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Local Government Reorganisation

 

 

Meeting: 13/11/2025 - Executive (Item 424)

424 Local Government Reorganisation pdf icon PDF 86 KB

Purpose:

To provide the full proposals for the three unitary models covering the entire existing boundary of all Oxfordshire Councils and West Berkshire Council in response to the Government’s formal invitation on the 5 February 2025.

 

Recommendation(s):

That the Executive resolves to:

1.    Note that since the statutory invitation to all councils in two tier areas, significant work has been undertaken by all Oxfordshire Councils and that West Oxfordshire and Cherwell District Councils’ officers have engaged with officers across Oxfordshire and West Berkshire.

2.    Note that two other proposals will be submitted, one proposed by Oxfordshire County Council covering the Oxfordshire area and one from Oxford City Council covering the Oxfordshire and West Berkshire area. 

3.    Considers the views of Council at their meeting on the 12 November 2025 regarding the three unitary models.

4.    Considers approving the submission of a full proposal for a two unitary model based on one new unitary council covering the entire existing boundaries of West Oxfordshire and Cherwell District Councils and Oxford City Council, with a working title of ‘Oxford & Shires’ and a second new unitary covering the entire existing boundaries of South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils and West Berkshire Council, with the working title of ‘Ridgeway’

5.    Subject to approval, notes that Cherwell District Council, South Oxfordshire District Council, Vale of White Horse District Council and West Oxfordshire District Council will jointly submit the full proposal directly to Government in line with the Oxfordshire invitation letter.

6.    Delegate authority to the Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader of the Council, to make any final amendments to the full proposal and associated documents for the 2 unitary model prior to submission to Government.

 

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Andy Graham, Leader of the Council, introduced the item, the purpose of which was to provide the three full proposals for local government reorganisation in Oxfordshire, in response to the Government’s formal invitation on the 5 February 2025.

 

Prior to considering the recommendations to the Executive, Councillor Graham thanked the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for their recommendations on proposals for Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) which were included as a supplement to the agenda for this meeting. Councillor Graham then invited comments on the recommendations from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee from the Executive which raised the following points:

 

  • Recommendation 1 from the Committee was welcomed, in particular its reference to the need to strengthen the focus in the two unitary proposal on agriculture. It was noted that, as the two unitary proposal included Oxford City, there was a need to ensure the challenges faced by the rural and farming communities were recognised. It was also suggested that it was important to support transport for the rural food sector, including farmers. Part of the work of a new authority could include improvements in the use of fertilisers and nutrients in the farming sector.
  • A Member commented that it would be beneficial to build on the work of the Community Safety Partnership with Thames Valley Police which was particularly important in rural areas.

 

Councillor Graham concluded that the rural impacts of LGR were rightly highlighted by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, including impacts on farming, rural crime and food security. Councillor Graham proposed that the Executive accepted the recommendations made by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. The proposal was unanimously agreed by the Executive.

 

Councillor Graham informed the meeting that the Executive had invited Members of the Council, at their meeting on 12 November 2025, to consider and present views on the submission of a full proposal for a two unitary model based on one new unitary council covering the entire existing boundaries of West Oxfordshire and Cherwell District Councils and Oxford City Council and a second new unitary covering the entire existing boundaries of South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils and West Berkshire Council. Councillor Graham read the comments made by the Council, which were included in a supplement to the agenda.

 

A Member noted that an observation that had been raised by Council but had been omitted from the supplement, was the need for a stronger emphasis on a bottom-up approach in a new authority in order to ensure groups that were disengaged with local politics were considered. This was noted by Councillor Graham and could be addressed by Officers.

 

Councillor Graham thanked the Council for their observations which had been very useful and reminded those present that not all councils considering such proposals had provided an opportunity for Members to comment. Councillor Graham proposed that the comments made by Council were noted and that Officers would use them as appropriate in the finalisation of the submission. The proposal was unanimously agreed by the Executive.

