This month

Local elections 2023

On Thursday 4 May 2023, everyone aged 18 or over who is eligible will have the chance to vote in the district council election. Residents in some areas will also be able to vote in parish or town council elections.

Everything people need to know about the local elections can be found on our South Oxfordshire local elections page

Voter registration

To vote in the local elections you must be registered at your current address by Monday 17 April. To register, visit the government’s voter registration website.

Voter ID deadline

To vote in this election you must have valid photo ID. If you don’t have the accepted ID, you need to apply for voter ID by 5pm on Tuesday 25 April. To find out more and to apply, visit the Electoral Commission’s Voter ID website.

Postal voting

To vote by post you need apply by 5pm on Tuesday 18 April. Visit the South Oxfordshire postal voting page.

We are starting to send out voting packs to those who have already submitted their application:

• If you applied to vote by post by 31 March 2023 you should have your postal voting pack by Friday 21 April. 
• If you applied to vote by post after 31 March 2023 you should receive your pack during the week commencing Monday 24 April.
• If you have not received your postal vote pack by 27 April, please contact the elections team on 01235 422528.

Proxy voting

If you wish to apply for a proxy vote, you must do so by 5pm on Tuesday 25 April. More details are on our South Oxfordshire proxy voting page.

Poll cards

If you registered to vote by 7 March 2023, you should have already received your poll card. If anyone hasn’t received it, they should call 01235 422528 to check they are still registered.  

If you registered to vote from 8 March 2023 onwards, you should receive your poll card during the week commencing Monday 24 April.

Who you can vote for

You can find out who you can vote for in the local election by visiting our South Oxfordshire local elections page. To see the full list of who is standing for election in each area, please see the:

• Statements of Persons Nominated – South Oxfordshire District Council
• Statements of Persons Nominated – South Oxfordshire parishes

Voting at a polling station

Polls will be open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday 4 May, just remember to bring your photo ID with you. You can find where you should go to cast your ballot on your poll card or via the postcode search on our local elections page.

Election results

We’ll count the votes on Friday 5 May and publish the results as soon as they are declared on the South Oxfordshire local elections page (southoxon.gov.uk/localelections2023) and on Twitter @southoxvotes.

Other News

The Coronation is only a few weeks away

Party planning to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles and the Queen Consort on Saturday 6 May is now well under way. The official Coronation website has some great ideas to help you with your event with a toolkit that includes bunting, greetings cards and entertainment for children. Plus you can order your Coronation Big Lunch pack, put your event on the official interactive map and find out more about The Big Help out which takes place on Monday 8 May.

Bank holiday bins

With a few bank holidays coming up, we’ll be emptying your bins on a different day to usual from 1 to 13 May and again during the week commencing 29 May. For details, visit our waste calendar page.

Hundreds give the district a good clean up

A big thank you to everyone who got involved with the Great British Spring Clean last month. 697 people across the district took part - together you collected 438 sacks of rubbish from public areas to help keep your local area tidy.

Remember, keeping things clean and taking pride in our local area isn’t just for springtime, it’s important we do this all year round. To find out about litter picking and how to organise a litter pick in your area, visit our South community litter-picking page.

Emergency Alert reminder

There will be a UK-wide test for the new mobile phone Emergency Alert system in the early evening of Sunday 23 April 2023. You can expect an alert and a test message on your mobile phone, even if it is on silent.

The charity Refuge has advice on how people experiencing domestic abuse can manage the emergency alerts on their phone to stay safe. Find out more on the Government’s Emergency alerts web page.

New EV car clubs in our car parks

Earlier this month, Oxfordshire County Council announced a new county-wide electric vehicle (EV) car club scheme which sees EVs available to hire based at six of our car parks in South and Vale at Abingdon, Henley, Thame, Wallingford and Wantage. For more information, visit the Oxfordshire County Council website.

Have your say on the new Household Waste and Recycling Centre Strategy

Oxfordshire County Council wants to hear your thoughts on its new Household Waste and Recycling Centre (HWRC) Strategy, find out more and have your say by Monday 8 May on the county’s HWRC Strategy consultation page.

Curtain Up, for a busy month at Cornerstone Arts Centre 

This month is jam-packed with family-friendly theatre, laughter, and creativity at Cornerstone Arts Centre. 

Join Agents Kahlo and Dali on Saturday 15 April for an afternoon with 'The Munch Mission,' an interactive show where audiences become part of the action and help solve the mystery of the missing art piece. 

Or groove along to the disco-tastic play 'The Instrumentals' on Saturday 29 April, as young audiences embark on a journey of self-discovery and self-expression. 

Plus, kids can dive into Cornerstone's summer term of classes starting this month, with workshops ranging from Youth Theatre to Street Dance and Mess Makers for a fun and inclusive experience suitable for all abilities, from school years 1 to 9.

To book your tickets head to the Cornerstone Arts Centre website.

South Oxfordshire District Council
Abbey House
Abbey Close
Abingdon
OX14 3JE
southoxon.gov.uk