About OX1

OX1 operated as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee for five years in Oxford. This model was similar to a number of other leading locations in the UK. It was governed by a Board of Directors comprising businesses and other stakeholders in the City centre.

In July 2008, OX1 offered City centre businesses the opportunity to follow the example of many other successful towns and cities in adopting a Business Improvement District model. This new structure would have given businesses a much greater say in the way that their trading environment was managed, and a significant budget to support this aspiration, in return for a contribution through the business rate system. The ballot was narrowly lost so the initiative could not be pursued.

In December 2008, a joint decision was made by the City and County Councils to withdraw their voluntary funding support for OX1 and to re-direct this money to support a new in-house initiative concentrating on the "basics" in the City such as cleaning and maintenance and developments within the public realm.

The Board of OX1 took the decision in January 2009 to cease operating as a City Centre Management Company and pass ownership of the "brand" to OTCN Ltd (see www.otcn.co.uk).

OTCN Ltd is discussing its options and opportunities to support businesses in the City centre, in a similar way to which it operates elsewhere. This will include discussing partnership opportunities with the new city centre management initiative and with other stakeholders.