A Banbury councillor tops the Oxfordshire County Council attendance tables with 100 per cent

Cllr Mark Cherry and Cllr Nigel Simpson are the only two members of Oxfordshire County Council who attended all the meetings they were expected at between May 18, 2021 (when the first meeting of the current council term was held) and April 1, 2025.

Mr Cherry represents Banbury Ruscote and Simpson represents Kirtlington and Kidlington North.

More than half of county councillors attended more than 80 per cent of meetings. The lowest attendance was by Cllr Jane Murphy, an Independent councillor representing Didcot East and Hagbourne, who stood at 57 per cent.

Mr Cherry, who works in construction and has lived in his division 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 said 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, with cabinet members and the leader of the council getting additional allowances.

Mr Simpson 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. When I got elected I made it my full-time job. I’m lucky 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.

"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.

In the May elections, Mr Cherry is running for Labour for Banbury Ruscote against Julie Battison (Independent), Ruthi Brandt (Green), Peter Burns (Reform UK), Taraji Ogunnubi (Conservative) and Mark Petterson (Lib Dem).

Mr Simpson runs for the Conservatives for Kidlington West, against Fiona Mawson (Green), Hamish McLay (Reform UK), Lesley McLEan (Lib Dem), and John Tanner (Labour).

The following attendance data is for Cherwell councillors:

Mark Cherry (Lab, Banbury Ruscote) – 100 per cent; Geoff Saul (Lab, Chipping Norton) – 98 per cent; Donna Ford (Con, Bicester North) – 97 per cent; George Reynolds (Con, Wroxton & Hook Norton) – 90 per cent; Michael Waine (Con, Bicester Town) – 89 per cent; Tony Ilott (Con, Banbury Hardwick) – 86 per cent; Kieron Mallon (Con, Bloxham & Easington) – 86 per cent; Eddie Reeves (Con, Banbury Calthorpe) – 81 per cent Les Sibley (Ind, Bicester West) – 74 per cent; Arash Fatemian (Con, Deddington) – 71 per cent; Hannah Banfield (Ind, Banbury Grimsbury & Castle) – 59 per cent.