We asked, you said, we did

Residents of some parishes in the Vale of White Horse to provide their views on potential changes to community governance in their areas, including changes to parish boundaries. The proposals outlined in this consultation formed part of the 2026 Community Governance Review (CGR) for the Vale of White Horse.

We received 401 responses for this consultation, of which 98 per cent by members of the public. 

Most respondents agreed with the following proposals:

• To amend the boundary between Kingston Bagpuize with Southmoor parish (KBS) and Tubney and Fyfield parish to include a new residential development of 650 dwellings within KBS parish.
• To create a joint council by grouping together the parishes of Appleton with Eaton and Besselsleigh. 

Most respondents disagreed with the proposal to amend the boundaries between Kennington parish and Radley parish to include the housing developments north of Sugworth Lane within Kennington parish.

Here you can find all the results of this consultation.

After the consultation closed, the Community Governance and Electoral Issues Commitee (the Committee) reviewed the feedback received and made final recommendations on which proposal(s) should be taken to a second round of consultation, and which should not be considered any further. A second round of consultation on the final proposals launched on Thursday 11 June 2026.

Residents of some town and parish councils in South Oxfordshire to give us their views on potential changes to community governance in their areas, including changes to town/parish boundaries, the number of elected councillors and how local wards are organised. The proposals outlined in the consultation formed part of the 2026 Community Governance Review (CGR) for South Oxfordshire. Some of the amendments we consulted on were based on the recommendations made by the 2023/24 Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) review. 

We received 132 responses to this consultation, of which 89 per cent submitted by members of the public. 

Most respondents agreed with the following proposals:

• Stoke Row Parish Council: to increase the number of councillors from 6 to 8.
• Henley-on-Thames Town Council: to alter LGBCE warding arrangements and retain pre-LGBCE review ones.
• Thame Town Council: to alter LGBCE warding arrangements and retain pre-LGBCE review ones.
• Clifton Hampden and Dorchester Parish Councils: to review the boundary between the parishes in order to include the property at 6 Linnet Close within the parish of Clifton Hampden.
• Thame Town Council and Great Haseley Parish Council: to review the boundary between the parishes in order to include the business industrial estate off the A329 within Thame parish (Phase 1), and to include the land currently proposed for the development of Thame Cattle Market within Thame parish (Phase 2).

Most respondents disagreed with the following proposals:

• Ewelme Parish Council: to increase the number of councillors from 6 to 8. Only one respondent commented on this proposal.
• Watlington Parish Council and Pyrton Parish Council: to amend the boundary between the parishes in order to include a new development of 100 dwellings within Watlington parish.
• Nuneham Parish Council: to group Nuneham Parish Council with one of its neighbouring parish councils.

No clear majority emerged with respect to the proposals for:

• Didcot Town Council: to alter the LGBCE warding arrangements and retain pre-LGBCE review ones.
• Woodcote Parish Council: to increase the number of councillors from 10 to 12.
• Shirburn Parish Meeting and Pyrton Parish Council: to amend the boundary with Pyrton parish to include the whole of Shirburn Castle Park within Shirburn parish.

Here you can read about all the proposals and the results of this consultation. 

Once the consultation closed, the Community Governance and Electoral Issues Committee (the 'Committee') reviewed the feedback and made final recommendations on which proposals should be taken to a second round of consultation, and which ones should not be considered any further. To learn more, please visit their website to read the report and the minutes of the Committee meeting. A second round of consultation for the final proposal launched on Thursday 18 June 2026.

The councils consulted drivers, proprietors, operators and the public on the Joint Taxi Licensing Policy consultation from Tuesday 20 January until 11:59pm on Tuesday 10 March 2026. The Councils have a responsibility to ensure the policy remains current and compliant with legislation, and we aim to review it at least every five years. As part of this review, amendments were proposed to various sections of the policy, including minor clarifications and updates to reflect changes in guidance from central government.

A total of 131 responses were received, with 46 per cent being from individuals/members of the public.

 The consultation asked respondents for their feedback on the following:

 Proposed changes specific to South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse

 88 respondents provided 177 comments, and the most frequently mentioned topics included feedback on the revised target for zero emission vehicles from 2030 to 2045, mandatory acceptance of card/mobile payments and general comments on the climate and health impacts contributed by taxi drivers.

 Changes from the Department for Transport (DfT) Best Practice Guidance

76 respondents provided 78 comments, many of which raised concerns towards the tinted windows proposal, which proposed an increase in the level of permitted tint to 30% of light transmission, this was previously 70%. Other feedback included the removal of requirement for a fire extinguisher in a licensed vehicle and vehicle daily condition checks.

