Dear Town and Parish Councils
After months of waiting, we now know the future of local government in Oxfordshire and West Berkshire. Today, the government announced that from 1 April 2028, all our existing councils will be replaced by three brand new unitary councils.
The new councils will be:
- Northern Oxfordshire Council – covering West Oxfordshire and most of the existing Cherwell districts.
- Greater Oxford Council – covering the existing Oxford City area.
- Ridgeway Council – covering the existing South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse districts together with West Berkshire.
The transition planning well underway. All the Oxfordshire councils plus West Berkshire have been working together for some time to ensure we are ready to move forward together to implement the new structure, regardless of the decision.
If you are less familiar with the three council proposal, or want to refresh your memory, head to 3councils.org
What happens next?
We are expecting government to shortly provide details on a ‘Structural Change Order’ which is legislation the government will pass later this year to confirm the changes and set out how it will be delivered. This follows a standard approach other areas are following, and you can read more about how the transition will work in the government guidance.
In the short term, nothing will change and the existing councils will continue to deliver services until Vesting Day in 2028.
What does this mean for town and parish councils?
There is now a lot of work to do to turn the proposal into reality. As such we are currently not in a position to provide any more clarity on how the new councils will operate than is included in the proposal.
This will be a transition that continues long past Vesting Day in April 2028. We value town and parish councils as a key partner for us now, during transition and into the new councils. We are committed to working closely with you throughout the transition, and we will make sure you are kept well informed.
We will of course need to follow the transition set out by government and key decisions on future arrangements in the new councils will be taken by those councils once they are elected as a ‘shadow council’ in 2027.
Best wishes
Chief executives of all councils in Oxfordshire
Gordon Stewart, CEO Cherwell District Council
Caroline Green, Chief Executive, Oxford City Council
Martin Reeves, Chief Executive, Oxfordshire County Council
Adrianna Partridge, Chief Executive, South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils
Phil Martin, CEO, West Oxfordshire District Council