This report seeks approval to participate in, and help lead, a joint Thames Valley partnership including all Oxfordshire councils, Berkshire unitary authorities and Swindon Borough Council, to progress the pre-inception phase of work for a Thames Valley Spatial Development Strategy (SDS) as set out in the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025.

The Committee considered a report seeking approval to participate in, and help lead, a joint Thames Valley partnership including all Oxfordshire councils, Berkshire unitary authorities and Swindon Borough Council, to progress the pre-inception phase of work for a Thames Valley Spatial Development Strategy (SDS) as set out in the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025.  The following documents were attached to the report:

·         Annexe 1 - Funding and finance arrangements

·         Annexe 2 - High Level Programme and Indicative Timeline

·         Annexe 3 - Governance and Resourcing

The report noted that the SDS was a new strategic planning statutory requirement and should provide a high-level spatial framework setting the scale and distribution of growth, investment opportunities and supporting Place infrastructure across multiple local planning authority areas.  The proposed Thames Valley partnership would be in the form of an inter authority agreement until the statute was in place, and the report set out the framework for this partnership to proceed.

The report stated that work to date had focused on establishing a shared understanding of the SDS requirements, engaging with Government on the emerging geography as set out in the consultation in February 2026 and legislative timetable, and developing early programme outputs (including a pathway/statement of readiness and a strategic spatial baseline). Government grant funding had been made available to the Thames Valley area to support this early work, alongside defined expectations for transparency and quarterly monitoring and evaluation reporting.

The report explained that the statutory Strategic Planning Board for the Thames Valley was expected to be established through secondary legislation due in Autumn 2026 and therefore interim governance was required to provide clear decision-making, financial accountability and programme oversight during the pre-inception period.  A joint partnership model with agreed monitoring, assurance and dispute resolution arrangements was proposed, with Bracknell Forest Council (on behalf of all authorities) acting as the accountable body and host authority for any dedicated staff resource.

Resolved –

(1)       That the establishment of a partnership with the Oxfordshire Councils, Berkshire Unitary Councils and Swindon Borough Council to develop a statutory Spatial Development Strategy (SDS) for the Thames Valley area be approved;

(2)       That the proposed funding and resource allocations for the pre-inception programme be noted, recognising any final allocation would be brought back to Policy Committee for agreement;

(3)       That it be agreed that Bracknell Forest Council would act as the accountable body for funds received/held on behalf of the partnership and would host any staff appointed to work on the Thames Valley SDS programme;

(4)       That the interim governance, monitoring and assurance arrangements as set out in the report be agreed, including arrangements for the period before a statutory Strategic Planning Board/Spatial Planning Board (SPB) was established through secondary legislation;

(5)       That the working arrangements for development of the SDS be agreed;

(6)       That the group nominated Chief Executive from Bracknell Forest Council, in consultation with individual authority Chief Executives and Monitoring Officers, be authorised to finalise and enter into the necessary inter-authority agreements and to make any consequential amendments required to implement the decisions above.