Agenda and draft minutes

To elect a chair of Council for the municipal year 2025/26.

The outgoing Chair, Councillor Hinton, reviewed her year as Chair of the council and thanked councillors, the vice-chair and officers for their assistance and support during this time.

Councillors Rouane, Arlett, Khan, Powell, Snowdon paid tribute to Councillor Hinton in recognition of her work as Chair of the council during the year.

Councillor Hinton invited nominations for Chair.

Councillor Katherine Keats-Rohan was nominated as chair for the 2025/26 municipal year. Councillor Rouane as proposer and Councillor Bennett as seconder spoke in support of the nomination.

RESOLVED: to elect Councillor Katherine Keats-Rohan as Chair of the council for the 2025/26 municipal year, until the next annual meeting of the Council in May 2026.

Councillor Katherine Keats-Rohan signed the declaration of acceptance of office and made an acceptance speech and advised that her charities would be Sue Rider Palliative Care Hub South Oxfordshire and Wigod Way Wallingford Family Centre.

To appoint a vice-chair of Council for the municipal year 2025/26.

Councillor Andrea Powell was nominated as vice-chair for the 2025/26 municipal year. Councillor Bennett as proposer and Councillor Rouane as seconder spoke in support of the nomination.

RESOLVED: to elect Councillor Andrea Powell as vice-chair of the council for the 2025/26 municipal year, until the next annual meeting of the Council in May 2026.

Councillor Andrea Powell signed the declaration of acceptance and made an acceptance speech.

To adopt and sign as a correct record the Council minutes of the meetings held on 13 and 20 February 2025. 

RESOLVED: to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 13 and 20 February 2025 as a correct record and agree that the Chair sign them as such.

To receive declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests, other registrable interests and non-registrable interests or any conflicts of interest in respect of items on the agenda for this meeting. 

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive notification of any matters which the chair determines should be considered as urgent business and the special circumstances which have made the matters urgent, and to receive any announcements from the chair. 

The Chair advised that there was no urgent business.

The Chair welcomed Councillors Ben Higgins and Peter Ramsdale following the recent by-elections.

To consider the report of the head of legal and democratic on the appointment to those committees required to be politically balanced together with the  Climate and Ecological Emergencies Advisory Committee, Community Grants Panel and the Licensing Acts Committee.

Council considered the report of the head of legal and democratic on the appointment of those committees and joint committees which are required to be politically balanced; together with the Climate Ecological Emergencies Advisory Committee, Licensing Acts Committee, Community Grants Panel and appointments to joint bodies.

The chair referred to the recommendations set out in the report, and circulated at the meeting, which covered the committee appointments for the 2025/26 municipal council year.

These recommendations were that Council:

1.              appoints the committees and panels for the 2025/26 year and allocate seats to each political group as set out in the schedule circulated prior to the meeting;

2.              appoints councillors and substitutes to sit on the committees and panels as set out in the schedule circulated prior to the meeting;

3.              appoints Councillor Snowdon to one of the Liberal Democrat Group seats on the Joint Scrutiny Committee;

4.              appoints councillors to the Licensing Acts Committee as set out in the schedule circulated prior to the meeting;

5.              appoints councillors to the Climate Ecological Emergencies Advisory Committee as set out in the schedule circulated prior to the meeting;

6.              appoints councillors to the Community Grants Panel as set out in the schedule circulated prior to the meeting;

7.              appoints chairs and vice-chairs as set out in the schedule circulated prior to the meeting;

8.              appoints Katharine Keats-Rohan as the council’s representative and David Turner as substitute on the Oxfordshire Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee;

9.              appoints Kate Gregory as the council’s representative and Georgina Heritage as substitute on the Thames Valley Police and Crime Panel;

10.           authorises the head of legal and democratic to make appointments to any vacant committee or panel seat and substitute positions in accordance with the wishes of the relevant group leader.

RESOLVED: That for the 2025/26 municipal year to:

1. Appoint the following committees and panels for the 2025/26 municipal year and to appoint the membership, substitutes and chairs and vice-chairs as indicated to sit on them (see table below);

To receive the report of the leader of the council. 

Councillor Rouane, Leader of the Council, provided an update on a number of matters. The text of his address is available on the council’s website.

Councillor Bennett spoke, as leader of the opposition, and stated that it had been a privilege to be part of the Administration and that he has confidence as the council moved through the process of Local Government Reorganisation it would continue to work hard to deliver high quality services.