West Oxfordshire is a local government district in northwest Oxfordshire, England, including towns such as Woodstock, Burford, Chipping Norton, Charlbury, Carterton and Witney, where the council is based.
The area is mainly rural downland and forest, with the main economic activities being farming and associated trades. West Oxfordshire lies within the River Thames catchment area, with the Thames itself and its tributaries including the River Evenlode and River Windrush running through the area.[1] Parts of the district suffered severe flooding during the 2007 floods in the UK.[2] Some areas of the district lie within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
West Oxfordshire district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the area of five former districts, which were all abolished at the same time:[3]
The new district was named West Oxfordshire, describing its location within the wider county.[4]
| West Oxfordshire District Council | |
| Logo Pic: | West Oxfordshire District Council logo.svg |
| House Type: | Non-metropolitan district |
| Leader1 Type: | Chair |
| Leader1: | Elizabeth Poskitt |
| Party1: | Liberal Democrats |
| Election1: | 22 May 2024[5] |
| Leader2 Type: | Leader |
| Leader2: | Andy Graham |
| Party2: | Liberal Democrat |
| Election2: | 18 May 2022[6] |
| Leader3 Type: | Chief Executive |
| Leader3: | Giles Hughes |
| Members: | 49 councillors |
| Structure1: | File:Oxfordshire West Oxfordshire Council 2024.svg |
| Structure1 Res: | 250 |
| Political Groups1: |
|
| Last Election1: | 2 May 2024 |
| Next Election1: | 7 May 2026 |
| Session Room: | File:Council offices in Woodgreen - geograph.org.uk - 3610224.jpg |
| Meeting Place: | Council Offices, Woodgreen, Witney, OX281NB |
Oxfordshire has a two-tier structure of local government, with the five district councils (including West Oxfordshire District Council) providing district-level services, and Oxfordshire County Council providing county-level services.[7] There is also a third tier of local government in West Oxfordshire of civil parishes.
The council has been under no overall control since the 2022 election. The Liberal Democrats subsequently formed an administration with Labour and the Greens, with Liberal Democrat Andy Graham becoming the leader of the council.[8] The same coalition continued following both the 2023 and 2024 elections.[9]
The first election to the district council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:[10] [11]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| 1974–1976 | ||
| 1976–1983 | ||
| 1983–1984 | ||
| 1984–1987 | ||
| 1987–1990 | ||
| 1990–1992 | ||
| 1992–2000 | ||
| 2000–2022 | ||
| 2022–present | ||
The leaders of the council since 2001 have been:[12]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barry Norton[13] | 2001 | 8 May 2016 | ||
| James Mills[14] | 18 May 2016 | 28 Oct 2020 | ||
| Michele Mead[15] | 28 Oct 2020 | 18 May 2022 | ||
| Andy Graham[16] | 18 May 2022 | |||
Following the 2024 election, the council's political make-up was:[17]
| Party | Councillors | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | |||
| 13 | |||
| 11 | |||
| 4 | |||
| Total | 49 | ||
Since the last full review of boundaries in 2002, the council has comprised 49 councillors representing 27 wards. Elections are held in three out of every four years, with one third of the seats on the council being elected at each election. Oxfordshire County Council elections are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no district council elections.[19]
The council is based at the former Witney Rural District Council offices on Woodgreen in Witney. The building was built as a large house in 1887 for one of the town's blanket manufacturers, and was originally known as Springfield, 39 Woodgreen.[20] [21] [22] The building was acquired by Witney Rural District Council around 1966 and is now known as Council Offices, Woodgreen.
The whole district is covered by civil parishes. The parishes of Burford, Carterton, Charlbury, Chipping Norton, Witney, and Woodstock have been declared towns and their parish councils therefore take the style 'town council'.[23] Bampton is a post town, but has a parish council rather than a town council.[24]