The Chair reminded the Committee that due to the nature of the report being discussed, it was advisable that membership of Parish Councils be declared.   

Councillor Smowton and Councillor Stares noted their membership of Littlemore Parish Council.  

The Chair reminded the Committee that the Monitoring Officer had advised that all Members must attend this meeting with an open mind when considering Local Government Reorganisation, despite the fact they may also serve other local authority bodies. Any recommendations made at this meeting may feed into decisions taken at Cabinet.  

Public addresses relating to matters of business for this agenda. Up to five minutes is available for each public address.

The request to speak accompanied by the full text of the address must be received by the Director of Law, Governance and Strategy by 5.00 pm on (3 clear working days before).

None.

Councillor addresses relating to matters of business for this agenda. Up to five minutes is available for each address.

The request should be received by the Director of Law, Governance and Strategy by 5.00 pm on (3 clear working days before).

None.

Cabinet, at its Special meeting on 10 November 2025, will be presented with three final unitary proposals and decide which proposal should be submitted to Government by Oxford City Council on 28 November 2025.

All Oxfordshire Councils have been invited to submit proposals for Local Government Reorganisation, replacing existing two-tier councils with a single 'unitary' layer of local government. Oxford City Council has been developing a proposal for the creation of three unitary councils across Oxfordshire and West Berkshire. Proposals for two unitaries (covering Oxon & W Berks), and a single unitary (covering Oxon) being developed by other councils in Oxfordshire and West Berkshire.

The Committee is asked to consider the item and agree any recommendations.

Reports will be published as late supplement.

Cabinet, at its Special meeting on 10 November 2025, will be presented with three final unitary proposals and decide which proposal should be submitted to Government by Oxford City Council on 28 November 2025. 

All Oxfordshire Councils have been invited to submit proposals for Local Government Reorganisation, replacing existing two-tier councils with a single 'unitary' layer of local government. Oxford City Council has developed a proposal for the creation of three unitary councils across Oxfordshire and West Berkshire. Proposals for two?unitaries?(covering Oxon & W Berks), and a single unitary (covering Oxon) have been developed by other councils in Oxfordshire and West Berkshire. 

The Scrutiny Committee is asked to consider the item and agree any recommendations. 

Councillor Brown presented a summary of the proposal and welcomed feedback from the Scrutiny Committee. Members were informed of the work undertaken to develop the proposal so far, and Councillor Brown thanked the officers involved. The proposal was summarised as a place-base and future-focused approach.  

The Chief Executive provided a comprehensive summary of the three-unitary proposal for Local Government Reorganisation.  

The Transition Director outlined the interplay of devolution with the Local Government Reorganisation proposal.  

The Chair invited questions from the Committee only in relation to Oxford City Council’s proposal at this stage.  

Councillor Rowley recognised the value of voluntary organisations to local communities and the difficulties they currently face. He asked what opportunities the three-unitary proposal would provide for these organisations to pursue their goals.   

Councillor Smowton queried what steps are being taken to consider a scenario in which the government minister choses to merge aspects of multiple proposals, rather than just selecting one of the three as submitted.  

Councillor Brown, in response to Councillor Rowley, noted the importance of voluntary organisations to civic society and assured the Committee that the place-based approach of three-unitary proposal would support these organisations through enhanced and specific focus on communities. The Committee also heard of the expected cooperation between the proposed three unitary councils to ensure that wider voluntary efforts across the Oxfordshire region would be supported.  

In response to Councillor Smowton, Councillor Brown outlined the benefits of the three-unitary proposal for maintaining the green belt zone whilst supporting the expanding needs of the region on matters such as housing and transport.  

In response to Councillor Rowley, the Chief Executive explained that the three-unitary proposal would seek to develop neighbourhood governance structures that would support local voluntary organisations and provide engagement channels.  

The Chair invited further questions.  

Councillor Ottino queried whether alternative boundary options were considered for the city unitary, and how or why they were ruled out.  

 
The Chair asked, in relation to the interaction between unitarisation and devolution, how the three-unitary proposal would fit into the development of a Mayoral Strategic Authority (MSA), noting concern about representation within decisions at the MSA level.  

Councillor Smowton requested further information on how the MSA would work in terms of voting structures.  

Councillor Brown clarified that although the green belt was an obvious boundary, other options were considered  ...  view the full minutes text for item 59.

Scrutiny Committee

·       11 November 2025

·       2 December 2025

·       13 January 2026

·       3 February 2026

·       10 March 2026

·       7 April 2026

All meetings start at 6:00 pm.

The Committee noted the dates of future meetings.