Respondents to an Oxford City Council survey on local government reorganisation have expressed support for smaller, more localised councils.
The online consultation, held between 01 July and 12 August, attracted 1,580 responses from across Oxfordshire and West Berkshire. The findings will inform the council’s final proposals, due to be submitted to the government in November 2025, ahead of a national decision on council reform in 2026.
Survey results
Key findings include:
- 69.4% agreed or strongly agreed that councils are most effective when smaller and closer to the people they serve; 17.1% disagreed.
- 80.0% agreed or strongly agreed that urban and rural areas often require different approaches to housing, transport, education and skills; 12.1% disagreed.
- 75.1% agreed or strongly agreed housing, transport, education and skills need different approaches between urban and rural areas; 16.4% disagreed.
- 68.0% agreed or strongly agreed they want more housing built in the right places to meet local needs, including affordability and access to jobs; 16.6% disagreed.
Respondents also showed a clear preference for good quality services and responding to local need over cost savings.
Local government reorganisation
The government has asked councils across England to put forward proposals for simplifying local government. In Oxfordshire, three models are under consideration:
- Three councils: Greater Oxford, Northern Oxfordshire and Ridgeway
- Two councils: Oxford and Shires, and Ridgeway
- One council: covering Oxfordshire’s current county boundary
Oxford City Council favours the three councils option, which would provide separate councils for rural and urban areas.
Read more: Greater Oxford Council plan enters consultation phase across county
Next steps
Councillor Susan Brown, Leader of Oxford City Council, said:
“We’ve now carried out two surveys about our local government reorganisation proposals with residents across Oxford, Oxfordshire and West Berkshire. Residents have been clear throughout: they prefer smaller, more responsive councils.
“Our proposal would create three councils that would be more accountable and responsive to local residents. It would also provide separate councils for rural and urban parts of Oxfordshire, which residents also strongly support.”
The council received almost 59,000 words of commentary in addition to the survey responses, which will be analysed in detail.
The government will make its decision in 2026, with any new councils expected to be created by 2028.
