City centre sees increased Christmas visitors

More people visited a city centre during last year's Christmas period than in 2023, according to a council.

Oxford City Council said footfall in the city centre had increased by nearly 5% in December last year, compared to December 2023.

Oxford performed better than the national average, with footfall in city and town centres across the UK falling by nearly 3% in the same period.

The council said it was working to keep Oxford a "world-class" city for both visitors and residents.

The council used data collected by a monitoring mobile phone signals within a specific area.

It showed 2.68 million people visited Oxford City Centre in December 2024, compared to 2.56 million the previous year, a rise of 4.76%.

The British Retail Consortium reported last month that high street football across the UK fell by 2.7% over the same period.

The council added that footfall was still down slightly compared to pre-pandemic levels.

Councillor Alex Hollingsworth, cabinet member for business, culture and an inclusive economy, said the council wanted to continually "evolve" the city centre.

"Events like Christmas in Oxford are part of our commitment to making the city centre more vibrant and exciting throughout the year," he said.

"We will continue to work hard to make sure Oxford remains a world-class city for residents and visitors."

Last month the council said it wanted to "futureproof" Oxford's Covered Market by proposing an extra £1m of funding.

You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.