# Oxford: spending over £500 url: https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/councils/spending-over-500/oxford/ updated: 29 September 2026 licence: Our words, analysis, charts and derived calculations: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), credit [Tekstak Ltd](https://tek-stak.co.uk). Figures: each source's own licence, listed under Sources. publisher: [Tekstak Ltd](https://tek-stak.co.uk) # Oxford: spending over £500 Last updated 29 September 2026. Figures refresh every night. [How each figure is worked out](/methodology/). Oxford published **21,422 payments** of £500 or more between July 2025 and June 2026, worth **£158.0m** in all, to 935 suppliers. The largest total went to OXFORD DIRECT SERVICES LTD: £32.9m across 636 payments. These are the council's own published records; the gaps in them are listed below. ## Key figures - £158.0mPaid in payments of £500 or more, latest year - 21,422Payments - 935Suppliers - 12 of 12Months with payments published ## What the council published - Julpublished - Augpublished - Septpublished - Octpublished - Novpublished - Decpublished - Janpublished - Febpublished - Marpublished - Aprpublished - Maypublished - Junpublished **Gaps and problems in the data, as published:** - 2.5% of payments (£1,863,912) have the supplier name withheld or redacted by the council, usually because the payee is an individual. ## Top 50 suppliers by value Search | Supplier | Paid | Payments | | --- | --- | --- | | OXFORD DIRECT SERVICES LTDDetails | £32,937,559 | 636 | | Payments636 | | | | OXFORD DIRECT SERVICES LTD - (QL ONLY)Details | £32,452,028 | 10,189 | | Payments10,189 | | | | EQUANS REGENERATION LTDDetails | £7,608,749 | 15 | | Payments15 | | | | BROWNE JACOBSON LLPDetails | £5,586,016 | 35 | | Payments35 | | | | OXFORD CITY HOUSING (DEVELOPMENT) LTDDetails | £4,404,974 | 19 | | Payments19 | | | | OXFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCILDetails | £4,355,792 | 109 | | Payments109 | | | | LIFE BUILD SOLUTIONS LTDDetails | £2,683,821 | 12 | | Payments12 | | | | BLAKE MORGAN LLPDetails | £2,662,842 | 15 | | Payments15 | | | | SCC (SPECIALIST COMPUTER CENTRES PLC)Details | £2,438,241 | 143 | | Payments143 | | | | ZURICH MUNICIPALDetails | £2,434,503 | 14 | | Payments14 | | | | REED SPECIALIST RECRUITMENT LTDDetails | £2,261,089 | 143 | | Payments143 | | | | GENERAL EXPENSESDetails | £2,252,865 | 214 | | Payments214 | | | | HILL RESIDENTIAL LTDDetails | £1,958,076 | 7 | | Payments7 | | | | MARICK REAL ESTATE LTDDetails | £1,868,418 | 1 | | Payments1 | | | | *Names withheld by the council*Details | £1,863,912 | 534 | | Payments534 | | | | SHARED SERVICES CONNECTED LTDDetails | £1,657,690 | 5 | | Payments5 | | | | NPOWERDetails | £1,637,737 | 708 | | Payments708 | | | | HAYS SPECIALIST RECRUITMENT LTDDetails | £1,458,791 | 758 | | Payments758 | | | | GRAHAM ROSE LTDDetails | £1,177,441 | 514 | | Payments514 | | | | FUSION LETS LIMITEDDetails | £1,016,656 | 201 | | Payments201 | | | | CBRE LTDDetails | £966,824 | 5 | | Payments5 | | | | CONNECTION SUPPORTDetails | £924,812 | 23 | | Payments23 | | | | EASY HOTEL OXFORD OPCO LTDDetails | £879,558 | 16 | | Payments16 | | | | PEABODY TRUSTDetails | £863,844 | 7 | | Payments7 | | | | CIVICA UK LTDDetails | £857,791 | 11 | | Payments11 | | | | HOMELESS OXFORDSHIRE LTDDetails | £832,779 | 22 | | Payments22 | | | | GRANT PAYMENTSDetails | £719,040 | 233 | | Payments233 | | | | HOUSING PAYMENTSDetails | £665,269 | 149 | | Payments149 | | | | VIVID RESOURCING, A DIVISION OF G2V RECRUITMENT GRDetails | £627,604 | 282 | | Payments282 | | | | SOFTWAREONE UK LTDDetails | £553,588 | 1 | | Payments1 | | | | SERCO LEISURE OPERATING LTDDetails | £527,857 | 5 | | Payments5 | | | | ASYLUM WELCOMEDetails | £521,347 | 48 | | Payments48 | | | | PAYE STONEWORK & RESTORATION LTDDetails | £516,098 | 17 | | Payments17 | | | | NKS CONTRACTS CENTRAL LTDDetails | £512,798 | 75 | | Payments75 | | | | OXFORD DIRECT SERVICES TRADING LTDDetails | £497,150 | 103 | | Payments103 | | | | BALFOUR BEATTY CIVIL ENGINEERING LTDDetails | £495,958 | 12 | | Payments12 | | | | NUFFIELD COLLEGEDetails | £494,226 | 2 | | Payments2 | | | | TOTAL GAS & POWER LTDDetails | £484,460 | 270 | | Payments270 | | | | FURNISHED HOMES (UNDERLEY FURNISHINGS) LTDDetails | £480,971 | 249 | | Payments249 | | | | ST MUNGOSDetails | £480,447 | 62 | | Payments62 | | | | A2 DOMINION GROUPDetails | £465,882 | 14 | | Payments14 | | | | ERNST & YOUNG LLPDetails | £465,704 | 7 | | Payments7 | | | | VODAFONE LIMITED (CORPORATE)Details | £459,607 | 22 | | Payments22 | | | | BUCKINGHAM HOTELDetails | £452,367 | 17 | | Payments17 | | | | SURESERVE FIRE & ELECTRICAL LTDDetails | £443,002 | 136 | | Payments136 | | | | ASPIRE OXFORDSHIRE COMMUNITY ENTERPRISE LTDDetails | £430,780 | 31 | | Payments31 | | | | OXWED LTD C/O CHASTON COMMERCIALDetails | £400,000 | 3 | | Payments3 | | | | MFP LETTINGSDetails | £362,850 | 22 | | Payments22 | | | | PSL PRINT MANAGEMENT LTDDetails | £336,017 | 35 | | Payments35 | | | | RAMADA OXFORDDetails | £330,258 | 8 | | Payments8 | | | ## Spending by category (our classification) Payments this site classifies into each category from the supplier and the council's description; most payments fall into none. The rules are on the [methodology page](/methodology/#spend-over-500). **Oxford: payments by category (our classification)** - 1. Large outsourcing and contracting firms £8,920,788 45 payments - 2. Consultancy and agency staff £7,527,505 1518 payments - 3. Legal fees £6,259,711 126 payments - 4. Payments to other councils and public bodies £5,469,363 152 payments - 5. IT and software £3,348,995 170 payments - 6. Communications and PR £317,617 84 payments - 7. Catering and hospitality £19,888 15 payments - 8. Conferences and events £14,635 9 payments **Show as a table** | Name | Paid | | --- | --- | | 1. Large outsourcing and contracting firms | £8,920,788 | | 2. Consultancy and agency staff | £7,527,505 | | 3. Legal fees | £6,259,711 | | 4. Payments to other councils and public bodies | £5,469,363 | | 5. IT and software | £3,348,995 | | 6. Communications and PR | £317,617 | | 7. Catering and hospitality | £19,888 | | 8. Conferences and events | £14,635 | **Payments to other councils and public bodies: largest suppliers** The supplier is another council, a police, fire or NHS body, a government department or agency, or a pension fund. - OXFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL: £4,355,792 (109 payments) - CHERWELL DISTRICT COUNCIL: £308,875 (4 payments) - OLD MARSTON PARISH COUNCIL: £191,979 (4 payments) - LITTLEMORE PARISH COUNCIL: £160,792 (3 payments) - OXFORD HEALTH NHS FOUNDATION TRUST: £133,601 (1 payment) - SOUTH OXFORDSHIRE DISTRICT COUNCIL: £106,426 (5 payments) - RISINGHURST & SANDHILLS PARISH COUNCIL: £74,600 (3 payments) - BLACKBIRD LEYS PARISH COUNCIL: £55,749 (2 payments) - HMRC: £23,567 (10 payments) - OXFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL PENSION FUND: £23,317 (1 payment) **Large outsourcing and contracting firms: largest suppliers** The supplier is one of a named list of large firms