Rival plans for council shake up put to public

Should Oxfordshire be split up when local government is reorganised?

Rivals plans are being put to the public for local government reorganisation in Oxfordshire and part of Berkshire.

Five councils have backed a plan for two new authorities covering Oxfordshire and West Berkshire.

Oxford City Council has said it wants three authorities for the same area - including an expanded "Greater Oxford".

Oxfordshire County Council has said just one unitary authority should cover the whole county, and does not include West Berkshire in its plan.

A proposed "Ridgeway Council" would be named after the ancient footpath that cuts through the three council areas

The plans have been put forward after the government announced in December 2024 its intention to abolish district councils and introduce large mayoral combined authorities in England.

The changes will be the most significant reforms to local government since 1972.

Five councils - West Berkshire, Cherwell, South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse and West Oxfordshire - have backed a plan for two new unitary authorities covering Oxfordshire and West Berkshire.

The proposals would see an "Oxford and Shires Council" for the areas currently covered by Cherwell District Council, Oxford City Council and West Oxfordshire District Council.

A "Ridgeway Council" would be made up of West Berkshire Council's area, along with South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse.

Cllr Bethia Thomas, Leader of the Vale of White Horse District Council, said: "This is a once in a generation opportunity – change is coming to the way councils work and so we can't let it pass without doing everything we can to make sure those changes work for our communities.

"The two councils we're proposing aim to build councils that deliver high-quality services that are based on the needs of local people."

A "Greater Oxford" authority would follow the lines of Oxford's green belt

Oxford City Council instead wants three authorities covering Oxfordshire and West Berkshire.

That would consist of a "Greater Oxford Council", an authority covering the North and West of the county and a "Ridgeway Council" covering much of South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse and West Berkshire.

The authority said that a "Greater Oxford" council would give local residents control of the green belt for the first time - as it currently sits outside the city's boundaries.

In a statement it said: "Rather than incrementally building around every town and village across the county, as is currently the case, Greater Oxford can ensure that high-quality, suitably dense and sustainable developments are built near to existing jobs and community facilities, with good public transport."

Oxfordshire County Council is backing plans for a single unitary authority, running all services, for the county.

It said it would save taxpayers £27m a year.

Public engagement events are being held across the county by Oxford City Council and the five council coalition in June and July.

Oxfordshire County Council said it would also be carrying out engagement later this month.