District Councils
Oxfordshire consists of 5 district councils: Cherwell District Council, Oxford City Council, South Oxfordshire District Council, Vale of White Horse District Council, and West Oxfordshire District Council.
Each is run by District Councillors who represent geographical areas called a “Ward”, and these areas are smaller than the county council divisions.
District councils can have their elections in one of three ways:
- By thirds – one-third of the council’s seats being elected three years in every four
- By halves – one-half of the council’s seat being elected every two years
- Whole council elections – all seats contested once every four years
While Oxfordshire County Council is mainly responsible for schools, social services, fire service, roads, libraries, trading standards, land use, transport planning and waste management, the main services provided by the five Oxfordshire district councils include:
- environmental health
- housing
- leisure and recreation
- planning applications
- waste collection
You’ll find more information about the work of the five district councils in Oxfordshire here.
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Cherwell District Council
One of five district councils in Oxfordshire covering an area which includes Banbury, Bicester and Kidlington.
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Oxford City Council
One of five district councils in Oxfordshire covering Oxford City – from Cutteslowe in the north to Littlemore and Blackbird Leys in the South, and from New Botley in the West to Barton and Sandhills in the East.
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West Oxfordshire District Council
West Oxfordshire District Council is one of five district councils in Oxfordshire. It covers an area which includes Woodstock, Burford, Chipping Norton, Charlbury, Carterton and Witney.
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South Oxfordshire District Council
South Oxfordshire District Council is one of five district councils in Oxfordshire. It covers an area which includes Henley-on-Thames, Wallingford and Thame.
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Vale of White Horse District Council
The Vale of White Horse District Council is one of five district councils in Oxfordshire. It covers an area which includes Faringdon, Abingdon, Wantage and Botley.