Do the most deprived people in Oxford really need more housing, or do they require alternative investment with access to employment and income, access to education, skills and training, and access to health and disability services as well as crime prevention investment? 
We as residents from within Blackbird Leys are calling on Government to interject and stop the development of almost 300 homes within Blackbird Leys and Northfield Brook Wards, which form Blackbird Leys Parish. We do of course have many reasons as to why this project should NOT go ahead. There are over 5000 homes situated in the parish with almost 14000 residents, the residents have one doctors surgery, 3 primary schools and 1 college, along with a secondary school placed just outside of the parish boundaries in Littlemore.  
Firstly, the people of Blackbird Leys and Northfield Brook suffer immense amounts of deprivation in many ways. The residents of Northfield Brook are positioned as the most deprived people in the whole of Oxford, whilst also sitting in the top 10% of most deprived across the country. The people of Blackbird Leys follow shortly behind in the top 20% bracket of most deprived in the country.  
Residents of Northfield Brook and Blackbird Leys wards combined, have 5 from 8 of their Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs) within the top 10% bracket and 2 from 8 within the top 20% bracket of most deprived across the country when it comes to the deprivation of Education, Skills and Training. 
Secondly, when it comes to Crime, Income, Employment and Health Deprivation in Blackbird Leys. Residents across 3 out of the 4 LSOAs are within the top 30% nationally, of being deprived across the board, with at least 1 area being within the top 20%. 
Thirdly, residents in 5 from 8 of LSOAs, across both Northfield Brook and Blackbird Leys wards, are rated at 40% most deprived or better, when it comes to deprivation with Barriers to Housing and Services.  
Furthermore, statistics from End Child Poverty, estimate that 45.2% of children are living in poverty in Blackbird Leys, as well as 44.6% within Northfield Brook, calculated after housing costs. 
Lastly, this project is set to sacrifice recreational land, to form housing. As well as an immense reduction in the size of the community centre. With such an increase in property numbers leading to an increase in residential population, this project also seeks to further reduce the community opportunity. At the same time, this project is set to bring NO direct employment opportunities for the local community, NO educational investment for children nor adults, NO investment into the local health services and finally NO investment into the prevention of local crime rates. 
Bearing all of this in mind, it appears that there is a severe lack of investment within the communities that already exist. It would therefore be unreasonable and completely unnecessary if Oxford City Council were to go ahead with the plans, to squeeze almost 300 homes into an area whereby investment is clearly needed in people rather than in market sale and ‘affordable’ rented Catalyst property.