Taxpayers set to pay extra £180k for two opposition groups on Oxfordshire County Council

Normally only one group who have the second-largest number of seats on the county council would become the opposition.

After the May elections, the Conservative group were joined by an independent and an Independent Oxford Alliance councillor, to form the Oxfordshire Alliance.

The new group has 12 councillors, making them the joint-second largest group along with the Labour group, who also have 12 elected councillors.

The council decided that both the Oxfordshire Alliance and the Labour group would each form an opposition group at their annual meeting yesterday (Tuesday, May 20).

Speaking at the meeting, Lib Dem councillor Dan Levy, cabinet member for finance, pointed out that creating two opposition groups would lead to a “fairly large unbudgeted increase in special responsibility allowances”.

However, councillor Liam Walker, leader of the Oxfordshire Alliance, said the fund would be a “drop in the ocean”.

The leader of the opposition and shadow cabinet members are paid special responsibility allowances on top of their basic councillor allowances.

The shadow leader of the cabinet gets an added allowance £13,824 per year, while shadow cabinet members each get £3,456 per year.

The maximum additional cost to taxpayers for two opposition leaders with nine shadow cabinet members would be £44,928 per year.

If this arrangement continues, it would cost taxpayers an extra £179,712, over the course of the four years.

Councillor Liam Walker, leader of the Oxfordshire Alliance, said: “There is a very small financial implication, [but] £44,000 a year from a nearly billion-pound budget is a drop in the ocean.

“Ultimately the Conservatives got the second largest vote share across Oxfordshire, so we believe we have a mandate to form some sort of opposition.

“We will work closely with all parties to hold the Liberal Democrat administration to account.

“This is a constitution issue where there is no clear rule of what happens with the opposition group.”

Councillor Liz Brighouse, leader of the Labour group, said: “I think we do have to look at it, but I think it is important in a democracy you have an opposition that is able to work.”