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West Oxfordshire District Council is continuing to take strong, proactive steps to tackle long-standing pressures on the district’s sewage network, using planning powers to make sure that any new homes built have the right infrastructure upgrades secured before they are occupied. 

On 18 December 2025, the government wrote to councils with elections scheduled for May 2026 to offer the option to request a postponement to those elections. Councils were invited to write to government by 15 January 2026 if they wished to postpone their election and set out their views on the postponement of local elections if they considered it could release essential capacity to deliver local government reorganisation.

West Oxfordshire District Council is progressing plans to deliver up to 70 new, fully affordable homes in the heart of Witney, as part of wider efforts to deliver local homes for local people.

West Oxfordshire District Council is celebrating the success of its Westhive community crowdfunding programme, which has helped bring 28 local projects to life since its launch in 2023 – supporting everything from youth provision and dance schools to heritage restoration, mental-health initiatives and schemes that tackle food waste.

West Oxfordshire District Council has published its latest quarterly service review, showing strong performance across several core service areas, including customer service, waste and recycling, affordable housing delivery, and leisure provision. 

An expression of interest letter to create a mayoral strategic authority (MSA) within the Thames Valley has been submitted to government following discussions and agreement by 13 councils within the region.

West Oxfordshire District Council has welcomed the Government’s new Oxfordshire Growth Commission interim report and the opportunities it sets out for residents, businesses and communities across the district. 

West Oxfordshire District Council has published its Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) for 2024/25, showing steady progress in delivering much-needed affordable housing including social housing, securing infrastructure funding, and advancing planning policies that will support sustainable growth across the district. The report also outlines how the Council is responding to changes in national housing policy and preparing a new Local Plan to ensure future development continues to be properly managed and community focused.

A new Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) has been approved to prevent illegal pony and trap racing along a stretch of the A40 between Witney and Burford, following serious safety concerns raised by residents and Thames Valley Police (TVP).

West Oxfordshire District Council is backing a new programme to build on the strong foundation of services that residents already receive, ensuring we keep pace with changing needs and take waste and environmental services in Oxfordshire to the next level.  The aim is simple: collaborate with other councils to improve services for residents and businesses, reduce environmental impact, and make every taxpayer’s pound go further. 

Marriotts Walk Shopping Centre is celebrating the outstanding success of its 2025 Christmas Market, held from Thursday 27 – Sunday 30 November.

Residents, businesses and community groups are being reminded that there is one week left to comment on West Oxfordshire District Council’s Spatial Options consultation – the latest stage in preparing the new Local Plan.