ROSE Hill is becoming the forgotten part of Oxford where residents are treated as “political pawns” as funding goes elsewhere, a community leader warned last night.

Peter Wilkinson, the chairman of the estate’s tenants and residents’ association, lodged a Freedom of Information request and discovered £6.7m of Government regeneration funding was dished out by the city council between 1996 and 2006, but none went to Rose Hill.

Blackbird Leys received £1.3m, Barton £2.5m and East Oxford £2.9m.

However, the city council and the area’s MP denied the estate had been sidelined.

New homes have been planned for Rose Hill but Mr Wilkinson believed the area lacks enough community facilities to cope.

He said: “It is true there is an ongoing major housing redevelopment on Rose Hill, but this is simply a necessary replacement of defective and sub-standard housing.

“Decent housing is of course welcomed, but in so doing green spaces are being lost and neighbours are being overshadowed with loss of privacy.

“Not one amenity is being provided, Rose Hill is being turned into a dormitory estate with no facilities.”

Mr Wilkinson, the husband of Headington’s Liberal Democrat councillor Ruth Wilkinson, submitted his FoI request after the city council was given a two-star rating out of four for regeneration by the Audit Commission.

Mr Wilkinson, of Thames View Road, said: “Why are so many resources put into Blackbird Leys, with a new swimming pool promised, and Barton’s new gymnasium?

“Could it be that we have an MP with a fragile majority living in Blackbird Leys and a Barton council seat is held with a single-figure majority?

“A promise by the present Labour administration to keep open our local pool at Peers School – now the Academy – has been broken.

“Are Rose Hill residents being treated as political pawns?”

Oxford East MP Andrew Smith said: “As an MP I care passionately about every area of my constituency and that obviously includes Rose Hill, Barton, Wood Farm, Blackbird Leys, East Oxford, South Oxford and St Ebbe’s.

“I am known for my fairness in representing all my constituents and I believe the people of Oxford will treat politically motivated slurs with the contempt they deserve.”

He added: “It can be misleading to look at particular streams of funding and if you look at overall public funding it does even-out.”

Antonia Bance, Rose Hill councillor and board member for social inclusion, said conditions were “getting better” and pledged £460,000 of money promised by developers of the new homes would be spent on community facilities.

She also pointed out Rose Hill primary school was set to be rebuilt, while the council had pumped about £10,000 into a project to bring creative activities to the estate.

cwalker@oxfordmail.co.uk