Your questions, answered.

A directly elected mayor leading a mayoral strategic authority for the whole Thames Valley, the model already used in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands. The legal framework is the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026, which received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026.¹

Twelve council areas, about two million people.² In Berkshire: Bracknell Forest, Reading, Slough, West Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, and Wokingham. In Oxfordshire: Cherwell, Oxford, South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse and West Oxfordshire. And Swindon. These are the areas whose councils jointly applied to government in December 2025.⁴

Government's English Devolution White Paper (December 2024) sets out the areas where strategic authorities lead: transport and local infrastructure; skills and employment support; housing and strategic planning; economic development and regeneration; environment and climate change; health, wellbeing and public service reform; and public safety. It promises mayors "unprecedented powers and funding".³

No. The White Paper is clear that councils continue to lead their places and deliver local services, with mayors working in partnership with them.³ The Thames Valley councils' own proposal says the same: "Councils retain control of local service delivery", while the strategic authority handles region-wide planning, transport, skills and infrastructure.⁸

It is one elected person, accountable to the whole region at the ballot box. The powers and funding come down from Whitehall, not up from your council.³ Decisions about the Thames Valley get made in the Thames Valley.

1. 16 December 2024Government publishes the English Devolution White Paper, inviting areas to form strategic authorities.³
2. 3 December 2025Swindon's cabinet backs a Thames Valley mayoral strategic authority, with support across its political groups.⁴
3. December 2025Thirteen councils across Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Swindon submit a joint expression of interest to government.⁵
4. 12 February 2026Government proposes a strategic planning area that groups Swindon with Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. Oxford City Council welcomes "Government's recognition that Swindon should be included as part of the Thames Valley".⁶⁷
5. 10 March 2026Council leaders meet the devolution minister, Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, who tells them "the economic case is made".⁸
6. 20 March 2026Leaders write to ministers setting out "a compelling case for a Mayoral Strategic Authority" and the aim of electing a mayor in May 2028.⁸
7. 29 April 2026The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act becomes law.¹
8. 16 June 2026The devolution minister writes that a deal including Swindon would be "game changing for growth".⁹
9. 17 June 2026Council leaders in Oxfordshire do not agree the proposed interim "foundation" authority, pausing that route.⁹
10. October 2026The councils' stated ambition remains a mayoral strategic authority by 2028, subject to agreeing its geography.¹⁰

Yes. Thirteen councils jointly applied to government in December 2025.⁵ In March 2026 the leaders of Oxfordshire's councils and the Berkshire Prosperity Board wrote that they have "a compelling case for a Mayoral Strategic Authority (MSA) and electing a Mayor in 2028". They also noted that the Thames Valley is "the only region among the UK's top ten economies not served by a directly elected mayor".⁸

Yes. At a meeting on 10 March 2026, the devolution minister, Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, told council leaders that "the economic case is made".⁸ On 16 June 2026 the devolution minister, Nesil Caliskan MP, wrote that a deal including Swindon would be "game changing for growth" and called the case "strong and compelling".⁹ Government's own proposed planning map already treats Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Swindon as one area.⁶

The councils' stated ambition is a mayoral strategic authority by 2028, subject to agreeing its geography.¹⁰ Their March 2026 letter set out the aim of electing the first mayor in May 2028, "if that is considered to be achievable".⁸ This is the councils' aim, not a government timetable. One Thames Valley exists to help get it there.

In short: there is no government decision, no fast-track, and no power to impose a Thames Valley authority. It will happen only if the councils agree.

• No government decision yet. The councils have applied, but as of October 2026 Reading Borough Council's devolution page says "no decisions have been made".¹⁰
• Not in the government's fast-track programme. In February 2025 the government chose six areas for its Devolution Priority Programme: Cumbria, Cheshire & Warrington, Norfolk & Suffolk, Greater Essex, Sussex & Brighton, and Hampshire & Solent. The Thames Valley is not one of them.¹²
• Every council has to agree. By law, a new authority can be created only from a proposal that every council in the area has either made or consented to, or that the councils have consented to in principle.¹³¹⁴ For the Thames Valley, that means all thirteen: Oxfordshire County Council, Oxfordshire's five district councils, Berkshire's six councils and Swindon.
• Government cannot impose one. The 2026 Act does give ministers a power to propose adding an area to an existing authority without local agreement. That power is not yet in force, and cannot create a new authority.¹⁴
• The map is not yet agreed. On 17 June 2026, council leaders in Oxfordshire did not agree the proposed interim "foundation" authority, pausing that route.⁹ Some Oxfordshire leaders question Swindon's inclusion; South Oxfordshire's leader has said "We do not agree that Swindon is a good fit for our area".¹⁵ Reading's page describes the 2028 ambition as "subject to agreeing a geography".¹⁰
• A two-step route. In early 2026 the government's preferred route was for the area to start as a "foundation" authority run by the councils, before moving to an elected mayor. The councils said they were ready to do this if it was the only way to reach a mayor.⁸

