Foreword
Annual 2022-2023
Welcome to our annual report that summarises our performance and key achievements from April 2022 to March 2023.
During the past 12 months, we have stood firm and achieved many successes against a challenging economic backdrop that affected all local councils.
We became a standalone authority for the first time in over a decade in August 2022 - just five months after announcing the end of our partnership with Oxfordshire County Council (OCC).
Our immediate priority was then to take stock and, to do this, we enlisted the help of a Local Government Association Peer Review Challenge. This involved a team of our contemporaries from other councils carrying out a root and branch review of how we operate and how well-equipped we are to face the future.
We’re pleased to say its findings were overwhelmingly positive, describing Cherwell as a leader of a place with big ambitions. Better yet, it also equipped us with an action plan to help us plan and build for the future.
The cost of living crisis has been a central concern for the council, and we’ve made supporting our residents through it an essential mission while ensuring that we can balance the books. Much work was put into a well-thought- out budget which made modest savings on the revenue side while also providing exciting investments.
Across sports, leisure, housing and environment, we are proud of the services and initiatives we have provided for you in north Oxfordshire.
Read on to learn more about what we’ve delivered across Cherwell and where you live.
Joint statement July 2023
Councillor Barry Wood, Leader and Yvonne Rees, Chief Executive
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