 

Councillor  ...  view the full minutes text for item 424

Meeting: 12/11/2025 - Council (Item 50)

50 Local Government Reorganisation pdf icon PDF 87 KB

Purpose          

To provide the full proposals for the three unitary models covering the entire existing boundary of all Oxfordshire Councils and West Berkshire Council in response to the Government’s formal invitation on the 5th February 2025.

           

Recommendations

That Full Council:

1.            Note that since the statutory invitation to all councils in two tier areas, significant work has been undertaken by all Oxfordshire Councils and that West Oxfordshire and Cherwell District Councils’ officers have engaged with officers across Oxfordshire and West Berkshire.

2.            Considers and presents views to the Executive on the submission of a full proposal for a two unitary model based on one new unitary council covering the entire existing boundaries of West Oxfordshire and Cherwell District Councils and Oxford City Council, with a working title of ‘Oxford & Shires’ and a second new unitary covering the entire existing boundaries of South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils and West Berkshire Council, with the working title of ‘Ridgeway’

3.            Note that two other proposals will be submitted, one proposed by Oxfordshire County Council covering the Oxfordshire area and one from Oxford City Council covering the Oxfordshire and West Berkshire area.

4.            Note that Cherwell District Council, South Oxfordshire District Council, Vale of White Horse District Council and West Oxfordshire District Council will jointly submit the full proposal directly to Government in line with the Oxfordshire invitation letter.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair introduced the item and explained that the purpose of the meeting was to consider and debate the three proposals for local government reorganisation in Oxfordshire. The Chair explained that the comments made would be captured and fed back to the Executive the following day.

 

The Director of Place, alongside the Head of Communications and Corporate Strategy, presented slides on devolution proposals. They presented each proposal based the original government criteria.

 

Members then debated each proposal, highlighting the following comments under each proposal.

 

One Unitary Authority Proposal

  • Considered to be based on prestige. 
  • Was seen to pose more questions than provided answers – more so than the alternative proposals. 
  • There were concerns that District Councils would effectively be absorbed by the County Council. 
  • The timeline for producing a county-wide local plan within one year was considered unrealistic. 
  • Concerns were highlighted over local representation because Councillors would represent a very high number of electors. 
  • Similar proposals had been considered and rejected previously.

 

Two Unitary Authority Proposal

  • Was considered low risk, high resilience and provided value for money.

·         There was concern about urban interests overriding rural interests in Oxford and Shires. 

  • It was stated that the City would bring opportunities, assets and influence to Oxford and Shires e.g. potential improvements to the A40, trading company, housing company, housing revenue account, acceleration of affordable housing delivery. 

·         There was an opportunity to build on what worked well at the different councils and improve services.

  • Districts understood town and parish councils and how to progress those relationships. 
  • The proposals would be better for growth and development e.g. in areas like Carterton. 
  • Had costs but minimised disruption to services which was considered more important. 
  • Oxford and Shires had a good balance of urban areas, towns, villages and rural areas; bringing different communities together.
  • Right size to protect and improve services to residents. 
  • Supported by multiple authorities and built on close partnership working. 
  • Fewer unanswered questions than alternative proposals. 

·         Better of the three options. 

 

Three Unitary Authority Proposal

  • There was a risk to the green belt.
  • The proposals were deemed Oxford-centric in nature.
  • The proposed growth was considered unbalanced and unrealistic.

 

The Leader proposed accepting the recommendations in the report. In summing up he stated he was happy that there was broad agreement in the Chamber. He stated the two unitary proposal would bring an end to working in “silos”, and allow smaller authorities to be able to compete with larger ones. He also welcomed that rural communities and urban ones would be brought together by the proposals and highlighted that the Government should consider their approach to consultation to ensure it would be meaningful.

