North Oxfordshire
Future unitary authority area in England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
North Oxfordshire[1] or Northern Oxfordshire will be a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Oxfordshire, England. It is planned to be formed on 1 April 2028, with the first elections taking place in May 2027.[2] Its largest settlement will be Banbury and it will also include Bicester, Burford, Carterton, Charlbury, Chipping Norton, Witney and Woodstock.[3][4] The area has a 2024 estimated population of 265,000.[5]
North Oxfordshire | |
|---|---|
Future unitary authority area | |
| |
 North Oxfordshire within Oxfordshire and Ridgeway | |
| Coordinates: 52.0620°N 1.3339°W | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | England |
| Region | South East |
| Ceremonial county | Oxfordshire |
| Incorporated | 1 April 2028 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Unitary authority |
| • Body | North Oxfordshire Council |
| Population (2024 estimate) | |
• Total | 265,000 |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
Formation
It will be formed from the existing Oxfordshire district of West Oxfordshire along with Cherwell less 15 parishes which will form part of Greater Oxford.[6]
It is being formed as part of ongoing local government changes throughout England, in which all areas of the country that have separate county councils and district councils will see those replaced with single-tier, or unitary, local governance.[7] The alternative proposals for a single unitary for Oxfordshire (with leaving West Berkshire as is) and for having two unitaries in Oxfordshire and West Berkshire were not accepted.[8] The whole area is parished.
Governance
It will be run by North Oxfordshire Council, which will comprise 73 councillors.[9]