Oxford News
Oxfordshire transport boss Andrew Gant standing down
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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