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South Oxfordshire considers options for a new unitary authority

Published Monday 24 February 2025

Members at South Oxfordshire District Council have been discussing the future of councils in the area following the government’s recent White Paper on English devolution and local government reorganisation.

At a public meeting, councillors discussed a wide range of matters related to the subject, including the two options for the creation of a new unitary authority, either incorporating the whole of Oxfordshire or combining South Oxfordshire with neighbouring Vale of White Horse and West Berkshire. The council has previously expressed the view that a unitary council which covers the whole of the county would be too large to respond to local need.

The government’s proposals, outlined in December, aim to replace the existing two-tier council system in areas like Oxfordshire. Currently, district councils handle services such as recycling and waste collection, planning, housing need, and environmental protection, while county councils are responsible for social care, transport, education, and other major services. Under the new plans, all these responsibilities would be merged into a single council, known as a ‘unitary authority.’

Earlier this month, councils across Oxfordshire were invited to submit initial proposals for unitary councils by 21 March, with final plans required by 28 November. As part of these discussions, South Oxfordshire District Council officers have been constructively and openly discussing potential unitary options alongside all councils in Oxfordshire. They have also been holding discussions with West Berkshire Council and the Vale about the possibility of a new unitary council combining the three areas.

Cllr David Rouane, Leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “We already have strong relationships with the Vale of White Horse, working in close partnership for over 15 years, sharing services and staff. The historic ties between South Oxfordshire and Berkshire run deep, and there are also clear economic and demographic similarities between our areas. This approach would allow us to protect and enhance services, improve financial stability, and deliver real benefits to our communities, while recognising an important historic sense of local identity.”

South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils have been operating under shared agreements since 2009, including a fully integrated officer team and joint contracts for key services such as waste collection and recycling.

Alongside discussions on a possible new unitary authority, the government’s White Paper also sets out plans for large regional “strategic authorities” covering populations of at least 1.5 million, overseen by an elected mayor. South Oxfordshire councillors have also been considering what this could mean for the region. Leaders from across the Thames Valley have already held initial talks on strategic authority boundaries, though final decisions on what geography to propose rest with Oxfordshire County Council.

The Leader of South Oxfordshire District Council has previously expressed a preference for a strategic authority that includes Oxfordshire and the Berkshire authorities, or a wider area incorporating Buckinghamshire, as these approximate to the boundaries used by the police and the Integrated Care Board. Such an arrangement would align well with the proposed unitary council structure bringing together South Oxfordshire, the Vale, and West Berkshire.

Swindon is not part of the Thames Valley Police geography and participates in a different Integrated Care Board and so councillors generally agreed that the town should not be included in the strategic authority.