Ridgeway (district)
Future unitary authority area in England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ridgeway is expected to be a unitary authority area in Berkshire and Oxfordshire, England. It is due to be created as part of upcoming structural changes to local government in England.[1] The largest settlement in its area is Newbury. In 2024 the population of the area was estimated to be 429,000.[2] Plans to create it were halted in September 2026 and the 2027 election was cancelled.
Ridgeway | |
|---|---|
Future unitary authority area | |
The Ridgeway National Trail, after which the district is named | |
 Ridgeway within Berkshire and Oxfordshire | |
 Interactive map | |
| Coordinates: 51.40°N 1.32°W | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | England |
| Region | South East |
| Ceremonial county | Berkshire, Oxfordshire |
| Government | |
| • Type | Unitary authority |
| • Body | Ridgeway Council |
| Population (2024 estimate) | |
• Total | 426,377 |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
Geography
Ridgeway covers the predominantly rural areas to the north and west of Reading and to the south of Oxford. The Berkshire Downs lie within the district, with the ancient track known as the Ridgeway running through its centre, after which the district is named.
Its major towns will include Abingdon-on-Thames (the historic county town of Berkshire), Didcot, Faringdon, Henley-on-Thames, Hungerford, Newbury, Thatcham, Thame, Wallingford and Wantage, and it will extend into the western part of the Reading built-up area.[1] The whole area is parished.[3] Before 1974 75% of it was part of the administrative county of Berkshire,[4] although the eastern part fell in the Henley MB/RDC and Thame UDC areas of Oxfordshire.[5]
It is not currently clear which ceremonial county the new local authority area will form part of, or whether it will be divided between Berkshire and Oxfordshire along the current boundaries. There is a precedent for a unitary authority to be divided between two counties, in that the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees is split between County Durham and North Yorkshire.
Formation
Ridgeway district was planned to be formed on 1 April 2028 from West Berkshire, which is currently a unitary authority area, and South Oxfordshire less 25 parishes and the Vale of White Horse less 9 parishes, which are currently two-tier districts in Oxfordshire.[1][6]
The district was being formed as part of ongoing local government changes throughout England, in which all areas of the country having separate county councils and district councils would see them replaced with single-tier, or unitary, local governance.[7] Alternative proposals for a single unitary area for Oxfordshire (leaving West Berkshire unchanged), or creating two unitaries in Oxfordshire and West Berkshire, were not accepted.[8]
However, on 7 September 2026, the government announced that a number of ongoing local government reorganisations, including the one creating Ridgeway, would be paused until the decision is "reviewed". Planned elections to the shadow authority would not be held in 2027, with district council elections taking place instead. It is not clear if or when the proposed changes will go ahead.[9][10]
Governance
The new district was planned to be run by Ridgeway Council, which would comprise 88 councillors.[11]