Leader’s statement – 21 October 2026

Cllr Bethia Thomas, Leader of Vale of White Horse District Council, delivered her Leader’s statement to Council at the meeting on Wednesday 21 October 2026.

Above: Cllr Bethia Thomas

I have spent most of last few reports talking about local government reorganisation and devolution, and while we remain alert to any movement on this matter, with the government’s decision to pause, review and more than likely, regurgitate its original decision, I want to move onto other matters, as I don’t think there is any point in second guessing the secretary of state.

Equally we are being hit by the government financially. Though I may not be a fan Mrs Badenoch, I firmly believe that when a politician from another party says something you agree with, you are always happy to say so, and she has recently identified that the government is “taking money from areas that don’t vote Labour” and giving it to those places who do.

Obviously, this principle is not good for us and adds to the other pressures put upon us by central government; overall the Vale is going to face a challenging budget round in the coming months. However, unlike the Conservative administration we took over from, we are going to meet this challenge head on, and make the decisions we need to, to make the books balance, and we will not agree a Medium-Term Financial Plan that would lead to the council running out of money.

We have a proven track record of sound financial management and substantive delivery, and that is what I want to focus on from now on.

Our council wants to offer our residents clarity and certainty that comes with good governance. We want to make sure we remember what we are here for: adding value to our residents’ lives, making our communities better places to live and work, and we are here now, to recognise and celebrate what we have achieved as a council, prioritising what is important to real people.

Affordable housing – recently we were recognised in the top three authorities for affordable housing delivery in the whole country; it’s been a key focus of this administration and after years of hard work it is great to see these efforts bearing fruit.

Decarbonisation – our leisure centres are all now fitted with solar panels; tomorrow some of us will be visiting Abingdon Leisure Centre to celebrate the completion of a landmark decarbonisation project for this facility, marking a major step forward in our ambition towards becoming a net zero council.

Community Cohesion – We have secured significant funds to invest in projects that enable a variety of initiatives to enhance peoples’ lives and make our district a welcoming, inclusive and kind place to live; I recently visited a community workshop bringing together partners from across the community, working together on these projects.

Spatial planning – Joint Local Plan 1 is progressing through the system with an adoption date in view next year, and Joint Local Plan 2 in preparation; we are leading the response to Cearn and SESRO and working to understand the significant cumulative effects on our district of these proposals, and stand with our parishes in their response to these developments.

Climate action and nature recovery – as well as the £100,000 recently awarded to climate projects in the Vale, we are celebrating a year of significant progress in tackling climate change, restoring nature and supporting communities to build a greener future, having successfully delivered the first year of our joint Nature and Climate Action Plan.

I am so proud that I am in the position to lead a council that achieves so many significant outcomes for our residents, however, I want to finish not with one of these huge achievements, but with a much more modest one, one that affected many people in my own community.

Sadly, over the weekend, one of our parks in my ward was vandalised with offensive, racist graffiti sprayed on children’s play equipment. Once it was reported, the Parks Team was out there within 24 hours. They cleaned it thoroughly and returned this well-loved green space to the way it should be, open to the community, ready for children to enjoy. The team did all this, and they did it in the pouring rain, and have received so much praise through social media that they will probably never see, so I wanted to pass it on this evening.

Regardless of what happens as a result of Local Government Reorganisartion or Devolution I want the essence of this council to remain, like the Parks Team’s work this week demonstrated; I want a council that is productive, responsive, thorough, restorative, efficient, inclusive, caring, well run, and reaching the highest standards.

This is the kind of council I am proud to lead, and this is the council I want to be a part of.