Oxfordshire councils have agreed to work together on local government reorganisation after months of disagreement.
Oxfordshire County Council and Oxfordshire’s district and city councils have issued a joint statement committing themselves to work together on devolution and reorganisation following discussions with civil servants last week.
They said they would ‘work together to discuss areas of common ground’. They also agreed to look for ‘a way forward building on the work we have both done to date.’
In May, Oxfordshire County Council appointed Grant Thornton to identify what new model of local government should be established in the county.
The district councils had, however, already commissioned Price Waterhouse Cooper (PwC) three weeks earlier to look at the same topic.
Cllr Matthew Barber, leader of Vale of White Horse District Council, reacted to Oxfordshire CC’s decision at the time by saying it was a waste of resources.
'It’s a pity that Oxfordshire County Council chose not to join our joint and independent study that we launched three weeks ago. This would have saved tax payers’ money,’ he said.
'Our independent study has brought together seven district councils and is being carried out by leading and well-respected advisers Price Waterhouse Cooper. It is looking at all the options and is already engaging widely with stakeholders.’
The district councils planned to create four unitaries that would have encroached on neighbouring Gloucestershire and Northamptonshire. This plan would also have led to Oxfordshire CC being scrapped.
PwC provided Cotswold DC with informal feedback that the changes would have been delayed by the need for primary legislation and lack of widespread support, and this led to the district councils abandoning the plan.
Cotswold DC was frustrated with PwC’s conclusion, but Cllr Barber from the Vale of White Horse DC welcomed it.
'Eliminating cross-boundary options now enables PwC's independent study to focus solely on Oxfordshire's residents and engaging with stakeholders in the county,’ he said.
In today’s joint statement all of Oxfordshire’s councils agreed to postpone publication of the Grant Thornton and PwC studies and formulate joint plans for reorganising local government in the area.
‘Following discussions with civil servants last week all the Oxfordshire councils have agreed to work together to discuss areas of common ground, assess potential options and establish whether we can agree a way forward building on the work we have both done to date,’ they said.
‘We have agreed to postpone publication of both the Grant Thornton and PwC studies, and pause plans for consultation until these plans have been jointly developed.’
