New leader, cabinet and chairman of South Oxfordshire District Council appointed

Cllr Sue Cooper is the new Leader of South Oxfordshire District Council. She returned to the council last year after winning a by-election, having served on the council previously for many years. She represents her home ward of Benson and Crowmarsh and was elected as the Leader of the Council at the Annual Council Meeting on Thursday 16 May.

Following in the recent footsteps of Cllr Jeannette Matelot, Thame District Councillor David Bretherton (also a Town Councillor) has been elected as Chairman of SODC. His Vice-chairman is Cllr Elizabeth Gillespie.

In her Leader’s Report to the Annual Council Meeting, which is available here, Cllr Cooper said: South Oxfordshire is a wonderful place for our residents to live, and likewise for people who come here for work or to visit, but we have some significant challenges ahead.

“I will be working with the cabinet to tackle the big issues affecting South Oxfordshire residents in new ways. This includes making sure housing and employment developments are more sustainable, as well as seeking out new ways to deliver truly affordable housing and helping to provide a boost to our market towns and villages so they’re a successful heart of their communities.”

Here’s the list of councillors in the cabinet and the areas they’re covering:

Cllr Sue Cooper: Leader, Legal and Democratic, and Didcot Garden Town
Cllr David Turner: Deputy Leader and Finance
Cllr Sue Roberts: Climate and ecological crisis response, and support for the Leader
Cllr Pieter-Paul Barker: Partnership and Insight
Cllr Robin Bennett: Economic Development and Regeneration
Cllr Maggie Filipova-Rivers: Community Services
Cllr Andrea Powell: Corporate Services
Cllr Leigh Rawlins: Planning
Cllr David Rouane: Housing and Environment

Here are the appointments to chair the council’s committees.

Planning committee