The County Council of Oxfordshire Council convened on Wednesday 20 May 2026 for an extraordinary meeting. The primary item scheduled for discussion was the election of a new Leader of the Council, following the recent resignation of Councillor Liz Leffman.

Election of the Leader of the Council

The meeting was called to elect a new Leader of the Council, as Councillor Liz Leffman had resigned from the position on 12 May 2026. This extraordinary meeting was convened by the Monitoring Officer under Council Procedure Rule 3.1 (iii) to address the leadership vacancy at a time when the Council is facing significant budget and policy reform challenges, approaching Local Government Reorganisation, and engaged in important discussions regarding Devolution within the Thames Valley. During the interim period before a new Leader is elected, the Deputy Leader is scheduled to assume the responsibilities of the executive Leader. The election process was set to follow the procedure specified in Council Procedure Rule 17.8, which outlines the voting process for appointments. The report pack indicated that there were no financial implications arising from this recommendation.

The report pack also included details on declarations of interest, outlining the general duty of councillors to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests, other registrable interests, and non-registrable interests. It specified that disclosable pecuniary interests relate to employment, sponsorship, contracts, land, licenses, corporate tenancies, and securities, and must be declared orally at the meeting. The guidance also noted that even without a disclosable pecuniary interest, councillors must serve the public interest and avoid situations where their honesty and integrity might be questioned. The report pack provided worked examples of the voting procedure for appointments, illustrating how elections would be conducted with two or more nominations.

The meeting was scheduled to take place at the Council Chamber, County Hall, New Road, Oxford OX1 1ND. Members of the public were able to view proceedings via a live stream link. The agenda also included standard items such as apologies for absence, declarations of interest, official communications, and public address. However, due to the extraordinary nature of the meeting and the notice period, there was no opportunity to take petitions.