that run council services under contract. A payment to one is often a routine instalment on a long contract. - EQUANS REGENERATION LTD: £7,608,749 (15 payments) - SERCO LEISURE OPERATING LTD: £527,857 (5 payments) - BALFOUR BEATTY CIVIL ENGINEERING LTD: £495,958 (12 payments) - VINCI CONSTRUCTION UK LTD: £274,148 (10 payments) - MITIE PROPERTY SERVICES (UK) LTD: £14,076 (3 payments) **Legal fees: largest suppliers** The supplier is a law firm or chambers, or the council describes the payment as legal fees, counsel or court fees. - BROWNE JACOBSON LLP: £5,586,016 (35 payments) - Mishcon de Reya LLP: £281,383 (7 payments) - QUALITY SOLICITORS TRUEMANS: £200,096 (1 payment) - GELDARDS LLP: £48,332 (17 payments) - Francis Taylor Building: £30,755 (8 payments) - BEVAN BRITTAN LLP: £28,105 (8 payments) - DYE & DURHAM (UK) LIMITED: £18,116 (22 payments) - TURPIN & MILLER SOLICITORS: £17,501 (2 payments) - DWF LAW LLP: £12,135 (5 payments) - Names withheld by the council: £6,907 (2 payments) **Consultancy and agency staff: largest suppliers** The supplier is a recruitment agency or consultancy on a named list, or the council describes the payment as consultancy, agency or interim staff, or professional fees. - REED SPECIALIST RECRUITMENT LTD: £2,261,089 (143 payments) - HAYS SPECIALIST RECRUITMENT LTD: £1,458,791 (758 payments) - ERNST & YOUNG LLP: £465,704 (7 payments) - TILE HILL INTERIM & EXECUTIVE LTD: £328,249 (27 payments) - INNER CIRCLE CONSULTING LIMITED: £304,159 (12 payments) - BDO LLP: £172,975 (10 payments) - CARTER JONAS: £144,106 (13 payments) - SAVILLS UK LTD: £128,595 (3 payments) - VENN GROUP: £115,731 (51 payments) - TMD BUILDING CONSULTANCY LTD: £105,423 (29 payments) **IT and software: largest suppliers** The supplier is on a named list of IT and telecoms firms, or the council describes the payment as software, licences, IT, hardware, hosting or telephony. - CIVICA UK LTD: £857,791 (11 payments) - SOFTWAREONE UK LTD: £553,588 (1 payment) - VODAFONE LIMITED (CORPORATE): £459,607 (22 payments) - IDOX SOFTWARE LTD: £243,495 (17 payments) - EMBRIDGE CONSULTING UK LTD: £226,970 (1 payment) - VODAFONE LTD: £142,013 (11 payments) - PHOENIX SOFTWARE LTD: £140,821 (14 payments) - MIDLAND HR: £87,748 (14 payments) - JAAMA LTD: £74,345 (2 payments) - METASTREET LTD: £72,225 (2 payments) **Communications and PR: largest suppliers** The council describes the payment as advertising, marketing, publicity or public relations. Recruitment and statutory notices are left out. - ASPIRE OXFORDSHIRE COMMUNITY ENTERPRISE LTD: £159,151 (5 payments) - People Scout Limited: £38,499 (43 payments) - LINKEDIN IRELAND UNLIMITED COMPANY: £23,575 (1 payment) - NEWSQUEST MEDIA GROUP: £15,561 (4 payments) - IMAGE HOUSE ASSOCIATES LTD: £15,172 (2 payments) - Bauer Media Audio UK Formerly Jack FM: £10,000 (1 payment) - FORTITUDE COMMUNICATIONS LTD: £10,000 (1 payment) - ALLEN & YORK (PROFESSIONAL & TECHNICAL) LTD: £9,009 (1 payment) - GRAHAM ROSE LTD: £6,465 (1 payment) - XIST2 T/A SYSTEMS APPLICATION CONSULTING LTD: £4,270 (3 payments) **Conferences and events: largest suppliers** The council describes the payment as a conference, seminar, exhibition, event or venue hire. - Ocean Media Group Ltd: £7,944 (2 payments) - THE ASSOCIATION OF ELECTORAL ADMINSTRATORS: £1,620 (1 payment) - HOUSING PAYMENTS: £1,150 (1 payment) - LOCAL GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION: £1,098 (1 payment) - HAYMARKET ADVERTISEMENT: £1,060 (1 payment) - THE MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION: £665 (1 payment) - LG