South Oxfordshire

Last updated

South Oxfordshire District
Non-metropolitan district
Looking upstream from Wallingford Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 1958455.jpg
River Thames, which flows through the middle of the district.
South oxfordshire district council coat of arms.gif
Coat of arms
South Oxfordshire UK locator map.svg
South Oxfordshire shown within Oxfordshire
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Constituent country England
Region South East England
Non-metropolitan county Oxfordshire
Historic county Oxfordshire
(north of River Thames)
Berkshire
(south of River Thames)
Status Non-metropolitan district
Admin HQ Abingdon-on-Thames
Incorporated1 April 1974
Government
 • TypeNon-metropolitan district council
 • Body South Oxfordshire District Council
 • Leadership Leader & Cabinet (Liberal Democrat and Green Coalition)
 •  MPs
Area
 • Total
261.99 sq mi (678.54 km2)
 • Rank48th (of 296)
Population
 (2022)
 • Total
151,820
 • Rank142nd (of 296)
 • Density580/sq mi (220/km2)
Ethnicity (2021)
[1]
 •  Ethnic groups
List
Religion (2021)
[1]
 •  Religion
List
Time zone UTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code 38UD (ONS)
E07000179 (GSS)
OS grid reference SU6571895057
Website www.southoxon.gov.uk

South Oxfordshire is a local government district in the ceremonial county of Oxfordshire, England. Its council is temporarily based outside the district at Abingdon-on-Thames pending a planned move to Didcot, the district's largest town. The areas located south of the River Thames are within the historic county of Berkshire.

Contents

History

The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the area of six former districts, which were abolished at the same time: [2]

The two Wallingford districts had previously been part of the administrative county of Berkshire, whilst the other four districts had been in the administrative county of Oxfordshire. The new district was originally given the name "Wallingford". [3] The shadow authority elected in 1973 to oversee the transition requested a change of name to "South Oxfordshire", which was approved by the government before the new district formally came into being in 1974. [4]

Geography

The River Thames flows for approximately 47 miles through South Oxfordshire, [5] forming the historic county boundary between Berkshire and Oxfordshire. It is also joined by the River Thame within the district. A characteristic of the rivers within the district is that they have wide floodplains with few houses on them so that fluvial flooding is a lesser problem than flash flooding. [6] Towns in the district are Didcot, Henley-on-Thames, Thame, Wallingford and Watlington.

Villages

See List of civil parishes in South Oxfordshire

The larger villages in the district include:

Population change and distribution

South Oxfordshire population pyramid South Oxfordshire population pyramid.svg
South Oxfordshire population pyramid

The 2001 Census recorded a population of just over 128,000 in the district. This was an increase of 7% since 1991. By the 2021 Census, the figure had risen to over 149,000. [7]

Much of the district is rural in nature, with the land in agricultural use and around 70% of the district has a green belt or AONB designation (The northeast of the district forms part of the Oxford Green Belt). 50% of the district's population lives outside its four main towns of Didcot, Henley-on-Thames, Thame and Wallingford.

Governance

South Oxfordshire District Council
South Oxfordshire District Council logo.svg
Type
Type
History
Founded1 April 1974
Leadership
Kellie Hinton,
Henley Residents
since 16 May 2024 [8]
David Rouane,
Liberal Democrat
since 7 October 2021 [9]
Mark Stone [a]
since 2017 [10]
Structure
Seats36 councillors
UK SouthOxfordshire DistrictCouncil 2023.svg
Political groups
Administration (29)
  Liberal Democrats (21)
  Green (8)
Other parties (7)
  Henley Residents (3)
  Labour (3)
  Conservative (1)
Length of term
4 years
Elections
Last election
 4 May 2023
Next election
6 May 2027
Website
southoxon.gov.uk

South Oxfordshire District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Oxfordshire County Council. The whole district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government. [11]

Since 2008, the council has shared staff with neighbouring Vale of White Horse District Council. [12]

Political control

The Liberal Democrats have held a majority of the seats on the council since the 2023 election. [13] Despite having a majority, they form a joint administration with the Green Party, continuing a coalition which they had formed in 2019 when the council had been under no overall control. [14] [15]

The first election to the district council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows: [16]

Party in controlYears
No overall control 1974–1976
Conservative 1976–1995
No overall control 1995–2003
Conservative 2003–2019
No overall control 2019–2023
Liberal Democrats 2023–present

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 2003 have been:

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Ann Ducker [17] Conservative 200321 Sep 2014
John Cotton [18] [19] Conservative 16 Oct 2014Apr 2018
Jane Murphy [20] [21] Conservative 19 Apr 2018May 2019
Sue Cooper [22] Liberal Democrats 16 May 20197 Oct 2021
David Rouane [23] Liberal Democrats 7 Oct 2021

Composition

Following the 2023 election, the composition of the council was: [13] [24]

PartyCouncillors
Liberal Democrats 21
Green 8
Henley Residents Group 3
Labour 3
Conservative 1
Total36

The next election is due in 2027. [25]

Elections

Since the last full review of boundaries in 2015, the council has comprised 36 councillors representing 21 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. [26]

