Cost of living - workshops for residents

Cost of Living scheme: We want to hear your views!

Thank you for your interest in sharing your views with us on the Cost of Living scheme.

We know that in Oxfordshire, the largest areas of the Cost of Living Support scheme expenditure includes free school meal support in the holidays & the residents’ support scheme. This is why we want to hear from residents who have or are in receipt of it.

When are the sessions:

You can attend one of the following sessions by filling in the registration form - click on the 'Complete Form' button at the bottom of this page. To thank you for your time, participants attending one of the sessions can claim a £20 payment, along with reasonable additional travel expenses. Information about how to claim will be supplied after you have attended the event.

We have FOUR dates to choose from, three in person and one online. Please choose the nearest event to you (please click on the right hand panel, 'Key dates' for addresses).

Tuesday 21 October - Central Oxford - 5:30pm to 7:30pm (including refreshments and food at 5:30pm)

Wednesday 22 October - Rose Hill, Oxford - 10:30am to 12:30pm (including refreshments and food at 12:00pm)

Thursday 23 October - Banbury - 12:00 to 2:00pm (including refreshments and food at 12:00pm)

Monday 3 November - Online - 6:30pm to 8:00pm

Who can take part:

Participants must be Oxfordshire residents over the age of 18, and have recently been or are currently receiving this support. You would need to take part in a small group discussion with other residents, about your experiences of the support you received. We do ask some 'About You' questions to help us understand the communities that the survey is being answered by, which helps us to better understand the responses that are given.

What is the scheme:

The Cost of Living scheme is designed to provide support to residents facing financial challenges due to rising living costs. This scheme aims to offer support in various forms, including financial aid, essential household items and guidance to help manage expenses more effectively. The scheme also supports free school meals in the school holidays. We believe that understanding the needs and experiences of our community is crucial for the success of this scheme.

How to get involved and how your views will be used:

Your input will play a vital role in shaping the future of the Cost of Living scheme and ensure it meets the needs of those in our community over the next few years. We will be listening to support services as well. Together, these views and opinions will be shared in a report, which will be discussed with Councillors early next year, about how we can better support residents and will help to inform our Cost of Living programme from 2026 to 2029.

The survey:

If you would also like to complete the Cost of Living support survey online you can find it here.

For any queries about the event please contact consultations@oxfordshire.gov.uk (Consultation and engagement team, Oxfordshire County Council).