CAMPAIGNS launched against plans for ‘super council’ skewed the results of an open questionnaire which found most people were against the idea, it was claimed last night.

Oxfordshire County Council cried foul after its survey – open to anyone – came out with an opposite finding to that of a polling company it hired.

It has been collecting responses to its ‘One Oxfordshire’ proposal, which would abolish the existing six biggest councils and replace them with a single authority, since January.

And while its door-to-door polling of people, conducted by a professional polling company, found 70 per cent supported the idea, its open questionnaire found 74 per cent of people opposed it.

The county council blamed critics such as Oxford City Council, West Oxfordshire District Council and Cherwell District Council for the discrepancy, arguing they had spurred legions of supporters to flood it with objections.

And it claimed the professional polling, conducted using industry-standard random sampling of 500 people, was more scientific.

County council leader Ian Hudspeth said: "We have heard the message loud and clear from residents that they would support changes to the way local government is run, as long as services improved and local communities had a stronger voice.

“There is clearly a silent majority who want local government to change.”

But city council leader Bob Price said: "The people have spoken and the answer is clear: the unitary county council proposal has been resoundingly rejected.

“Oxfordshire County Council cannot discount the results of its own survey. They should not submit their proposal to Government against the will of the people."

The county council, backed by Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire district councils, says creating a super council could save £20m a year.

They hope to submit a formal bid to the Government by the end of this month.