Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

To remind Members of the need to record the existence and nature of any personal, disclosable pecuniary or other registrable interests in items on the agenda, in accordance with the Members’ Code of Conduct.

There were no declarations of interest.

Purpose: to seek approval for adoption of the new North Wessex Downs National Landscape Management Plan 2025-30 for this National Landscape legally referred to as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

Resolved that Executive approve the adoption of the North Wessex Downs National Landscape Management Plan.

This decision is eligible to be ‘called-in’.  However, if the decision has not been ‘called-in’ by 5.00pm on 20 November 2025, then it will be implemented.

Councillor Denise Gaines introduced and proposed a report (Agenda Item 3), which sought approval for adoption of the new North Wessex Downs National Landscape Management Plan 2025-30 for the National Landscape legally referred to as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

Councillor Tony Vickers, Vice Chairman of North Wessex Downs AONB Council of Partners Board, thanked the Leader for allowing him to speak and praised the work of the eleven-person North Wessex Downs National Landscape team. He also highlighted the strong volunteer resource that were vital to the work of the team.

Councillor Vickers suggested it was not a realistic option not to adopt the Management Plan, as there was a legal duty to seek to conserve and enhance the North Wessex Downs.

Councillor Vickers referred to the Protected Landscape Targets and to Target 7 which aimed to restore peat and heathland, and noted that whilst work would be undertaken the specific target had not been referenced within the Management Plan due to the very small size of relevant land within the North Wessex Downs.

Councillor Vickers noted that he had made a pledge that morning on behalf of West Berkshire Council to work collaboratively in the partnership with other decision makers on the Board. 

Councillor Vickers noted that if the Management Plan was approved, the North Wessex Downs would become the first area in the United Kingdom to achieve IUCN green list status.

Members collectively supported approval of the Management Plan and Councillor Heather Codling thanked Councillor Vickers for all the work undertaken in his role on the Council of Partners Board.

Councillor Nigel Foot seconded the recommendation within the report and reminded Members of the previous week’s decision to approve the Public Rights of Way Improvement Plan, noting that it was now possible to quantify in monetary terms the benefit of green spaces. Councillor Foot commented that there was a £27.1 million per annum benefit to the residents and visitors of West Berkshire which equated to 8.5 million visits per annum. Councillor Foot noted how important this was, particularly in relation to the health and wellbeing benefits.

Councillor Foot further praised and thanked the work of Councillor Vickers, all volunteers and the Public Rights of Way and Countryside officers.  

Councillor Gaines expressed disappointment that Councillor Vickers did not feel that the Council already worked collaboratively with partners but thanked him for all his work on the Council of Partners and praised the Management Plan as an excellent document. 

RESOLVED that: Executive approve the adoption of the North Wessex Downs National Landscape Management Plan.

Purpose: the English Devolution White Paper published on the 16 December 2024, outlined the government’s plans to reset the relationship with local and regional government.  The government stated that rebuilding and reforming local government would be the foundation of devolution, with a focus on getting the basics right.

On the 10 February, West Berkshire Council received a formal request on behalf of South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse Councils to consider the option of a new unitary council covering the three areas.  That resulted in the development of an Interim Proposal, that was approved by West Berkshire Council’s Executive at a meeting on 19 March 2025.

The government invited the submission of full proposals by the 28 November, and this report proposes the approval by Executive of the Full Proposal, produced at Appendix A, for submission to Government.

Resolved that: Executive

a)    Is informed that since the statutory invitation to all councils in two tier areas, significant work has been undertaken by all Oxfordshire Councils and West Berkshire Council.

b)    Is informed that there has been significant engagement and collaboration on the development of these proposals by Cherwell District Council, South Oxfordshire District Council, West Berkshire Council, West Oxfordshire District Council and the Vale of White Horse District Council.

c)    Is informed that two other proposals will be submitted, one proposed by Oxfordshire County Council covering the Oxfordshire area (but excluding West Berkshire) and one from Oxford City Council covering the Oxfordshire and West Berkshire area. 

d)    Approves the submission to Government of a full proposal as detailed at Appendix A, for a two unitary model based on one new unitary council covering the entire existing boundaries of South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils and West Berkshire Council, with the working title of ‘Ridgeway’, and a second new unitary covering the entire existing boundaries of Cherwell and West Oxfordshire District Councils and Oxford City Council, with a working title of ‘Oxford & Shires’.

e)    Subject to recommendation d) being approved, notes that Cherwell District Council, South Oxfordshire District Council, Vale of White Horse District Council and West Oxfordshire District Councill will submit the full proposal directly to Government in line with the Oxfordshire invitation letter.

f)     Delegate to the Executive Director for Resources the authority, with the agreement of the Leader and Portfolio Holder for Community Engagement, Economic Development and Regeneration and Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation, to make changes to the proposal document in Appendix A prior to the submission to Government.

This decision is not subject to call in as:

·      the item has been considered by a Scrutiny Committee, or Scrutiny Task Group, or has been the subject of a review undertaken by another body within the preceding six months.

·      the item is due to be referred to Council for final approval.

·      a delay in implementing the decision this would cause the Council serious financial implications or could compromise the Council's position.

therefore it will be implemented immediately.

Councillor Justin Pemberton introduced and proposed a report (Agenda Item 4), which proposed the approval of the Local Government Reorganisation Full Proposal for Oxfordshire and West Berkshire for submission to Government. It was noted that the report had previously been reviewed and discussed by Council and Resources and Place Scrutiny Committee.

Councillor Pemberton clarified that the report was proposed with the amendment set out at recommendation (f). It was noted that the recommendation had been included to take account of comments made by Green Party Members to include an ambition statement ‘to deliver strong action on climate change and promote nature recovery’; and also to acknowledge that there were some amendments required to existing legal structures in relation to the Fire Authority in Oxfordshire.

Councillor Pemberton commented that the pack presented a formal proposal for a two unitary authority submission; to the south, a proposal for West Berkshire Council to merge with South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse Councils to form the new Ridgeway Council; and to the north a proposal to merge Oxford City Council with West Oxfordshire and Cherwell District Councils to form an Oxford and Shires Council. 

It was acknowledged that there were financial implications to the Proposal, the costs and benefits of which were set out within the report. Councillor Pemberton noted that two sets of savings related to the initial transition savings and transformation savings arising from potential transformation programmes.

It was noted that the final Proposal was a result of extensive engagement with residents, businesses and affected stakeholders.

Councillor Pemberton clarified that following Executive decision, the Government was expected to decide on the proposal in the summer of 2026, following which it was anticipated that elections would take place in May 2027.  

Councillor David Marsh queried what would happen to West Berkshire Council Members in May 2027 if the Proposal was approved. He further suggested that ward sizes were likely to be much larger and queried how quickly the Boundary Commission would review this. He further queried whether Unison would be involved in the ongoing Ridgeway process.

Councillor Jeff Brooks commented that there was a need in transition for services to be provided until the new authority was able to take over and suggested that West Berkshire Council was likely to continue until 2028, whilst the shadow authority was setting up its staffing, budget and structure, for its first year in existence of 2028/29.

Councillor Brooks commented that ward sizes varied across the country and that a Boundary Commission review was likely to take place in the first electoral period of Ridgeway Council. 

Councillor Pemberton noted that the Proposal had been completed within the timescales and criteria set by Government and had worked on the basis that across Ridgeway there would be 96 councillors, 38 of which would be based in West Berkshire. This had relied on a basic approach of reducing three member wards to two, which would increase the number of residents within a ward but was not felt to be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.