Banbury residents invited to share thoughts on unitary proposal for Oxfordshire councils

The engagement meeting is an opportunity for the councils to gather views that will help to shape the final proposal.

It will take place between 3pm and 7pm at Banbury Town Hall on Monday July 7.

The meeting is also a chance for people to hear how the proposed changes will affect communities and businesses.

Cherwell’s favoured proposal, which is one of three, is for two new unitary councils to be formed that cover the entirety of Oxfordshire and West Berkshire.

These new councils, have the working titles of Oxford and Shires Council and Ridgeway Council.

The Oxford and Shire Council will be made up of the existing district areas of Cherwell, Oxford City and West Oxfordshire.

Ridgeway Council will be formed from West Berkshire Council’s area and the district councils for South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse.

The other proposals are for the whole of Oxfordshire to become one single unitary council and for three unitary councils, based on Oxford City Council having expanded boundaries, a northern unitary authority and a southern unitary authority, with the latter including West Berkshire.

Cllr David Hingley, leader of Cherwell District Council, said: “As partner councils, we’re determined to seize this opportunity to shape the future of

local government for the benefit of our communities. Our proposal for two new unitary councils will create authorities that are locally responsive

and designed around what our places truly need. They will be answerable to their residents and underpinned by sound finances, positioning them

to serve and empower future generations.

“For Cherwell, this means building on our past successes and strong community relations to create a council that reflects local identities and

priorities for the years ahead. To get this right, we want as many people in our district as possible to take part in this initial engagement exercise

so they can influence our final proposals for the future of local government.”

The council hopes the proposed two-council model will provide a suitable platform to address local priorities such as building homes in the right

places, protecting the environment, improving roads and other infrastructure, and tackling issues like flooding and sewage pollution.

Cllr Andy Graham, leader of West Oxfordshire District Council, said: “We are clear that residents need to come first in any discussions around

future options for local government. We want residents, businesses and other organisations to help us shape this proposal so it truly reflects our

communities, both now and in the future.

“This engagement will give people a direct route to influence this proposal and the shape of local government in future. We want to build on the

obvious benefits of a two-unitary option to create something that is new, forward thinking and makes the most of this change in approach to

deliver more for local people while protecting the services they currently value.”

Other engagement meetings will be held across Oxfordshire and West Berkshire.

To find out more about the two-unitary proposal, visit:twocouncils.org