Cherwell ( ) is a local government district in northern

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primaril ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. The district takes its name from the River Cherwell, which drains south through the region to flow into the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

Towns in Cherwell include Banbury and Bicester. Kidlington is a contender for largest village in England. The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant Acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

, by a merger of the

municipal borough Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002. Broadly similar structures existed in S ...

of Banbury, Bicester

urban district Urban district may refer to: * District * Urban area * Quarter (urban subdivision) * Neighbourhood Specific subdivisions in some countries: * Urban districts of Denmark * Urban districts of Germany * Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland) (his ...

Banbury Rural District Banbury was a rural district in Oxfordshire, England from 1894 to 1974.Ploughley Rural District Ploughley was a rural district in Oxfordshire, England, from 1932 to 1974.River Cherwell, but the southern half of the district around Bicester is much flatter. Much of the district is soft rolling hills with the northwest of the district lying at the northern extremity of the Cotswolds.

Transport

Much of the district is within easy reach of the M40, with junctions 9, 10 and 11 in the district. It also has good rail links with

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

and the South.

Politics

Elections to the council are held in three out of every four years, with one third of the 48 seats on the council being elected at each election. Since the 2000 election the

Conservative party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

has had a majority on the council. This followed 2 years of no overall control, in turn preceded by 2 years of control by Labour. Following the 2022 election, the make-up of the council is as follows:

Settlements in Cherwell district

* Adderbury,

Ambrosden Ambrosden is a village and civil parish in Cherwell, Oxfordshire, England, southwest of Bicester to which it is linked by the A41 road, and from Oxford. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 2,248. The parish is bounded by th ...

Ardley Ardley is an English toponym and may refer to: Places * Ardley Cove, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica * Ardley Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica * Ardley, Alberta, Canada * Ardley, Oxfordshire, UK ** Ardley Castle Ardley Castle was ...

Arncott Arncott or Arncot is a village and civil parish about southeast of Bicester in Oxfordshire. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 1,738. There are two neighbourhoods: Lower and Upper Arncott. Upper Arncott is the larger neighbo ...

* Banbury, Barford St. John, Barford St. Michael, Begbroke, Bicester * Blackthorn * Bletchingdon, Bloxham, Bodicote * Broughton * Bucknell,

Burdrop Burdrop is a village in Sibford Gower civil parish, about west of Banbury in Oxfordshire, England. Burdrop is contiguous with Sibford Gower and sometimes considered part of the village. Burdrop's toponym means the "hamlet near the burh", whic ...

* Charlton-on-Otmoor, Claydon,

Cottisford Cottisford is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about south of Brackley in neighbouring Northamptonshire. The parish's northern and northwestern boundaries form part of the boundary between the two counties. The parish includes the ha ...

, Cropredy * Deddington, Drayton,

Duns Tew Duns Tew is an English village and civil parish about south of Banbury in Oxfordshire. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 478. With nearby Great Tew and Little Tew, Duns Tew is one of the three villages known collectively as ...

* Epwell * Fencott, Finmere, Fringford,

Fritwell Fritwell is a village and civil parish about northwest of Bicester in Oxfordshire. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 736. The parish's southern boundary is a stream that flows eastwards through Fewcott and past the village ...

Godington Godington is a village and civil parish about northeast of Bicester in Oxfordshire. The parish is bounded on all but the west side by a brook called the Birne, which at this point forms also the county boundary with Buckinghamshire. The paris ...

Gosford Gosford is the city and administrative centre of the Central Coast Council local government area in the heart of the Central Coast region, about north of Sydney and about south of Newcastle. The city centre is situated at the northern extr ...

Great Bourton Great Bourton is a village about north of Banbury in Oxfordshire, England. It is the largest settlement in the civil parish of Bourton. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 614. Church and chapel Church of England The Church ...

* Hampton Poyle, Hanwell, Hardwick,

Hethe Hethe is a village and civil parish about north of Bicester in Oxfordshire, England. Manor The village's toponym comes from the Old English ''hæð'' meaning "heath, uncultivated ground".Lobel, 1959, pages 174-181 Before and after the Norma ...

Hook Norton Hook Norton is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It lies northeast of Chipping Norton, close to the Cotswold Hills. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 2,117. The village is formed of four neighbourhoods: Eas ...

