At the moment, Abingdon is within Vale of White Horse District Council and Oxfordshire County Council. That means different services are currently provided by two levels of local government.

The national government is asking people for their views on three different options to reorganise local government in Oxfordshire. All three would replace the current system of county and district councils with new unitary councils – single authorities responsible for all the principle services.

Town and parish councils, including Abingdon Town Council, would continue as they are with minor changes.

The diagram above shows how responsibilities would move from the current two-level system to unitary councils. The consultation on the three options runs until 26 March 2026.

Two of the three proposals include West Berkshire, even though it is not in Oxfordshire. This is because the government expects new unitary councils to serve around 500,000 people or more, and South Oxfordshire and the Vale together do not add up to that much.

Option 1 — One unitary council for all Oxfordshire – based on the current Oxfordshire County Council boundaries – proposed by Oxfordshire County Council.

This would replace all the district councils with a single council covering the whole of Oxfordshire. The single council would serve around 780,000 people.

Option 2 — Two unitary councils – Proposed by the four district councils and West Berkshire unitary council – combines existing district and city councils

This would create two new authorities:

• Oxford and Shires Council (Cherwell, Oxford City, West Oxfordshire)
• Ridgeway Council (South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse, and West Berkshire)

Each would have just under the 500,000 population the government is looking for.

This would be smaller and presumably more local than Option 1. It would also renew Abingdon’s ancient Berkshire link. The northern part of Berkshire was moved into Oxfordshire in 1974, with Faringdon, Wantage and Abingdon and their villages becoming the Vale of White Horse district. Didcot and Wallingford were added to South Oxfordshire (1).
Option 3 — Three unitary councils – is about creating a Greater Oxford as proposed by Oxford City Council

It would create:

• Greater Oxford Council (Oxford City plus surrounding land)
• Northern Oxfordshire Council (Most of Cherwell and West Oxfordshire)
• Ridgeway Council (South Oxfordshire, most of the Vale of White Horse, and West Berkshire)

These councils would be smaller than the government’s 500,000 population guideline, which could make this option less viable.

There are a lot of documents to read and you can respond to the consultation at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/local-government-reorganisation-in-oxfordshire/proposals-for-local-government-reorganisation-in-oxfordshire

Unfortunately there will be no referendum. The final decision will be taken by central government.

Ref 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkshire

By-elections will take place in Abingdon on Thursday 12 March 2026, following the resignation of Green Party councillor Cheryl Briggs. Cheryl served as Mayor of Abingdon from 2021 to 2022 and had been a councillor since 2019. In 2025 she was Vice-Chair of the Environment and Amenities Committee and a member of the Community Committee. She was also a district councillor

I took a picture of the Green Party candidate and supporters crossing the Market Place today. They and the Liberal Democrats have already been active. Nominations close on 13 February so we won’t know the full list of candidates until then.

What happened last time: Abbey ward (Town Council, 2023)

Elected

Liberal Democrat – 537 votes (40.5%)
Green Party – 485 votes (36.6%)

Not elected

Labour – 174 votes (13.1%)
Labour – 130 votes (9.8%)

The town council currently has 18 Liberal Democrat councillors and one vacancy.

What happened last time: Abbey Northcourt (District Council, 2023)

Elected

Liberal Democrat – 1,109 votes (34.3%)
Green Party – 948 votes (29.3%)

Not elected

Conservative – 389 votes (12.0%)
Labour – 299 votes (9.3%)
Conservative – 273 votes (8.4%)
Labour – 215 votes (6.7%)

The district council currently has 31 Liberal Democrat councillors, 3 Green councillors, 2 independents, and 2 vacancies.

At the 2019 and 2023 elections, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party each stood one candidate, even though two seats were available. The next full election of town councillors (and possibly district councillors, depending on local government reorganisation) is due in May 2027.

The Town Council met in the Roysse Room, a former schoolroom. Councillors were reminded to speak clearly as the acoustics are not ideal, and one request was made for improved lighting so papers can be read more easily.

Mayor’s Engagements
Mayor Cllr Rawda Jehanli has had a busy schedule but was unable to attend this meeting. Deputy Mayor Cllr Skinner took the chair.

