County councillors with best (and worst) meeting attendance records during last term
14/04/2025
Banbury councillor Mark Cherry was one of two who attended every meeting
by Esme Kenney, Local Democracy Reporter
The Oxfordshire County councillors with the best and worst meeting attendance across the full council term have been revealed.
The data shows the meetings that councillors were expected to attend between May 18 2021 when the first meeting of the current council term was held, and April 1 2025 when the final full council meeting of the term took place.
Only two of the 63 county councillors, councillor Nigel Simpson and councillor Mark Cherry, had 100 percent attendance across the full term.
While more than half of county councillors attended more than 80 percent of meetings, the lowest attendance level stood at 57 percent.
However, councillors with varying levels of attendance have argued that there is much more to the role than attending council meetings.
Councillor Nigel Simpson, who represents Kirtlington & Kidlington North, said: “There are too many councillors who get elected and do next to nothing.
“Some people use it as a political stepping stone before becoming an MP.
“We have got to pull together as a team because there is a lot of pressures facing our county.”
Councillor Mark Cherry, who works in construction and has lived in his division (Banbury Ruscote), since 1976, said: “When I became a councillor in 2013, most of the county councillors were retired.
“Councillors do have jobs and responsibilities, but unless there’s an illness, I also think you should attend.
“It’s not good for public perception if you are not attending meetings.”
He added that he could not be a cabinet member because that would be “another step up” in responsibility.
County councillors receive an annual basic allowance of £13,824.00, with cabinet members and the leader of the council getting additional allowances.
Mr Simpson said: “When I got elected, I made it my full-time job. I’m lucky that I can do that – not everyone can.
“If we want councillors to do a full-time role, we have to pay them accordingly.
“Some employers are more flexible than others, and if you are on the cabinet you get those extra allowances, but on the basic allowance it is very hard to give that full commitment to the role.”
Councillor Jane Murphy, who represents Didcot East & Hagbourne and had the lowest meeting attendance, said that council meetings often centre around national issues rather than matters that directly affect the area.
She said: “For me, residents are my focus, and I do not believe that anything actually gets done at full council that helps my residents.
“It’s about actually being on the ground doing the work – that’s what I’m there for.
“I don’t think it’s about attendance, it’s about what you have achieved, and I think I’ve done a good job for my residents.”
Mr Simpson added: “There’s so much more to the role than attending meetings.
“At the full council meetings at county hall there is a lot of grandstanding and point scoring.
“It’s away from the chambers that the important work happens.”
Both Mr Cherry and Mr Simpson are also councillors for Cherwell District Council.
Mr Simpson is running as the Conservative candidate for Kidlington West, against Fiona Mawson (Green), Hamish McLay (Reform UK), Lesley McLEan (Lib Dem), and John Tanner (Labour).
Mr Cherry is running as the Labour candidate for Banbury Ruscote against Julie Battison (Independent), Ruthi Brandt (Green), Peter Burns (Reform UK), Taraji Ogunnubi (Conservative) and Mark Petterson (Lib Dem).
The data includes cabinet and committee meetings as well as full council, and does not account for councillors who did not stay for the whole meeting.
