SENIOR councillors have approved budget proposals for next year, which include building 485 new council houses to help ease the city’s housing crisis.

Oxford City Council’s executive board met at the Town Hall in St Aldate’s yesterday.

Councillors considered the proposed budget for 2015/16 and agreed it will be voted on by a full council meeting next year.

Earlier this month the council revealed housing will be paid for by a pot of £96m set aside in its 2015/2016 budget. This is despite the council’s overall annual budget being reduced from £24m in 2014/15 to £23.1m.

The £96m – which will come from council reserves, selling assets and council rental income – will also be spent on improving existing housing to make properties more energy efficient.

Head of finance Nigel Kennedy said in his report to the council: “It is clear that cuts to housing benefit are having a dramatic effect in Oxford, making it extremely difficult to find properties for people on low incomes in the private rented sector locally.

“We are proposing to set a budget which balances over four years and which reduces the council’s cost base in a carefully, planned way.

“Council staff have done a remarkable job in achieving efficiency savings in recent years, while maintaining high quality services for the public.”

 

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