FUTURES LTD: £595 (1 payment) - THE OXFORDSHIRE TAXI COMPANY LIMITED: £503 (1 payment) **Catering and hospitality: largest suppliers** The council describes the payment as catering, hospitality or refreshments. School meals are left out. - ELEGANT CUISINE: £13,565 (10 payments) - GENERAL EXPENSES: £3,200 (2 payments) - WASTE 2 TASTE LTD: £2,478 (2 payments) - THE KING'S CENTRE: £645 (1 payment) ## Spending by the council's own service areas **Oxford: payments by service area, as the council labels them** - 1. HRA £63,096,545 12069 payments - 2. Oxford Direct Services Client £29,807,106 752 payments - 3. Housing Services £16,549,862 1877 payments - 4. Corporate Property £13,183,611 2786 payments - 5. Information & Technology £8,197,581 482 payments - 6. Communities & Citizen Services £5,991,985 1076 payments - 7. Suspense £5,739,779 247 payments - 8. Economy, Regeneration & Sustainability £4,071,116 458 payments - 9. Planning & Regulatory Services £2,941,972 810 payments - 10. Financial Services £2,042,978 145 payments - 11. Local Cost Of Benefits £1,652,015 1 payments - 12. Law and Governance £1,431,099 346 payments - 13. Direct Services £837,189 19 payments - 14. Chief Executive £749,052 54 payments - 15. Transfer to Balance Sheet £455,000 1 payments **Show as a table** | Name | Paid | | --- | --- | | 1. HRA | £63,096,545 | | 2. Oxford Direct Services Client | £29,807,106 | | 3. Housing Services | £16,549,862 | | 4. Corporate Property | £13,183,611 | | 5. Information & Technology | £8,197,581 | | 6. Communities & Citizen Services | £5,991,985 | | 7. Suspense | £5,739,779 | | 8. Economy, Regeneration & Sustainability | £4,071,116 | | 9. Planning & Regulatory Services | £2,941,972 | | 10. Financial Services | £2,042,978 | | 11. Local Cost Of Benefits | £1,652,015 | | 12. Law and Governance | £1,431,099 | | 13. Direct Services | £837,189 | | 14. Chief Executive | £749,052 | | 15. Transfer to Balance Sheet | £455,000 | | 16. People | £448,322 | | 17. Community Safety | £387,560 | | 18. Funding | £291,732 | | 19. General Fund | £89,544 | | 20. Corporate Strategy | £78,967 | ## Who is paid for grounds, street cleaning, roads and bins? The suppliers paid most for each kind of work, where the council's own labels say what the payment was for (our matching). A council that does the work with its own staff pays mostly wages, which are not in this data, so a short list here can mean the work is done in-house. **Parks and open spaces (including play areas): largest suppliers** - 1. OXFORD DIRECT SERVICES LTD £360,221 32 payments - 2. OXFORD DIRECT SERVICES LTD - (QL ONLY) £237,933 100 payments - 3. OXFORD AND DISTRICT FEDERATION OF ALLOTMENT ASSOCIATIONS £8,472 2 payments - 4. OCC ST BARNABAS CE (AIDED) PRIMARY £2,616 2 payments **Show as a table** | Name | Paid | | --- | --- | | 1. OXFORD DIRECT SERVICES LTD | £360,221 | | 2. OXFORD DIRECT SERVICES LTD - (QL ONLY) | £237,933 | | 3. OXFORD AND DISTRICT FEDERATION OF ALLOTMENT ASSOCIATIONS | £8,472 | | 4. OCC ST BARNABAS CE (AIDED) PRIMARY | £2,616 | **Waste collection: largest suppliers** - 1. OXFORD DIRECT SERVICES LTD £129,809 33 payments - 2. OXFORD DIRECT SERVICES TRADING LTD £70,305 83 payments - 3. ESOTEC LIMITED (T/A CDS LTD) £6,612 2 payments **Show as a table** | Name | Paid | | --- | --- | | 1. OXFORD DIRECT SERVICES LTD | £129,809 | | 2. OXFORD DIRECT SERVICES TRADING LTD | £70,305 | | 3. ESOTEC LIMITED (T/A CDS LTD) | £6,612 | ## Consultancy and agency against the pay bill Payments we classify as consultancy and agency staff came to **13.0%** of