County council endorses one council for Oxfordshire as councillors discuss future shape of local government
Councils across Oxfordshire have agreed a reply to a government request for interim proposals on the shape of local government reorganisation in the county – with the county council strongly outlining its preferred option for a single county unitary council.
Cabinet or executive meetings took place at Cherwell District Council, Oxfordshire County Council, Oxford City Council, South Oxfordshire District Council, Vale of White Horse District Council, West Oxfordshire District Council and West Berkshire Council on 19 and 20 March. They discussed three options, one of which was a single county unitary council providing all services to the residents of Oxfordshire.
In a letter to be sent to Local Government Minister, Jim McMahon, Councillor Liz Leffman, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, will say that a single county unitary for Oxfordshire “is the best interests of all our residents and aligns with the government’s ambitions for local government as expressed in the white paper.
“Our proposal does not split up high risk services such as social care and education, nor does it separate Oxfordshire’s communities, businesses and institutions from one another.
“Approximately 85 per cent of services in Oxfordshire are already provided on a countywide basis by the county council. This includes adult and children’s social care, some education services, public health, fire and rescue, libraries and museums, roads and transport, trading standards, waste disposal and recycling, economic growth and climate adaptation.
“Only a single county unitary can provide Oxfordshire with the necessary scale and financial resilience that it needs, yet at the same time remain locally responsive. We recognise that issues are always most effectively dealt with at the earliest stage and closest to the communities that we serve.
“This is an ambitious county with an economy built on that collective ambition and assets. It is critical to Oxfordshire’s future that we maintain the links between our great universities and organisations developing advanced technology, including on Bicester, Culham, Harwell and Milton Park campuses, so that our county can drive innovation and sustainable, inclusive growth across the Oxford to Cambridge corridor.”
“A single county unitary council offers clear accountability for all local government through a single group of elected councillors. There will be one chief executive, one senior management team and one workforce delivering on the priorities for all of Oxfordshire.
“There would be one front door to access effective and efficient services from social care to housing, public health, community safety, planning and everything in between. That is clear progress and we are calling on the government to encourage all councils across Oxfordshire to move at pace towards an early submission of our proposals.”
The letter adds that a single county unitary could swiftly unlock devolution for the region.
What are the options being submitted?
Each cabinet or executive endorsed a joint response to government that sets out how local authorities in our area are collaborating to develop proposals for new unitary structures. The response included information on each of the three options being developed for Oxfordshire, in line with the criteria set out in the government’s statutory invitation.
The options are:
- A single county unitary council for Oxfordshire – Oxfordshire Council. This is the preferred option of Oxfordshire County Council
- North Oxfordshire Council (created from the existing district councils of Cherwell, Oxford City and West Oxfordshire) and Ridgeway Council (created from the existing district councils of South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse and the unitary council of West Berkshire).
- Three unitary authorities – with a unitary city on expanded boundaries as well as northern and southern unitaries, also including West Berkshire.
Further detailed discussions will take place between the councils so that final proposals can be submitted by 28 November 2025. The government will then decide what form unitarisation will take in Oxfordshire.
In parallel, all Oxfordshire councils, with other partners, will continue collaborating to propose a mayoral strategic authority to government as part of the national programme of devolution.
Ends
Note to editors
In early February, the government set out more detail on its timelines for changes in local government structures. A request was made to all remaining two-tier areas across England (county and district councils) to submit interim proposals for new single-tier (unitary) authorities by 21 March and final proposals by 28 November.
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