Oxfordshire County Council

Oxfordshire County Council
Type
Type	County council
Leadership
Chair	Alison Rooke, Liberal Democrat since 21 May 2024[1]
Leader	Liz Leffman, Liberal Democrat since 18 May 2021
Chief Executive	Martin Reeves since March 2023[2]
Structure
Seats	63 councillors
Political groups	Administration (23)   Liberal Democrats (20)   Green (3) Other parties (40)   Conservative (19)   Labour (14)   Independent (6)   Henley Residents (1)
Length of term	4 years
Elections
Voting system	First past the post
Last election	6 May 2021
Next election	1 May 2025
Motto
Sapere aude (Dare to be wise)[3]
Meeting place
County Hall, New Road, Oxford, OX1 1ND
Website
www.oxfordshire.gov.uk

Oxfordshire County Council is the county council (upper-tier local authority) for the non-metropolitan county of Oxfordshire in the South East of England. Established in 1889, it is an elected body responsible for most strategic local government services in the county.

Oxfordshire County Council provides a wide range of services, including education (schools, libraries and youth services), social services, public health, highway maintenance, waste disposal, emergency planning, consumer protection and town and country planning for matters to do with minerals, waste, highways and education.^[4] This makes it one of the largest employers in Oxfordshire, with a gross expenditure budget of £856.2 million in 2021–22.^[5][6]

History

Elected county councils were first introduced in England and Wales in 1889 as a result of the Local Government Act 1888, taking over administrative functions until then carried out by unelected magistrates at the quarter sessions.^[7]

The areas covered by county councils were termed administrative counties. They were based on the historic counties but subject to adjustments to ensure that each urban sanitary district was contained in a single administrative county, and excluding any boroughs considered large enough to run their own county-level functions, known as county boroughs. In Oxfordshire's case, there were three urban sanitary districts which straddled the county boundary prior to 1889: Banbury was partly in Northamptonshire, and Abingdon and Oxford both straddled the boundary between Oxfordshire and Berkshire. The county boundary was adjusted to place Banbury and Oxford entirely in Oxfordshire and Abingdon entirely in Berkshire.^[8]

The first elections were held in January 1889. Preliminary meetings were held during February and March 1889 at which several aldermen were elected. The council formally came into being on 1 April 1889, on which day it held its first official meeting at County Hall in Oxford, the courthouse which also served as the meeting place for the quarter sessions. Victor Child Villiers, 7th Earl of Jersey, a Conservative peer, was appointed the first chairman of the county council.^[9]

The city of Oxford was initially included in the administrative county, but seven months later, on 9 November 1889, the city become a county borough, making it independent from the county council and removing it from the administrative county, whilst remaining part of the geographical county of Oxfordshire.^[10]

Schools (both primary and secondary) were added to the County Council's responsibilities in 1902, and until the 1990s it was also responsible for operating Colleges of Further Education.

Local government was significantly reformed in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. Oxfordshire was redesignated as a non-metropolitan county and had its boundaries enlarged to gain an area between the River Thames and the Berkshire Downs hills which had previously been in Berkshire. The city of Oxford was also brought back under the county council's authority. The lower tier of local government was reorganised as part of the same reforms. Prior to 1974 it had comprised numerous boroughs, urban districts and rural districts. After 1974 the lower tier within the redefined Oxfordshire comprised five non-metropolitan districts: Cherwell, Oxford, South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse, and West Oxfordshire.^[11]

Political control

The council has been under no overall control since the 2021 election.^[12] Following that election a coalition of the Liberal Democrats, Labour and the Greens formed to run the council, led by Liberal Democrat councillor Liz Leffman. Labour withdrew from the coalition in September 2023, since when a Liberal Democrat–Green Party alliance has been running the council as a minority administration.^[13]

Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:^[14][15]

Party in control		Years
	Conservative	1974–1985
	No overall control	1985–2005
	Conservative	2005–2013
	No overall control	2013–present

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 2001 have been:

Councillor	Party		From	To
Keith Mitchell[16][17]		Conservative	2001	May 2012
Ian Hudspeth[18][19]		Conservative	15 May 2012	May 2021
Liz Leffman[20]		Liberal Democrats	18 May 2021

Composition

Following the 2021 election and by-elections and changes of allegiance up to July 2024, the composition of the council was:

Party		Councillors
	Liberal Democrats	20
	Conservative	19
	Labour	14
	Independent	6
	Green	3
	Henley Residents	1
Total:		63

One of the independent councillors sits in a group with the Conservatives. Two of the independents and the Henley Residents Group councillor sit together as the 'Independent Voice of Oxfordshire' group. The other three independents are not aligned to a group.^[21][22] The next election is due in 2025.