The full ranking of councillors’ meeting attendance from highest to lowest is listed here:
- Mark Cherry (LABOUR, Banbury Ruscote) – 100 percent
- Nigel Simpson (CONSERVATIVE, Kirtlington & Kidlington North) – 100 percent
- John Howson (LIB DEM, St Margaret’s) – 99 percent
- Judy Roberts (LIB DEM, North Hinksey) – 98 percent
- Geoff Saul (LABOUR, Chipping Norton) – 98 percent
- Trish Elphinstone (LABOUR, Rose Hill & Littlemore) – 98 percent
- David Bartholomew (CONSERVATIVE, Sonning Common) – 97 percent
- Liz Brighouse (LABOUR, Churchill & Lye Valley) – 97 percent
- Donna Ford (CONSERVATIVE, Bicester North) – 97 percent
- Susanna Pressel (LABOUR, Jericho & Osney) – 97 percent
- Imade Edosomwan (LABOUR, Leys) – 96 percent
- Jenny Hannaby (LIB DEM, Grove & Wantage) – 96 percent
- Michael O’Connor (LABOUR, University Parks) – 96 percent
- Charlie Hicks (LABOUR, Cowley) – 95 percent
- Liz Leffman (LIB DEM, Charlbury & Wychwood) – 95 percent
- Glynis Phillips (LABOUR, Barton, Sandhills & Risinghurst) – 95 percent
- Andrew Coles (LABOUR, Witney South & Central) – 94 percent
- Roz Smith (LIB DEM, Headington & Quarry) – 94 percent
- Mohamed Fadlalla (LABOUR, St Clement’s & Cowley Marsh) – 93 percent
- Bob Johnston (LIB DEM, Kennington & Radley) 93 percent
- Mark Lygo (LABOUR, Marston & Northway) – 93 percent
- Pete Sudbury (GREEN, Wallingford) – 93 percent
- Andrew Gant (LIB DEM, Wolvercote & Summertown) – 92 percent
- Bethia Thomas (LIB DEM, Faringdon) – 92 percent
- Brad Baines (LABOUR, Isis) – 91 percent
- Jane Hanna (LIB DEM, Grove & Wantage) – 91 percent
- Calum Miller (LIB DEM, Otmoor) – 90 percent
- G.A. Reynolds (CONSERVATIVE, Wroxton & Hook Norton) – 90 percent
- Michael Waine (CONSERVATIVE, Bicester Town) – 89 percent
- Dan Levy (LIB DEM, Eynsham) – 89 percent
- Kate Gregory (LIB DEM, Thame & Chinnor) – 88 percent
- Duncan Enright (LABOUR, Witney North & East) – 87 percent
- Damian Heywood (INDEPENDENT, Iffley Fields & St Marys) – 87 percent
- Stefan Gawrysiak (INDEPENDENT, Henley-On-Thames) – 87 percent
- Andy Graham (LIB DEM, Woodstock) – 87 percent
- Tony Ilott (CONSERVATIVE, Banbury Hardwick) – 86 percent
- Kieron Mallon (CONSERVATIVE, Bloxham & Easington) – 86 percent
- Ted Fenton (CONSERVATIVE, Witney West & Bampton) – 85 percent
- Nathan Ley (LIB DEM, Abingdon North) – 85 percent
- Ian Middleton (GREEN, Kidlington South) – 85 percent
- Liam Walker (CONSERVATIVE, Hanborough & Minster Lovell) – 83 percent
- Robin Bennet (GREEN, Berinsfield & Garsington) – 82 percent
- David Rouane (LIB DEM, Didcot Ladygrove) – 82 percent
- Peter Stevens (LIB DEM, Sutton Courtenay & Marcham) – 82 percent
- Nick Leverton (CONSERVATIVE, Carterton South & West) – 81 percent
- Eddie Reeves (CONSERVATIVE, Banbury Calthorpe) – 81 percent
- Tim Bearder (LIB DEM, Wheatley) – 80 percent
- Ian Snowdon (CONSERVATIVE, Didcot West) – 80 percent
- Ian Corkin (CONSERVATIVE, Ploughly) – 79 percent
- Nick Field-Johnson (CONSERVATIVE, Burford & Carterton North) – 78 percent
- Neil Fawcett (LIB DEM, Abingdon South) – 78 percent
- Nigel Champken-Wood (CONSERVATIVE, Thame & Chinnor) – 76 percent
- Sally Povolotsky (INDEPENDENT, Hendreds & Harwell) – 75 percent
- Les Sibley (INDEPENDENT, Bicester West) – 74 percent
- Yvonne Constance (CONSERVATIVE, Shrivenham) – 72 percent
- Arash Fatemian (CONSERVATIVE, Deddington) – 71 percent
- Alison Rooke (LIB DEM, Abingdon East) – 69 percent
- Freddie van Mierlo (LIB DEM, Chalgrove & Watlington) – 69 percent
- Kevin Bulmer (REFORM UK, Goring) – 68 percent
- Juliette Ash (CONSERVATIVE, Kingston & Cumnor) – 67 percent
- Felix Bloomfield (REFORM UK, Benson & Cholsey) – 64 percent
- Hannah Banfield (INDEPENDENT, Banbury Grimsbury & Castle) – 59 percent
- Jane Murphy (INDEPENDENT, Didcot East & Hagbourne) – 57 percent
Published: by the Banbury FM News Team