 

Councillor Duncan Enright seconded the proposal to accept the recommendations, thanking the officers for their work. Councillor Enright stated that the two unitary proposal respected the existing structure, and that the One Oxfordshire proposal had been considered and not put in place in the past. He also highlighted that Town and Parish Councils would be crucial and that it was important  ...  view the full minutes text for item 50

Meeting: 11/11/2025 - Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Item 61)

61 Local Government Reorganisation pdf icon PDF 87 KB

Purpose

To provide the full proposals for the three unitary models covering the entire existing boundary of all Oxfordshire Councils and West Berkshire Council in response to the Government’s formal invitation on the 5th February 2025.

 

Recommendations

That the Committee:

1.    Note that since the statutory invitation to all councils in two tier areas, significant work has been undertaken by all Oxfordshire Councils and that West Oxfordshire and Cherwell District Councils’ officers have engaged with officers across Oxfordshire and West Berkshire.

2.    Considers the submission of a proposal for a two unitary model based on one new unitary council covering the entire existing boundaries of West Oxfordshire and Cherwell District Councils and Oxford City Council, with the working title of ‘Oxford & Shires’ and a second new unitary covering the entire existing boundaries of South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils and West Berkshire Council, with the working title of ‘Ridgeway’.

3.    Note that two other proposals will be submitted, one proposed by Oxfordshire County Council covering the Oxfordshire area and one from Oxford City Council covering the Oxfordshire and West Berkshire area. 

4.    Note that should the Executive agree to submit the full proposal for the two unitary model, Cherwell District Council, South Oxfordshire District Council, Vale of White Horse District Council and West Oxfordshire District Council will jointly submit it directly to Government in line with the Oxfordshire invitation letter.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Director of Place and the Head of Communications/Strategy conducted a joint presentation which summarised the key criteria areas for the three proposals for Local Government Reorganisation. Extensive detailed information regards the 3 proposals were contained within the document previously circulated. These options included:

(i)            A single County unitary,

(ii)           two unitaries, covering Oxfordshire and West Berkshire

(iii)         Three unitaries covering Oxfordshire and West Berkshire

 

The two unitary model for Oxfordshire and West Berkshire proposed in the report considered by Members, outlined a clear, evidence-based plan to deliver better, more efficient and more locally accountable public services. It proposed to create two new councils that offered the right balance between efficiency and local identity, each servicing around 450,000 – 500,000 people, meeting the Government’s criteria and being large enough to be efficient and stable, but small enough to stay connected to communities.

 

The full proposal developed by Cherwell District Council, South Oxfordshire District Council, Vale of White Horse District Council, West Berkshire Council and West Oxfordshire District Council was attached as Appendix 3 of the agenda pack.

 

Members considered the information presented and debated the pros and cons of the options, but acknowledged that ultimately the decision was one that would be taken by the Government.

 

Amongst the concerns raised was the lack of clarity regards investment in the rural economy and the future of farming, along with a review of mental health services. Concern was also expressed regards the likelihood of a changing profile for local Councillors, and the skill set that would be necessary in view of the expanded range of services and needs of the community following reorganisation. Other matters of concern related to the diminishing role of town and parish councils, which provided an invaluable service in terms of accessible local government to residents. Members were informed that it was of vital importance that consideration was given to the gap between the unitary council and the town and parishes, and how best to ensure those linkages remained strong in the future model. Moreover, it was necessary to ensure that the structure of the unitary facilitated this.

 

Based on the discussion, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee made a number of recommendations to the Executive.

 

RESOLVED: That the Overview and Scrutiny Commmittee:

 

1.     Noted that since the statutory invitation to all councils in two tier areas, significant work has been undertaken by all Oxfordshire Councils and that West Oxfordshire and Cherwell District Councils’ officers have engaged with officers across Oxfordshire and West Berkshire.

 

2.      Considered the submission of a proposal for a two unitary model based on one new unitary council covering the entire existing boundaries of West Oxfordshire and Cherwell District Councils and Oxford City Council, with the working title of ‘Oxford & Shires’ and a second new unitary covering the entire existing boundaries of South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils and West Berkshire Council, with the working title of ‘Ridgeway’.

 

3.     Noted that two other proposals will be submitted, one proposed by  ...  view the full minutes text for item 61

 

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