The government is again minded to replace the Vale with a Ridgeway Council from April 2029, with Abingdon inside it. Kennington, Cumnor, North Hinksey and six more parishes would go to Greater Oxford.
The government is once again minded to abolish Vale of White Horse District Council. Abingdon, Wantage and Faringdon would become part of a new Ridgeway Council from 1 April 2029, a year later than the date set in July.
Nine Vale parishes on the edge of Oxford would go elsewhere. Kennington, Cumnor, North Hinksey (which includes Botley), Wootton, Sunningwell and four smaller parishes would join a new Greater Oxford Council instead.
The decision is provisional. Councils and “other interested parties” can now make representations before ministers take a final decision.
What the minister wrote
Jim McMahon OBE MP, Minister for Local Government, set out the decision in a letter to Oxfordshire and West Berkshire council leaders on 29 October. The Secretary of State and he are “currently minded to implement the three unitary option submitted by Oxford City Council with modifications to the proposed boundaries”.
The same letter withdrew the decision announced on 16 July. That was the decision paused in September, when the minister ordered councils to stop implementation work while he reviewed the whole programme.
The three proposed councils are:
- Ridgeway Council: South Oxfordshire and the Vale, minus the parishes moving to Oxford, plus all of West Berkshire. Population about 429,000.
- Northern Oxfordshire Council: Cherwell, minus 15 parishes, plus West Oxfordshire. About 265,000.
- Greater Oxford Council: Oxford City plus 41 surrounding parishes. About 241,000.
The nine Vale parishes that would join Greater Oxford
The letter’s Annex A lists the parishes. From the Vale they are:
- Appleton with Eaton
- Besselsleigh
- Cumnor
- Kennington
- North Hinksey
- South Hinksey
- Sunningwell
- Wootton
- Wytham
Radley is not on the list, so it would stay with Abingdon in Ridgeway. Sunningwell, just north of Abingdon, would not.
The letter also corrects the July announcement. That said 25 South Oxfordshire parishes would move into Greater Oxford. Oxford City Council’s own schedule listed 17, and the minister says the fresh assessment uses that figure. The Vale’s nine are unchanged.
Parish and town councils would carry on. “While all parishes would move into new unitary authorities, town and parish councils and existing parish boundaries would remain,” the letter says.
It acknowledges the opposition. The parishes, it says, “have raised substantive concerns that transferring to the proposed Greater Oxford Council would not reflect their rural identity or their relationships with surrounding market towns”. The minister judged that separate councils would still give each area “a clearer institutional focus”. Green Belt and flood risk protections “would remain in place, unchanged by reorganisation”.
The timetable
According to the letter and the government’s announcement:
| When | What |
|---|---|
| At least three weeks from 29 October | Representations on the minded-to decision |
| Before Christmas | Final decision, according to Oxfordshire County Council |
| May 2027 | District elections go ahead on existing Vale boundaries |
| May 2028 | Elections to the new shadow councils |
| 1 April 2029 | Vale, South Oxfordshire, West Berkshire, Oxford City, Cherwell, West Oxfordshire and the county council end; the three new councils start |
Neither the letter nor the announcement gives a closing date or an address for representations. The government said only that there would be “a period of three weeks minimum”.
The letter is explicit that nothing is settled. The Secretary of State “remains open to reaching a different conclusion”, including changing the boundaries again or “deciding not to implement any proposal”. Any change would need a structural changes order approved by Parliament.
What the councils said
Oxfordshire County Council, which wanted a single council for the whole county, is the strongest critic. Its leader, Councillor Tim Bearder, said:
I’m deeply disappointed that the government is minded-to press ahead with splitting Oxfordshire into three unitary councils, despite the serious concerns we have raised about the impact on public services, costs and accountabilities.
The county council had already sent a legal letter and filed a protective claim in court over the July decision. “We are told that this is an entirely new decision and that our previous legal action no longer applies,” Cllr Bearder said. “We will carefully consider our legal options in light of this new decision.”
Vale of White Horse District Council has published no statement on the decision. Its reorganisation page, updated on 29 October, says the government is “minded-to proceed with three new unitary councils” from 1 April 2029.
Separately, the government’s Budget papers on 28 October confirmed plans for a Thames Valley mayoral strategic authority covering Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Swindon. The Vale’s leader, Cllr Bethia Thomas, had written to the government favouring a version that included Buckinghamshire, and warned that adding Swindon could mean “significant changes to existing public sector service geographies, including healthcare and policing” (Vale of White Horse District Council, 28 October).
What it means for you
Nothing changes yet. The Vale still collects your bins, sets your council tax bands and decides planning applications. The county council still runs roads, schools and social care. Both carry on until 31 March 2029 at the earliest.
You will vote in May 2027 for Vale district councillors on the current wards. A year later, in May 2028, you would elect the shadow Ridgeway or Greater Oxford council that takes over in 2029.
If you live in one of the nine parishes, your new council from 2029 would be Greater Oxford, alongside the city, rather than Ridgeway with Abingdon. Your parish council stays. This is the part of the plan most likely to change before a final decision, and the letter invites views on boundaries.
If you want a say, the representations window is open now. The letter is addressed to councils, but invites “other interested parties” too. Your parish council, town council or MP are the most direct routes while the government has published no address for individual responses.
The government also confirmed that Oxfordshire will receive £1.35 million in transition funding in November, half of the £900,000 per new council, with the rest after a final decision.
Sources: Minded-to decision letter to Oxfordshire council leaders, 29 October 2026; Local Government Reorganisation moves forward in five counties, MHCLG, 29 October 2026; Oxfordshire County Council, 29 October 2026; Vale of White Horse District Council, Local Government Reorganisation and Devolution. All checked 6 November 2026.
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