Ridgeway Council will cover most of the existing South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse districts combined with West Berkshire Council.
Ridgeway balances a strong network of idyllic market towns and rural areas with cutting edge industries. It also forms part of the strong technology sector spine which runs down into West Berkshire and includes a world leading fusion energy research project,
cutting-edge laboratories, and a central hub to the UK’s digital infrastructure. The area already has a strong history of collaboration of services between the existing authorities to deliver highly successful shared services.
Ridgeway population
| Population today | 430,000 |
| Population in 2040 | 545,000 |
By 2040, Ridgeway would have a population larger than 23 of London’s 33 boroughs (including the City of London).
Benefits to Ridgeway
- Only having one council to contact for all services
- Tailoring services to the needs of the more rural Ridgeway
- Giving Ridgeway full control over its house building, without the need to help Greater Oxford meet its housing need
- Enabling local economies in Ridgeway to grow at their own pace
- Savings of £48.6m a year across Oxfordshire and West Berkshire by cutting duplication and merging services
More on each council
Ridgeway is one of three new unitary councils in the proposal, which can each support each area in its own way. Read about each of the three:
Looking for the full 3Councils proposal?
Visit our 3Councils – the power of 3 page to see a summary and to download the full proposal document.