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What do councils do?

Councils are local authorities with different responsibilities and duties. There are three tiers of council that provide services to our town. As a result there can be a few confusing crossovers which sometimes makes it difficult for residents to understand who does what.
Here is a reminder:
Diagram of Council services provided by Witney Town Council and the District and County Councils
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Image displaying contact details for all three councils
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Witney’s local parish council is Witney Town Council, which only provides services to residents within the town itself. Other towns and villages have their own parish council.
Witney Town Council offers the services you would associate with community and recreation. Most of the towns Parks and Play Areas, the Lake and Country Park, some Civic and Community events, Allotments, Community Grants for local groups and Bus Shelters. Recently it has allocated budgets to fund Youth Services in the town.
It is a consultee on Local Planning. It can comment on applications, however, does not make the final planning decision.
It also has the responsibility of being the burial authority for the town and looks after the town’s cemeteries.

West Oxfordshire District Council is the next tier up. This is the council that provides services that might be considered more domestic. Waste and Recycling, Housing, Council Tax, Business Development, Trading Standards, larger Community Grants and makes decisions on Local Planning.
These services are available to all the towns and villages within West Oxfordshire.
It also maintains some parcels of land right across the district and takes on some land maintenance tasks, contracted out to it by the County Council.

Oxfordshire County Council is the top tier of local government and has the biggest budget.
It looks after the big stuff such as Education and Libraries, Transport and Social Care.
It is also responsible for the Maintenance and Repair of Roads (potholes) Pavements and most Verges.
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Witney Town Council

21 hours 54 minutes ago

New Vacancy - Part-time Early Morning Cleaner Salary: £12.60 per hour Expected hours: 6 to 10 hours per week Days: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Job

Witney Town Council

1 day 1 hour ago

The line ups have been announced for Witney Music Festival at The Leys on Friday 6th and Saturday 7th June 2025 and can be seen

Witney Town Council

1 day 5 hours ago

#YourVoteMatters! Make sure you are registered to vote in the upcoming elections on 1 May ✉️