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 unitary councils – with a unitary city on expanded boundaries as well as northern and southern unitaries, including West Berkshire
- Two unitary councils – A north Oxfordshire council (created from the existing district councils of Cherwell, Oxford City and West Oxfordshire) and a Ridgeway Council (created from the existing district councils of South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse, and the unitary council of West Berkshire)
- A single unitary council for Oxfordshire – on Oxfordshire County Council’s existing boundaries
Oxford City Council is leading the proposal for three unitary councils, which you can read more about on the Greater Oxford webpage.
Have your say
Residents, businesses and community groups are being invited to have their say on all three proposals to reorganise local government in Oxfordshire.
- Have your say on the three unitary councils proposal (closes 12 August)
- Have your say on the two unitary councils proposal (closes 16 July)
- Have your say on the single unitary council proposal (closes 27 July)
Each survey will take about 10 minutes to complete.
Drop-in events
Oxford City Council is holding drop-in events across Oxfordshire and West Berkshire for people find out more about its proposals:
- Oxford Town Hall in Oxford between 12pm and 3pm on 8 July
- Newbury Market in Newbury between 11am and 2pm on 10 July
- The Merry Bells in Wheatley between 10am and 1pm on 11 July
- Kennington Village Hall in Kennington between 12pm and 3pm on 15 July
- The Berin Centre in Berinsfield between 10am and 1pm on 16 July
- Marriotts Walk Shopping Centre in Witney between 12pm and 3pm on 18 July
- Seacourt Hall in Botley between 3pm and 6pm on 22 July
- Market Place in Abingdon between 4pm and 7pm on 24 July
- Exeter Hall in Kidlington between 4pm and 7pm on 28 July
- Berro Lounge in Didcot between 4pm and 7pm on 29 July
- Castle Quay in Banbury between 3pm and 6pm on 31 July
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.