Elections

Main article: Oxfordshire County Council elections

Since 1889, members have been elected for a term of office, with elections held all together (initially every three years, later every four years) by the "first past the post" system. Until the 1970s, the elected members chose aldermen, whose term of office was for six years, and who once appointed were also voting members of the council. This form of membership was ended by the Local Government Act 1972, so that after 1974 only honorary (that is, non-voting) aldermen could be appointed.^[23]

Since the last boundary changes in 2013, the council has comprised 63 councillors representing 61 electoral divisions. Most divisions elect one councillor, but two (Thame & Chinnor and Grove & Wantage) elect two councillors. Elections are held every four years.^[24]

Premises

County Offices (now the Register Office), 1 Tidmarsh Lane: Council's main offices 1912–1973

The council is based at County Hall on New Road in Oxford. The old part of the building was a courthouse built in 1841, which had served as the meeting place of the quarter sessions which preceded the county council. In 1912 a new building called County Offices was built at the corner of New Road and Tidmarsh Lane to provide the council's offices; meetings continued to be held at County Hall.^[25][26]

The County Offices were replaced in 1973 when a large extension was added to the 1841 County Hall, bringing the council's main offices and meeting place onto the same site.^[27]

Notable members

Oxfordshire County Council Chairs, 1889 to 1974

Oxfordshire County Council Chairs, 1991 to 2005

• Sir Jervoise Athelstane Baines, member 1917–22, later Indian Civil Service administrator
• Jonathan Baume, member 1974–77, trade unionist
• Catherine Bearder MEP, member
• Angela Billingham, member 1993–94, later Baroness Billingham^[28]
• William Bradshaw, Baron Bradshaw, member 1993–2008^[29]
• Peter Butler, member 1985–89, later Member of Parliament for North East Milton Keynes^[30]
• Sherman Stonor, 6th Baron Camoys, member^[31]
• Julia Drown, member 1989–96, later Member of Parliament for South Swindon^[32]
• Michael Patrick Fogarty, member 1981–89, academic
• Olive Gibbs, chairman 1974–1975 and 1981–1982
• Simon Hoare, member, later Member of Parliament for North Dorset
• John Howell, member 2004–09, later Member of Parliament for Henley^[33]
• Caroline Lucas, member 1993–97, later Member of Parliament for Brighton Pavilion
• George Parker, 7th Earl of Macclesfield, chairman 1937–70^[34]
• James Plaskitt, member 1985–97, later Member of Parliament for Warwick and Leamington
• Geoffrey Somerset, 6th Baron Raglan, member 1988–1993
• John Redwood, member 1973–77, later Member of Parliament for Wokingham
• Larry Sanders, member 2005–13, Green Party Spokesperson for Health and brother of US Senator Bernie Sanders

Meat and dairy ban controversy

In 2021, the Liberal Democrat/Green/Labour administration moved a motion at Full Council to serve only plant-based (vegan) meals at all council-catered events and meetings, and vegan school meals in primary schools two days a week as part of its climate change action policy.^[35] The move was unsuccessfully fought by the Conservative opposition. This policy was controversial and drew protests from livestock farmers and TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson, who owns a farm in the county.^[36][37] As a result of the controversy, when the motion came to the council's Cabinet for ratification in March 2022, the proposals were scaled back to cover just seven council meetings and school meals only one day a week.^[38] In November 2022, the Conservatives unsuccessfully sought to cancel vegan meals at council-catered events, which cost £6,000 annually and are purchased from a Kidlington business which sources food from Woodstock.^[39]

