South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Council statement on local government reorganisation (LGR) announcement

Published on Monday 7 September 2026

The government has announced it will review its local government reorganisation (LGR) decisions across England.

This has implications about the future of councils in Oxfordshire and West Berkshire.

In a joint statement, the leaders of the South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Council expressed their disbelief and  disappointment at the latest government announcement:

Councillor Maggie Filipova-Rivers, Leader of South Oxfordshire District Council:

“We’re deeply disappointed to have received this information at such short notice. All along, our councils have all done what government had asked of us in the preparation for local government reorganisation. Every pound and every officer hour spent responding to a process that is subsequently paused, is a resource that could have been spent on housing, social care, roads, planning and other frontline services. The uncertainty this has caused is a further erosion of our trust in government.

“We will now do our utmost to understand the way forward for our districts.”

Councillor Bethia Thomas, Leader of Vale of White Horse District Council:

“This unexpected announcement today has come as a shock to us all at Vale and completely disregards the huge amount of time, money and effort we have put in so far to follow what has been asked of us.

“We will be seeking further clarity from the government on how this will affect the Local Government Reorganisation timeline in our area. We hope the government will provide the detail required urgently given the impact this announcement may have for us.

“In the face of such confusion created in Westminster, our priority remains to secure the best possible future outcome for our communities.”