HE leader of Oxfordshire County Council, Ian Hudspeth, has written to South Oxfordshire District Council’s leader Sue Cooper to urge her and her authority to keep its Local Plan – to safeguard hundreds of millions of pounds of funding.

Mr Hudspeth, along with other Oxfordshire council leaders, have voiced concern that the government money could be lost if the plan is ditched.

Mr Hudspeth told Mrs Cooper that money for ‘essential infrastructure required now’ would be at risk if SODC does not continue its Local Plan.

SODC will eventually make a decision on what to do with it on October 10.

Mr Hudspeth said: “I have been involved in transport and infrastructure funding at the county council for 12 years and I have never seen the level of funding we have obtained over the last two years by all six councils working in partnership.

READ MORE: Leaders urge South Oxfordshire District Council to keep its Local Plan amongst funding concerns

“I know that there has been a historic deficit that needs to be addressed, however history suggests that governments of all political colours have not delivered the infrastructure funding.”

Officers recommend the council keeps its Local Plan. They said there are 'clear advantages over the disadvantages' in papers published yesterday.

SODC has published letters from the Government, Mrs Cooper and other figures on its own website. It said earlier that it had spent £3.6m formulating its Local Plan.