 Policy amendments which relate to changes already made to how we work and guidance on existing legislation

66 respondents provided 143 comments. Key topics included the proposal that drivers must have held a DVLA licence for at least 12 months to commence the application process, and in relation to the added condition to the policy for operator booking staff to have passed the relevant disability awareness and safeguarding training.

You can find out more about the comments received and view the full consultation report and the consultation report appendix.

All the comments have been reviewed, and an officer has provided a response where required which is available to view in the consultation report appendix. In response to some of the comments received, a few minor changes were made to encourage licence holders to continue to take cash payments, and to suggest they advise anyone booking a journey if they do not accept cash payment, and to make it clearer that vehicles with an exemption from the requirement to display taxi plate are also exempt from the tinted windows criteria.

The consultation report along with a final version of the proposed taxi licensing policy was shared with the General Licensing Committees in June 2026. The results were considered and were discussed at the committee meetings. The policy was adopted with effect from 17 June 2026.

We asked: We asked members of the public, businesses/organisations, and statutory consultees for their feedback on the Joint Licensing Policy consultation. The policy was due a review, which resulted in updates to legislation and expansion to various sections of the policy to provide further detail and to add more clarity.

You said: A total of 30 responses were received, with the majority (80 per cent) from individuals/members of the public.

Level of agreement to the overall policy - respondents were asked how far they agree or disagree with the proposed Licensing Policy. The majority (73 per cent) expressed agreement, more specifically 53 per cent agreeing and 20 per cent strongly agreeing.

Frequently mentioned qualitative feedback - we asked respondents to provide their comments on the proposed Licensing Policy. 13 comments were received, with some resulting in additional amendments or additions to the policy which have been reviewed by the committees.

Other comments covered topics around national statutory guidance which cannot be amended by the councils, and retail of vapes which is not regulated by the licensing policy.

The Licensing Team is liaising separately with Public Health, one of the respondents, and that work will continue separate to the policy document itself and this will result in revised guidance and data (for example, relating to health, crime and antisocial behaviour) to help inform applicants about matters that may impact on their proposed business in an area.

Support for local businesses - we want to ensure we are supporting local businesses. The consultation included a section asking businesses/organisations to provide their feedback if they felt that any part of the licensing policy makes it harder for small businesses to succeed. Eight comments were received with the most frequently mentioned item being Martyn’s Law which is a legislative requirement and therefore not something being imposed by the Councils. Any information provided by the Government or the relevant regulator (the Security Industry Authority) will be shared as this becomes available.

The results of this consultation were presented to the councils' General Licensing Committees in January 2026 who made the final decision to adopt the policy in February 2026. You can find out more by viewing the consultation report and adopted Joint Licensing Policy.

Residents of Whitchurch-on-Thames and key stakeholders for their views on the Whitchurch Conservation Area Appraisal during a 4-week consultation period, running from September until October 2025.

As part of the review process, we proposed a number of changes to the conservation area boundary as follows:

• Addition of land on Hardwick Road to include a historic avenue of trees. 
• Removal of the modern dwellings at Old Gardens.
• Corrections of the boundary to reflect property boundaries at Eastfield House, Pluto and Chiltern Edge.

In total, 19 responses were received during the public consultation period. The majority of respondents (84 per cent) are individuals / members of the public and 10 per cent (2) from a business / organisation.

Comments were generally positive about the content of the document. There were mixed comments received on the proposed boundary extension along Hardwick Road. Directly affected residents were concerned about the implications for their responsibility to maintain the trees and not keen to see the boundary extended.

However, residents of the wider village were keen to see the trees included in the designated area to ensure their ongoing protection.

Overall, it is considered there is good evidence of the historic contribution the trees make to the area. The addition of the trees to the boundary does not restrict the owners from doing necessary works, it just ensures that where works are needed these are agreed first and ensures suitable replacements for important trees can be secured if necessary.

You can view a copy of the comments received to the consultation for Whitchurch-on-Thames Conservation Area Appraisal consultation.

The feedback received to the consultation resulted in several amendments to the appraisal document which can be viewed in the Cabinet Report. The updated Whitchurch-on-Thames Appraisal document was adopted by the council democratic process in December 2025 and is available to view on the conservation pages of our website.

Residents of Watlington and key stakeholders for their views on the Watlington Conservation Area Appraisal document.

