Leader reflects on achievements at busy July Council Meeting
Published Friday 18 July 2025
Vale of White Horse District Council’s Leader, Bethia Thomas, expressed her thoughts on achievements and progress over the last few months, at a busy July Council meeting on Wednesday 16 July.
Cllr Thomas highlighted some key accolades – including Vale’s ranking in the top five recyclers in England and as one of the top ten performing district councils in the country for taking action on climate and nature recovery. This year also saw a Planning Awards nomination of the Milton Park Local Development Order that the council helped shape.
Other highlights for Cllr Thomas included strides being made with decarbonisation at the Vale’s leisure centres, alongside investments in community facilities.
She drew attention to the council’s own not-for-profit letting agent White Horse Lettings has helped over a thousand people find affordable homes locally since it began, creating around 50 new tenancies each year.
Cllr Thomas praised the work towards getting the Joint Local Plan to the first stage of its Examination in June and rounded her summary with the successful engagement carried out so far in promoting the proposal for two new unitary councils – including Ridgeway in the south, alongside Oxford and Shires to the north:
Cllr Thomas, who attended several of the recent Local Government Reorganisation engagement events, said: “It was interesting to hear from residents …..They seemed happier with the idea of a smaller, more responsive council, with a strong local voice, and a track record of delivery.”
Read the full Leader’s report on the council’s news pages.
Funding for two big community projects was approved at the July Vale of White Horse District Council meeting, alongside a focus on scrutiny functions, political balance and partner committee updates.
Other topics on the table at the meeting covered recommendations on the council’s scrutiny function – which were all passed, alongside a review of the political balance and allocation of seats on committees following the Botley & Sunningwell by election this month.
Council considered three motions. The first and third motions both cantered around the government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill – the first motion expressing concerns for the environmental impact of part 3 of the bill and the third motion posed an objection for the two-tiered system of automatic delegation proposed by the bill. Both motions were passed.
A revised motion on encouraging Community Energy benefit options in large renewable projects was also passed.
Full details of the meeting are available here. You can also view details the questions to council here.
