Local government reorganisation: the three-council option
25/03/2026
Supporters say it’s the model that protects Banbury from being in Oxford’s shadow and having to take the city’s unmet housing needs
We’re into the last two days of a government consultation into changes to local government in Oxfordshire, which will see both Oxfordshire County and Cherwell District Councils disappear and be replaced by a single unitary authority.
We’ve been looking at the three different suggestions as to what area the new authority should cover and today focus on the three council model which is proposed by Oxford City Council.
Their idea is similar to the two council idea, but removes the greater Oxford area as a third separate authority, making a distinction between rural and urban Oxfordshire.
Councillor Susan Brown is the leader of Oxford City Council. She says their research gave a clear view as how people felt about maintaining control of matters locally: “We’ve got a pretty strong message from people in Banbury saying ‘we don’t want to be in the same authority as Oxford’. That’s fine, but if you don’t want to be in the same authority as Oxford, there’s only one proposal on the table that will deliver that and that’s the three-councils proposal.”
Currently our area has to take much of Oxford’s new housing as there isn’t enough spare land within the city boundary. The three-councils model would resolve this, whilst both the other proposed models would see the city’s new housing continue to be spread across the area.
The City Council say their proposal would create three financially sustainable and robust councils which would deliver £48.6m in efficiencies each year by achieving better results, not just from economies of scale.
It also would give greater local accountability with councils that are closer to the people they serve. Areas such as social care could still be delivered in a similar way to currently.
Councillor Brown feels that their three council’s model is the one that best services people in the county, whether they live in the city or places like Banbury. She said: “My view is that it is the best solution for the people of Banbury, just as it’s the best solution for the people of Oxford and the people of Henley.
“It’s the only solution that allows Banbury to have a bigger say in its own future – that separates it from Oxford so that it’s not dominated by Oxford and Oxford’s issues when Banbury has its own needs and issues – and it’s the only solution which doesn’t see Banbury and the surrounding areas having to meet Oxford’s housing need.”
More information on the Three Council’s proposal is available here.
If you have a view on local government reorganisation you can submit your thoughts by following this link.
Published: by the Banbury FM News Team
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