Potholes a big issue for voters says district councillor

Alaric Smith was re-elected for the Liberal Democrats in today’s West Oxfordshire District Council elections.

For the past four years, he has represented the Lib Dems in the Bampton and Clanfield ward.

READ MORE: Liberal Democrat-led alliance expected to continue

He polled 706 votes to win the seat, defeating Conservative Ted Fenton, who got 622 votes.

Mr Smith said: “The state of the county’s roads is a big issue for voters – the county is in charge of that and is addressing the problem.

“It’s a difficult problem to manage after so many years of decline.”

Mr Smith added that residents living in Bampton and Clanfield were also concerned about new houses being built in the area.

He added: “We’re looking at about 150 new homes being built for Bampton in the coming years, under the Local Plan running up until 2043 – that’s perhaps not quite as many as it might have been.

“We want to make sure that infrastructure is in place as it goes along, before new developments are completed.”

Julian Cooper who is standing down as a councillor (Image: Andy Ffrench)

It was the end an era for one Liberal Democrat in West Oxfordshire – Julian Cooper is standing down after about 40 years of serving people in Woodstock and Bladon.

“You serve the people that put you there,” he said.

“My father Leslie was a founding member of West Oxfordshire District Council.”

Hannah Massie held the Woodstock and Bladon ward for the Lib Dems.

She polled 772 votes, beating Conservative candidate Eric Sukumaran who got 463 votes.