Councils across Oxfordshire are the first in the country to sign a charter involving all three tiers of local government.
Launched yesterday, the Oxfordshire Councils Charter includes parish and town councils, parish meetings, the city council, the district councils and the county council.
The authorities said the ‘groundbreaking’ charter aimed to ‘deepen and enhance’ local democracy and improve how they work together.
The voluntary framework sets out their mutually agreed principles and commitments and is designed to recognise the importance of local councils.
Oxfordshire County Council leader Liz Leffman said: ‘While other parts of the country have charters like this one, none of them cover all three layers of local government.
‘The fact that we do in Oxfordshire is a testament to the grass roots nature of our local democracy.
‘This is now a great platform to build on and I am excited about changes that are already underway to improve how we work and communicate with our local councils.’
