Councillor Rebekah Fletcher has been made the cabinet member for transport management at Oxfordshire County Council after Councillor Andrew Gant announced he was standing down at midday today, (Monday) May 11.

Ms Fletcher is the Liberal Democrat member for Harwell, Western Valley & Blewbury.

She was elected in 2025 and has lived in Oxfordshire since 2021.

Ms Fletcher works for a medical school in London, so her particular interests lie in improving community health, wellbeing and social care provision.

The appointment has been listed on her “councillor details” page on the Oxfordshire County Council website.

Her Oxfordshire’s Responsibilities include: public transport, highways management, streetlighting and parking.

Potholes, the continuation of the congestion charge, set to become traffic filters after the reopening of the Botley road this summer, zero-emission zones, potential new park and rides, and the expansion of 20 mph limits are all in her remit.

This follows Mr Gant standing down from the post after four years.

He said: “I am hugely proud of all we have achieved, and now is the right time to think about demands and priorities.

“I look forward to supporting the clear principles of this visionary Liberal Democrat administration in any way I can.”

After a four-year tenure, Councillor Andrew Gant (Lib Dem) will step away from his county council post as cabinet member for transport management.

He said: “After four years in post I have decided not to seek re-election to the cabinet of Oxfordshire County Council.

“I am hugely proud of all we have achieved, and now is the right time to think about demands and priorities.

“I look forward to supporting the clear principles of this visionary Liberal Democrat administration in any way I can.”

This comes ahead of the local authority’s annual full council meeting tomorrow, May 12.

It follows the loss of a Lib Dem majority at the county council, with fellow cabinet member Cllr Ben Higgins leaving his role and the party to become independent, with Cllr Nick Cotter following suit on May 7.

Cllr Ben Higgins (Image: Oxfordshire County Council)

(Image: OCC)

In recent weeks, Mr Gant has apologised for inaccurate data being used to report on the congestion charge, saying the local authority had been “let down” by a company contracted to compile information.

He has stood by the signage for the charge, which has been described by local businesses as “misleading”, placed miles away from congestion charge zones.

The new congestion charge sign on Cumnor Hill (Image: Andy Ffrench)

He has slammed the criticisms of the county’s pothole strategy, inviting Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to visit Oxfordshire after he suggested the local authority has not been using government money effectively to fix its roads.

Mr Gant, a stipendiary lecturer in music at St. Peter’s College, Oxford, also holds a seat on the city council, has been involved in local politics for over a decade.

First elected to the city council for the Lib Dems in Summertown in May 2014, he has unsuccessfully run as a parliamentary candidate for The Cotswolds and Staffordshire Moorlands constituencies in 2017 and 2019.

He was elected to the county council in 2021, becoming a cabinet member in 2022.

Mr Gant has represented several wards amid boundary changes.

He currently represents Wolvercote & Cutteslowe at the county level, for the city, Cutteslowe & Sunnymead.

He intends to continue as a ward councillor despite leaving his cabinet role.

Liz Leffman (Image: Oxfordshire County Council)

Leader of the council, Liz Leffman, stated: “I would like to thank Andrew for his years of service to our communities as Cabinet member for Transport Management.

“Under his guidance, Oxfordshire has become a flagship for safer, cleaner transport and active travel, with the introduction of 20mph speed limits, safer cycling and walking in our towns and villages, and the introduction of electric buses and the temporary congestion charge in Oxford.

“He will of course continue to be a member the Lib Dem group on the County Council, and I look forward to working with him in that capacity.”

A replacement has not yet been confirmed for Mr Gant’s transport role.

Children In Need mascot Pudsey Bear will break his silence in a short film to help raise awareness of children’s mental health.

The 30-second film, Pudsey Finds His Voice, will be released as part of a BBC Children In Need campaign for Mental Health Awareness Week.

It will feature a conversation between Pudsey and actor Dexter Sol Ansell.

BBC Children In Need mascot Pudsey will speak for the first time in over 40 years in a new short film (Image: PA Wire)

BBC mascot Pudsey to speak for first time in over 40 years

The new short film was co-produced by BBC Creative and Blinkink and will urge adults to support children’s mental wellbeing by listening and engaging in meaningful conversation.

Claire Hoyle, interim chief executive at BBC Children In Need, said: “Our research makes clear that far too many children and young people are carrying their worries alone, and that silence can have serious consequences for their mental health.

“We know the difference one trusted adult can make.

“When a child feels heard, it can change everything – helping them cope earlier and stopping problems from becoming more serious.

“Pudsey has stood alongside children for over 40 years, and now, for the first time ever, he’s finding his voice.

“Pudsey is finding his voice because too many children feel they can’t share what they’re going through, and too many adults aren’t sure how to start that conversation.

“This campaign is a call to adults.

“It’s on all of us to create the moments, ask the questions, and really listen – so children feel safe to open up.”

Pudsey Bear, created in 1985 by BBC graphic designer Joanna Lane, has long served as the face of Children In Need and its fundraising efforts.

The new campaign follows research by BBC Children In Need, indicating that children who often have someone to talk to are around nine times more likely to say they feel happy than those who do not.

Additional research commissioned by the charity revealed that 24% of children keep their worries to themselves, while 38% say those worries have made life less enjoyable or caused them to stay silent out of fear or embarrassment.

In support of the campaign, BBC Children In Need has announced it will be investing £1.24 million in mental health support for children and young people.

The funding will benefit charities including Mental Health Innovations and The Children’s Society.

Pudsey Finds His Voice will air across BBC television and radio from Monday, and will premiere on BBC One’s The One Show at 7pm.

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