Headington community council consultation gets underway

Following the Headington neighbourhood planning referendum in 2017, the Headington Neighbourhood Forum asked the City Council to consult on its proposal to create a community council to cover the Headington Neighbourhood Area.

The law requires that a community governance review be carried out where a new community council is proposed. The City Council is delivering a leaflet to all households in the affected area as part of the consultation.

Residents can respond by:

• returning the comments page at the back of the leaflet, freepost, to Oxford City Council 
• giving views online at the Council’s consultation portal (this goes live on 12 July).  
• writing to Headington CGR, Electoral Services, The Town Hall, St. Aldate’s, Oxford, OX1 1BX.

The consultation gets underway on 12 July and the deadline for comments is 23 August.

Community councils are democratically elected bodies that represent distinctive and recognisable communities. They have two main roles – community representation and local administration. They are statutory consultees on planning matters and provide a focus for representing local issues and identity. They can also provide services to the community that can include community grants, bus shelters, play areas, events and festivals.

Community councils are funded through a precept, a charge that is added to and collected as part of Council Tax. The amount of the charge is something that each community council decides for itself. It depends on what services and facilities the community council wants to provide.

The area has an electorate of around 11,000. Should the proposal go ahead this would result in a possible number of councillors of between 15 and 20.

The City Council is planning to attend some local events to promote the consultation. The details are currently being finalised.

The City Council will take a final decision on the proposal in the autumn.