The document details a number of proposed changes to the conservation area boundary as follows: 

• Addition of open space on Britwell Road  

• Addition of 21 and 23 Britwell Road.

In total, 16 responses were received during the public consultation period, with 62 per cent from individuals / members of the public.

Overall, there was good support for the draft appraisal document. Comments were generally positive about the content of the document. There is only a small boundary review proposed, and those residents directly impacted by the proposed extension responded by questioning the level of justification.

You can view a copy of the comments received to the consultation for Watlington Conservation Area Appraisal consultation.

The feedback received to the consultation resulted in several amendments to the appraisal document which can be viewed in the Cabinet Report. The updated Watlington Appraisal document was adopted by the council democratic process in December 2025 and is available to view on the conservation pages of our website.

Residents of Goring-on-Thames and key stakeholders for their views on the Goring-on-Thames Conservation Area Appraisal document.

The document details a number of proposed changes to the Goring-on-Thames Conservation Area boundary as follows:

• Addition of Railway Cottages to the conservation area because they are considered to be of historic and architectural interest.
• Addition of six properties on Manor Road to the conservation area (Querton, Grange Cottage, Rivermead, Beckett, St Mary’s and Byways) because they are considered to be of historic and architectural interest.
• Removal of modern houses on Elmhurst Walk from conservation area because they are not of historic and architectural interest.
• Removal of modern developments at Sloane Close and Farm Road near Tesco from the conservation area because they are not of historic and architectural interest.

Corrections to the western boundary so that it follows the current Oxfordshire administrative boundary. This will result in the inclusion of the GII listed Streatley paddle and Rymer Weir within the Oxfordshire administrative area and the exclusion of parts of the Swan Hotel at Streatley and other domestic gardens which are within the administration of Berkshire.

24 responses were received during the public consultation period, with 71 per cent from individuals / members of the public.

Overall, there was general support for the appraisal document. There were mixed views towards the proposed conservation area boundary extensions, specifically the proposed extension along Manor Road. Further information has been provided by the residents as to the extent of changes to the buildings here, which indicates the contribution they make is lower than stated in the document.

You can view a copy of the comments received to the Goring-on-Thames Conservation Area Appraisal consultation here.

The feedback received to the consultation resulted in several amendments to the appraisal document which can be viewed in the Cabinet Report. The updated Goring on Thames Appraisal document was adopted by the council democratic process in December 2025 and is available to view on the conservation pages of our website.

Residents of Preston Crowmarsh and key stakeholders for their views on the Preston Crowmarsh Conservation Area Appraisal document.

The document details a number of proposed changes to the Preston Crowmarsh Conservation Area boundary as follows:

• Alterations to the conservation area boundary southwards to include the properties, plots, fields and land to the south of the current boundary up to the field boundary to the south of Crowmarsh Battle Farm.
• A small boundary correction extending the boundary to the east of No 75 and 77 Crowmarsh Lane to include the full extent of their curtilage.

In total, 25 responses were received during the public consultation period, with 68 per cent being from individuals / members of the public, whilst 16 per cent of respondents were on behalf of a district, county or town/parish councillor.

Overall, there was general support for the appraisal document and towards the proposed conservation area boundary extension. Some responses noted corrections that are required in terms of the name of the road running through the settlement and additional detail which will help to ensure an adopted appraisal will be as current and comprehensive as possible.

You can view a copy of the comments received to the Preston Crowmarsh Conservation Area Appraisal consultation.

The feedback received to the consultation resulted in several amendments to the appraisal document which can be viewed in the Cabinet Report. The updated Preston Crowmarsh Appraisal document was adopted by the council democratic process in December 2025 and is available to view on the conservation pages of our website.

As Local Housing Authorities, South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse District Councils have a legal requirement to publish a homelessness and rough sleeping strategy. This consultation asked residents and stakeholders to have their say on the Draft Joint Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2025-28, and its five key objectives. The online consultation also included a three-year action plan and the joint homelessness review, which informed the draft strategy.

On average, most respondents agreed with the five key objectives of the strategy (88 per cent). More specifically:

• 88 per cent agreed that the councils should aim to minimise the use of temporary accommodation
• 86 per cent agreed that they should aim to effectively end rough sleeping
• 87 per cent agreed that access to sustainable, long-term housing should be increased
• 88 per cent agreed that the councils should promote strong partnership working to tackle complex homelessness
• 89 per cent agreed that they should focus on early intervention to prevent homelessness

When respondents were asked whether something was missing in the draft strategy, no clear majority emerged among them, with 30 per cent answering ‘yes’ and 33 per cent saying ‘no’. Conversely, a large majority said that everything included in the draft strategy should be part of the final strategy (63 per cent).

