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bookmark_borderHave your say on the future of local government in your area – from WODC

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Residents, businesses, and community organisations are being invited to give their views on proposals for a new larger local council covering the present areas of Cherwell, West Oxfordshire, and Oxford City.
The proposal represents one half of a response by five Oxfordshire and Berkshire councils to the government’s plan to replace the current two-tier system of local government, which consists of district and county councils, with a single tier of unitary authorities.The plan would see Oxfordshire and West Berkshire served by two strong, future-ready unitary councils able to get going from day one.Final council names will be agreed as plans progress, but to aid engagement, the councils are currently referring to the new council as Oxford and Shires, reflecting the diverse component areas. Ridgeway Council is the proposed name that would cover West Berkshire, South Oxfordshire, and Vale of White Horse.Community engagement to gather essential feedback has launched and will run until 16 July. This is an opportunity to help shape the final proposal for local government reorganisation, which will be submitted to government in November 2025.A series of drop-in events will be held across the proposed new council area. These sessions will provide people with the opportunity to ask questions, speak with councillors and project officers, and offer feedback on what matters most to them.

A list of events is included below.
DateVenueTime
Monday 23 June War Memorial Hall, Market Street, Charlbury, OX7 3QW 3pm – 7pm
Monday 23 June Exeter Hall, Oxford Road, Kidlington OX5 1AB 3pm – 7pm
Tuesday 24 June John Paul II Centre, The Causeway, Bicester, OX26 6AW 3pm – 7pm
Friday 27 June Old Headington Village Hall, Dunstand Road, Oxford, OX3 9BY 3pm – 7pm
Monday 30 June Jericho Community Centre, 33A Canal Street, Oxford, OX2 6BQ 3pm – 7pm
Wednesday 2 July Florence Park Community Centre, Cornwallis Road, Oxford, OX4 3NH 3pm – 7pm
Monday 7 July Banbury Town Hall, Bridge Street, Banbury OX16 5QB 3pm – 7pm
Tuesday 8 July Bampton Village Hall, Market Square, OX18 2JH 3pm – 7pm
Thursday 10 July Unit 14a, Marriotts Walk, Witney, OX28 6GW 3pm – 7pm

Councillor David Hingley, Leader of Cherwell District Council, said: “The government’s push to reorganise local councils is an opportunity to reshape local government here in a way that reflects the unique character of our market towns, the cherished heritage of our rural villages, and the exciting innovation and influence of the city of Oxford. “ This new unitary authority would bring all local council services together, providing strong connections to the people it will serve while providing a robust financial basis to meet the challenges ahead. But to get this right, we need to understand what our communities think. That’s why I’m encouraging everyone to get involved by attending a drop-in event or sharing their views online, helping us build the right form of local government to best serve our part of the country in the years to come.”

Councillor 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.” Further information about the two-unitary proposal is available at www.twocouncils.org. Here, people can also share their views by completing a joint survey for the councils.
Contact InformationWest Oxfordshire District Council Communications Teamcommunications@westoxon.gov.uk
The councils in Oxfordshire submitted an interim proposal to government in March setting out the three options that would be developed into full proposals. This engagement is linked to the two unitary-proposal.

The other proposals will be carrying out their own engagement to meet government criteria.

The other options are: 1. A single unitary council covering the current county council boundary 

3. Three unitaries. One covering Oxford City but with expanded boundaries from the current city council. A second including the current districts on Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire along with West Berkshire. A third including the current districts of West Oxfordshire and Cherwell.

bookmark_borderThames Valley Police – Town Hall, Chipping Norton – 2nd Apr

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On Wednesday the 2nd of April from 0900 at the Town Hall in Chipping Norton, Barclays Bank, Chipping Norton Neighbourhood Police Team and Trading Standards will be available for members of the public to call in and speak us about any concerns regarding scams, rogue traders, spam emails/texts/calls, internet fraud, investment fraud, what to look out for and how to protect yourself from scammers.

We will have;

“No cold calling” stickers for front doors.

Information on the best way to deal with scammers on the phone.

The little book of BIG scams. A very useful little book, packed with good advice on how to spot scams.

Information on call blockers if you are receiving a lot of scam calls.

A list of reputable trades people and advice on what the correct process is, if you are planning on any home improvements or general property maintenance.  

And lots of crime prevention advice.

bookmark_borderReport from Parish Council Annual Meeting

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Some successes and some concerns were reported at Chadlington Parish Council’s AGM on 13th May. Councillors were pleased to report the increasing use of the village hall, the full take-up of the allotments and the continuation of Cafe de la Post with new business owners. The Chairman presented the Council’s new Parish Plan and planning policy. The Parish Plan has been delivered to every household in the village and residents have been invited to comment, either via the website www.chadlington.com or to Councillors themselves. All the Councillors reports from the meeting can be found on the Your Parish Council page

 

Members of the public aired a number of local concerns during the meeting. ‘Aggressive driving’ was one of these and there was some discussion about the need to revive the village’s speedwatch project, if sufficient volunteers can be found. Another issue raised was the silting up of the Brook which can lead to flooding. The District Councillor present, Neil Owen, said he would arrange a meeting between a local farmer and West Oxfordshire District Council officers to address this. Concerns about the style of house building and renovations in the village, which do not always seem to sit well within the village’s Cotswold landscape, were also discussed.
Finally, the Council welcomed Hilary Moore, of Mill End, as their new Councillor.
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