Witney News is an independent news and information site for Witney and west Oxfordshire. We work from public records, we cite them, and we are not connected to the council.
The patch
Witney is the largest town and the anchor, on the Windrush with the old blanket mills behind it. Carterton is the second town, Chipping Norton is up on the hills to the north, and Burford, Woodstock, Eynsham, Bampton, Charlbury and the Cotswold villages make up the rest. Much of the district lies within the Cotswolds national landscape, which constrains what can be built and where, and that shows up in the planning file constantly.
Faringdon is worth a note. It appears in some descriptions of this area but sits in the Vale of White Horse district under a different council, so its bin rounds, car parks and planning decisions are not West Oxfordshire’s. We name the responsible authority rather than letting anyone assume.
What we report
West Oxfordshire District Council’s planning register and committee papers, licensing notices, police.uk crime data, HM Land Registry sold prices, Food Standards Agency hygiene ratings, Environment Agency flood warnings for the Windrush and the Evenlode, and company filings in The Gazette. Flooding on the Windrush is a recurring subject in Witney and the villages below it.
Reorganisation
Local government in Oxfordshire is being reorganised, with new unitary authorities due from April 2028. That will change who is responsible for planning, bins and council tax in this district. We will report what the published documents say as the detail is settled rather than predicting it.
Tips and corrections
Email hello@witneynews.co.uk with a tip, an event worth listing, or a correction. Tips are treated in confidence, and corrections are made quickly and noted on the page.
Witney News is published by Future Business Media.