Councillors agreed on 16 September to start redrawing Witney's town boundary. Four neighbouring parishes are invited to propose changes by 31 December.
The review that could redraw Witney’s town boundary is now under way. West Oxfordshire District Council’s Full Council agreed on 16 September to begin a community governance review of the civic boundaries of Witney, Carterton and Chipping Norton. Witney Town Council had asked for one twice.
The first stage starts next month. Between October and 31 December, the three town councils and the parishes bordering them are invited to put forward proposals for where the boundaries should sit and how many councillors each council should have.
Around Witney, that invitation goes to four parish councils:
- Curbridge
- Ducklington
- Hailey
- South Leigh
Carterton’s neighbours Alvescot, Black Bourton, Brize Norton and Shilton get the same invitation, as do eight parishes around Chipping Norton.
What was decided, and what was not
The decision starts the process. It does not approve any boundary change, and the council’s own announcement says so plainly.
According to the agenda for the meeting, councillors agreed to:
- begin the review before local government reorganisation, focused only on Carterton, Chipping Norton and Witney
- adopt the terms of reference naming the 16 town and parish councils to be invited
- notify Oxfordshire County Council, as the law requires
- put the Constitution Working Group in charge of turning proposals into options
Councillor Andy Graham, the council’s Leader, said in the announcement: “Our towns and villages are much more than lines on a map.” He added: “Many of the boundaries are historic and we have had calls to look at them again.”
The dates that matter
The timetable in the approved terms of reference runs:
- October to 31 December 2026: town and parish councils submit proposals
- January to March 2027: officers work up options with ward councillors
- July 2027: Full Council decides whether to consult the public on the options
- September to October 2027: two-month public consultation
- By March 2028: final recommendations published and considered
- 1 April 2029: any agreed changes take effect
Residents do not get a formal say until the autumn 2027 consultation. The first stage is between councils.
Reorganisation hangs over the whole thing
The officers’ report is explicit that the review may not be finished by the council that started it. West Oxfordshire District Council was due to be abolished on 1 April 2028, a date the government put under review on 7 September. Every mention of that vesting day in the report now reads “previously 1 April 2028, now TBC”.
If reorganisation goes ahead before the review concludes, a successor unitary council would decide whether to act on the recommendations, and could choose to redo the work.
What it means for you
- Nothing changes yet. Your parish, your councillors and your council tax are all as they were.
- If you live on Witney’s edges, in Curbridge, Ducklington, Hailey or South Leigh parish, your address could in time move into the town council’s area. Band D council tax in Witney parish is between £102.30 and £158.15 a year higher than in those four parishes, on the 2026/27 charges. The report says tax and infrastructure money are not valid reasons for moving a boundary; residents’ sense of community is what counts. Our council tax bands page explains how the bill is built.
- If you want a say early, your parish or town council is the route in during the proposals stage. The public consultation follows in autumn 2027.
The full background, including the parish-by-parish council tax table and why the review covers only the three towns, is in our report on the proposal.
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