Scheme

Meeting Place partnered with Dandara to host a high-level roundtable at Milton Park, bringing together public sector and industry leaders from across southern Oxfordshire to explore how the region can unlock sustainable growth that benefits local communities.

The session welcomed local authority leaders Cllr David Rouane (South Oxfordshire District Council) and Cllr Bethia Thomas (Vale of White Horse District Council), alongside representatives from across business, academia and the property sectors. The event sought to build consensus on how, as a region, we can take a long-term, coordinated approach to sustainable development.

The roundtable gave an opportunity to examine how southern Oxfordshire could use its economic strengths in order to address its challenges, particularly around healthcare access, skills gaps, housing provision and transport connectivity, whilst ensuring that growth doesn't leave local communities behind.

Strategy

Meeting Place tapped into our extensive network across Oxfordshire to convene a cross-sector group of decision-makers, making sure the right voices were in the room to make meaningful change possible.

Kicking off the discussion, Ruth Skidmore, Meeting Place’s Social Value Lead, unveiled a detailed social needs analysis of southern Oxfordshire. This research challenged the perception of southern Oxfordshire as a green and affluent region, highlighting:

– Falling apprenticeship participation (starts down 14% and completions down 27.8% year-on-year)
– High loneliness rates (23.6% in South Oxfordshire; 28.8% in the Vale)
– High anxiety levels (28.8% across the population)
– Low rates of active travel (only 14.8% regularly walk to work)

The research grounded the discussion in the lived realities of local communities, giving participants a perspective from which to explore solutions; something which strategic development could play a significant role in addressing.

Working with Dandara, Meeting Place handled end-to-end event delivery, including securing and coordinating the venue at Milton Park, curating the attendee list, producing branded materials, managing communications and photography and facilitating the discussion.

Outcome

The roundtable created a platform for genuine collaboration between the public and private sectors, helping shift the conversation from problem-spotting to solution-building.

Key opportunities identified included:

– Adopting a co-creation approach to planning and development to better align infrastructure and community needs
– Strengthening the skills pipeline in partnership with local colleges, particularly for roles underpinning the regional economy
– Exploring innovative transport models and expanding sustainable travel options to reduce car dependency
– Improving coordination on planning obligations (S106) to unlock stalled community infrastructure investment

For us, the event brought the right leaders into the same room and equipped them with powerful local insight to inform the debate.

It is hoped the new connections made between local councils, Dandara and business leaders will contribute towards a future roadmap for more sustainable, inclusive growth across the region; an opportunity which sustainable development could prove key to unlocking.