The council has been left with no overall majority control as a result of the election. The Conservative group remains the largest on the council, but it now has only 22 seats, far short of the all out majority of 32 needed to claim power. Following them were the Liberal Democrats with 21 seats, the Labour Party with 15, the Greens with three and the Henley Residents Group with one. One seat went to independent candidate, Les Sibley, of Bicester West. It remains to be seen what kind of governing group will now be formed. Ian Hudspeth, the leader of the council and councillor for Woodstock, was among the Tory councillors who lost their seats.
One third of seats in the Cherwell district were contested this year. There are three seats in each of the 16 district wards, but with elections being held by thirds, just one seat in each ward is due for election three years out of four. Usually the year without district elections is the year of county council elections, but the cycle was affected by the postponement of the 2020 elections due to the pandemic. In Banbury there are 15 district councillors representing five wards, while in Bicester there are 12 district councillors representing four wards. In Kidlington there are six district councillors representing two wards and across the rural areas there are five wards and 15 district councillors.
One third of seats in the Cherwell district were contested this year. There are three seats in each of the 16 district wards, but with elections being held by thirds, just one seat in each ward is due for election three years out of four. Usually the year without district elections is the year of county council elections, but the cycle was affected by the postponement of the 2020 elections due to the pandemic. In Banbury there are 15 district councillors representing five wards, while in Bicester there are 12 district councillors representing four wards. In Kidlington there are six district councillors representing two wards and across the rural areas there are five wards and 15 district councillors.
Ansaf Azhar, Oxfordshire’s Director of Public Health, said it was often neighbourhoods across the county with high population density, where people had low-paid jobs in services or manual labour, where Covid spread more quickly. According to the latest data for the week ending January 29, the rate of infection per 100,000 people in Oxford is currently 257.1, and in Cherwell District, which covers Banbury, it is 238.5. In other districts it is lower: South Oxfordshire is 146.4, Vale of White Horse is 151.5; and West Oxfordshire is 135.6. Mr Azhar said: “One of the things we have realised since the lockdown is some of the deprived communities have higher rates because they are also the ones who have to leave home to work. But that is not an Oxfordshire trend, that is across the UK.”
Of these 10 were more than 1,000 in the seven days to January 2.
From left is the current rate, number of new cases, increase from the previous week and % increase;
Banbury Ruscote 1,715.6 145 92 (173.6 per cent)
Banbury Hardwick 1,310.5 108 33 (44 per cent)
Banbury Calthorpe 1,240.2 63 38 (152 per cent)
Banbury Neithrop 1,105.3 65 29 (80.6 per cent)
Bodicote, Adderbury & Bloxham 1,100 107 45 (72.6 per cent)
Banbury Easington 1,083.3 91 44 (93.6 per cent)
Littlemore & Rose Hill 1,073.3 105 55 (110 per cent)
Greater Leys 1,061.8 66 39 (144.4 per cent)
Bicester East 1,046.8 77 46 (148.4 per cent)
Banbury Grimsbury 1,036.8 123 43 (53.8 per cent)
Thame North 957.2 51 36 (240 per cent)
Blackbird Leys 943.7 54 27 (100 per cent)
Bicester South 911.3 72 41 (132.3 per cent)
Thame South 844.1 61 38 (165.2 per cent)
Caversfield, Ambrosden & Fringford 817.1 83 52 (167.7 per cent)
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