Oxford News
Oxford Lib Dems leadership shakeup after local elections
The party group has a new leadership team in place after it held its seats at the May 7 polls, but failed to make new gains in the authority.
Dr Chris Smowton, who led the group for four years and into the 2026 vote, has been replaced by Katherine Miles, who represents Summertown.
She said: “I am delighted to take the baton from Chris as we head into a critical period of time of change in our city.
“The local government re-organisation will reshape the way the city is run – we need to ensure Oxford has a strong voice.
“I will work to seek a fairer and more sustainable open economy in Oxford and tackle the dual climate and nature emergencies.”
Ms Miles was first elected in 2021 and has lived in Oxford for more than a decade.
Her background is in international development, women’s financial inclusion and climate risk insurance.
She added: “Thank you to Chris Smowton for his effective leadership of the group over the last four years. I look forward to continuing to work together.”
Dr Smowton, who represents Headington, will now be deputy leader of the group.
He said: “This is a vital year for Oxford as we go into a generational change in local government structure.
“I will work to hold the Labour minority to account and fight to ensure we deliver affordable housing, genuinely safe roads and a cleaner, greener city.”
The Thames Valley Police Abingdon unit arrested a man for “breaching court bail conditions” on Saturday, August 29.
A spokesperson said: “On Saturday, PC Hackett attended reports of a male breaching court bail conditions.
READ MORE: Public told ‘DO NOT APPROACH’ as wanted man sighted in Oxford centre
“With assistance from PC Ellingworth and PC Harvey, the male was arrested. Following a search, a knife was recovered from his possession.”
In a wide ranging update, the force also revealed it had supported in a “concern for welfare incident linked to the night-time economy.
In addition, it had carried out licensing checks across Abingdon with drug wipes used and sent off for testing
OXFORD Mail Camera Club members have been taking photos of their dogs
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The collision happened on the southbound carriageway between Junction 6 for Lewknor and Junction 5 for Watlington in the late morning on Saturday, August 29.
The emergency services attended the scene and closed the road,
National Highways said lanes two and three of the three-lane motorway were shut as a result while crews dealt with the incident, leading to delays of around 40 minutes.
Congestion was worsened by separate lane closures between Junctions 4 and 5 in both directions following damage to the central reservation from an earlier incident.
Traffic built up on approaches to the crash, with nearby areas including Stokenchurch and Lewknor also affected.
Images from traffic cameras showed long queues of vehicles and emergency workers at the scene throughout the afternoon.
AA Travel also reported that one lane was closed on the northbound carriageway between Handy Cross and Stokenchurch due to emergency repairs.
National Highways later confirmed that all southbound lanes between Junctions 6 and 5 had reopened and that the lane closures linked to the earlier incident were also being removed.
Despite the reopening, delays of around 40 minutes remained on the approach as traffic slowly returned to normal.
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