The Town Council meeting began with a minute’s silence during which members remembered former Abingdon Mayor Councillor Nigel Trippett. He served as Mayor from 1980–1981. To commemorate the 80th birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, he led a special Bun Throwing celebration before travelling to Clarence House to present the Queen Mother with one of Abingdon’s buns.

The current Mayor, Cllr Andrew Skinner, then spoke about his engagements and gave special mention to the volunteers’ day that he had started. It had been a success, and ARCh (Assisted Reading for Children) said they had got volunteers. The Mayor asked the council whether they would like to run such a day every year. He said it meets a different need from the Clubs and Societies Day. The council voted to hold a volunteers’ day annually.

Cllr Tom Greenaway, who is also a County Councillor, gave a report on what is happening at the County Council:
* Annual gully inspections and clearing have revealed a large backlog of maintenance which are being progressed.
* The temporary Oxford congestion charge has ended, and the traffic filters trial is now operating following the reopening of Botley Road. Botley Road is currently the only route into Oxford that does not pass through a permit point, making it the main unrestricted entry route for visitors from outside Oxfordshire.
* Oxfordshire’s SEND (Special Educational Needs) reform plan has been accepted by the Government. This brings in a grant that should help reduce the SEND deficit.
* Temporary traffic lights at the top of Lodge Hill have been removed after a trial. The County Council had allowed two roadworks to overlap in an attempt to reduce the disruption caused by the Oxford Road roundabout works.
* Cllr Greenaway encouraged residents to follow Cllr Nathan Ley’s newsletter for updates on local and national government matters: https://cllrdrnathanley.substack.com/p/abingdon-councillor-newsletter-september

There was also a report from the VWHDC District Council:
* Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) paused.
* Changes to planning decisions: Vale councillors have amended the council’s constitution to comply with new Government planning regulations. Councillors will now only decide in committee the larger developments; other developments will be decided by officers.
* The Vale has begun an initial scoping consultation for the second Joint Local Plan.
* New parking ticket machines are being installed in all 13 Vale car parks.
* Work to get the Chilton Close trash screen functioning properly is almost complete. This should alleviate flooding.

The Town Council then went through the minutes from the different Town Council committees.

Community Committee

The committee agreed some grants and partial grants, namely full grants for Abingdon Church Twinning and Trinity Learning, and partial grants for Abingdon Youth Club, Racial Equality Group, Spartans Elite ABC CIC, and Play2Give. Other grants were referred up to the Finance Committee because they were for larger amounts and might benefit from CIL funding grants (developer funding).

The council also part‑funds a PCSO and wanted to have regular talks with the local police inspector to discuss what the police focus on.

Environment Committee

The committee approved a ban on disposable plastic carrier bags for traders in the town marketplace and at Town Council‑supported events, effective 1 October 2026.

There was new play equipment at Boxhill and Caldecott playparks, and more is on the way, including a Ninja Fitness Trail and adult fitness equipment at Chilton Close, and a MUGA wall at Boxhill.

Bus shelter improvements: replacement of the shelter at Radley Road / Swinburne Road was prioritised.

In terms of public art, there was talk of progressing town entry signs and a proposed St Edmund’s statue in principle.

The Biodiversity competition involving use of school grounds and allotments were presented at the end of September.

Finance Committee

As well as looking at the council finances and progressing work on council properties (LED lights for the magistrates’ court and solar panels at the cemetery works depot), the committee decided four of the five grants sent to it from the Community Committee and gave funding to: Friends of St Edmund’s School, Northcourt Centre, North East Abingdon Community Association (NEACA), and Hadland Road Community Association from CIL funding.

St Etherwold’s £20,000 grant application was referred to Full Council for consideration of CIL funding.

It was at this point that the St Ethelwold’s grant for work on the riverside wall (of their community garden) was discussed. It needs repairing and access improvements. St Ethelwold’s have already raised £40K, and £20K from the council would help secure further grants. This was the second most discussed item during the meeting. The CIL money allocated for grants from the north Abingdon developments is down to £37K, and £10K of that is for the Abbey buildings, so using £20K would only leave £7K. After discussion it was decided to give St Ethelwolds £10K. Soon such larger grants from the town council will vanish.

Planning Committee

The committee described some of its extensive work. The change to planning regulations will still mean the Town Council can give its view on planning applications to the Vale officer making the decision, and officers still values local input so long as it is specific.

The council then went into its longest discussion about the terms of reference for a new working party called the Community Safety & Inclusion Working Party. It had been set up after a resolution in a previous council. Its purpose is to help make Abingdon a place where all communities feel safe, welcome, and able to participate fully in town life.

