Vale of White Horse District Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1 April 1974 |
| Leadership | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 38 councillors |
 | |
Political groups |
|
Length of term | 4 years |
| Elections | |
| First-past-the-post, Whole council elected every 4 years | |
Last election | May 2019 |
Next election | May 2023 |
| Website | |
| whitehorsedc | |
Vale of White Horse District Council is the local authority for the Vale of White Horse, a non-metropolitan district in the south-west of Oxfordshire, England, that was created on 1 April 1974.
At the first elections in 1973 forty-nine district councillors were elected from thirty-one electoral wards. [2] Currently thirty-eight councillors are elected from twenty four electoral wards, which cover the principal towns of Abingdon, Faringdon and Wantage and surrounding villages. [3] This was effective from the 2015 elections. [4]
Between 2011 and 2019 the council had a Conservative majority. The Liberal Democrats took control from May 2019. [5] Elections of the full council take place every four years.
At the May 2019 local elections, the Liberal Democrats overcame the Tories' 20-seat majority to become the major party with a 24-seat majority. [5]
In the May 2023 local elections, the Conservative party lost all its remaining seats on the council. [6]
The first election to the district council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows: [7] [8]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 1974–1995 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 1995–2011 | |
| Conservative | 2011–2019 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 2019–present | |
The leaders of the council since 2004 have been: [9]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jerry Patterson | Liberal Democrats | 2004 | 21 May 2008 | |
| Tony de Vere | Liberal Democrats | 21 May 2008 | 18 May 2011 | |
| Matthew Barber | Conservative | 18 May 2011 | 16 May 2018 | |
| Roger Cox | Conservative | 16 May 2018 | 5 May 2019 | |
| Emily Smith | Liberal Democrats | 15 May 2019 | 7 Dec 2022 | |
| Bethia Thomas | Liberal Democrats | 7 Dec 2022 | ||
The council was initially based in a number of offices inherited from its predecessor authorities across the district. In the early 1990s the council built itself a new headquarters in Abingdon called Abbey House (or "New Abbey House" to distinguish it from the neighbouring building formerly also called Abbey House, which was renamed "Old Abbey House"). [10]
In 2014 the council largely vacated Abbey House, retaining only a small presence there, with most of Abbey House since 2014 being occupied instead by Oxfordshire County Council. Vale of White Horse moved most of its staff to share the offices of its neighbour South Oxfordshire in Crowmarsh Gifford, but in 2015 that building was destroyed in a fire following an arson attack. From 2015 until 2022, Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire shared temporary office accommodation at Milton Park near Didcot. [11] The two councils returned to Abbey House in 2022 as a temporary measure, with the intention being to build a new shared headquarters in Didcot. [12]
Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England. It is locally governed by Oxfordshire County Council and the lower-tier authorities of its five non-metropolitan districts: City of Oxford, Cherwell, South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse, and West Oxfordshire. The county is landlocked and bordered by Northamptonshire to the north-east, Warwickshire to the north-west, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, Wiltshire to the south-west, and Gloucestershire to the west. The area of Oxfordshire south of the River Thames was part of the historic county of Berkshire, including the county's highest point, the 261-metre (856 ft) White Horse Hill. The largest settlement in the county is Oxford, its only city, with an estimated population of 151,584.
West Dunbartonshire is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. The area lies to the north-west of the City of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's commuter towns and villages. West Dunbartonshire also borders Argyll and Bute, East Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire and Stirling.
Abingdon-on-Thames, commonly known as Abingdon, is a historic market town and civil parish in the ceremonial county of Oxfordshire, England, on the River Thames. Historically the county town of Berkshire, Abingdon has been administered since 1974 by the Vale of White Horse district within Oxfordshire. The area was occupied from the early to middle Iron Age and the remains of a late Iron Age and Roman defensive enclosure lies below the town centre. Abingdon Abbey was founded around 676, giving its name to the emerging town. In the 13th and 14th centuries, Abingdon was an agricultural centre with an extensive trade in wool, alongside weaving and the manufacture of clothing. Charters for the holding of markets and fairs were granted by various monarchs, from Edward I to George II.
Wantage is a historic market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. Although within the boundaries of the historic county of Berkshire, it has been administered as part of the Vale of White Horse district of Oxfordshire since 1974. The town is on Letcombe Brook, 8 miles (13 km) south-west of Abingdon, 24 miles (39 km) north-west of Reading, 15 miles (24 km) south-west of Oxford and 14 miles (23 km) north-west of Newbury.
Didcot is a railway town and civil parish in the ceremonial county of Oxfordshire and the historic county of Berkshire. Didcot is 15 miles (24 km) south of Oxford, 10 miles (16 km) east of Wantage and 15 miles (24 km) north west of Reading. The town is noted for its railway heritage, Didcot station opening as a junction station on the Great Western Main Line in 1844. Today the town is known for the railway museum and power stations, and is the gateway town to the Science Vale: three large science and technology centres in the surrounding villages of Milton, Culham and Harwell.
The Vale of White Horse is a local government district of Oxfordshire in England. It was historically a north-west projection of Berkshire. The area is commonly referred to as the 'Vale of the White Horse'. It is crossed by the Ridgeway National Trail in its far south, across the North Wessex Downs AONB at the junction of four counties. The northern boundary is defined by the River Thames. The name refers to Uffington White Horse, a prehistoric hill figure.
South Oxfordshire is a local government district in the ceremonial county of Oxfordshire, England. Its council is temporarily based outside the district at Abingdon-on-Thames pending a planned move to Didcot, the district's largest town. The areas located south of the River Thames are within the historic county of Berkshire.
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Witney is a county constituency in Oxfordshire represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election, and was created for the 1983 general election. It has been a safe Conservative Party seat at recent elections. It is currently represented by Robert Courts of the Conservative Party.
The Vale of White Horse District Council, governing the Vale of White Horse in Oxfordshire, England is elected every four years.
Aylesbury Vale District Council was the council for the non-metropolitan district of Aylesbury Vale in Buckinghamshire, England, which existed as a local government area from 1974 to 2020. The council was elected every four years from 1973 until 2020. At the time of its abolition, the council had 59 councillors, elected from 33 wards.
South Oxfordshire District Council, a non-metropolitan district council in Oxfordshire, England is elected every four years.
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An election to Oxfordshire County Council took place on 2 May 2013 as part of the 2013 United Kingdom local elections. 63 councillors were elected from 61 electoral divisions, which returned either one or two county councillors each by first-past-the-post voting for a four-year term of office. Following a boundary review, the electoral divisions were not the same as those used at the previous election in 2009. The election saw the Conservative Party lose overall control of the council as the party found itself one seat short of an overall majority.
The 2019 United Kingdom local elections took place on Thursday 2 May 2019, with 248 English local councils, six directly elected mayors in England, and all 11 local councils in Northern Ireland being contested.
Matthew David Barber is a British politician. He is currently Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner. He previously served as Leader of the Council on Vale of White Horse District Council and Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for the Thames Valley Police.
The 2023 Vale of White Horse District Council election took place on 4 May 2023 to elect members of Vale of White Horse District Council in Oxfordshire, England. This would be on the same day as other local elections across England.