Wantage Town Council
About Wantage Town Council
Wantage Town Council is the most local level in the local government system, accountable to the electorate of Wantage – the birthplace of King Alfred the Great, a historic market town, and a civil parish in the Vale of the White Horse, Oxfordshire, England.
Once a small Roman settlement, Wantage is thought to take its name from an old English phrase meaning decreasing river. King Alfred the Great was born at the Royal Palace in 849 AD.
Wantage appears in the Domesday book of 1086. Markets have been held in Wantage since 1246 and are now each Wednesday and Saturday.
Since the Local Government Act 1972, a town council is a specific name given to a civil parish council, which has declared itself by resolution to be a town council. It is the most local level in the local government system, and it is accountable to the electorate of its civil parish area.
Wantage Town Council consists of 16 councillors. It is part of, but not subordinate in democratic accountability, to the Vale of White Horse District.
The town council is responsible for
- Allotments
- Annual Events, e.g. Armed Forces Day, Mayor’s Carol Concert and Ball, and ad hoc events
- Chain Hill Cemetery
- Bus Shelters and Street Furniture
- Floral and Christmas displays
- Notice boards
- Planning Application Recommendations
- Management of Fairs
- Grants to local organisations
- Markets (including continental markets)
- Publications, including Town Guide
Wantage Town Council is based at the Council Offices, The Beacon, Portway, Wantage OX12 9BX
Office hours are 9.30am to 12.30pm each weekday.
