Let’s Keep Oxfordshire Moving (In the right direction)

Let’s not beat around the bush. We love Oxford’s world-class landscapes, greenery and pedestrian friendliness. I was privileged to call the City of Oxford my university town and now am blessed to live here with my family. 

I, like many of those I have spoken with however, believe that many of the County Council’s professed ‘green’ policies are harming the vulnerable and impeding local businesses. Businesses that are the beating heart of our community, in many cases ones that have been operating for several decades.

I have spoken with several local business owners who are concerned about reduced footfall owing to excessive Council bureaucracy as well as policies which limit those hoping to commute to our great city centre. They talk of customers who have been visiting them for years saying they now ‘keep away from Oxford’ and prospective staff asking for an ‘Oxford premium’ due to the long travel times and inconvenience.

The other day I spoke with Tom Nicolson, Founder of what was, until it recently closed, Oxford’s leading tourist attraction The Oxford Artisan Distillery (TOAD) - the world’s first bio-diverse distillery which utilised local regeneratively-produced farmed heritage grain. As well as tourism, commerce and the green economy, Tom is also the project lead on an initiative aspiring to create affordable social housing in both the city and wider county.

As many will know, Tom has been fighting to secure the distillery’s future in Oxford after plans were revealed to move it to Yorkshire owing to several factors including excessive planning requirements. We talked about such challenges and the importance of keeping Oxfordshire moving in the right direction.

Tom epitomises why I am running for County Council on May 1st. He loves our city, our wider county and wants to drive our economy forward.

Measures including expanding low traffic zones must be done fully in consultation with local communities including business owners. What may look good on paper in terms of reducing congestion and pollution is actually having adverse effects which hit hardest at those at the centre of our community.

I am honoured that following our conversation, Tom has endorsed my campaign for County Council:

"I believe it's time to bring greater focus to the work of the County Council. We need someone with common sense, a track record of success in managing large organisations and budgets, and someone we can trust to do the right thing for farming, local businesses and for the people of Oxfordshire.

On May 1st, my support goes to the independent candidate, Mark Beer for Oxfordshire".

I’ll cheers to that and hope for others to follow suit!

Mark