District against reform plans (From Witney Gazette)

District against reform plans

9:11am Saturday 27th January 2007 in Witney By Giles Sheldrick

FIERCE debate over a possible shake-up of local government in Oxfordshire has sparked deep rifts between councils.

The leader of West Oxfordshire District Council, Barry Norton, has branded moves to scrap County Hall as 'political jiggery pokery', and said it would impact on council tax bills.

But other councils across the county are in favour of plans to create three unitary authorities, one for the city, one in the north, and one in the south.

On Thursday, Oxford City Council handed in the application, which has been backed by Vale and Tory-run Cherwell district councils.

And Conservative-controlled South Oxfordshire District Council has written to the Government's communities secretary, Ruth Kelly, and said if Oxford's bid was accepted, it would 'wholeheartedly' examine the case for a south Oxfordshire unitary.

As it stands, County Hall and West Oxfordshire are the only authorities against the shake-up.

Mr Norton said: "If this bid goes ahead, West Oxfordshire's council tax would go up (substantially) - we are the ones who are going to suffer most.

"It would be pure political jiggery-pokery."

However, Cherwell leader, Barry Wood, said: "I have no doubt this would be the best form of local government for the people of northern Oxfordshire."

The independent Institute of Public Finance has calculated creating three new unitaries in Oxfordshire would cost £27.1m, and provide annual savings of £7.2m.

County Hall, whose own finance experts said the cost would be closer to £60m, and never repay itself, branded the calculations 'lamentably wide of the mark'.

Vale leader Jerry Patterson said: "Oxford City Council's bid is very imaginative. We support the bid wholeheartedly."

County council leader, Keith Mitchell, said: "Oxford city councillors are high on rhetoric, and low on performance.

"Their financial figures are lamentably wide of the mark.

"There are serious miscalculations, and this bid would end up hitting Oxfordshire people severely in terms of cash and service quality."

If the Government considers Oxford's case financially viable, a unitary could be up-and-running by April in 2009.

In his letter to Ms Kelly on behalf of the authority, Rodney Mann, deputy leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, said: "We are encouraged by the work of the Institute of Public Finance, included in the city council's bid, that shows financial benefits to taxpayers of having three unitary councils.

"You have my assurance this council will enter wholeheartedly into that debate."