As residents may be aware, the Government issued the English Devolution White Paper (English Devolution White Paper - GOV.UK) in December. This lays out the plans for a major reform of local government. The changes will impact West Oxfordshire District Council and Oxfordshire County Council, as well as other local councils across England.
Why is local government changing?
The intention of these reforms is to bring decisions and funding closer to the local communities, people and businesses that they have an impact on. The reforms will ‘devolve’ power away from central Government and closer to the regions, as part of the focus on ‘levelling up’.
In her foreword to the White Paper, Deputy Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP promised that these reforms would “get councils back on their feet, by providing long-term financial stability, strengthening standards, streamlining structures”.
What changes will we see?
There are two main elements in the White Paper that will have the largest impact on our residents:
Firstly, ‘Strategic Authorities’ will be created. These will sit above current councils and either be designated as a Foundation Strategic Authority or Mayoral Strategic Authority. The latter will be led by an elected mayor.
Secondly, to facilitate the creation of these Strategic Authorities, the current ‘two-tier’ system – where it exists – will be abolished. This is when two different councils handle different services, as is the case for us. We have a District Council and a County Council, both handling different responsibilities.
To replace the two-tier system, the Government propose a ‘unitary authority’ to cover each area. For us, this would mean West Oxfordshire would form part of a larger area, with a single council handling all services for the whole area.
Nothing has been said about the role of town and parish councils at this stage.
What’s happened so far?
At their cabinet meeting on 9 January, Oxfordshire County Council unanimously voted to contact national Government and request a ‘fast-track’ for restructuring, to become a strategic authority for the Thames Valley. A news article [posted 8 January] on their website ahead of the meeting indicated:
“the County Council is committed to progress at pace towards a mayoral strategic authority for the Thames Valley, with further discussions to take place in the coming weeks and months.
The [County Council] cabinet will be recommended to request that government places Oxfordshire into a ‘fast track’ to progress local government reorganisation while it progresses devolution conversations.”
The County Council cabinet discussed and voted to approve this on 9 January. Details from the meeting have been shared on the BBC website: Oxfordshire County Council unanimously supports devolution fast-track - BBC News
Read the most recent statement from the County Council on their website: County council to set out response to national proposals for future of local government
What have other authorities said?
Oxford City Council has also written to the Government as it disagrees with the County Council's request to cancel councillor elections and move ahead with restructuring "ahead of agreeing the geography within which it would be operating as a mayoral combined authority". Read their statement on the website: Oxford City Council writes to Government about devolution and local government reorganisation in Oxfordshire | Oxford City Council
West Oxfordshire District Council has released a general statement of support and interest in working in partnership with other local authorities:
"We want to be at the front of conversations about local government reform, speaking on behalf of West Oxfordshire residents. We want to make sure we make the most of any new arrangements for the district and that local people don’t lose any vital services they rely on."
Read the full statament on the website:West Oxfordshire District Council to put the district first in devolution and local government reform discussions | West Oxfordshire District Council News
When is this happening?
The Government intends for countrywide changes to be made before the end of the current parliamentary term, which is by summer 2029 at the latest. The changes will be undertaken in a phased process and happen gradually across England. We don’t yet know when changes will take place in Oxfordshire, although the County Council is keen to expediate the process.
We will continue to monitor this and share updates when more details become available. Those interested in reading the White Paper in full should visit the Government website: English Devolution White Paper - GOV.UK