Oxford Mutual Aid (OMA) has reopened after a month-long closure due to “emergency repairs” at the hall they operate out of, which the charity described as “the longest closure period OMA has ever seen”.

The community organisation, founded in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, provides “essential weekly support” to 190 households in Oxford, supporting around 750 people. They have distributed 30,000 food parcels since 2022, including around 250 emergency food parcels per month. The group also distributes toiletries and baby supplies to those in need. They described themselves to Cherwell as “Oxford’s biggest direct food support provider”, supporting over 2000 people, or 1.2% of Oxford’s population, every year. The majority of those supported are children.

OMA re-opened on 27th April after “the repairs and safety issues” to the hall were resolved. In a comment, OMA told Cherwell they were “very grateful” to those who donated to cover the costs of repairs, with donations exceeding a “stretch goal” of £4,000 during the month of closure. All donations not spent on financing repairs have “gone to purchasing more supplies to ensure we can fully provide everything our community needs” during a time of “heightened demand”. 

OMA told Cherwell: “We have had to replace much of our food stocks and replace a substantial amount of shelving amid other equipment…Support from the community to cover these costs has ensured our financial stability has not been put in jeopardy.” 

OMA added that their closure had been “devastating” for the community: “OMA is the only support they can access. We are the only org to deliver across the entire city, meaning we’re able to reach people with disabilities, health issues, stringent childcare or work responsibilities and/or low mobility – people who find it hard to reach more traditional food support.” The charity added that they have referred those in need towards alternative provision where possible during their closure. 

On their website, OMA describe “two Oxfords”, with the University and surrounding “wealthy districts” making the city “one of the most expensive places to live in the UK”, whilst also being home to “some of the most deprived wards in the country”. According to OMA, between 9 and 14% of the city is estimated to be experiencing food poverty.

The organisation has described itself as a “grassroots action network…born out of LGBTQ and trade union organisers, and local community groups”, believing in “solidarity, not charity”. Following their re-opening, OMA told Cherwell they “will continue to support everyone we can in Oxford, across the whole city”.

According to the University of Oxford’s admissions data, in 2024, 14.5% of students admitted were from the most socio-economically deprived areas in the UK. Many students at the University come from comfortable, more middle-class backgrounds, but sprinkled in are members of the elite: the children of aristocracy and the ultra-wealthy. For many working-class, state-educated students, coming to Oxford allows them to interact with people from this world for the very first time.  

It can be very disorienting to enter this new social sphere. At first, you can feel overwhelmed by its strange traditions and the people you are suddenly interacting with. It is bizarre to have a Scout who automatically cleans up after you. To be wined and dined in black tie, and to have a bursary that allows you to spend without worry, can feel uncomfortable for those who grew up with less. It’s very easy to feel out of place, both academically and socially.  

As time goes on, immersion in this fantasy land can make you out of touch. There is an illusion of student solidarity, that we are somehow all the same. We all know the trauma of essay deadlines, we use the same Oxford lingo, we study in the same libraries, we eat hall meals together, and we attend the same events. But then the vacation rolls around. As people return home, you realise that this Oxford bubble is not real life. The reality of class differences smacks you abruptly in the face.  

For working-class students, the truth is that many university acquaintances do not live the same lifestyle as you do. Most students at Oxford never need to worry about  whether their household will make ends meet this month. They do not have the burden of a maxed-out student loan, a crippling overdraft, and a laborious part-time job awaiting them in the vac. The vacation period is one where the vibrant world of Oxford feels very far away. What can connect you is the friends that you have made there, and social media is the easiest way to catch up on their lives. 

A dopamine-boosting doomscroll is particularly tempting for those of us who have few entertainment options during the vacation. Instagram shows you the lives of your new acquaintances and the alien world they reside in – a montage of huge houses, constant travel, and smiling friends in chalets and pools. It could not be more different from how you and most people live. It is difficult to escape the realisation that not only does this lifestyle exist, but it also exists near to you, and yet remains unattainable. It opens your eyes to the true class difference that exists between you and many of your peers, which amplifies the feeling of not quite belonging to the environment of Oxford. The unequal nature of the lottery of life is made more apparent when social media allows you to take a glimpse into the lifestyles of fellow students.  

In term time, there are always subtle reality checks that remind you of the class differences that exist at university, and they tend to be cliché – what school did you go to? Blank stares at your reply. Where do you typically holiday in the summer? Awkwardly state that you will probably be at home working. These reality checks are far harder to dodge when your scrolling takes place in an uncomfortable home, shattered, after a long shift at work. 

The whiplash that comes with oscillating between a comfortable, social, and cosy time at university and a harsher time at home is an exhausting experience. It can feel like you don’t really belong anywhere. A sense of isolation is inevitable when you are one of the few people in your circle who live in real financial struggle. It can seep into your confidence academically and socially. The thoughts of “I don’t really fit in here” get louder in those moments where class difference is made apparent, which only exacerbates imposter syndrome.  

As petty as it may seem to whine about  social media, which is entirely curated anyway, it doesn’t undermine the fact that this is a symptom of the core experience of working-class students at Oxford. The solution seems simple – just delete social media during the vacation and try accepting that your lifestyle is different from your peers. Whilst that is certainly a way to escape the toxic comparisons, it is not that easy, nor is it the main problem. Social media enables you to witness the unaffordable lifestyles of people around you. Even without that tool to help you sneak a peek, the cutting realities of being working class in Oxford will always find a way to follow you around.  

