William Eichler 13 August 2025

Council accused of offering ‘freebies’ in devolution bid

Council accused of offering ‘freebies’ in devolution bid image
Happy family swimming in a leisure centre Denis Moskvinov / Shutterstock.com.

Oxford City Council has been accused of handing out ‘freebies’ to win support for its local government reorganisation plans.

The city council supports the establishment of a ‘Greater Oxford’ which would cover Oxford and its Green Belt.

The local authority has also announced free leisure centre passes for residents in the areas that would be incorporated into ‘Greater Oxford’ if the proposal is approved.

County councillor Tim Bearder criticised the move, telling the BBC: ‘What we ought to be doing is working towards a well-evidenced business case looking at the practicalities of this.

‘It should not be about offering freebies to residents to entice them. It should be based around how we deliver services.’

Cllr Susan Brown, leader of Oxford City Council, told LocalGov: ‘We agree that Oxford has a strong leisure offer, which includes free swimming for under 17s and heavily discounted leisure centre membership for people on qualifying benefits. Under our proposals, this offer would be extended to all Greater Oxford residents.’

Senior Whitehall mandarins yesterday reminded councils not to use public funds to persuade residents to back their favoured reorganisation proposal.

For more on local government reorganisation, check out What Council Unitarisation Means for Neighbourhood Services by APSE chief executive Mo Baines.

 

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Enforcement Officer – National Trading Standards eCrime Team

North Yorkshire Council
£27,254 to £42,839 per annum
Do you have an investigatory background or open source intelligence experience? Northallerton, North Yorkshire
Recuriter: North Yorkshire Council

Intelligence Analyst – National Trading Standards eCrime Team

North Yorkshire Council
£34,433 - £38,220
Do you have a background in open source research or intelligence development and analysis? Northallerton, North Yorkshire
Recuriter: North Yorkshire Council

Communications Business Partner

Kirklees Metropolitan Council
£45,091- £47,181
Make a difference through powerful communications. Kirklees, West Yorkshire
Recuriter: Kirklees Metropolitan Council

Project Officer (Rail)

Kirklees Metropolitan Council
£45,091- £47,181
Our employees are at the very heart of the services we provide to the community. Kirklees, West Yorkshire
Recuriter: Kirklees Metropolitan Council

Social Worker - Children We Care For

Oxfordshire County Council
£41771 - £49282
In the Children we care for service, we support children and young people once a decision has been made that children need to live away from their family home. We support children who are subject to S31 and S20 of the Children's Act 1989. Oxford
Recuriter: Oxfordshire County Council
Linkedin Banner