So the decision rests with local councils. That is why One Thames Valley exists: to show councillors, businesses and residents across the region why agreeing is worth it.

There is no fixed legal "Thames Valley". A strategic authority covers whatever area its councils propose and the government approves.¹³¹⁴ Since 2025, the map has been argued over, mainly about two places: Swindon and Buckinghamshire. Here is how it has unfolded.

1. 20 March 2025An Oxfordshire County Council cabinet paper recommends Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire as its preferred geography. It notes summits involving partners across Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Swindon, representations from district leaders and most local MPs "about the geography of the Strategic Authority and the position of Swindon", and that Buckinghamshire was "yet to engage".¹⁶
2. 17 November 2025Leaders in Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Swindon say they are pursuing a Thames Valley mayoral strategic authority. Swindon's Gary Sumner points to "our links with our partners along the M4 corridor".¹⁷
3. December 2025Thirteen councils across Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Swindon apply to government together. Buckinghamshire is not among them.⁵
4. 12 February 2026The government proposes a Thames Valley strategic planning area: Bracknell Forest, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Reading, Slough, Swindon, West Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, and Wokingham. Wiltshire is placed in a separate "Wessex" area with Dorset, Somerset and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. The government says these planning areas "may need to change to reflect future devolution arrangements".⁶ Its letter to councils the same day encourages them to treat this map as "a sensible geography" for a future strategic authority.¹⁸ Oxford City Council welcomes Swindon's inclusion.⁷
5. 25 March 2026Vale of White Horse District Council's formal response questions including Swindon. It says the Thames Valley "has traditionally functioned as the BOB area (Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire)" and that Swindon's closest ties "have historically been with Wiltshire". It suggests either the three-county area or Swindon joining Wessex.¹⁹ South Oxfordshire's leader says "We do not agree that Swindon is a good fit for our area".¹⁵
6. 17 April 2026Oxfordshire County Council's leader tells a scrutiny committee that government officials want Swindon included, consistent with the planning map. Liberal Democrat leaders had told the minister Swindon "was not coterminous with the ICB, Thames Valley Police or the fire service".²⁰
7. 16 June 2026The devolution minister writes that a deal including Swindon would be "game changing for growth", and warns that a Thames Valley deal without Swindon would be unviable.⁹
8. 17 June 2026Liberal Democrat leaders in Oxfordshire decline to agree the proposed interim foundation authority.⁹
9. 30 June 2026Councils across Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Swindon form a partnership to prepare the Thames Valley planning strategy. Buckinghamshire "is seeking an alternative arrangement" and has "not joined the joint partnership at the present time". The final planning geography is due to be confirmed in summer or autumn 2026.²¹
10. 8 July 2026Oxford City Council's cabinet agrees to keep supporting "Swindon's involvement as a willing partner" and to keep the door open for Buckinghamshire "if they change their position".²²
11. October 2026The councils' ambition remains a mayoral strategic authority by 2028, "subject to agreeing a geography".¹⁰

Where each area stands now:

• Berkshire and Oxfordshire are in every version of the map.
• Swindon wants to join, and is backed by the government and Oxford City Council. Some Oxfordshire leaders question whether it fits.⁹¹⁵²²
• Buckinghamshire is in the government's proposed planning map, but is pursuing its own arrangement and is not part of the councils' bid. The door has been left open.²¹²²
• Wiltshire is in the government's proposed "Wessex" planning area.⁶

One Thames Valley's view: the map should follow the economy. That means Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Swindon, with the door open to Buckinghamshire.

Yes, and you don't have to take our word for it. Official statistics and independent research point the same way. Every figure below links to its source.

