THE Green Party has called for a referendum before new councils are created in Oxfordshire.

In a report, the party said three 'unitary' authorities in the north of the county, Oxford City and the south of the county that would deliver all services made the most sense.

These would replace the current two-tier system, where the county council delivers some services and district councils deliver others.

But Green leader David Williams said a decision should be made by the public, not "behind closed doors".

His comments came after the county and district councils called a truce, after a row broke out about how local government should be made simpler in order to win a devolution deal with the Government.

The county council has previously supported having one council for all of Oxfordshire, but the districts have called for three or four councils.

Mr Williams said: "We are calling for a referendum or some form of deep public consultations rather than evolving something behind close doors.

"The people of Oxford should have a say in what they consider the best for their local governments structure."

Proportional representation, rather than first-past-the-post, should also be used in local elections, he said.

The report by the Green Party said three unitary councils was the "most logical solution".

It added: "Given the geography of Oxfordshire it would seem the most logical solution is a three=part unitary division of Oxford City with a South and North Oxfordshire.

"Divisions focused on reflecting that geo-political reality would seem more appropriate than the single, large and distant local government structure offered by the county."