Your district councillors are Carl Rylett, Andy Goodwin and Dan Levy.
West Oxfordshire administration
WODC continues to be run by a joint Liberal Democrat, Green and Labour alliance, and this alliance continues to be strong.
The General Election passed with each party backing its own candidates in the three new seats covering West Oxfordshire, two won by Lib Dems (including Calum Miller who won in Bicester and Woodstock, which includes Eynsham) and one by Labour.
Unlike many other authorities in the country, West Oxfordshire is run with financial prudence and delivers key services like bin collection well. Key metrics on responding to residents continue to improve.
During the year, some council officers who worked for Publica (a company jointly owned with a number of authorities in Gloucestershire) have been brought in house, to ensure local control and delivery, and this process is continuing.
Salt Cross and West Eynsham
The key housing development schemes in Eynsham made little progress.
Salt Cross
The Planning Inspectorate’s examination of the Area Action Plan (AAP) for the Salt Cross development was judged unlawful in a judicial review at the High Court with respect to the requirement for it to be net zero in operation. A further examination of this point will happen later this year. The delay is a result of lack of clarity of national government policy, including a Written Ministerial Statement made in the last days of the Tory government, which effectively made it impossible for councils to call for net zero housing. The position is yet to be revised by the new Labour government. WODC will continue to assert that all new housing, particularly in a Garden Village, should aspire to be carbon neutral.
Once the re-inspection has happened, the AAP will be in place, and we can expect the developer, Grosvenor, to bring forward an outline planning application.
West Eynsham
This has been delayed by the three developers failing to bring forward any planning applications. This is in part due to disagreements over how payment for key infrastructure will be divided among themselves. Unfortunately, there is no obligation on a developer to bring forward an application, even where land is set aside for housing in a Local Plan.
Other developments
Other key strategic housing sites in the WODC Local Plan (developed by the last administration), are also delayed. Only the Cogges Site in East Witney has made progress. The Chipping Norton major site has been halted after discovery of a major Roman settlement.
Local Plan and Land Supply
The new Local Plan is being developed and will go out to consultation soon. It will contain significant improvements on the current plan, to cover the siting of solar farms, protection for agriculture, sewage and fresh water supply, and climate change, among many other things. The process will be in two parts, initially focussing on the key things required in developments, then moving on to where the additional development will be located.
Local authorities are required to have a 5-year land supply. This number has been substantially increased by the new government. Unfortunately, what is counted is not land made available or even planning permissions granted, but houses completed or due to be completed in the near future. This is under the control of property developers, who do not always bring forward developments, because it is in their interests not to. This keeps the price of houses high, and gives advantages when applying for planning permission in places not allocated in the Local Plan, for instance allowing the reduction in the amount of affordable housing required. The whole system is broken, and the reforms proposed by Angela Rayner will make it worse.
WODC has made strides in providing affordable housing, both working with housing associations like Cottsway and by starting to build houses itself.
Thames Water
The problems with Thames Water are notorious.
Locally we have issues with spillages into the River Thames from Cassington Sewage Treatment Works, which takes our sewage, and with Hanborough Sewage Works upstream on the Evenlode, as well as the (now fixed) problems with sewage on Back Lane and Evans Road.
The local plants cannot cope with the current levels of sewage. Each new major development is now subject to a ‘Grampian Clause’ which means that they can’t be occupied until Thanes Water prove the existing water infrastructure will be able to cope with the demands of any proposed new housing.
Grants and Westhive: Supporting Community Activities
This has been the second year of the Westhive project, which encourages crowdfunding alongside additional funding with WODC grants. Among the beneficiaries have been the wonderful Long Mead nature recovery advocates in Eynsham.
WODC continues to provide financial support for key partners like Citizens Advice in Witney, who provide crucial services to residents.
Can we take the opportunity to thank the members of the Eynsham community who volunteer at Citizens Advice and in the other vital organisations that support people, including the Food Bank in Eynsham.
Local Government Reorganisation
Local government is being reorganised at the command of central government, so WODC will cease to exist, probably in 2027. Two-tier areas, like ours, will have instead a single unitary authority. The shape of this will be decided by the minister, but the sensible approach would be a single unitary authority for Oxfordshire. This would meet the government’s stipulation that new authorities should have at least 500,000 residents, and avoid splitting up key services like Adult Social Care and care for vulnerable children. It would also be solvent and stable.
There are alternative options, including an expanded city council, taking in areas like Eynsham. That would pass the higher costs of running the city onto residents here, as well as putting even more pressure on us to take additional housing.
There will be County Council elections on 1st May. It is unlikely that there will be WODC elections in 2026, but the government will decide. Elections to a shadow unitary authority may occur then or in 2027. It is all rather confusing, and happening at the same time as planning reform, changes to local government finance arrangements and the introduction of a Mayoral Combined authority as a new layer across the country.
In the meantime, the District Council will continue to deliver many and varied services as usual, including planning, housing, licensing, rubbish collection, environmental monitoring, and will continue to have one of the lowest tax rates in the country.
You can contact us at...
Carl.rylett@westoxon.gov.uk
Andy.goodwin@westoxon.gov.uk
Dan.levy@westoxon.gov.uk