South Oxfordshire District Council

South Oxfordshire District Council is the elected local government for the district of South Oxfordshire, in the southeast of Oxfordshire, England. The council and district was created on 1 April 1974.

South Oxfordshire District Council
Type
Type
History
Founded1 April 1974
Leadership
Leader of the Council
Cllr Sue Cooper, LIberal Democrats
Co-Deputy Leader of the Council
Cllr Robin Bennett, Green Party
Co-Deputy Leader of the Council
Cllr Maggie Filipova-Rivers, LIberal Democrats
Structure
Seats36 councillors
Political groups
Administration (19)
  Liberal Democrats (13)
  Green Party (6)
Opposition (17)
  Conservative (9)
  Independent (5)
  Labour (3)
Length of term
4 years
Elections
First-past-the-post, third of council elected three years out of four
Last election
May 2019
Next election
May 2023
Website
southoxon.gov.uk

Overview
Location of South Oxfordshire district within Oxfordshire

At the first elections in 1973, 62 district councillors were elected.[1] Currently thirty-six district councillors are elected from twenty one electoral wards, which cover the principle towns of Didcot, Henley, Thame and Wallingford and surrounding villages.[2] This was a result of The South Oxfordshire (Electoral Changes) Order 2014, effective from the 2015 local elections.[3]

The Conservative Party held a majority on the council between 2003 and the 2019 UK local elections, when the Liberal Democrats became the larger party. After two independent councillors changed allegiance to the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party shortly after the May 2019 election, the two parties formed a coalition, led by Liberal Democrat, Sue Cooper.[4]

Party in control[1]Years
No overall control1973 - 1976
Conservative1976 - 1995
No overall control1995 - 2003
Conservative2003 - 2019
No overall control2019 - present

The council has been based in temporary office accommodation at Milton Park near Didcot since mid-2015, after a fire destroyed the previous headquarters building in Crowmarsh Gifford.[5]

Elections
Main article: South Oxfordshire District Council elections

Full elections of the council take place every four years.

Prior to the May 2019 local elections the Conservative numbers on the council had been reduced from 33 to 25, after several resignations and six councillors suspended for voting against a major housing plan.[6] Following the election the Conservatives went from a controlling majority of 18, to having no overall control, with the Liberal Democrats having 12 councillors, the Conservatives having 10 and the Green Party winning 5.[7]

References
  1. "South Oxfordshire District County Council Election Results 1973-2011" (PDF). The Elections Centre (Plymouth University). Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  2. "Local Elections 2019: Your candidates in South Oxfordshire". Oxford Mail. 1 May 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  3. "The South Oxfordshire (Electoral Changes) Order 2014 - Schedule". legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  4. "Sue Cooper set to run South Oxfordshire District Council coalition". Oxford Mail. 14 May 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  5. "Councils will build new HQ at site of arson-hit offices". BBC News. 10 October 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  6. Nathan Briant (2 May 2019). "Local elections Oxfordshire 2019 - all you need to know". The Herald. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  7. "Election results: Lib Dems win Oxfordshire council from Tories". BBC News. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.