However, some of the councillors thought its aim was too broad and open‑ended and that it should pick two or three things to focus on; otherwise it did not have the resources to succeed. There are only 8 months until the next town council elections. A debate went back and forth for some time without reaching agreement. The working party will go away and come back to the Community Committee, to which it will report, with updated terms of reference.

Plans to reorganise local government in Oxfordshire and West Berkshire have been put on hold while the government reviews the legal position following new legal advice.

In July, the government announced that Oxfordshire and West Berkshire would eventually be replaced by three new unitary councils, with the existing county, city and district councils disappearing. The three-council arrangement was based on a proposal submitted by Oxford City Council. Abingdon would become part of the Ridgeway Unitary Council covering VWHDC (Vale of White Horse District Council), South Oxfordshire and West Berkshire.

Oxfordshire and West Berkshire is now among 14 areas where reorganisation has been paused. In four other areas the government’s decisions have been withdrawn following legal challenges by councils.

Local Government Secretary Angela Rayner said she wanted to test whether the proposals meet the priorities of the new administration and new Prime Minister, alongside ensuring the process complies with the law.

For residents in Abingdon, the immediate effect is that the Vale of White Horse District Council will continue for a little longer.

The pause could provide an opportunity for greater scrutiny of the decision. Tim Bearder, leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said it provided an opportunity to examine the ‘underpinning advice, considerations and evidence’ behind the previous Secretary of State’s decision.

Oxford City Council, which proposed the three-council arrangement, has expressed disappointment at the pause.

Most people will now be aware that a decision has been made on the future structure of local government across Oxfordshire and West Berkshire. The proposal put forward by Oxford City Council has been accepted by central government. The proposal put forward by Oxfordshire County Council, and the other proposal put forward by the district councils have been rejected.

The area will be served by three new unitary councils (from 2028):
* Greater Oxford Council – covering Oxford and its immediate surroundings
* Northern Oxfordshire Council – covering most of the existing Cherwell and West Oxfordshire districts
* Ridgeway Council – covering most of the existing South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse districts, together with West Berkshire

For Abingdon, the change represents one of the most significant shifts in its local government identity since 1974. It creates a new relationship with surrounding towns and villages while reconnecting with parts of old Berkshire.

One of the biggest changes is that Abingdon will no longer be part of the same principal authority as Oxford. Instead, it will become part of the new Ridgeway Council, alongside communities including Didcot, Wantage, Grove, Wallingford, Henley-on-Thames and towns across West Berkshire.

The new arrangements creates an interesting historical contrast. Before the local government reorganisation of 1974, Abingdon was close to the northern edge of Berkshire, with Oxford across the county boundary. Under the new structure, the town will once again find itself near the north edge of the Ridgeway and looking as it is about to be eaten by Greater Oxford.

Abingdon and Radley will be like a bulge of Ridgeway Council within Greater Oxford. Culham to the south will be part of Greater Oxford, while several neighbouring communities with historical links with Abingdon, such as Cumnor, Wootton, Sunningwell, Boars Hill and Kennington will be in the new Greater Oxford area.

These communities were part of North Berkshire before the 1974 changes, when they became part of the newly created Vale of White Horse district within Oxfordshire. The new boundaries therefore create a situation where some places that have long shared local authority government with Abingdon will now be governed separately.

The main aims of creating unitary councils is to simplify local government. Instead of responsibilities being divided between county and district councils, a single authority will be responsible for most local services, making it clearer for residents who to contact.

However, the largest services previously provided across the whole of Oxfordshire by the county council — including adult social care, children’s services, highways and transport — will now be provided separately by the three new unitary authorities rather than by one Oxfordshire-wide organisation. That seems to multiply rather than unify departments.

There is more information on https://3councils.org/.

This evening at St Helen’s Church, Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council elected a new Mayor and Deputy Mayor. Cllr Andrew Skinner, became the new Mayor of Abingdon-on-Thames. Cllr Skinner represents Caldecott ward and spoke warmly about his chosen charity, the Abingdon Music Centre, praising the positive impact music can have on people’s lives.

The new Deputy Mayor is Victoria Walker, who represents the Fitzharris Wildmoor ward. She is a vaccine researcher at University of Oxford.

Cllr Rawda Jehanli completed her year as Mayor of Abingdon-on-Thames. She said it had been “the greatest honour” to be Mayor.

As outgoing Mayor, Cllr Jehanli presented a number of awards. In a change from the usual practice, two local businesses were recognised for their help and support during the year —  The Crown and Thistle Hotel and The Hilton Garden Hotel.

Awards were also presented to Philip Bingham of Abingdon Food Bank, Martin Richards of the Scouts, and Holly Freeland of The Abingdon Bridge. The outgoing Mayor also thanked her cadets and chaplains for their support throughout the year.

Cllr Jehanli announced that over £6,000 had been raised for her chosen charity, Occtopus – Oxford Colon Cancer Trust.