Here you can read the full consultation report.

The feedback provided was reviewed and helped us finalise the strategy. The final Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy for 2025-28 was presented to South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils' Cabinets in October 2025 and was formally adopted on 3 November. You can read the strategy and the action plan on our websites: South/Vale. 

This survey aimed to assess customer satisfaction levels with the waste collection, street cleansing and recycling services. This survey is run annually. 

• Most respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with the waste collection service. The highest level of satisfaction was given to its reliability (87 per cent), and the lowest to the location the bins are returned to by the collection team (66 per cent).
• Most respondents said they use the food waste collection service (83 per cent).
• Among those who don’t use the food waste collection service, 48 per cent dispose of it in black general waste bags and 35 per cent through home composting.
• On average, more respondents were dissatisfied with street cleansing (38 per cent) than satisfied with it (30 per cent).

Here you can read the full consultation report.

The findings of the waste satisfaction survey contribute to the overall waste services strategy and target setting.

Members of the public for their feedback on the trial parking machines—touch screen and keypad—located in Civic Car Park (Abingdon), Cattle Market (Wallingford), Goldsmith Lane (Wallingford) and West St Helen’s Street (Abingdon) from Wednesday 9 April until 11:59pm Monday 26 May 2025. The survey was promoted via posters located alongside the car park machines.

We received 36 completed responses. 44% of them used the Civic Car park machine in Abingdon followed by Goldsmiths Lane in Wallingford and West St Helen Street which both had 19% each and Cattle Street in Wallingford with 17%.

Touch screen machines

• Of the 61% (22 respondents) that used the touch screen machines, 50% agree that the instructions were easy to follow.
• 82% agree that the machine was easy to input vehicle registration details
• 45% felt the machine processed their payment quickly, 23% did not.
• 50% are happy to have an electronic ticket rather than a ticket to go on their dashboard, whilst 40% are not.

Keypad machines

• Of the 28% (10 respondents) that used the keypad machines, 60% agree that the instructions were easy to follow.
• 80% said it was easy to input their vehicle registration details
• 40% of respondents disagree that the machine processed their payment quickly, whilst 30% agreed.
• 50% disagree with having electronic ticket rather than a ticket to go on their dashboard, whilst 30% are.

The results have been reviewed and will be presented to council members at a full council meeting in Autumn 2025. If approved, the most appropriate car parking machine will be purchased and installed across all council-owned car parks in South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse. You can read the full Parking Machines Trial Report here.

Owners of, and people responsible for empty properties in South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse to provide information to understand why their property is empty and how we can help to bring it back into use. 

200 completed responses were received, of which 123 were submitted online and 77 via email and post. Most respondents were owners of one or more empty property/ies (59 per cent), whilst 28 per cent were responsible for them. With respect to the type and state of the empty property, the reason for buying it and for it being empty, and the length of time it has been empty, the most common responses provided were:

• 22 per cent declared a detached property and 33 per cent said their property had five or more rooms
• 36 per cent of properties were in need of major renovation
• 33 per cent of properties were bought as primary residence
• 37 per cent of properties have been empty for 1-2 years
• In 26 per cent of cases the relevant proprietor of the property had died 

Respondents to the survey have been offered help and advice to bring their properties back into use, or they have been considered for further monitoring. Empty property owners who did not respond to the survey will be contacted again on a regular basis. Click on this link to read more about the findings of this survey. 

Members of the public, registered charities and charity collectors, businesses/organisations, and district, county and town/parish councils for their views on our new joint policy on charity collections. The proposed policy is aimed at safeguarding donors and beneficiaries, ensuring fair access to collection opportunities and preventing unlicensed fundraising. You can read the full proposed Charity Collection Policy here. 

We received 95 completed responses for this consultation. Most respondents agreed with all the proposals made in the Charity Collection Policy, in relation to both house-to-house collections and street collections. 

More specifically, with regards to house-to-house-collections:

• 89% agree with the proposed amends for applicants to provide detailed supporting material about their charity. 
• 69% agree with the proposed amends to restrict where collections can take place to prevent blanket district-wide collections.  
• 86% agree with the proposal that a minimum of 80 per cent of money donated during house-to-house collections should go to the charitable cause. 
• 86% agree with the proposed amends to set grounds for which an application may be refused.  

