The abolition of Oxfordshire County Council could have lasting implications on the western suburbs of Reading – or possibly none at all.
The national government is seeking to abolish county councils in a trend started by the Conservatives in places like the West of England and Somerset, and being driven forward by the current Labour government.
Oxfordshire County Council is the closest authority to Reading that is set to be abolished, with the government favouring a single tier of government called ‘unitary authorities’.
All six areas of Berkshire have been unitary authorities since Berkshire County Council was abolished in 1998.
People in Oxfordshire have been given three options for how the county could be reorganised into unitary authorities.
A ‘two council’ option would create involves creating an ‘Oxford & Shires’ council, covering Cherwell, Oxford City and West Oxfordshire; and a ‘Ridgeway’ council, covering South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse, and West Berkshire.
It has been noted that the Ridgeway proposal would reunify places such as Abingdon, Didcot and Uffington, which used to be part of Berkshire until 1974.
A ‘three councils’ option would see changes to the north with the creation of ‘Greater Oxford’ covering the city, its greenbelt, and satellite villages currently in Cherwell, South Oxfordshire, and Vale of White Horse.
Then, Northern Oxfordshire would be created out of the remainder of Cherwell and Western Oxfordshire Councils, retaining Ridgeway, albeit in a smaller form than the first option.
West Berkshire Council announced that it wished to unify with South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse last year.
All three of these councils are currently controlled by the Liberal Democrats.
It has been argued that the Lib Dem administration at West Berkshire Council inserted itself into the reorganisation of Oxfordshire, as West Berkshire is already a unitary authority.
West Berkshire covers Tilehurst, Calcot and Purley, which are western suburbs of Reading, with no detachment from the town as a settlement.
A third option would see a new ‘Oxfordshire Council’ created as a unitary+
If the first or second options are selected, Tilehurst, Calcot and Purley will change in two ways.
They could be incorporated into Ridgeway Council, unifying with Henley, Didcot and Abingdon.
Or they could be incorporated into a ‘Greater Reading’, which the Labour administration at Reading Borough Council has been pushing for shortly after proposals for Ridgeway Council emerged.
If the third option for ‘Oxfordshire Council’ is chosen, Tilehurst, Calcot and Purley will remain in West Berkshire Council.
A decision on the reorganisation of Oxfordshire will be made by the ministry of housing, communities and local government.
The ministry has a consultation on the three options online which closes at 11.59pm on Thursday, March 26.
