COUNCILLORS in Oxford are unveiling how they will be spending their new £1,500 ‘pocket money’ on community projects.

All 48 councillors on Oxford City Council were given the annual allowance in May to spend on neighbourhood meetings or community projects in their wards.

In Blackbird Leys, councillor Val Smith said all four Leys councillors had already given £100 to a community handbook.

She said: “The handbook is being organised by Leys News and will have everything in it that people need to know about the Leys.

“There is such a lot that goes on in this estate that people don’t know about, so this will have numbers and everything in it.

“Other than that, I will see which community groups come forward at our forum meeting and hold some back in case any groups go under over the next year.”

In May, the council also scrapped the six monthly area committees and replaced them with quarterly area forums.

Planning powers were given to east and west planning committees.

St Clement’s councillor Nuala Young said her money was going to be spent on a crossing for children at Cheney School.

She said: “The county council have said they can provide a small budget for a crossing at the top of Warneford Lane, so we will add some money to make sure it happens.

“It will be good to help the children cross safely.”

She added: “But the first thing we will be doing is buying some little bulbs for London Place, where the flowers were cut at the wrong time last year.”

Summertown representative Jean Fooks said they had spent some on hiring out halls for public meetings and were looking at how to spend the rest.

She said: “It is not actually a lot of money, £100,000 across the city is not a lot.

“We feel our priorities are the Cutteslowe Community Centre, children’s park and the Summertown Christmas lights, as businesses are struggling a bit this year.”

In Headington, councillors Ruth Wilkinson and David Rundle worked through 48 public suggestions on Tuesday to decide how money would be spent.

Mrs Wilkinson said: “One thing that there was a great deal of sympathy for was helping out with money for Christmas lights in Headington.

“And wheelchair routes around Headington were popular, as well as a cycle polite scheme to educate cyclists.

“Some of them are quick wins, that we could see the benefit of straight away and others are more long term.”

She added: “We wanted to make sure the money was spent on what the public wants, as we are there to represent them.”