With regards to street collections:

• 75% agree with the proposed amends for any one charity/group be allocated a maximum of four collections per year, to provide equal access to all who wish to collect. 
• 87% agree with the proposed amendments to set the grounds on which an application may be refused. 

A report with the results of the consultation was presented to the council’s General Licensing Committees in July 2025. The committee reports included details of changes made to the proposed policy as a result of feedback from the consultation. The Committees discussed the results of the consultation, and a number of the comments received and approved the proposed policy to take effect from 1 August 2025. You can read the comments received in our consultation summary report. Click here to view the Appendix to the report.

contacts on the housing register, councils’ consultation database and stakeholders, including housing associations and local town and parish councils for their views on proposed changes to our joint Housing Allocations Policy. The Joint Housing Allocations Policy sets out the criteria to join the housing register and the rules for how social housing is allocated.

The policy needed updating to reflect the current housing priorities in the districts.

908 responses were received.

76% of responses were received from individuals/member of the public on the housing register and 17% from interested individuals/members of the public. The key findings are provided below: 

Increase the income and savings threshold from £60,000 to £80,000

• Over half (57%) of respondents agree with increasing the income and savings threshold, whilst 19% expressed disagreement.

Increase the level of rent arrears allowed from £500 to £1,000

• 62% of respondents agree with increasing the level of rent arrears, whilst 16% expressed disagreement.

Amend the list of exclusions that relate to unacceptable behaviour, such as:

• Amend the unacceptable behaviour exclusion criteria to applicants guilty of indictable offences and/or anti-social behaviour that would lead to eviction from a social tenancy.
• Remove the disqualification period from joining the housing register at the end of a custodial sentence or eviction from up to two years and replace it with a requirement that independent evidence is provided that the applicant is willing to receive support and change their behaviour.

67% of respondents agree with amending the list of exclusions, whilst 15% expressed disagreement.

Increase the priority banding for homeless households in temporary accommodation from ‘significant need for housing to ‘urgent need for housing’

• 72% agree with increasing the priority banding for homeless households in temporary accommodation, whilst 9% expressed disagreement.

A report with the results of the consultation was presented to South Oxfordshire District Council Cabinet on 3 July and Vale of White Horse District Council Cabinet on 4 July 2025. The Cabinet reports included details of changes made to the proposed policy as a result of feedback from the consultation. South and Vale Cabinets discussed the results of the consultation and approved the proposed policy to take effect by November 2025. You can read a summary of the comments received in our Connsultation Summary Report and Appendix. 

We asked business/organisations, town/parish councillors and members of the public for their views on our joint licensing policy for sex establishments in South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse. The original policy, which was introduced in 2011, was due a review and update. The proposed policy included updates to legislation and expansion to various sections to provide further detail and to add more clarity. 

• 3 completed responses were received to this consultation. All feedback (100%) was received from district, county or town/parish councillors. 

•  67% of respondents which is the equivalent of 2 respondents disagree with the proposed Sex Establishments Policy, whilst 33% (1 respondent) expressed agreement. The respondents disagreed with the section of the policy in which the council determined that ‘nil’ is an appropriate number of licences to be granted in South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse. 

The council responded to the feedback to explain that a nil policy is an early indication to an applicant that having taken into account the local factors, the nature of our market towns and surrounding areas (for example as family friendly, tourist or heritage areas), that the council has determined that ‘nil’ is an appropriate number of licences that may be granted. However, having a nil policy does not mean the council can reject the submission of an application out of hand. All applications will still need to be determined on their own merits, having regard to the criteria set out within the policy. If an applicant makes a valid application and provides all of the documentation set out in the policy, it will then be up to the licensing panel to determine it in line with that policy taking into account factors such as the character of the locality, the use of other premises in the vicinity and the layout and character of the proposed premises. 

The results of the consultation were presented to the council’s General Licensing Committees in July 2025. The Committees considered results of the consultation including the qualitative comments and approved the proposed policy to take effect from 1 August 2025. You can read the comments received in our consultation summary report.

People living or working in Berinsfield, businesses/organisations, community and interest groups, district, county and town/parish councils for their views on the Berinsfield Regeneration Strategy.

102 completed responses were received. 92 per cent of respondents were local residents. According to respondents, the most important theme of the regeneration strategy was ‘Community Infrastructure’. For all themes except three, Affordable Housing, Design and Implementation, and Management of Facilities and Open Spaces, most respondents would like their relative projects to be delivered before new homes are built at Mount Farm. Click on this link to read the full report.

