05.04.18
Tory South Oxfordshire leader resigns ahead of elections
South Oxfordshire District Council leader Cllr John Cotton is to step down, he has announced.
In a statement on Twitter, the councillor confirmed “with some sadness” that he would not be submitting his name for the upcoming Conservative Group elections.
Last month Cotton was left “deeply disappointed” after the council rejected the housing plan that he said it had previously agreed was best.
In his statement, Cotton said: “It has been a huge honour to lead my district council and I am enormously proud of the way our staff have handled the challenges thrown at them: the office fire; the Garden Town in Didcot; a Local Plan with people at its heart – all while delivering top-quality services with shrinking budgets and making South Oxfordshire one of the best places to be in the country.”
He said that he will remain the councillor for Berinsfield, Dorchester and Drayton St. Leonard until the elections next year.
“I will always continue to fight for what matters in our district: decent, affordable homes for young people and families; the infrastructure to support those homes – including sorting out the woeful backlog from years gone by; and a district council that continues to step-up, not sit-back, when something needs to be done,” he added.
Top image: Steve Parsons, PA Images
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