Oxfordshire County Council announces huge budget cuts

The savings are required to manage cuts to its funding announced by the government earlier this year, as well as achieving all existing savings.

A balanced budget is already in place for 2026/27, but further reductions are expected to make future planning even more challenging.

Dan Levy, the council’s cabinet member for finance, property, and transformation, said: “The situation we are in is not of our making locally.

“The county council has a long track record of responsible financial management.

“We have consistently set aside contingency budgets to deal with uncertainty about demand and other risks.

“Our year-end position for 2025/26 shows the value of this approach as we have been able to balance our budget and manage the pressures being experienced in our services.”

Councillor Levy said the council will not have the same budget flexibility in future years due to reduced funding and the need for further cuts.

He warned that rising inflation and increased service demand could make the financial situation more difficult.

He said: “People will hear more detail about this in autumn and winter.

“We will protect frontline services as far as we can.

“The government also assumes that we would set Council Tax rises at 4.99 per cent each year giving us no real flexibility locally.”

The council said more details about the required savings and potential impacts will be shared with residents later this year.