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.

Overview

At the first elections in 1973, 62 district councillors were elected. 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. This was a result of The South Oxfordshire Order 2014, effective from the 2015 local elections.
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.
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.

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. 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.