, Horley * Islip * Juniper Hill * Kidlington, Kirtlington * Launton,

Little Bourton Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt * ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film *The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...

, Lower Heyford * Merton,

Middle Aston Middle Aston is a hamlet and civil parish in the English county of Oxfordshire, about northwest of Bicester. It used to have a country house, Middle Aston House, but this was demolished early in the 19th century. The house was replaced in th ...

Middleton Stoney Middleton Stoney is a village and civil parish about west of Bicester, Oxfordshire. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 331. The parish measures about north–south and about east–west, and in 1959 its area was . Its eas ...

Milcombe Milcombe is a village and civil parish about southwest of Banbury, Oxfordshire. Pronounced ''Mill-Comb-Bee''. Milcombe is famous for its village shop. Originally called ‘John’s shop’ or More officially, ‘New Road Stores’ but is now c ...

, Milton,

Mixbury Mixbury is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about southeast of Brackley in Northamptonshire. Manor The toponym is derived from the Old English ''mixen-burgh'', meaning "fortification near dung-heap". ''"Burgh"'' refers to Beaumont ...

, Mollington, Murcott * Noke,

North Aston North Aston is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish about south of Banbury and north of Oxford. The United Kingdom Census 2001, 2001 Census recorded its population as 212. The United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census did not pu ...

, North Newington * Oddington *

Prescote Prescote is a hamlet and civil parish about north of Banbury in Oxfordshire. Its boundaries are the River Cherwell in the southeast, a tributary of the Cherwell called Highfurlong Brook in the west, and Oxfordshire's boundary with Northamptons ...

Shenington Shenington is a village about west of Banbury in the United Kingdom. It was an exclave of Gloucestershire until the Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844 transferred it to Oxfordshire. Shenington is on Oxfordshire's boundary with Warwickshire. S ...

Shipton-on-Cherwell Shipton-on-Cherwell is a village on the River Cherwell about north of Kidlington in Oxfordshire, England. The village is part of the civil parish of Shipton-on-Cherwell and Thrupp. Manor The earliest known record of Shipton-on-Cherwell is f ...

, Shutford *

Sibford Ferris Sibford Ferris is a village and civil parish about west of Banbury in Oxfordshire. It is on the south side of the Sib valley opposite its larger sister village, Sibford Gower. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 476. History ...

, Sibford Gower, Somerton * Souldern,

South Newington South Newington is a village and civil parish on the south bank of the River Swere in the Cotswold Hills in Oxfordshire, England, about southwest of Banbury. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 285. Manors Evidence of a Romano ...

, Steeple Aston,

Stoke Lyne Stoke Lyne is a village and civil parish about north of Bicester, Oxfordshire in southern England. Battle of Fethan leag In AD 584 a Saxon army led by King Ceawlin of Wessex and his son Cutha fought an army of Britons "at the place which is ...

Swalcliffe Swalcliffe is a village and civil parish about west of Banbury in Oxfordshire. The parish is about long north–south and about east–west. The 2011 Census recorded the population of the modern Swalcliffe parish as 210. The toponym "Swalcl ...

Tadmarton Tadmarton is a village and civil parish about west of Banbury, Oxfordshire. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 541, which is a 26% increase on the figure of 430 recorded by the 2001 Census. Manor The manor house has a 15t ...

, Thrupp * Upper Heyford * Wardington, Water Eaton, Weston-on-the-Green, Wroxton * Yarnton

Recycling in Cherwell

Cherwell district has one of the country's highest

recycling Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. The Energy recycling, recovery of energy from waste materials is often included in this concept. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability t ...

rates at over 40% (2005). The district used to have a recycling rate of just 9%. This changed with the introduction of the blue box scheme for recycling paper, which has since grown to include plastic, cardboard and cans. Kidlington has its ow
freecycling group

Food safety enforcement

Cherwell District came top of a ''

Which? ''Which?'' is a United Kingdom brand name that promotes informed consumer choice in the purchase of goods and services by testing products, highlighting inferior products or services, raising awareness of consumer rights and offering independ ...

'' study that ranked 395 local authorities in Britain on their record of enforcement of food safety regulations.

Leisure Provision

Cherwell District provides a range of leisure and sporting facilities to local residents, catering to a range of sports through their leisure centres and open spaces.

Arms

References

{{SE England Non-metropolitan districts of Oxfordshire