South Oxfordshire District | |
|---|---|
 River Thames, which flows through the middle of the district. | |
 Coat of arms | |
 South Oxfordshire shown within Oxfordshire | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | South East England |
| Non-metropolitan county | Oxfordshire |
| Historic county | Oxfordshire (north of River Thames) Berkshire (south of River Thames) |
| Status | Non-metropolitan district |
| Admin HQ | Abingdon-on-Thames |
| Incorporated | 1 April 1974 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Non-metropolitan district council |
| • Body | South Oxfordshire District Council |
| • Leadership | Leader & Cabinet (Liberal Democrat) |
| • MPs | |
| Area | |
• Total | 261.99 sq mi (678.54 km2) |
| • Rank | 48th(of 296) |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total | 156,470 |
| • Rank | 144th(of 296) |
| • Density | 597.25/sq mi (230.60/km2) |
| Ethnicity(2021) | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| Religion(2021) | |
| • Religion | List
|
| Time zone | UTC0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| ONS code | 38UD (ONS) E07000179 (GSS) |
| OS grid reference | SU6571895057 |
| Website | www |
South Oxfordshire is alocal government district in theceremonial county ofOxfordshire,England. Its council is temporarily based outside the district atAbingdon-on-Thames pending a planned move toDidcot, the district's largest town. The areas located south of theRiver Thames are within thehistoric county ofBerkshire.
The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under theLocal Government Act 1972, covering the area of six former districts, which were abolished at the same time:[2]
The two Wallingford districts had previously been part of the administrative county ofBerkshire, whilst the other four districts had been in the administrative county of Oxfordshire. The new district was originally given the name "Wallingford".[3] The shadow authority elected in 1973 to oversee the transition requested a change of name to "South Oxfordshire", which was approved by the government before the new district formally came into being in 1974.[4]
TheRiver Thames flows for approximately 47 miles through South Oxfordshire,[5] forming the historic county boundary between Berkshire and Oxfordshire. It is also joined by theRiver Thame within the district. A characteristic of the rivers within the district is that they have wide floodplains with few houses on them so that fluvial flooding is a lesser problem than flash flooding.[6] Towns in the district areDidcot,Henley-on-Thames,Thame,Wallingford andWatlington.
The larger villages in the district include:
The 2001 Census recorded a population of just over 128,000 in the district. This was an increase of 7% since 1991. By the 2021 Census, the figure had risen to over 149,000.[7]
Much of the district is rural in nature, with the land in agricultural use and around 70% of the district has a green belt or AONB designation (The northeast of the district forms part of the Oxford Green Belt). 50% of the district's population lives outside its four main towns ofDidcot,Henley-on-Thames,Thame and Wallingford.
South Oxfordshire District Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1 April 1974 |
| Leadership | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 36 councillors |
 | |
Political groups |
|
Length of term | 4 years |
| Elections | |
Last election | 4 May 2023 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
| Website | |
| southoxon | |
South Oxfordshire District Council providesdistrict-level services.County-level services are provided byOxfordshire County Council. The whole district is also covered bycivil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[11]
Since 2008, the council has shared staff with neighbouringVale of White Horse District Council.[12]
TheLiberal Democrats have held a majority of the seats on the council since the2023 election.[13] Despite having a majority, they at first continued a coalition with theGreen Party that they had formed after the2019 election.[14][15] However, in May 2025 the Liberal Democrat group chose to end the coalition with the Greens and take full control.[16]
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:[17]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| No overall control | 1974–1976 | |
| Conservative | 1976–1995 | |
| No overall control | 1995–2003 | |
| Conservative | 2003–2019 | |
| No overall control | 2019–2023 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 2023–present | |
Theleaders of the council since 2003 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ann Ducker[18] | Conservative | 2003 | 21 Sep 2014 | |
| John Cotton[19][20] | Conservative | 16 Oct 2014 | Apr 2018 | |
| Jane Murphy[21][22] | Conservative | 19 Apr 2018 | May 2019 | |
| Sue Cooper[23] | Liberal Democrats | 16 May 2019 | 7 Oct 2021 | |
| David Rouane[24] | Liberal Democrats | 7 Oct 2021 | ||
Following the2023 election, the composition of the council was:[13][25]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | 21 | |
| Green | 8 | |
| Henley Residents Group | 3 | |
| Labour | 3 | |
| Conservative | 1 | |
| Total | 36 | |
The next election is due in 2027.[26]
Since the last full review of boundaries in 2015, the council has comprised 36councillors representing 21wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[27]
The council was initially based in various premises across the district in Henley, Thame, Wheatley, Wallingford and Didcot inherited from its predecessor authorities.[28] In 1981 the council moved to a purpose-built headquarters on Benson Lane,Crowmarsh Gifford, near Wallingford.[29]
On 15 January 2015, an arson attack destroyed the district council's main offices in Crowmarsh Gifford.[30] As the fire started in the early hours of the morning there were no fatalities or injuries.[31] Immediately after the fire, the council was temporarily based inAbingdon, in the neighbouringVale of White Horse district.[32] From later in 2015 until 2022 the council was based atMilton Park, sharing a building with Vale of White Horse District Council.[33] The Council initially intended to return to Crowmarsh,[34] but in October 2020 it was announced that both councils plan on relocating to a new building in Didcot, to be built on a site known as Didcot Gateway oppositeDidcot Parkway railway station, aiming for completion in 2023.[35] In 2022 the councils vacated Milton Park and returned to Abingdon, again on a temporary basis, whilst waiting for the Didcot Gateway scheme to be ready.[36] In July 2025, the council decided to stop any new work on the Didcot Gateway project because of the impendingLocal Government Reorganisation.[37][38]
In terms of television, the area is served byBBC South andITV Meridian broadcast from theOxford transmitter.[39] However, southern parts of the district which includesHenley-on-Thames is served byBBC London andITV London broadcasting from theCrystal Palace transmitter.[40]
Radio stations for the area areBBC Radio Oxford,BBC Radio Berkshire (coveringHenley-on-Thames),Heart South, andGreatest Hits Radio.
Local newspapers areOxfordshire Guardian,Oxford Mail andHenley Standard.
South Oxfordshire has consistently one of the best recycling rates in England, coming top of the league table of the percentage of waste sent for recycling, reuse or composting in 2022/23[41] and 2023/24, with 62.9% of waste now recycled.[42] The local authority has been placed at or near the top of the league table for over a decade.[43]
In May 2006, a report commissioned byBritish Gas[44] showed that housing in South Oxfordshire produced the 5th highest average carbon emissions in the country at 7,356 kg ofcarbon dioxide per dwelling.
