Consultation on Proposals for Local Government Reorganisation in Oxfordshire

Overview

This statutory consultation seeks views on the proposals that the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has received following the Secretary of State’s invitation to councils in Oxfordshire to submit proposals for unitary local government for their area. You can find full details of the consultation, including a privacy statement, at: Local government reorganisation in Oxfordshire - GOV.UK.

The 3 proposals in this consultation were made by the following councils on 28 November 2025.

1. Oxfordshire County Council proposed 1 unitary council. This would comprise the current areas of: 

• Oxfordshire: Cherwell, Oxford City, Oxfordshire County, South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse, and West Oxfordshire.

You can find the proposal at: 1 unitary proposal from Oxfordshire County Council

2. Cherwell District Council, South Oxfordshire District Council, Vale of White Horse District Council, West Oxfordshire District Council proposed 2 unitary councils: These would comprise the current areas of: 

• Oxford and Shires Council: Cherwell, Oxford City and West Oxfordshire. 

• Ridgeway Council: South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse, plus West Berkshire (outside of invitation area). 

You can find the proposal at: 2 unitary proposal from Cherwell, South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse, West Oxfordshire

3. Oxford City Council proposed 3 unitary councils: This includes a request to split existing district council areas between the proposed new councils. These would comprise the current areas of: 

• Greater Oxford Council: Oxford City (includes boundary change) 

• Northern Oxfordshire Council: Most of Cherwell and West Oxfordshire  

• Ridgeway Council: South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse, plus West Berkshire (outside of invitation area). 

You can find the proposal at: 3 unitary proposal from Oxford City.

This consultation asks questions about each proposal to help inform the assessment of the proposals.