Background
The Local Boundary Commission for Oxfordshire have proposed wide-ranging changes to County Division boundaries, i.e. the areas that elect particular county councillors. You could think of the divisions as a similar concept to that of constituencies for MPs.
Consultation
As detailed in this article, a consultation took place regarding the proposed changes, with the deadline for submissions in December 2023.
Final proposal
The final proposal has now been published, although it has to be technically ratified by Parliament. You can find all the details, including maps, at https://www.lgbce.org.uk/all-reviews/oxfordshire/
How does this affect Kingsgrove?
The proposed change for Kingsgrove (and Charlton) is particularly significant. It sees us being moved from a “Wantage and Grove” division to form a new division with Ardington, the Hendreds, Harwell Campus, and West Chilton.
The first set of proposed changes would have seen this new division extend all the way to Blewbury but that idea has not been taken forward in the final proposal, with the eastern edge now running along the road between Rowstock and Chilton, then picking up the A34 until the border with Berkshire.
That means that the county councillor elected from this new division will have to balance the needs of electors in Kingsgrove, who would traditionally look to Wantage for their main service provision, e.g. education, health, etc with those of Rowstock and Chilton, for example, that would might normally look to Didcot.
Please be aware that any of these proposed changes do not include anything about moving Kingsgrove from under Wantage Town Council.
Downloadable PDF
If you want to view everything in a single PDF (56 pages), you can download https://www.lgbce.org.uk/sites/default/files/2024-08/oxfordshire_final_recommendations_report.pdf