Like stones in your shoes, it can add pressure to change yourself to fit into this new world, as your own feed transforms in response to this different social circle. Working-class students can attempt to glamorise what little they have by changing their social media habits. Perhaps post some snapshots of the budget holiday you worked the whole summer for? The story behind that picture of a nice meal with friends, or snaps of the Varsityski trip, is that it has plunged you into the (not so) warm embrace of your overdraft. These attempts to blend in are made in vain and can feel depressingly shallow. 

But it’s not all doom and gloom. There is extraordinary pride in knowing that making it to Oxford from a socio-economically deprived background is a sign of true strength and resourcefulness. The pains of adapting to a world where most people will not understand the life experiences that come with this pay off. The ability to live two contrasting lives certainly makes you a well-rounded person. Despite having the burden of financial worries, fewer networks, and feelings of social isolation, working-class students at Oxford still manage to adapt and thrive.  

The Labour Party, the Green Party and the Liberal Democrats have released their manifestos ahead of the upcoming Oxford City Council elections, as a number of current and recent University of Oxford students contest seats across the city.

Voters will go to the polls on 7th May to elect half the members of the city council. The council is currently in no overall control, meaning no party (or coalition of parties) holds a majority. Labour is the largest group of the council and (until the resignation of ten councillors over Gaza in 2023) had been in the majority for the past 13 years. According to projections from PollCheck, the Council will remain without overall control, with Labour losing six seats but remaining the largest party. 

In some wards, Oxford’s residents will have the chance to elect current and recent University students. Holywell, the ward where most central colleges are located, will be contested by Labour candidate Awab Kazuz, a first-year History student at St Edmund Hall, and Green Party candidate Alfie Davis, a 2024 St Anne’s College graduate. In 2024, the City Council elections in Holywell saw the incumbent Labour councillor narrowly beaten by a Green Party candidate.

The Green Party are also fielding PhD student Zelalemawee Asheber in Walton Manor – home to Somerville College and St Anne’s – and Modern Languages finalist Indigo Haynes in Blackbird Leys. In Carfax and Jericho – home to Worcester College and Gloucester Green – Oxford University Conservative Association President and Lady Margaret Hall History student Harriet Dolby is running against Reform candidate, and Oriel College student, Vittorio Cuneo-Flood. The Liberal Democrats are contesting the Osney & St Thomas ward with Harry Morgan, a second-year at Pembroke College and last term’s Oxford Students’ Liberal Association President. 

The local Labour party released their manifesto last month, focusing on housing, climate policy, supporting the local economy, and local pride as it’s four major priorities. It proposes action on second homes and short-term lets, alongside making housing carbon neutral, and a commitment to campaign for rent control powers in the private rented sector, a policy the Labour government does not support. Whilst no specific reference is made to the impact of their policies on students, Awab Kazuz told Cherwell that housing pressures are central to his campaign, describing scenes of students queuing for accommodation as “absolutely unforgivable”. He said Labour’s plans to crack down on short-term lets and second homes, alongside stronger protections against “bad faith landlords” and an expansion of affordable housing, will ease the strain on student renters. He added that although the council does not have the power to introduce rent controls, the local Labour group would continue to campaign for “tangible, radical action” at a national level.

The Green Party has proposed an “Oxford Living Rent”, alongside similar promises to campaign for stronger rent control powers and restrictions on short-term lets. Other policies include to lobby central government for the power to introduce a tourist tax, an increase in the Oxford Living Wage, and a commitment to support congestion charges and low traffic neighbourhoods. The party has also called for the closure of Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre (located outside of the City Council boundaries) – the only major party to make such a commitment in their manifesto. 

Zelalemawee Asheber and Indigo Haynes told Cherwell they would seek to expand Oxford’s “city of sanctuary” policies, criticising recent visa restrictions and calling for greater support for students affected by changes to asylum and immigration rules. They added that a Green-led council would work to increase support for local organisations assisting asylum seekers and push for more community-based housing, with affected students included in these schemes.

The local Liberal Democrats’ manifesto sets out goals including a “fairer Oxford”, “healthier Oxford”, and a “net-zero Oxford”. Its housing plans centre on increasing supply through “densification” of existing buildings and development of underused land. It also emphasises  support for Oxford’s status as a “city of sanctuary”. These elections come after the government’s announcement last month of an emergency brake on new student visa applications from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan. Harry Morgan told Cherwell that a Liberal Democrat-run council would work with local MPs, including the Lib Dem MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, to “exert pressure on central government” and prevent visa changes affecting students.

Currently, neither the Conservative Party nor Reform UK have published local manifestos for the Oxford elections. Cuneo-Flood told Cherwell that Reform UK opposes the “woke-driven policies which make travelling in and out of Oxford both time-consuming and possibly expensive”. On housing, Cuneo-Flood raised concern that “places of accommodation given to illegal immigrants and asylum seekers” resulted in “less houses for locals”.

The Conservative Party is fielding candidates in every ward, whilst Reform UK is contesting all but Holywell. Alfie Davis claimed on BlueSky that Reform were unable to attain the two supporting signatories necessary to stand a candidate, writing “it’s clear young ppl [sic] reject Reform”. Speaking about Holywell, Cuneo-Flood told Cherwell: “No candidate is fielded in Holywell because no student candidate was found. To any student who would have voted for Reform had they the chance, I say that a change from the direction in which this country is heading is only possible if those who seek the change are willing to say so.”

Alongside the main parties,  a number of independent groups are also contesting seats across Oxford. In the 2024 local elections, independent candidates and groups – including the Independent Oxford Alliance (the largest group) – secured a significant share of the vote, with the Alliance alone winning over 15% and 4 City Council seats. Several of these groupings are standing candidates again in 2026.

Harriet Dolby and Reform UK Oxfordshire were approached for comment.