Premises

The council was initially based in various premises across the district in Henley, Thame, Wheatley, Wallingford and Didcot inherited from its predecessor authorities. [27] In 1981 the council moved to a purpose-built headquarters on Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, near Wallingford. [28]

On 15 January 2015, an arson attack destroyed the district council's main offices in Crowmarsh Gifford. [29] As the fire started in the early hours of the morning there were no fatalities or injuries. [30] Immediately after the fire, the council was temporarily based in Abingdon, in the neighbouring Vale of White Horse district. [31] From later in 2015 until 2022 the council was based at Milton Park, sharing a building with Vale of White Horse District Council. [32] The Council initially intended to return to Crowmarsh, [33] but in October 2020 it was announced that both councils plan on relocating to a new building in Didcot, to be built on a site known as Didcot Gateway opposite Didcot Parkway railway station, aiming for completion in 2023. [34] In 2022 the councils vacated Milton Park and returned to Abingdon, again on a temporary basis, whilst waiting for the Didcot Gateway scheme to be ready. [35]

Media

In terms of television, the area is served by BBC South and ITV Meridian broadcast from the Oxford transmitter. [36] However, southern parts of the district which includes Henley-on-Thames is served by BBC London and ITV London broadcasting from the Crystal Palace transmitter. [37]

Radio stations for the area are BBC Radio Oxford, BBC Radio Berkshire (covering Henley-on-Thames), Heart Thames Valley, and Jack FM.

Local newspapers are Oxfordshire Guardian , Oxford Mail and Henley Standard .

Recycling

South Oxfordshire has consistently one of the best recycling rates in England, coming top of the league table of the percentage of waste sent for recycling, reuse or composting in 2022/23. [38] The local authority has been placed near the top of the league table for over a decade. [39]

Energy consumption

In May 2006, a report commissioned by British Gas [40] showed that housing in South Oxfordshire produced the 5th highest average carbon emissions in the country at 7,356 kg of carbon dioxide per dwelling.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxfordshire</span> County of England

Oxfordshire is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Gloucestershire to the west. The city of Oxford is the largest settlement and county town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wallingford, Oxfordshire</span> Town in Oxfordshire, England

Wallingford is a historic market town and civil parish on the River Thames in South Oxfordshire, England, 12 miles (19 km) north of Reading, 13 miles (21 km) south of Oxford and 11 miles (18 km) north west of Henley-on-Thames. Although belonging to the historic county of Berkshire, it is within the ceremonial county of Oxfordshire for administrative purposes as a result of the 1972 Local Government Act. The population was 11,600 at the 2011 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wantage</span> Town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England

Wantage is a historic market town and civil parish in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. Although within the boundaries of the historic county of Berkshire, it has been administered as part of Oxfordshire since 1974. The town is on Letcombe Brook, 8 miles (13 km) south-west of Abingdon, 24 miles (39 km) north-west of Reading, 15 miles (24 km) south-west of Oxford and 14 miles (23 km) north-west of Newbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Didcot</span> Town in England

Didcot is a railway town and civil parish in South Oxfordshire, England, located 15 miles (24 km) south of Oxford, 10 miles (16 km) east of Wantage and 15 miles (24 km) north west of Reading. Historically part of Berkshire, the town is noted for its railway heritage, Didcot station opening as a junction station on the Great Western Main Line in 1844. Today the town is known for the railway museum and power stations, and is the gateway town to the Science Vale: three large science and technology centres in the surrounding villages of Milton, Culham and Harwell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxfordshire County Council</span> British administrative authority

Oxfordshire County Council is the county council for the non-metropolitan county of Oxfordshire in the South East of England. Established in 1889, it is an elected body responsible for most strategic local government services in the county.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goring-on-Thames</span> Village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England

Goring-on-Thames is a village and civil parish on the River Thames in South Oxfordshire, England. Situated on the county border with Berkshire, it is 6 mi (10 km) south of Wallingford and 8 mi (13 km) north-west of Reading. It had a population of 3,187 in the 2011 census and was estimated to have increased to 3,335 by 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wantage (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983-2024

Wantage was a constituency in Oxfordshire represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henley (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1885-2024

Henley was a constituency in Oxfordshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament from the 2008 to 2024 by John Howell, a Member of Parliament from the Conservative Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parliamentary constituencies in Oxfordshire</span>

The county of Oxfordshire is divided into 7 parliamentary constituencies — 1 borough constituency and 6 county constituencies.

South Oxfordshire District Council, a non-metropolitan district council in Oxfordshire, England is elected every four years.

Milton Park is the UK’s largest single ownership innovation community, situated in Vale of the White Horse in South Oxfordshire, England. The Park is located between Didcot and Abingdon in Science Vale UK, a cluster of significant growth, innovation and enterprise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thames Travel</span> Oxfordshire bus operator

Thames Travel is a bus operator serving the southern part of the English county of Oxfordshire. It is based in Didcot and is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group's Oxford Bus Company operation, having been purchased as a 35-vehicle independent operator by group in May 2011.

