Conservatives on the Vale of White Horse District Council have welcomed the Secretary of State's decision to refuse permission for Oxford City Council to form a Unitary Authority.Leader of the Conservatives Cllr Melinda Tilley said, "The Conservatives firmly believe that the way forward for Oxfordshire is closer ties and closer working between the two tiers of Local Government and I am glad that the Government has recognised this."Any successful City bid would not only have affected Oxford City but would have created two other unitary authorities, The Vale of White Horse District Council and South Oxfordshire would have merged along with the merging of Cherwell District Council and West Oxfordshire District Council.District and County Councillor Michael Badcock commented "This decision is good news for the people of Oxfordshire; this will allay the fears of Abingdon residents who were worried about 'urban sprawl' from Oxford. It is now time for us to put this animosity behind us and time for all Local Authorities across Oxfordshire to work together to deliver the best services possible for our residents"Fellow Conservative Cllr Matthew Barber said, "Conservatives right across the districts and County are and have always been committed to working closely together. Authorities with Conservative administrations are all rated well by the Audit Commission including the Conservative controlled County Council which has just been awarded excellent status. I am extremely glad the Secretary of State has seen through the Fantasy finance and smoke and mirrors of the City bid and given the Conservative partnership approach its backing"