Council apologises for calling Oxfordshire TOWN a village

Noor Qurashi

28 June 2024 at 11:00 am·2-min read

Oxfordshire County Council has apologised. <i>(Image: Other.)</i> — Oxfordshire County Council has apologised. *(Image: Other.)*

Oxfordshire County Council has apologised after it called a town in Oxfordshire a village while advertising for a "European leaders" event.

The authority sent a letter out to residents of Woodstock with the mistake in the run-up to the European Political Community Summit.

The event is set to take place nearby at Blenheim Palace on July 18 and the letter was also signed by the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office as well as Thames Valley Police.

Woodstock Town Hall. (Image: Oxford Mail)

In it, the authorities said "official on-street parking and delivery bays along the routes, including those in Woodstock village will still be in operation".

Woodstock town councillor Sharone Parnes penned an email to the council in response to the letter.

Mr Parnes said: "It is disappointing that, of all entities, Oxfordshire County Council seemed unaware of the official status and heritage of Woodstock as a town.

Sharone Parnes. (Image: Contribution.)

"Hopefully most of those involved in the logistics and security of the '50 leaders from across Europe' are being more diligent than anyone involved in widely publishing the formal letter containing references to a non-existent 'Woodstock village'.

"On a positive note, it is pleasing that the letter did not contain references to an Oxfordshire Parish Council."

Mr Parnes signed off the letter with 'Sharone Parnes, town (not village!) councillor for Woodstock.

An Oxfordshire County Council spokesman told us: "We know Woodstock is a town. Indeed it is a beautiful and well-known Oxfordshire town.

"We apologise to the town council and townsfolk for the error."

Oxfordshire County Council office. (Image: Ed Nix.)

The council says the event is "being looked after" by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

A spokesman added: "We are supporting them by amplifying any messages but we have nothing to do with the event itself."

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About the author

Noor is the Local Democracy Reporter for Oxfordshire who covers political stories from across the county.

She began working as a journalist in Oxford in September 2023 having graduated from the University of Oxford.

Noor was trained at the News Associates journalism school and can be found on X through the handle @NoorJQurashi

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