Sovereign state United Kingdom Region South East England Admin HQ Witney University Oxford School of Drama | Constituent country England Non-metropolitan county Oxfordshire Area 714.4 km² | |
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Status Non-metropolitan district Points of interest Blenheim Palace, Cotswold Wildlife Park, Cogges Manor Farm, The Oxfordshire Museum, Wychwood Destinations Burford, Chipping Norton, Witney, Woodstock, Kingham | ||
West Oxfordshire is a local government district in north west Oxfordshire, England including towns such as Woodstock, Burford, Chipping Norton, Charlbury, Carterton and Witney (where the council is based).
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Map of West Oxfordshire District, UK
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. Parts of the district suffered severe flooding during the 2007 floods in the UK.
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: