Oxford is a major centre for education, tourism, business, culture, and healthcare, and plays an important role in the southeast region of England. It is internationally renowned for its unique heritage and as a centre of learning and innovation. Alongside this, it is seen as an icon of excellence and a source of inspiration in both
industry and the arts, providing jobs for almost 100,000 people and welcoming over 7.6 million visitors each year.

We are fortunate in our diversity and have a broad spectrum of communities and cultural influences which have become part of the vibrant, everyday life of the city. Our rich heritage and cultural life has been recognised by the awarding of Centre of Culture status for 2008.

Oxford began its modern life as a frontier settlement between Wessex and Mercia
kingdoms - though there is evidence of an earlier Bronze Age settlement and burial sites in Port Meadow - and in the Middle Ages it gained significance as a trading and military town. The colleges were founded from an earlier cluster of monasteries and abbeys, and as trade grew, the office of Mayor was created in 1122 and self-government granted in 1199.

With its cathedral at Christ Church, Oxford was granted city status in 1542. It has often found itself at the centre of key national events, and became the royal capital - and the most strongly-defended town in England - during the Civil War from 1642-46. The arrival of the canal and railway provided commercial incentives for growth and Oxford continued its expansion as an early tourist economy and regional car-making
centre.

The pressures of success continue to challenge the city and its communities today. With a population of around 140,000 living in high density at nearly 30 people per hectare, providing affordable housing, for example, has become an acute challenge. The city has the lowest level of owner-occupied housing in the southeast. There are 33,000 students, boosting our 16-29 year old group to 32% of the population - over twice the national average.

There are ambitious plans for promoting a renaissance in Oxford by developing the unrealised potential of the city's West End, with significant opportunities to add housing, leisure, cultural, and retail capacity to this part of the town centre. The importance of enhancing the celebrated quality of Oxford's historical built environment is paramount, along with the need to complement existing architecture with challenging design and public art.

Incorporating improvements to the transport infrastructure will also be a key ingredient of any major urban development. The city is at the centre of important national road and rail networks and managing transport pressures is a challenge as it is to all historic towns. Local bus services are a vital means of transport for many in the city, with 33% of households not owning a car, compared with 20% in the region. The first Park and Ride scheme in the country was established here in 1973 and has expanded to play a major part in managing travel into the city.

The city is prosperous but there remain challenging pockets of deprivation. Oxford has the highest percentage of people claiming low income and unemployment benefits in the county of Oxfordshire. Of its 24 political wards, the city has one that is among the 10% most deprived wards in England and Wales in terms of multiple deprivation. It also has 7 wards among the 10% most deprived wards for housing. Several regeneration schemes tackle some of these problems including, for example, a highly successful Sure Start scheme for pre-school children and parents; a city-wide regeneration partnership; a range of community-led regeneration projects; and street warden initiatives.

We recognise that many of the challenges that face us in bringing together a successful city and its citizens are interlinked - housing to mental health, education to the economy and so on - and we will work to respond to those connections more effectively in future. The often overlooked inequalities across the city are also reflected in education and training. Oxford is comfortably in the top 5% of areas in England and Wales for people with degree level qualifications or higher, yet has the lowest rate of successful university applicants in the county.

There are increasing pressures on the urban environment and on the balance between providing buildings and enhancing open public spaces. Demands for growth and expansion have, however, always been a feature of life in Oxford and the city has, perhaps uniquely, managed to balance this with a preservation of the natural environment.

We have distinctive areas of natural beauty such as the River Thames, Port Meadow, Wolvercote Common, and Shotover Park, all with an outstanding range of wildlife and biodiversity. The city is surrounded by a green belt and has 12 SSSIs (Sites of Special Scientific Interest) protected through designation by English Nature. Our waterways and flood meadows are especially important for wildlife, with parks,
domestic gardens, and cemeteries providing other valuable habitats. Access to these green spaces and the biodiversity they support significantly improves the quality of life for those who live in, work in, and visit the city.

Significant work is well under way to provide better primary care facilities across the city, initially in East Oxford and Blackbird Leys. These new buildings symbolise a move to more joinedup, accessible and higher-quality services with the potential to locate public, private, and community facilities within the same space. Work is also in progress to concentrate hospital services further, along with medical research and
training facilities, in the Headington area. Oxford has lower than average rates of the major causes of premature death such as strokes, lung cancer or coronary heart disease yet there remain significant inequalities in health between different areas and communities in the city.

We need to ensure that the success of Oxford as a globally recognised city is translated into tackling inequalities on our own doorstep and that we are responding to the diverse needs of local individuals and communities.

Further information on Oxford's demography, housing, economic activity, and education - primarily based on data from the 2001 Census - has been compiled in a city profile, available online at www.oxford.gov.uk/cityprofile.