More from the official statistics

What independent research shows

• Centre for Cities, the independent think tank, ranks 63 UK cities every year. In its 2026 report, three of the seven most productive are in the Thames Valley: Slough is 1st, Swindon 3rd and Reading 7th. Slough (£65.70 an hour) and Swindon (£60.80) are both more productive than London (£52.50). Reading is 2nd for household income and 3rd for wages, and Oxford is the UK's most highly qualified city.³²
• Demos and PwC's Good Growth for Cities Index 2025 ranks Swindon 5th of 50 UK cities outside London, across employment, earnings, skills, health, housing, transport and the environment.³³
• The World Intellectual Property Organization's Global Innovation Index 2025 ranks Oxford 5th in the world for innovation intensity. Only Cambridge ranks higher in Europe.³⁴
• Times Higher Education ranks Oxford the world's best university, for the tenth year running.³⁵
• The Royal Academy of Engineering and Beauhurst name Oxford the UK's top university for spinout companies six years running, and first in Europe for the value its spinouts create.³⁶

The councils themselves call the Thames Valley "one of the UK's most economically significant regions", and "the only region among the UK's top ten economies not served by a directly elected mayor".⁸ The full workings are on our evidence page.

Because Swindon makes the Thames Valley stronger. It is one of Britain's most productive places, it is fast becoming a national centre for drone manufacturing, and it sits on the same M4 and Great Western main line as Reading, Slough and London. Leaving it out would leave one of the region's strongest industrial bases outside the door.

A productivity powerhouse. Swindon produces £101,323 of output per job, more than anywhere in Britain outside London, and its output per hour is 48% above the UK average.^E12 It adds a £13.7bn economy to the region.²⁹

Britain's drone capital in the making. Swindon has become the centre of the UK's uncrewed systems industry in under two years:

• Europe's largest drone test centre. In June 2026 the Ministry of Defence opened DroneTEX in Swindon, home to its new Uncrewed Systems Centre. The Defence Secretary called it "Europe's largest drone test and development facility", at 545,000 sq ft.²³
• TEKEVER's largest UK site. The drone maker is moving into Swindon's 254,000 sq ft Spectrum Building, bringing production of its AR5 aircraft to the UK for the first time. The government said the factory will "position Swindon as a centre for UK drone manufacturing", as part of a programme aiming to create 1,000 skilled jobs.²⁴
• STARK's first factory outside Germany opened in Swindon in November 2025, with more than 100 jobs in its first year.²⁵
• A growing cluster. Neros Technologies has announced a £10m UK headquarters and factory.²⁶ By September 2026 the council counted seven drone and autonomous-systems firms in the borough, with more than 1,000 skilled roles expected in the coming years.²⁷

This is exactly the kind of high-growth, future-facing industry a Thames Valley mayor would champion, alongside Harwell's space and quantum work and Oxford's science.

Joined to the region by road and rail. Swindon sits on the M4 and the Great Western main line, the same spine that runs through Reading, Maidenhead and Slough to Heathrow and London. In February 2026 the Rail Minister backed a direct Swindon–Oxford rail service,²⁸ cutting the journey to just over half an hour.³⁰

A workforce that fits. 64% of Swindon's residents are of working age (16 to 64), the same as Berkshire (64%) and Oxfordshire (64%), and well above Wiltshire (59%) and the South West (61%).³¹

Room for the whole region to grow. A typical Swindon home costs £280,000, against £450,000 in Oxford.^M12 In one of the least affordable parts of the country, Swindon offers space for the homes and businesses the region needs.

Backed by government and partners. The government's proposed planning map groups Swindon with Berkshire and Oxfordshire.⁶ The devolution minister called a deal including Swindon "game changing for growth", and warned a deal without it would be unviable.⁹ Oxford City Council has committed to supporting "Swindon's involvement as a willing partner".²²

The region is already home to Britain's first AI Growth Zone, at Culham,¹¹ the national labs at Harwell, and one in five of England's scientific research jobs outside London.^E6 A mayor could plan the transport, homes, skills and power these industries need across the whole region.³

One Thames Valley is an independent, non-party initiative of Wheelcroft Media Limited. It is not part of any council or government body, and does not accept donations. More on our about page.

Sign the petition, add your organisation's name if you run a business, or request a briefing if you're a councillor or MP. Start on the homepage.