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Local Government Reorganisation and Devolution

Local councils are changing. We currently have two tiers of local government in Oxfordshire: district and county councils – these will be replaced by new unitary councils that will provide all local government services. 

The government invited us to send in proposals for new unitary councils for the Oxfordshire area. 

Three proposals 

Here’s a quick summary of all three proposals – which are now published: 

Option 1:  A single unitary council for Oxfordshire – led by Oxfordshire County  Council. 

Option 2:  Two unitary councils – this is our proposal: 

  • Oxford and Shires Council – created from the existing city/district councils of Cherwell, Oxford City and West Oxfordshire. 
  • Ridgeway Council – created from the existing district councils of South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse, and the unitary council of West Berkshire. 

Option 3:  Three unitary councils – led by Oxford City Council: 

  • Greater Oxford Council – covering Oxford and its Green Belt. 
  • Northern Oxfordshire Council – covering most of the existing Cherwell and West Oxfordshire districts. 
  • An adaptation of Ridgeway Council – covering most of the existing South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse districts combined with existing West Berkshire unitary 

Why Two-Councils? 

LGR is not an optional change. We are taking the opportunity to ensure it is implemented in a manner that genuinely benefits our communities and our businesses. 

Five of the seven councils in the area have submitted a proposal for two new unitary councils. This proposal is being supported by Cherwell District Council, South Oxfordshire District Council, West Berkshire Council, West Oxfordshire District Council and the Vale of White Horse District Council. 

This proposal has been developed based on what local residents, communities, public sector partners and other stakeholders told us needed improving. This model has been developed to propose a better version of local government, balancing the efficiency of scale with a modern, responsive and engaging organisation 

Visit www.TwoCouncils.org to find out more. 

Government consultation 

The government’s Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) consultation for our area is now live. The government is seeking views on the three proposals put forward to reorganise councils in our area, so they can make a final decision on which option is best. 

The consultation will run for 7 weeks until 11.59pm on Thursday 26 March 2026. It is available here: https://consult.communities.gov.uk/local-government-reorganisation/oxfordshire.

Devolution and Strategic Authorities  

The work to create unitary councils is to help pave the way for new Strategic Authorities, which are larger authorities over an area of around 1.5 million people, usually led by an elected Mayor.   

In December 2025 an expression of interest letter to create a mayoral strategic authority (MSA) within the Thames Valley was submitted to government following discussions and agreement by 13 councils within the region. 

For further information visit www.reading.gov.uk/devolution.