Latest news with #ValeofWhiteHorse
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Cost of living: Council pauses bid for living wage recognition
An Oxfordshire council has "paused" its bid to be accredited as an employer that pays the real living councillors on Vale of White Horse District Council pushed for the move back in 2023, after it was revealed some council contractors were paying the lower minimum the Lib Dem-controlled authority said it had undertaken a "consideration of workload" following the government's announcement that local government would be said that it would be "for the new council to set its own direction on HR matters such as pay". The Living Wage Foundation puts the real living wage at £12.60 per hour outside London - above the National Minimum Wage of £ says that more than 16,000 employers have been given an accreditation for paying the higher Vale of White Horse District Council said getting that accreditation involved contacting all the authority's third-party suppliers and contractors to seek their commitment to pay the living said that was a "time-consuming and resource intensive process".Green councillor Katherine Foxhall said the decision to pause work towards accreditation was said: "We still really think that it's vital that as major employers within the county, that councils really lead by example."Particularly in the context of local government reform, what we're trying to get our leaders to do is to set the tone and the priorities of whichever authority that follows."It's really vital that we say these are the things that are important to us, these are our priorities."Paying people fairly is a crucial aspect of council services."Under plans for local government reorganisation, district councils in Oxfordshire will cease to exist in 2028, and the county's two tier system will be replaced with unitary authorities. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
14-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Why Reading Borough Council wants to expand its borders
If you live on the western fringes of Reading - in Calcot, Tilehurst, Theale, Pangbourne or Purley-on-Thames - you currently come under the umbrella of West Berkshire Berkshire empties your bins, runs your schools and - perhaps most importantly of all - sets and collects your council tax the government planning a major revamp of local government in the next few years though, some councils will have to merge with others to survive. Others will look to expand their own boundaries to become big enough to meet the government's new population why Reading is looking to swallow up these five Berkshire villages, a move that would add about 32,000 extra people to its current population of roughly 175, wants smaller councils like the six we have in Berkshire to combine with others so they have at least 350,000 people on their books. It says fewer, bigger councils would be cheaper for taxpayers while improving services at the same time. Even the county's most populous council area though, West Berkshire, has only around half that number. Nothing's yet written in stone but the Royal County's other councils, including Reading, would have been forgiven for thinking West Berkshire might have been looking to join with them as they started to draw up their re-organisation the surprise of just everyone outside the council's top brass though, West Berkshire decided in the spring it would rather merge with the Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire councils instead to create a brand new authority - Ridgeway Council. Reading's now reacted to this idea by saying it wants to absorb the West Berkshire villages of Purley-on-Thames, Calcot, Pangbourne, Theale and Calcot into its own authority. It has to get permission from the government to do this and is planning to ask for formal permission to bring them under its control in the next few weeks. Reading Borough's leader Liz Terry said: "There is no doubt many residents on the western fringes of Reading look to the town, whether for work, transport connections, higher education, shopping or to use other facilities."In that respect, these are already suburbs of Reading and clearly fall within its economic catchment area."While Reading will inevitably loom large in the lives of the people who live on Reading's western fringes, many will no doubt feel a natural affinity to the more rural nature and feel of West Berkshire. As for what West Berkshire's councillors will make of this blatant land grab - that will become clearer in the coming days. But if they'd been hoping they'd stolen a march on their neighbours with their Ridgeway plan, they may just need to think again. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
11-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
South Oxfordshire District Council leader backs plan to scrap new HQ
Scrapping plans for a new council headquarters after government proposals for devolution and local government reorganisation is "clearly the right decision", the authority's leader has Didcot Gateway scheme, which aimed to regenerate land opposite the town's railway station, was halted after councillors unanimously voted to redirect funds towards purchasing about 30 homes for social at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, council leader David Rouane said £1.9m would have been spent on the project by the time it was stopped, correcting earlier reports of £2.2m. A final decision on the project will be made at a full council meeting on 17 July. The proposed four-storey complex, also intended for use by Vale of White Horse District Council staff, had recently received planning permission. The project followed the destruction of the previous headquarters in a 2015 arson attack. Staff have since been working from temporary offices.A council report said it would be "inappropriate" to proceed, as the councils are expected to cease operating in their current form by April 2028."Whilst the final outcome of [local government reform] for the south will not be known until early in 2026," the report said, "delivery of the proposed new office accommodation... is no longer justified."Cabinet member for communities Georgina Heritage thanked officers for "responding so effectively to the request that funds could be moved to where it's needed most right now"."If there's any legacy that I could wish for following local government reorganisation, it's more council houses," she said. The council said regenerating the Didcot Gateway site remained a priority. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
10-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
HQ plans for South Oxfordshire and Vale councils to be scrapped
Plans to regenerate an area opposite Didcot's station and build new council offices are expected to be Oxfordshire District Council officers said the Didcot Gateway scheme is "no longer justified" because of government plans for council devolution and authority will have spent £2.2m on the regeneration project by the time it is saved by stopping the scheme will be used to purchase social housing. The proposals for new council offices were given planning permission earlier this four-storey complex opposite Didcot Parkway railway station was due to be used by both South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Council staff, with further office space rented to a third councillor, Conservative Ian Snowdon, said that the project should have been scrapped by South Oxfordshire District Council said: "Instead of accepting that they'd gone the wrong route, and doing a U-turn, they've doubled-down on it."The devolution thing has come out and they're using it as an excuse to finally draw a line under this awful scheme."The two authorities were based in Crowmarsh Gifford until 2015, when their building was gutted during an arson officers have said in a report that it would be "inappropriate" to continue on the plans for Didcot Gateway, because of the government's plans for devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR).The report added: "Whilst the final outcome of LGR for South will not be known until early in 2026, what is clear is that delivery of the proposed new office accommodation for South and Vale district councils' staff on the Didcot Gateway site is no longer justified. "This is because, based on the government's published timeline, the councils will cease operating in their current form no later than April 2028."The £10m that was set to be invested in Didcot Gateway will instead be used to purchase 30 homes for social Oxfordshire District Council's cabinet will decide on the future of the Didcot Gateway project on Thursday, before a final decision by the full council. In a statement South Oxfordshire District Council said "The regeneration of the Didcot Gateway site remains a priority for the council. "Continuing to secure planning permission was a common sense approach so that any future unitary council would have maximum flexibility for what to do at the site." You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
03-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse Councils' HQ approved
A new headquarters for two councils has been formally approved, more than 10 years after their last permanent base was destroyed by Oxfordshire District Council's (SODC) planning committee approved building the four-storey complex opposite Didcot Parkway train station on and Vale of White Horse District Council, which share staff, will use the building, having been based at Milton Park and Abbey House in Abingdon for the last had been based in Crowmarsh Gifford but that building was gutted in January 2015. The application for the new building was first submitted in August 2023 with the aim of being decided by May a number of amendments were made to the plans, which were submitted last November, in April and in June. SODC planning officers supported giving the new HQ planning permission. The authority received 45 objections from members of the public and three supporting comments. SODC and Vale Councils want to merge with West Berkshire Council to form Ridgeway Council, named after the ancient footpath that cuts through their any plans for local government reorganisation in Oxfordshire must be confirmed by the government. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
