West Oxfordshire

West Oxfordshire District
Non-metropolitan district

West Oxfordshire shown within Oxfordshire
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Constituent country England
Region South East England
Non-metropolitan county Oxfordshire
Status Non-metropolitan district
Admin HQ Witney
Incorporated 1 April 1974
Government
  Type Non-metropolitan district council
  Body West Oxfordshire District Council
  Leadership Leader & Cabinet (Conservative)
  MPs David Cameron
Area
  Total 275.83 sq mi (714.40 km2)
Area rank 53rd (of 326)
Population (mid-2014 est.)
  Total 108,158
  Rank 216th (of 326)
  Density 390/sq mi (150/km2)
  Ethnicity 98.4% White
Time zone GMT (UTC0)
  Summer (DST) BST (UTC+1)
ONS code 38UF (ONS)
E07000181 (GSS)
OS grid reference SP3591610698
Website www.westoxon.gov.uk

West Oxfordshire is a local government district in north west Oxfordshire, England including towns such as Woodstock, Burford, Chipping Norton, Charlbury, and Witney (where the council is based).

The area is mainly rural downland and forest, the main activities being farming and associated trades.

The district was created on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by the merger of the municipal borough of Chipping Norton, Witney urban district, and Chipping Norton and Witney Rural Districts.

West Oxfordshire lies within the River Thames catchment area, with the Thames itself and its tributaries including the River Evenlode and River Windrush running through the area.[1] Parts of the district suffered severe flooding during the 2007 floods in the UK.[2]

Governance

Elections to West Oxfordshire District Council are held in three out of every four years, with one third of the seats on the council being elected at each election. Since the first election to the council in 1973 the only political party to have had a majority on the council is the Conservative party, although there have been periods where no party has had a majority and independents had a majority from 1973 to 1976 and from 1990 to 1992. Since the 2000 election the Conservatives have controlled the council and as of the Witney North by-election in August 2015 the council is composed of the following councillors:[3]

Party Councillors
  Conservative Party 41
  Labour Party 4
  Liberal Democrats 4

References

Coordinates: 51°47′36″N 1°28′45″W / 51.79333°N 1.47917°W / 51.79333; -1.47917

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