Move to disband Horton Scrutiny Committee rejected
12/05/2026
Warning that doing so risked deprioritizing the Horton even further
Moves to disband a committee which was set up to safeguard the Horton General Hospital have been rejected by councillors at Oxfordshire County Council.
The Horton Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (HOSC) originally focused on fighting the downgrade of maternity services in Banbury when it was formed in 2018. Later its remit was extended to include developing a masterplan for the hospital.
At a full meeting of the County Council a proposal was put forward to merge the Horton HOSC into the existing wider Oxfordshire Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee. A similar move was rejected in 2023.
A report to councillors noted the Horton HOSC had not met since November 2020 something which Councillor Kieron Mallon questioned. He said: “As a long-standing member of that scrutiny committee, we have asked for meetings to take place, but they have not taken place for reasons that people in Banbury cannot understand.
Councillor Andrew Cricthon questioned what message disbanding the committee would send. He said: “The Horton serves hundreds of thousands of residents across North and West Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire and South Warwickshire. Its future and its services demand rigorous, ongoing scrutiny.
“Abolishing the committee dedicated to that oversight risks deprioritizing the Horton even further at a time when local health care needs are growing, not diminishing.”
Lead by opposition councillors from both Labour and the Conservatives and with support from some of the ruling Liberal Democrat councillors the move to disband the committee was rejected.
Published: by the Banbury FM News Team
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