Oxfordshire County Council presses ahead with new ‘campus’ plans despite threat of abolition
Oxfordshire County Council is moving ahead with plans to build itself a new ‘campus’, despite the potential for the authority’s abolition being announced before it is completed.
At a cabinet meeting on October 20, approval was given to start redevelopment work on Speedwell House, Speedwell Street, earlier than previously planned to create a new ‘city centre hub’ for the council after the sale of County Hall.
The council’s current timescale will see the new offices open in April 2028.
Government plans to end Oxfordshire’s county, district and city councils and replace them with three new unitary authorities which would run services currently split between the two council levels were announced in July, then subsequently put on pause in September.
A “review” of the ‘reorganisation’ is ongoing and planned ‘shadow elections’ to the three unitary authorities, Greater Oxford, Northern Oxfordshire and Ridgeway, will not go ahead in May next year, with district council elections taking place instead.
Approving the early start to work on new county offices, council leader Tim Bearder suggested that their development should be a reason that his vision for a single unitary council running Oxfordshire goes ahead, rather than the three authority plan.
He said: “Either we’d be building a rather splendid building for Greater Oxford and then they’d have rather too many buildings, or we were building entirely reasonable headquarters for a countywide headquarters.”
County finance boss Dan Levy added: “Were there not to be a single unitary and were the new city council, or Greater Oxford Council, not to move into Speedwell, it would make a lovely office for somebody else.”
He said this means that the uncertainty around the future of Oxfordshire’s governance “in no way affects the project”.
The work set to go ahead earlier than previously timetabled will include an internal strip-out, structural alterations, fabric repairs, fire protection work and early procurement of window and roofing materials.
Mr Levy claimed: “The earlier we pay for certain things in the Speedwell House project the less exposed we are to inflation.”
Inflation is currently at its highest level for a year.
Mr Levvy added: “It will be exciting to see the building take shape and we believe it will help regenerate this area of Oxford as well as being a modern, net-zero home for council staff and councillors into the future, whatever shape Oxfordshire’s local government takes.
“As we have said, the sale of County Hall will provide the funding for the renewal of Speedwell House.
“The plan works financially as well as operationally.”
A council statement describes the intention to move from County Hall in late 2026.
During 2027 and early 2028, the authority plans to utilise its existing office space in and beyond Oxford to accommodate staff whose current home base is County Hall, as well as a council chamber and coroner’s court.
It will also use Midland House in Botley.