The findings of this consultation will help us guide and inform regeneration opportunities in Berinsfield and as part of any future housing development, to ensure they are maximised and deliver real improvement for the existing village. The comments received will contribute to the Berinsfield Regeneration Strategy, which in turn will seek to encourage, through the planning process, the investment of funding from any future housing development in residents’ priorities to achieve the change they require in Berinsfield. 

Street traders/businesses, district, county and town/parish councils, councillors, officers and members of the public for their views on our proposed amends to the Joint Street Trading Policy, which was last reviewed in 2011.

Since the policy was last reviewed, street trading has become more popular in the districts, which in turn, identified gaps within the policy.

The amendments included updates to community and charity events, markets and single-use plastic. We also proposed to include advice we currently give to applicants who wish to trade from multiple sites.

The consultation ran for a six-week period until Tuesday 26 November 2024.

We received 49 responses to the survey.

• Most responses (88%) were received from members of the public.
• 2% of responses were received from a street trader/business.
• 71% of respondents expressed agreement with the proposed changes to the decision-making section of the policy.

You can view all the key findings in our consultation summary report, along with an officer response to the comments received.

The results of the consultation were presented to the council’s General Licensing Committees in February 2025. The committee reports included details of changes made to the proposed policy following feedback from the consultation. The Committees considered the results of the consultation and the proposed policy and agreed to approve it to take effect from 1 April 2025.

Members of the public, town/parish councils and district councillors for their comments on proposed changes to selected polling districts and places within South Oxfordshire from 13 September until 25 October 2024.

As a local authority, we have a statutory duty to review the polling districts and places for UK parliamentary consultations at least once every five years.

We received 120 responses to this consultation, of which 98% were from members of the public.

The most selected polling place to comment on was Henley Leisure Centre (29%).

More details on the consultation results, including all comments received, are available in our summary report.

The feedback received was reviewed and presented to the Community Governance and Electoral Issues Committee on 18 November 2024. The committee agreed to all the changes which were included in our final recommendation.

Most proposals made in the consultation have been adopted, apart from a few exceptions which are detailed within the consultation summary report.

The Elections Team have proceeded to implement the agreed changes which were actioned to take effect before the next election in May 2025.

Members of the public, town/parish councils and district councillors for their comments on proposed changes to selected polling districts and places within South Oxfordshire from 13 September until 25 October 2024.

As a local authority, we have a statutory duty to review the polling districts and places for UK parliamentary consultations at least once every five years.

We received 78 responses to this consultation, of which 97% were from members of the public. 

• 66% of respondents chose to comment on the Corn Exchange in Faringdon, whilst 10% of respondents commented on The Beacon in Wantage and Shellingford Community Hall making them the second most selected polling places.

More details on the consultation results, including all comments received, are available in our summary report.

The feedback received was reviewed and presented to the Community Governance and Electoral Issues Committee on 13 November 2024. The committee agreed to all changes which were included in our final recommendation.

Most proposals made in the consultation have been adopted, apart from a few exceptions which are detailed within the consultation summary report.

The Elections Team have proceeded to implement the agreed changes which were actioned to take effect before the next election in May 2025.

Residents adjacent to the play area (users and non-users), residents living in Abingdon (users and non-users), interested member of the public/individual outside of Abingdon and district, town/parish council representative for their views.

The council is responsible for several play areas across the Vale of White Horse district which are open at all times. The Berrycroft Play Area had been locked for many years between dusk and dawn between Monday and Saturday, and all day on Sunday. We proposed the gates be unlocked at all times. This consultation ran from Tuesday 13 August until 11:59pm on Tuesday 10 September 2024.  

Letters were delivered to 41 properties adjacent to and surrounding Berrycroft Play Area, posters were displayed in and around the play area to inform regular users and the survey was shared with 14 key stakeholders, such as the local town council and ward members. The council also promoted the consultation via the council’s social media accounts (e.g. Facebook, X, Instagram) and via the Nextdoor.

A total of 34 responses were received, with 32 per cent of responses received from residents who identified as ‘adjacent to the play area, and a user’ of the play area.

56 per cent agree with the proposal for Berrycroft Play Area to be open at all times, whilst 32 per cent disagree.

Based on the feedback received, the councils decided to no longer lock the play areas, and Berrycroft play area will be open at all times. We will monitor the situation for any issues raised by this decision. You can view the report of the results here.