See also

• List of electoral wards in Oxfordshire

Notes

1. Manuschka, Jacob (21 May 2024). "Abingdon councillor named Oxfordshire County Council chair". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
2. "Martin Reeves". Centre for Cities. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
3. "Camelot International, Britain's heritage and history". Retrieved 9 November 2011.
4. "Council services". Oxfordshire County Council. Archived from the original on 27 November 2011. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
5. Your Council Tax Explained page 6, published by Oxfordshire County County March 2021
6. https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/sites/default/files/file/council-tax-and-finance-spending/CouncilTaxleaflet2021-22.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}
7. Edwards, John, ed. (1955). "County". Chambers' Encyclopedia. London: George Newnes. pp. 189–191.
8. Pulling, Alexander (1889). A Handbook for County Authorities. London: William Clowes and Sons. p. 17. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
9. "Oxfordshire County Council". Witney Gazette. 6 April 1889. p. 5. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
10. Annual Report of the Local Government Board. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1890. p. 324. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
11. "The England Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 20 July 2024
12. "Councillor details - Councillor Ian Hudspeth". mycouncil.oxfordshire.gov.uk. 9 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
13. Seaward, Tom (24 September 2023). "Labour quits coalition running Oxfordshire County Council". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
14. "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 26 November 2024. (Put "Oxfordshire" in search box to see specific results.)
15. "Oxfordshire County Council Election Results 1973-2009" (PDF). Retrieved 9 May 2021.
16. "Oxfordshire Conservatives elect Ian Hudspeth new leader". BBC News. 26 April 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
17. "Keith Mitchell: Tributes paid to 'towering' council leader". BBC News. 28 August 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
18. "Council minutes, 15 May 2012". Oxfordshire County Council. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
19. Lynch, David (10 May 2021). "Elections 2021: Oxfordshire left without a ruling majority party". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
20. "Council minutes, 18 May 2021". Oxfordshire County Council. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
21. "Oxfordshire". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
22. "Your councillors by party". Oxfordshire County Council. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
23. Padfield, Colin Frank (1975). British constitution made simple. London: W. H. Allen & Co. p. 291.
24. "The Oxfordshire (Electoral Changes) Order 2012", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2012/1812, retrieved 15 July 2024
25. "Oxfordshire County Council: County Offices". Oxford Journal. 11 January 1911. p. 2. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
26. Graham, Malcolm (2016). Oxford Heritage Walks Book 4 (PDF). Oxford: Oxford Preservation Trust. p. 29. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
27. Historic England. "County hall with the curving screen walls and turretts on either side (1047201)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
28. 'BILLINGHAM, Baroness', in Who's Who (London: A. & C. Black); online edition (subscription required) by Oxford University Press, December 2007, accessed 1 December 2011
29. 'BRADSHAW, Baron cr 1999 (Life Peer), of Wallingford in the county of Oxfordshire', in Who's Who (London: A. & C. Black); online edition (subscription required) by Oxford University Press, December 2007, accessed 30 November 2011
30. 'BUTLER, Peter', in Who's Who (London: A. & C. Black); online edition (subscription required) by Oxford University Press, December 2007, accessed 30 November 2011
31. 'CAMOYS, 6th Baron' in Who's Who (London: A. & C. Black); online edition (subscription required) by Oxford University Press, December 2007, accessed 1 December 2011
32. 'DROWN, Julia Kate' in Who's Who (London: A. & C. Black); online edition (subscription required) by Oxford University Press, December 2007, accessed 1 December 2011
33. 'HOWELL, John Michael' in Who's Who (London: A. & C. Black); online edition (subscription required) by Oxford University Press, accessed 1 December 2011
34. 'MACCLESFIELD, 7th Earl of', in Who Was Who (London: A. & C. Black); online edition (subscription required) by Oxford University Press, December 2007, accessed 30 November 2011
35. "Agenda item - Motion by Councillor Ian Middleton". 14 December 2021.
36. "Jeremy Clarkson fails to stop Oxfordshire council vegan switch". BBC News. 15 March 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
37. "APPROVED: County council will now serve vegan food at meetings and school lunches". Oxford Mail. 15 March 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
38. https://mycouncil.oxfordshire.gov.uk/documents/s59862/CA_MAR1522R06%20Plant%20Based%20Food%20Cabinet%20Paper%20final%20002.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}
39. Harland, Gee (3 November 2022). "'Plans to scrap vegan lunches at Oxfordshire Council fail'". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 4 November 2022.

External links

• Official website