The government has launched a consultation on options to reorganise local councils across Oxfordshire and West Berkshire. Local Government Reorganisation is a government-led reform to change how councils in two-tier areas are structured, replacing county and district councils with single unitary structures responsible for local services.

The upcoming consultation asks residents for their views on each of the three proposals put forward for Oxfordshire.

This consultation will inform the government’s decision later in the year on which proposal to implement. The change in council structures provides an opportunity to transform how councils work to deliver services, drive economic growth and support local communities.

In late 2025, a clear consensus emerged when five councils in Oxfordshire and West Berkshire formally supported a proposal for two new, innovative, responsive and locally accountable unitary authorities to address current inefficiencies, enhance services, and save millions.

These councils agreed that the two-unitary model offers the best outcomes for local residents and have urged the government to adopt it when making its decision later in the year.

The clear benefits of the two-unitary proposal put it ahead of the other options:

Forming two unitary councils has the potential to save money by re-imagining and redesigning services across a sensible geography, making use of scale and local delivery where it works best. The two-unitary approach would create authorities that are big enough to be efficient, stable, and reliable, but small enough to care for and be responsive to communities.

During decision-making last year, the councils raised concerns about the other proposals.

For the single-unitary proposal, they expressed concerns that it was too large and too remote from communities and that it did not show the ambition local communities and businesses deserved. Additional concerns have since been raised about whether services with a county-wide footprint, such as highways maintenance, are sustainable and can be funded at that scale, given cuts proposed in recent budgets.

For the three-unitary proposal, they expressed concerns that it would not create financially sustainable councils, would fail to meet the government criteria, and would negatively impact Oxford and damage the green belt.

The government intends to decide on which structure is implemented in Oxfordshire before the government’s summer recess in July. The preferred model is expected to be fully operational in 2028, replacing the current councils.

Residents can take part in the consultation by visiting https://consult.communities.gov.uk/local-government-reorganisation/oxfordshire

The consultation is open from 5 February to 26 March 2026. Respondents can either take part in an online survey or write directly to government with their views.

Residents can read the full two-unitary proposal or a shortened version on the website www.twocouncils.org. The proposal covers all the key points, including how services will be run, financial modelling, implementation plans, and the vision for the future.

The other two proposals can be found at:

Communications
South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils