West Oxfordshire

West Oxfordshire is a local government district in northwest Oxfordshire, England, including towns such as Woodstock, Burford, Chipping Norton, Charlbury, Carterton and Witney, where the council is based.

Area

The area is mainly rural downland and forest, with the main economic activities being farming and associated trades. West Oxfordshire lies within the River Thames catchment area, with the Thames itself and its tributaries including the River Evenlode and River Windrush running through the area.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Parts of the district suffered severe flooding during the 2007 floods in the UK.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Some areas of the district lie within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

History

West Oxfordshire district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the area of five former districts, which were all abolished at the same time:<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>

• Chipping Norton Municipal Borough
• Chipping Norton Rural District
• Witney Rural District
• Witney Urban District
• Woodstock Municipal Borough

The new district was named West Oxfordshire, describing its location within the wider county.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>

Governance

Template:Infobox legislature Oxfordshire has a two-tier structure of local government, with the five district councils (including West Oxfordshire District Council) providing district-level services, and Oxfordshire County Council providing county-level services.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref> There is also a third tier of local government in West Oxfordshire of civil parishes.

Political control

The council has been under no overall control since the 2022 election. The Liberal Democrats subsequently formed an administration with Labour and the Greens, with Liberal Democrat Andy Graham becoming the leader of the council.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The same coalition continued following both the 2023 and 2024 elections.<ref name="AdminCouncil">Template:Cite news</ref>

The first election to the district council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:<ref name=compositions>Template:Cite web (Put "West Oxfordshire" in search box to see specific results.)</ref><ref name="vote2014">Template:Cite news</ref>

Party in control		Years
Template:Party name with colour	1974–1976
Template:Party name with colour	1976–1983
Template:Party name with colour	1983–1984
Template:Party name with colour	1984–1987
Template:Party name with colour	1987–1990
Template:Party name with colour	1990–1992
Template:Party name with colour	1992–2000
Template:Party name with colour	2000–2022
Template:Party name with colour	2022–present

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 2001 have been:

Councillor	Party		From	To
Barry Norton<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	Template:Party name with colour	2001	May 2016
James Mills<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Party name with colour	18 May 2016	28 Oct 2020
Michele Mead<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Party name with colour	28 Oct 2020	18 May 2022
Andy Graham<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Party name with colour	18 May 2022

Composition

Following the 2024 election and the November 2024 Chipping Norton by-election,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the council's political make-up was:<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=AdminCouncil />

Party		Councillors
Template:Party name with colour	22
Template:Party name with colour	13
Template:Party name with colour	10
Template:Party name with colour	4
Total		49

The next election is due in 2026.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Elections

Template:Also Since the last full review of boundaries in 2002, the council has comprised 49 councillors representing 27 wards. Elections are held in three out of every four years, with one third of the seats on the council being elected at each election. Oxfordshire County Council elections are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no district council elections.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>

Premises

The council is based at the former Witney Rural District Council offices on Woodgreen in Witney. The building was built as a large house in 1887 for one of the town's blanket manufacturers, and was originally known as Springfield, 39 Woodgreen.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>1911 United Kingdom census, Class RG14; Piece 8227; Schedule 158. List address: "Springfield", 39 Woodgreen, Witney.</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The building was acquired by Witney Rural District Council around 1966 and is now known as Council Offices, Woodgreen.

Towns and parishes

Template:Further The whole district is covered by civil parishes. The parishes of Burford, Carterton, Charlbury, Chipping Norton, Witney, and Woodstock have been declared towns and their parish councils therefore take the style 'town council'.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Bampton is a post town, but has a parish council rather than a town council.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>