Oxfordshire County Council

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Political control

The council has been under Liberal Democrat majority control since the 2025 election.

Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 2001 have been:

Composition

Following the 2025 election, the composition of the council was:

Official Opposition

The Conservatives, the Independent Oxford Alliance councillor, and the independent councillor form the 'Oxfordshire Alliance' group.

In unique circumstances, this group forms one of two official Opposition groups, the other being the Labour Party.

Next election

The next election is due in 2029.

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.

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) reviewed the electoral arrangements for Oxfordshire County Council in 2024.

The review decided that with effect from the elections on Thursday, 1 May 2025 and there would be 69 councillors, one for each of the new electoral divisions. This represents an increase of six councillors across the county.

Premises

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.

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.

Notable members

• 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
• William Bradshaw, Baron Bradshaw, member 1993–2008'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
• Peter Butler, member 1985–89, later Member of Parliament for North East Milton Keynes
• Sherman Stonor, 6th Baron Camoys, member
• Julia Drown, member 1989–96, later Member of Parliament for South Swindon
• 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
• Caroline Lucas, member 1993–97, later Member of Parliament for Brighton Pavilion
• George Parker, 7th Earl of Macclesfield, chairman 1937–70
• 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. 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. 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. 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.

Notes

References

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29. 'BUTLER, Peter', in ''[[Who's Who (UK). Who's Who]]'' (London: A. & C. Black); [http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U9686 online edition] (subscription required) by Oxford University Press, December 2007, accessed 30 November 2011
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31. 'DROWN, Julia Kate' in ''[[Who's Who (UK). Who's Who]]'' (London: A. & C. Black); [http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U14149 online edition] (subscription required) by Oxford University Press, December 2007, accessed 1 December 2011
32. 'HOWELL, John Michael' in ''[[Who's Who (UK). Who's Who]]'' (London: A. & C. Black); [http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U247248 online edition] (subscription required) by Oxford University Press, accessed 1 December 2011
33. 'MACCLESFIELD, 7th Earl of', in ''[[Who's Who (UK). Who Was Who]]'' (London: A. & C. Black); [http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U156958, online edition] (subscription required) by [[Oxford University Press]], December 2007, accessed 30 November 2011
34. (14 December 2021). "Agenda item - Motion by Councillor Ian Middleton".
35. (2022-03-15). "Jeremy Clarkson fails to stop Oxfordshire council vegan switch". BBC News.
36. (15 March 2022). "APPROVED: County council will now serve vegan food at meetings and school lunches".
37. "Report by Corporate Director of Commercial Development, Assets, and Investment".
38. Harland, Gee. (3 November 2022). "'Plans to scrap vegan lunches at Oxfordshire Council fail'".