A statement from Councillor Barry Wood, Leader of Cherwell District Council.
Published: Wednesday, 12th October 2022
“Today’s decision by Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) to decline to submit Expressions of Interest for Investment Zones in the county is both deeply disappointing and a missed opportunity to bring the right jobs and growth to Oxfordshire.
“Cherwell District Council (CDC) is very interested in submitting an Expression of Interest, as growth and investment are key priorities for the council, but under the formal process this has to be made via the county council, which will now not be possible. A great deal of work has gone in to preparing our submission, which makes today’s decision by OCC even more frustrating. How OCC can wait until today to make this bizarre decision is beyond me, especially when they knew how much work was going into CDC’s and other district councils’ submissions for this week’s deadline.
“On hearing of OCC’s decision, I immediately wrote to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities explaining that CDC does not agree at all with OCC’s position. We will be looking at alternative ways of expressing our interest in bringing Investment Zones to Cherwell. We believe in bringing the right jobs and economic growth to our district, and will make every effort to do so despite today’s unhelpful and unnecessary decision.”
Councillor Barry Wood
Leader, Cherwell District Council