Mary Clarkson Labour
City Council Marston Ward
1. I am proud of the actions which Oxford City Council has taken during the COVID Pandemic. The Council acted swiftly to ensure that all street homeless were offered rooms in hotels. Some of these people found it easier to have a room of their own rather than sharing in a hostel. As a result of this a number have been able to go on to t have supported tenancies in Oxford, which means they are less likely to become rough sleepers again and are better placed to find work and support for addictions.
Oxford City Council moved very quickly to reorganise its services to support communities through setting up support hubs. This has been very successful. In addition, the City Council supported local businesses through the promotion of and swift distribution of government business support grants. Its COVID Secure Team has worked with businesses to enable them to reopen safely and the provision of tables and chairs on the streets and a number of street closures has also supported businesses in the hospitality sector.
2. The City Council worked closely with businesses to establish what support they needed to be able too trade again. It set up a list of businesses still trading online and consulted with relevant businesses on road closures. I have asked for feedback and analysis on the experience of homeless people who were temporarily rehoused in hotels so that we can build on this experience in future.
3. At the beginning of the Pandemic, I rang lots of people in Marston who I knew lived alone and were vulnerable, in order to establish what their needs were in terms of medical care, shopping etc. Happily, Marston was well set up with street WhatsApp groups and local coordinators so my role was fairly limited. I have been involved with doing food deliveries for the Coop in Headington and also delivering prescriptions via GoodGym and the Oxford Hub thought lockdown. In addition, I have volunteered on a number of occasions at the Leys vaccination centre.
4. Like most people, I have discovered the possibilities and limitations of video meetings. I think these will be useful in future and may be worth trialling for councillor Q&As. I have already used Zoom a few times to get people together to discuss local issues. I am conscious though that there are a lot of older people in Marston who are not confident using IT. At the moment, I feel that the priority is returning to face to face meetings, which are particularly important for people who may have had a very limited range of contacts over the past year. Street WhatsApp groups have been invaluable, primarily as a form of mutual support for neighbours but it will be interesting to see whether they develop into a forum for local concerns too.
5. The climate emergency must be at the forefront of everything we do as a City Council. As Cabinet Member for Culture the City Centre and the Covered Market, I think that there is great scope for developing more deliveries by cargo bike and focussing on last mile zero emissions deliveries. Restrictions on through traffic in the City Centre ought to enable places such as Broad Street to become civic spaces. There also needs to be a greater focus on more sustainable tourism, with longer stays and less reliance on coach journeys for short visits.
City Council Marston Ward
1. I am proud of the actions which Oxford City Council has taken during the COVID Pandemic. The Council acted swiftly to ensure that all street homeless were offered rooms in hotels. Some of these people found it easier to have a room of their own rather than sharing in a hostel. As a result of this a number have been able to go on to t have supported tenancies in Oxford, which means they are less likely to become rough sleepers again and are better placed to find work and support for addictions.
Oxford City Council moved very quickly to reorganise its services to support communities through setting up support hubs. This has been very successful. In addition, the City Council supported local businesses through the promotion of and swift distribution of government business support grants. Its COVID Secure Team has worked with businesses to enable them to reopen safely and the provision of tables and chairs on the streets and a number of street closures has also supported businesses in the hospitality sector.
2. The City Council worked closely with businesses to establish what support they needed to be able too trade again. It set up a list of businesses still trading online and consulted with relevant businesses on road closures. I have asked for feedback and analysis on the experience of homeless people who were temporarily rehoused in hotels so that we can build on this experience in future.
3. At the beginning of the Pandemic, I rang lots of people in Marston who I knew lived alone and were vulnerable, in order to establish what their needs were in terms of medical care, shopping etc. Happily, Marston was well set up with street WhatsApp groups and local coordinators so my role was fairly limited. I have been involved with doing food deliveries for the Coop in Headington and also delivering prescriptions via GoodGym and the Oxford Hub thought lockdown. In addition, I have volunteered on a number of occasions at the Leys vaccination centre.
4. Like most people, I have discovered the possibilities and limitations of video meetings. I think these will be useful in future and may be worth trialling for councillor Q&As. I have already used Zoom a few times to get people together to discuss local issues. I am conscious though that there are a lot of older people in Marston who are not confident using IT. At the moment, I feel that the priority is returning to face to face meetings, which are particularly important for people who may have had a very limited range of contacts over the past year. Street WhatsApp groups have been invaluable, primarily as a form of mutual support for neighbours but it will be interesting to see whether they develop into a forum for local concerns too.
5. The climate emergency must be at the forefront of everything we do as a City Council. As Cabinet Member for Culture the City Centre and the Covered Market, I think that there is great scope for developing more deliveries by cargo bike and focussing on last mile zero emissions deliveries. Restrictions on through traffic in the City Centre ought to enable places such as Broad Street to become civic spaces. There also needs to be a greater focus on more sustainable tourism, with longer stays and less reliance on coach journeys for short visits.
