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.

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.