Local government is changing in Oxfordshire: what SEND families need to know

Oxfordshire Parent Carers Forum
1 day ago
6 min read

The government has announced that local government in Oxfordshire and West Berkshire will be reorganised.

From April 2028, the existing county, city and district councils will be replaced by three new unitary councils:

Greater Oxford Council – covering Oxford and surrounding areas, including Kidlington, Wheatley and Berinsfield
Northern Oxfordshire Council – covering most of the current Cherwell and West Oxfordshire areas
Ridgeway Council – covering most of South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse, together with West Berkshire

Each new council will be responsible for all council services in its area. This includes education, SEND, children’s and adult social care, home-to-school transport, housing, roads, leisure services and waste collection.

We know that this announcement may leave parent carers with questions and concerns—particularly as national SEND reforms are also being developed.

Here is what we know so far.

Does anything change now?

No. Families do not need to take any action.

Oxfordshire County Council and the existing district and city councils will continue delivering services until April 2028. Elections for the new shadow councils are expected in May 2027, giving them time to prepare before they formally take responsibility.

Your child or young person’s EHCP, assessment, social care support or transport arrangement will not automatically end because local government is being reorganised.

The legal duties councils have towards children and young people with SEND will continue. Responsibility for carrying out those duties will eventually transfer to the appropriate new council.

Will we still be part of Oxfordshire?

Yes. Oxfordshire will remain a geographical and ceremonial county, and people will still be able to describe themselves as living in Oxfordshire.

It is Oxfordshire County Council that will be abolished and replaced. The Oxfordshire name, community and identity are not disappearing as far as we know.

What might this mean for SEND services?

At present, Oxfordshire County Council is responsible for education, EHCPs, SEND transport and social care across the county. From April 2028, these responsibilities will be divided between the three new councils.

Bringing different council services together could make the system easier to navigate. Families may eventually have one council responsible for a wider range of support, instead of needing to work out whether something is handled by the county, city or district council.

There may also be opportunities for the new councils to develop services that respond more closely to the needs of their local communities.

However, a reorganisation of this size also brings risks. Parent carers may understandably be concerned about:

Changes to contacts, teams or processes
Delays while records and responsibilities are transferred
Different approaches developing across the three council areas
Children attending schools or receiving services across new boundaries
Continuity of EHCPs, transport and social care support
The retention of experienced SEND staff
Clear accountability when something goes wrong

The change must not create additional barriers or a postcode lottery for SEND families.

What about the national SEND reforms?

Local government reorganisation is happening alongside proposed national reforms to the SEND system in England.

In February 2026, the government published its SEND consultation, Putting Children and Young People First. The proposals include:

A stronger universal offer in mainstream education
National Inclusion Standards
Earlier access to targeted support
New Individual Support Plans
More specialist expertise available in mainstream settings
Additional inclusion bases and specialist places
Changes to how SEND support is planned, funded and delivered
Stronger local SEND partnerships and collaboration between schools

The consultation has closed, but many of the proposals are not yet final and some would require changes to the law.

The government has said that the reformed statutory system is not expected to begin before September 2029. It has also stated that no changes to the support provided through existing EHCPs would take place before at least September 2030. Until legislation changes, the current SEND law and statutory processes remain in place. Read the government’s SEND reform information for families

Why do the two changes matter together?

The timing is important.

The new councils are expected to take responsibility in April 2028, while preparations for national SEND reform are under way. This means the three councils may be building new departments, transferring staff and records, and establishing new SEND partnerships at the same time as they prepare for major changes to the national system.

There could be opportunities to design more inclusive and responsive local services from the beginning. But managing both changes at once could also place considerable pressure on staff, schools, services and families.

We will be asking how the three new councils intend to:

Maintain existing services during the transition
Prepare consistently for national SEND reforms
Avoid three very different systems developing across Oxfordshire
Work together when children attend schools or use services across council boundaries
Involve parent carers in designing new SEND arrangements
Protect existing EHCP rights and statutory processes
Explain clearly which changes come from local government reorganisation and which result from national SEND reform

Families should not be left to navigate two major transitions without clear information and support.

OxPCF is also in transition

OxPCF is currently reviewing how the forum may need to develop in response to the changes taking place around us.

No final decisions have been made. However, with local government being reorganised and national SEND reforms on the way, it is important that we consider what structure will best support parent carers in the future.

This includes exploring whether a more formal organisational structure - such as becoming a Community Interest Company - could help OxPCF become more sustainable while protecting our independence and parent-led purpose.

A formal structure could potentially make it easier to:

Apply for a wider range of grants
Employ staff or commission specialist support
Enter into formal agreements with partner organisations
Develop properly funded engagement and co-production projects
Strengthen governance and financial accountability
Build greater capacity to represent families

The proposed national SEND reforms include significant investment in inclusion, specialist support and local SEND transformation. Most of this funding is expected to go initially to councils, schools and other public bodies.

However, it may also create opportunities for parent carer forums and community organisations to contribute to engagement, co-production, research and the development of local services. We want OxPCF to be in a position to consider suitable opportunities where they support families and align with our purpose.

Exploring a different structure does not mean that OxPCF will be able to generate income outside our existing grants, nor does it mean that any particular option has been agreed.

Any future arrangement would need to:

Keep parent carers at the heart of the organisation
Protect OxPCF’s ability to provide honest and independent feedback
Ensure that funding cannot influence the views we report
Use resources for the benefit of children, young people and families
Remain transparent and accountable to our community
Preserve the knowledge, relationships and trust already built through OxPCF

We must also consider how parent-carer participation may work when Oxfordshire’s current council structure is replaced by three unitary authorities.

OxPCF may need to work differently in the future, but it is too early to know what that will look like. We will continue to gather information, speak with relevant partners and listen to parent carers before decisions are made.

Whatever structure is chosen, our central purpose will remain the same: ensuring that the collective voices and lived experiences of parent carers help shape better services and outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

What will OxPCF be asking for?

As planning progresses, we will seek clear commitments that:

No child or young person loses support because of council reorganisation.
Families are not asked to repeat assessments or reapply unnecessarily.
EHCPs and other records are transferred safely and accurately.
Existing SEND improvement work continues throughout the transition.
Current statutory rights and processes remain in place unless and until the law changes.
Families receive clear, accessible and timely information.
Cross-boundary education, transport, health and social care arrangements are agreed in advance.
The three councils work together to maintain consistently high standards.
Parent carers are involved from the beginning - not consulted only after decisions have been made.
The combined impact of local government reorganisation and national SEND reform is properly assessed.

We want to hear from you

These announcements mark the beginning of a long period of change. There are many details that have not yet been decided, and we will share reliable information as it becomes available.

Your experiences and concerns will help us identify the issues that need to be raised with decision-makers, in particular:

What are your biggest questions about the changes?
What must the new councils protect?
What would you like to see improved?
What should OxPCF prioritise as we move through our own transition?

Please share your thoughts through OxPCF’s feedback channels. We review feedback, identify common themes and raise them anonymously with the organisations responsible for SEND services.

Local government may be changing, the national SEND system may be changing and OxPCF may be moving into a new organisational structure - but our purpose remains the same: ensuring that Oxfordshire’s parent carers are heard and that their experiences contribute to meaningful improvements for children and young people with SEND.

Further information is available from Oxfordshire County Council and the Department for Education’s SEND reform consultation.