Oxford's own staff costs in its 2025-26 revenue return, against a median of 14.9% for the other district councils in England read so far. The payments and the staff costs come from different sources and periods, so this is a guide to scale. ## Search every payment Searching needs JavaScript. Every payment is in [one JSON file](/data/spend500/tx/E07000178.json). Every payment, as the council published it, is in [one JSON file](/data/spend500/tx/E07000178.json); the search can download any selection as CSV. ## What this data does and doesn't show - It is the council's own record of payments of £500 or more. It leaves out salaries, most staff costs and many internal costs, so it is not the council's whole spending. - Descriptions are the council's own and vary in quality; some are codes, some are blank, and some supplier names are withheld to protect individuals. - A large payment to one supplier is often a routine instalment on a long contract that was tendered openly. - The categories and the matching to services are this site's classification from keywords, not the council's. The rules are on the [methodology page](/methodology/#spend-over-500). ## Sources Oxford, spending over £500, [published here](https://www.oxford.gov.uk/downloads/download/68/downloads-for-expenditure-over-500). Licence as the council states it: not stated. Checked 2026-09-24; files read 2026-09-29. **Every file read (5)** - [Expenditure over £500 - 01/04/2026 - 30/06/2026 CSV 786kB Download](https://www.oxford.gov.uk/downloads/file/4121/expenditure-over-500---01042026---30062026) (2026-04), file dated 2026-07-03: 5,338 payments of £500 or more. Read 2026-09-29. - [Expenditure over £500 - 01/01/2026 - 31/03/2026 CSV 830kB Download](https://www.oxford.gov.uk/downloads/file/4109/expenditure-over-500---01012026---31032026) (2026-01), file dated 2026-04-17: 5,749 payments of £500 or more. Read 2026-09-29. - [Expenditure over £500 - 01/10/2025 - 31/12/2025 CSV 743kB Download](https://www.oxford.gov.uk/downloads/file/3882/expenditure-over-500---01102025---31122025) (2025-10), file dated 2026-01-26: 5,186 payments of £500 or more. Read 2026-09-29. - [Expenditure over £500 - 01/07/2025 - 30/09/2025 CSV 736kB Download](https://www.oxford.gov.uk/downloads/file/3833/expenditure-over-500---01072025---30092025) (2025-07), file dated 2025-10-20: 5,150 payments of £500 or more. Read 2026-09-29. - [Expenditure over £500 - 01/04/2025 - 30/06/2025 CSV 673kB Download](https://www.oxford.gov.uk/downloads/file/3814/expenditure-over-500---01042025---30062025) (2025-04), file dated 2025-09-04: 4,686 payments of £500 or more. Read 2026-09-29. ## Related pages - [Back to Council spending over £500](https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/councils/spending-over-500/) - [How much is council tax and what does it pay for?](https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/council-tax/) - [Who is my MP, and what does their office cost?](https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/mps/) - [Where does my tax money actually go?](https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/for-every-100-pounds-of-tax/) ## More from this publisher - [UK tax calculators](https://howlongisit.co.uk) Published by [Tekstak Ltd](https://tek-stak.co.uk). Our words, analysis, charts and derived calculations: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), credit [Tekstak Ltd](https://tek-stak.co.uk). The figures belong to the publishers listed under Sources and are used under their licences. Figures last updated 29 September 2026.