Wallingford Rural District, an administrative area in what was then Berkshire, now Oxfordshire area, in southern England was established in 1894, from the then Berkshire area within Wallingford Rural Sanitary Authority. Wallingford Rural District Council provided many local government functions for the area around the town of Wallingford including Didcot, but not for the borough of Wallingford, which was covered by Wallingford Borough Council. These functions included dealing with contagious diseases, and wartime evacuations and air raid precautions. It also covered housing, water supply and sewage, and fire brigades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 South Oxfordshire District Council election</span> 2015 UK local government election

The 2015 South Oxfordshire District Council election was held on 7 May 2015 to elect members of South Oxfordshire District Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vale of White Horse District Council</span>

Vale of White Horse District Council is the local authority for the Vale of White Horse, a non-metropolitan district in the south-west of Oxfordshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Didcot and Wantage (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 2024 onwards

Didcot and Wantage is a constituency of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament. Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, it was first contested at the 2024 general election. The seat was won by Olly Glover representing the Liberal Democrats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henley and Thame (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 2024 onwards

Henley and Thame is a constituency of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament. Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, it was first contested at the 2024 general election. The seat was won by Freddie van Mierlo representing the Liberal Democrats.

References

  1. ↑ Serves as joint chief executive for both South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Council
  1. 1 2 UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – South Oxfordshire Local Authority (E07000179)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics . Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  2. ↑ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 22 September 2022
  3. ↑ "The English Non-metropolitan District (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 22 September 2022
  4. ↑ "Now it's... South Oxfordshire". Evening Post. Reading. 29 September 1973. p. 12. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  5. ↑ "South Oxfordshire - River activities".
  6. ↑ "South Oxfordshire District Council - Floods".
  7. ↑ "Census 2021 - Dataset: Population and household estimates, England and Wales". ONS.gov.uk. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  8. ↑ "Council minutes, 16 May 2024". South Oxfordshire District Council. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  9. ↑ "Council minutes, 7 October 2021" (PDF). South Oxfordshire District Council. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  10. ↑ "Chief to stay". Henley Standard. 25 December 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  11. ↑ "Election Maps" . Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  12. ↑ "Services shared: costs spared?" (PDF). Local Government Association. 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  13. 1 2 "South Oxfordshire result". BBC News. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  14. ↑ "Election results: Lib Dems win Oxfordshire Tory council". BBC News. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  15. ↑ Jones, Harrison (14 May 2019). "Sue Cooper set to run South Oxfordshire District Council coalition". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  16. ↑ "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 26 November 2024. (Put "South Oxfordshire" in search box to see specific results.)
  17. ↑ "Hairdresser who became our longest serving council leader". Oxford Mail. 2 October 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  18. ↑ "Council minutes, 16 October 2014". South Oxfordshire District Council. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  19. ↑ "South Oxfordshire council leader to resign". Oxford Mail. 29 March 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  20. ↑ "Council minutes, 19 April 2018". South Oxfordshire District Council. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  21. ↑ Jones, Harrison (9 May 2019). "South Oxfordshire District Council set for a 'rainbow coalition'". Herald Series. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  22. ↑ "Council minutes, 16 May 2019". South Oxfordshire District Council. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  23. ↑ "Council minutes, 7 October 2021". South Oxfordshire District Council. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  24. ↑ "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
  25. ↑ "South Oxfordshire". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  26. ↑ "The South Oxfordshire (Electoral Changes) Order 2014", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 2014/23, retrieved 15 July 2024
  27. ↑ 1975 Telephone Directory, South Oxfordshire District Council: Headquarters at St George's House, Wallingford, area offices at West Hill House, Henley / Stone Hall, High Street, Wallingford / Churchill House, Broadway, Didcot / London Road, Wheatley.
  28. ↑ "New council HQ - it may be civic but it's no palace". Evening Post. Reading. 22 July 1981. p. 4. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  29. ↑ "Video: Andrew Main sectioned after admitting South Oxfordshire council fire earlier this year". Oxford Mail. 29 May 2015.
  30. ↑ "South Oxfordshire District Council building on fire". BBC News. 15 January 2015.
  31. ↑ "Fire-hit councils' staff back at work". BBC News. 10 November 2017.
  32. ↑ "Henley on Thames News | Fire-hit council to move into new offices". Archived from the original on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  33. ↑ "South Oxfordshire District Council is coming home to Crowmarsh - South Oxfordshire District Council". www.southoxon.gov.uk.
  34. ↑ "Didcot Gateway: the home of the new South and Vale district council offices". South Oxfordshire District Council. 7 October 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  35. ↑ "District Councils to be temporarily based in Abingdon". Vale of White Horse District Council. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  36. ↑ "Full Freeview on the Oxford (Oxfordshire, England) transmitter". May 2004.
  37. ↑ "Crystal Palace (Greater London, England) Full Freeview transmitter". May 2004.
  38. ↑ "Annual recycling league table for England, 2022/23 Overall Performance" . Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  39. ↑ "Recycling success sees Biffa retain major municipal contracts". 8 January 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  40. ↑ "Centrica plc - News and views" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 June 2008.

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