Politicians in Oxford are set to take a vote on whether they support proposals for a new stadium north of the city.
Labour councillors Mary Clarkson and Ed Turner have proposed and seconded a motion which says the council "expresses its support for Oxford United's proposals for a new stadium".
Oxford United has submitted its planning application for a 16,000-capacity stadium at The Triangle, south of Kidlington Roundabout, with its licence agreement at the Kassam Stadium running out in 2026.
READ MORE: Council criticised over Oxford United stadium road closures
The motion will be discussed at a full council meeting on Monday evening (July 15) next week alongside other motions proposed by councillors from other parties.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, cabinet member for Zero Carbon Oxford, Anna Railton, said: "We just wanted to signal the city council’s support for the club.
"Oxford United is really important for a lot of people in the city - its future depends on it having a stadium it can use.
"If it’s community owned that’s even better."
Ms Railton added she didn't want the council to "end up in a place like Milton Keynes" and that she wanted the stadium to "remain in the city".
We asked whether she'd count Kidlington as "the city" and Ms Railton said "for most people that’s still in the city".
The Labour support comes as some groups and politicians have expressed opposition to the stadium - Kidlington Green councillor Ian Middleton says the stadium is for "Oxford United" not "Oxfordshire United" and suggests there could be a real danger of Kidlington simply becoming a "suburb of Oxford".
Organisations such as the Friends of Stratfield Brake oppose the stadium as the land it would be built on is designated as Green Belt and they fear "loss of recreational facilities, traffic, parking, noise, plus the damaging effect on the Nature Reserve".
Many Oxford United fans and others in support say the club, which was recently promoted to Sky Bet Championship, could be left homeless if the stadium plan does not go ahead.
Other motions up for discussion in Monday's meeting include Green party proposals for bus travel for asylum seekers in Oxford as well as one on making Oxford a "truly walkable city".
The motion on bus travel has been proposed by councillor Alex Powell and is seconded by councillor Dianne Regisford.
It comes after two asylum seekers recently made representations to the county council regarding their condition and what they suggested was their difficulty in being able to get around with "eight pounds a week" making it difficult to contribute to society.
There are also Liberal Democrat motions saying the council has "no confidence in Thames Water" as well as another calling to "scrap the two-child benefit cap".
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About the author
Noor is the Local Democracy Reporter for Oxfordshire who covers political stories from across the county.
She began working as a journalist in Oxford in September 2023 having graduated from the University of Oxford.
Noor was trained at the News Associates journalism school and can be found on X through the handle @NoorJQurashi
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