Most people will now be aware that a decision has been made on the future structure of local government across Oxfordshire and West Berkshire. The proposal put forward by Oxford City Council has been accepted by central government. The proposal put forward by Oxfordshire County Council, and the other proposal put forward by the district councils have been rejected.

The area will be served by three new unitary councils (from 2028):
* Greater Oxford Council – covering Oxford and its immediate surroundings
* Northern Oxfordshire Council – covering most of the existing Cherwell and West Oxfordshire districts
* Ridgeway Council – covering most of the existing South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse districts, together with West Berkshire

For Abingdon, the change represents one of the most significant shifts in its local government identity since 1974. It creates a new relationship with surrounding towns and villages while reconnecting with parts of old Berkshire.

One of the biggest changes is that Abingdon will no longer be part of the same principal authority as Oxford. Instead, it will become part of the new Ridgeway Council, alongside communities including Didcot, Wantage, Grove, Wallingford, Henley-on-Thames and towns across West Berkshire.

The new arrangements creates an interesting historical contrast. Before the local government reorganisation of 1974, Abingdon was close to the northern edge of Berkshire, with Oxford across the county boundary. Under the new structure, the town will once again find itself near the north edge of the Ridgeway and looking as it is about to be eaten by Greater Oxford.

Abingdon and Radley will be like a bulge of Ridgeway Council within Greater Oxford. Culham to the south will be part of Greater Oxford, while several neighbouring communities with historical links with Abingdon, such as Cumnor, Wootton, Sunningwell, Boars Hill and Kennington will be in the new Greater Oxford area.

These communities were part of North Berkshire before the 1974 changes, when they became part of the newly created Vale of White Horse district within Oxfordshire. The new boundaries therefore create a situation where some places that have long shared local authority government with Abingdon will now be governed separately.

The main aims of creating unitary councils is to simplify local government. Instead of responsibilities being divided between county and district councils, a single authority will be responsible for most local services, making it clearer for residents who to contact.

However, the largest services previously provided across the whole of Oxfordshire by the county council — including adult social care, children’s services, highways and transport — will now be provided separately by the three new unitary authorities rather than by one Oxfordshire-wide organisation. That seems to multiply rather than unify departments.

There is more information on https://3councils.org/.