About Us

What is the system of local government in Oxford?

Oxfordshire has a two-tier system of local government. This means that your council services are provided by two different councils. We (Oxford City Council) run services such as planning, leisure and waste collection, while Oxfordshire County Council is responsible for running services such as libraries, schools and social care.

We are a District Council and are the democratically-elected body for Oxford. In Oxfordshire, there is one county council (Oxfordshire County Council) and five district councils (Oxford City Council, Cherwell, South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse and West Oxfordshire).

Which area of Oxfordshire is Oxford City Council responsible for?

You can see a map of the boundaries of Oxford below:

 Map of Oxford Boundaries (525kB PDF)

Visit the District Councils page of the Oxfordshire County Council website to find out which district council is responsible for your services if you do not live within the boundaries of Oxford.

Which services are run by Oxford City Council and which are run by Oxfordshire County Council?

In partnership with others, we provide a wide range of services for approximately 150,000 residents, 83,000 people who work in Oxford and 7.5 million people who visit the city every year. For a general list of how services in Oxford are split between Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council, please see the table below:

Visit the Oxfordshire County Council website for more information about their services.

Where can I find out how Oxford City Council works?

Visit our How the Council Works page for details on this subject.

Council Posts

• The Leader of Oxford City Council is Councillor Bob Price 
• The Lord Mayor of Oxford is Councillor Elise Benjamin
• The Deputy Lord Mayor of Oxford is Councillor Alan Armitage
• The Sheriff of Oxford is Councillor Jean Fooks

Political Make-up of the Council

Oxford City Council's current political make-up is as follow:

The Labour Group currently run the administration at Oxford City Council.

Executive Board Responsibilities

• Councillor Bob Price (Leader - Corporate Governance and Strategic Partnerships),
• Councillor Ed Turner (Deputy Leader - Finance, Corporate Assets and Strategic Planning),
• Councillor Steve Curran (Young People, Education and Community Development),
• Councillor Colin Cook (City Development),
• Councillor Van Coulter (Leisure Services),
• Councillor Mark Lygo (Parks and Sports),
• Councillor Scott Seamons (Housing),
• Councillor Val Smith (Customer Services and Regeneration),
• Councillor John Tanner (Cleaner Greener Oxford),
• Councillor Dee Sinclair (Crime and Community Safety)

Councillors

• Map of Ward Boundaries (518kB PDF)
• Find your local councillor

Page last reviewed 18 May 2012