County Councillor’s Report
* East St Helen Street Junction – A long-awaited redesign is in progress, with local input said to be vital in getting the details right.
* Lodge Hill – Work is also underway there, designed to keep traffic moving and avoid complete road closures.

Vale of White Horse District Council (VWHDC) Report
* Leadership Change – The Chief Executive has stepped down at a time of uncertainty about the council’s future.
* Joint Local Plan – The Planning Inspector has asked VWHDC and South Oxfordshire to withdraw their joint plan, citing poor coordination with Oxford City over housing numbers.
* Flood Prevention – The trash screen near Chiltern Close needs urgent attention to reduce repeated flooding. The Environment Agency and UKAEA are involved.

Environment, Amenities & Infrastructure Committee
* Cemetery Chapel – Renovation work is complete, with suggestions it could now be used for weddings and christenings as well as funerals.
* Bus Shelters – New shelters have been installed, and maintenance is underway. Praise was given for the cleaning and upkeep on Radley Road.
* Play Areas – Improvements at Chiltern Close and Chaunterell Way (and elsewhere) are being funded mainly through Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) developer contributions.
* Stratton Way Underpass – A grant is being sought to improve lighting.
* Traffic Island Monk – The removed figure will be repurposed as a bug hotel in Boxhill Wood.

Community Committee
* Fair Music – The Council has asked fair operators to reduce noise later in the evening.
* Bridge Safety – Plates are now covering most of the holes on the Ock bridge near the fair. The Town Council will ask the District Council to place plates over the latest holes, to ensure safety during the fair.
* Grants Awarded – Support was given to Mental Health Natters, Abingdon Youth Football Club, Home Start Southern Oxfordshire, and other groups.
* Town Crier – The newsletter will now be published quarterly. Councillors need to be aware of deadlines for articles.

Planning Committee
As the only member of the public present, I was invited to comment or ask a question at the start. Having skim-read the council papers online, I stood up to praise the planning committee for its workload and persistence. Unlike other committees (which meet once between full councils), the planning committee has met five times.

It has:
* Commented on dozens of routine planning applications, objecting where necessary to overdevelopment.
* Responded to major consultations and pressed for local action.
* Written a strong letter to David Wilson Homes about delays to Oxford Road sewer works.
* Monitored the slow delivery of promised North Abingdon facilities (shop, pub/café, over-55s housing, and primary school).
* Attempted to meet the NHS commissioning board about GP provision in Abingdon; when rebuffed, involved the local MP, who also struggled to make progress.
* Pushed for South Abingdon to be included in the SESRO (Abingdon Reservoir) environmental assessment.
* Continued to monitor Dalton Barracks development and traffic impact.
* Advanced work on the Neighbourhood Plan.

At the end of the meeting one councillor noted that the usual process of formally proposing and seconding minutes before discussion had been skipped. The tone was more informal than usual, and the open meeting ended in just 45 minutes.

I left before councillors discussed a confidential matter. This may have related to the Abbey Hall, where heads of terms have reportedly been agreed for transferring ownership to the cinema operator — or perhaps to something new.

Candidates have been announced for the upcoming Oxfordshire County Council elections on 1st May 2025. Abingdon’s representation remains unchanged with three county councillors. However, due to new boundaries, the total number of councillors across Oxfordshire will increase from 63 to 69.

Alison Rooke, who served for many years as a county councillor and is currently Chair of Oxfordshire County Council, has retired. Nathan Ley and Neil Fawcett are both standing for re-election.

Conservative candidates are standing under the banner ‘Local Conservatives’ to distance themselves from the national party.

This is likely to be the final election for Oxfordshire County Council in its current form, due to proposed reorganisation of local government into unitary authorities. The County Council has suggested a single county-wide unitary authority to retain services such as social care and transport. Meanwhile, West Berkshire, South Oxfordshire, and Vale of White Horse District Councils have proposed a joint alternative: a new ‘Ridgeway Council’. Final proposals are due by 28th November 2025, with the new council potentially in place by 2028.