In the second of a series looking at inequality across the city, reporter Clemence Michallon discovers that in Barton it is housing and the facilities that people need causing the biggest issues

The future of housing in Barton is uncertain as the estate’s budget could soon get cut drastically, a council member has warned.

This comes after new analysis by Oxford City Council showed the gap between Oxford’s richest and poorest is set to widen. Barton is not only one of the most deprived areas in the city – it is also among the 20 per cent most deprived in England.

Plans to provide more housing in the new Barton Park development include 335 new council homes.

A budget of £4m was also set aside for the regeneration of the existing estate but new Government rules mean this now looks to be put on hold.

Mike Rowley, Labour city councillor for Barton and Sandhills, said: “We have to pause for a few months until we find out exactly how much the Government is planning to cut from our overall housing budget.

“At present our rough calculation is about £34m over four years but we’re not able to be precise yet because they won’t release the details.”

The city council estimated there were 2,874 households in Barton last year, but has projected this would rise to 3,898 by 2026.

All of this means facilities are needed and some feel there are currently not enough.

Barton resident and mother-of-two Safia Baker, 45, called the area “a dead end”.

She said: “There’s nothing here. There’s nothing in Barton. Even the parks are rubbish.

“The council spent a lot of money on parks but the stuff they did is silly. They put the wrong equipment in. There’s no logic to what they do.”

Mr Rowley said development plans include a new linear park along Bayswater Brook with a playground and an outdoor gym, and improvements to the Barton Leisure Centre.

He added: “Barton has the highest level of childhood obesity in Oxford outside the Leys and I am watching the county council’s proposed cuts to children’s centres with great concern.”

Figures released by the city council suggested that, as of 2013 – the most recent numbers available – 30 per cent of children in the Barton and Sandhills area lived in poverty after housing costs, ranking it seventh out of 24 city wards.

Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for education, Melinda Tilley, previously told the Oxford Mail: “Clearly we would rather not be in the position of having to make such significant savings, however this is illustrative of the stark financial challenges councils in England are facing.

“The council needs to make tough decisions about how our reduced budget is best spent.”

Barton also faces high levels of unemployment. Mr Rowley said its education attainment scores are the lowest in Oxford and among the lowest in Britain.

He added: “This isn’t the fault of the teachers, the kids or their parents, but is largely the result of children from under-resourced and educationally deprived households going into under-resourced schools.

“Another factor that mustn’t be underestimated is the lack of self-confidence. Kids who have no hope in their lives and in some cases no secure family background are less likely to do their best.”

Crime in Barton is now “much lower” than 10 years ago, according to Mr Rowley.

Sgt Martyn Williams, who runs the neighbourhood police team, remains dedicated to tackling issues in the area. He said: “Our local priorities haven’t changed and are still drugs and antisocial behaviour. We also work with the community and the school to help prevent crime in the area.”