The government is looking to simplify local government underneath the new mayors.
In areas where there are two councils, both councils would be abolished and replaced with a single 'unitary' council, which would be responsible for providing all local services.
What does this mean for Oxford?
Oxford currently has two councils:
- Oxford City Council – responsible for services such as planning, council housing, community centres, leisure centres, parks, and bin collections
- Oxfordshire County Council – responsible for services such as social care, children’s services, education, highways, public health, and the fire service
The government will replace these with a single council, which would be responsible for providing all local services for the Oxford area.
Proposals for Oxfordshire
There are three proposals being developed for how local government in Oxfordshire should be reorganised.
Each proposal would replace Oxfordshire’s existing six councils with:
- Three councils
- Greater Oxford Council – covering Oxford and its Green Belt
- Northern Oxfordshire Council – covering most of the existing Cherwell and West Oxfordshire districts
- Ridgeway Council – covering most of the existing South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse districts combined with West Berkshire
- Two councils
- Oxford and Shires Council - covering all of the existing district areas of Cherwell, Oxford City and West Oxfordshire
- Ridgeway Council - covering all of the existing district areas of South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse, and the whole of West Berkshire Council’s area
- One council: covering Oxfordshire County Council’s current boundaries
Oxford City Council is leading the proposal for three councils.
Next steps
Following the public engagement, final proposals will be drawn up and submitted to the Government in November.
The final decision on local government reorganisation across England, including in Oxford and Oxfordshire, will be made by the Government in 2026.
New councils are expected to be created in 2028.
