council are in children's services, including a continuing plan for fewer children in care and less reliance on agency staff.

The authority also proposes to save money on private sector contracts through negotiation.

Councillor Dan Levy, in charge of finances, said the council was having to make "tough choices".

He said: "Our track record of responsible financial management means that Oxfordshire County Council is in a more resilient and robust position than some other authorities.

"However, the overall position is still challenging."

The council said it had found ways to cut the cost of children in care

The council said it had found savings of more than £9.8m for 2024/25 but still needed another £9.1m to balance the budget.

It said nearly £3m could be saved by increasingly sharing the cost of looked-after children with health authorities.

Another £2.7m will come from "preventing the need for children to become looked after by Oxfordshire County Council [including] working to reunify children safely with their family or members of their wider network", the authority said.

It said opening three new children's homes and recruiting more foster carers would also reduce costs.

The council said it would spend £1.7m next year to continue to develop plans for a workplace parking levy, a charge to employers for staff parking at their premises.

The authority has invited feedback from residents by 10 January.

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