Vale of White Horse District Council

Helen Pighills

Andrew Skinner

Andrew has lived in Abingdon for many years and been involved in a wide range of local activities. For the last few years Andrew has been a leading town councillor, supporting a range of
improvements in the town including projects to support walking and cycling.

On the town council he has supported ongoing funding for the Abingdon Carousel Family Centre, the Abingdon Youth Project with local youth support charities and the maintenance of the 41 town bus service. Andrew is a great choice to be our district councillor.

Neil Fawcett

Neil has lived here in South Abingdon for nearly 30 years. He has brought his family up here, and, between them, his children have attended all the local state schools.
Neil played a key role in securing the future of the Abingdon Carousel Family Centre, keeping the 41 town bus service and has supported Abingdon Bridge and other local groups with his Councillor Fund.
He continues to work hard at all levels to get investment in local facilities and to make South Abingdon a successful community.

Andy Foulsham

Andy and his family have lived in Dunmore for 23 years and he works for Oxford University as an IT Manager. Elected in 2019, he has argued consistently for better health provision and campaigned successfully against the Expressway. At the District Council, he co-chairs the Joint Audit and Governance committee. He led the Town Council’s emergency response work during COVID and has been Mayor of Abingdon for 2022-23. In his free time he can be found on muddy walks with the family’s black Labrador or reading detective fiction.

Oliver Forder

Oliver worked in finance as a bank director in London, Europe and the USA and then ran his own finance company. He was chair of governors of a comprehensive school for over 15 years, and a trustee of local charities involved in education and town centre regeneration. He has been a LibDem councillor 3 times and Chair of Finance at 2 councils. Otherwise, his great passions are his grandchildren and cricket.

Eric de le Harpe

Eric has lived in Abingdon for more than ten years and has been an elected councillor for the last four. Eric is a software engineer at Gumtree Motors and enjoys running, walking, cycling and swimming. He has a keen interest in how councils can facilitate physical activity within the community and how our council will meet its climate targets. Eric can usually be found at 9am on Saturday mornings running in Rye Farm meadows.
Eric was motivated to get into politics in June 2016 and is interested in both public leisure facilities and CO2 emissions.

Robert Maddison

Max Thompson

Mike Pighills

Debra Dewhurst

Debra has lived in Chilton for 8 years. She has a PhD in particle physics and worked in a scientific capacity within the NHS and particle physics research before starting a family. Currently a stay-at-home mum, Debra is passionate about her local community. She organises many events locally including the annual Chilton Scarecrow Trail and the Living Advent Calendar, and is currently volunteering on the committee to improve the play area in Chilton.

Debra is motivated to stand as a local councillor to represent her community, particularly through the cost of living crisis, making sure people get the help and support they need.

Hayleigh Gascoigne

Hayleigh has been a local councillor since 2019 and is passionate about climate change, which led her to become the chair of the Climate Emergency Advisory Committee.
She has lived in the area for 10 years, moving to the area shortly after graduating university with a Masters in Chemistry. She works locally for a chemicals company where she leads innovation projects. Hayleigh enjoys running with friends and likes volunteering at Didcot parkrun, a free, inclusive, community 5K event.

Hayleigh was motivated to stand as a local councillor because she believes diversity is important. Decision making is better when there are a range of voices represented.
 

Debby Hallett

Debby has been the local Vale councillor for 12 years, working for local residents wherever it’s needed. Her main experience is in planning policy and applications, corporate plans and strategy, and transformational projects (helping council do more for less). 
Currently, Debby is leading the effort on the Joint Local Plan 2041. In this past year she has helped secure £250k funding for Botley Pavilion, and overseen a review of the 5 year housing land supply to protect the district against speculative development. 
In her spare time, she reads. 

Emily Smith

Emily is an experienced and pro-active local councillor with a record of getting things done. 
Emily grew up in Sunningwell and lives in Botley with her young family. After 3.5years as district council leader she is now CEO of a local environmental charity. Emily campaigned against the Expressway, and development at Foxcombe Hall, for changes to the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme, secured £250k towards the Botley Pavilion Project and is  Secretary of the new look Botley Youth Club.
 

Judy Roberts

Judy moved to Botley in 1988. She has an MSc (Analytical Chemistry) and has worked for the NHS, Oxford University, St.Edward’s school and as a Childminder. Her children attended local schools (where she was a a governor) and she was elected in 2007 for the District and Parish of Cumnor. She became a County Councillor in 2017.
Judy helped refurbish all the playgrounds in Cumnor and has been involved with planning from opposing the West Way shops to portfolio holder. 
 

Scott Houghton

Scott has lived in Botley for the past six years, making his home here after moving from the North-West. He is a mechanical engineer by trade, currently working in Oxford and regularly travelling into the city by bike or by bus. He is also a keen rowing coach, and can often be seen at the river passing on his knowledge in the early hours of the morning.

Scott was motivated to get into local politics to improve local infrastructure, and to better represent young families at a local level.
 

Andy Cooke

Andy Cooke and his family have lived in Drayton for 10 years, moving there when he left the RAF after a 17-year career.  He has served as local Vale councillor since 2019.  He currently works as a consultant with the MoD.
He has campaigned (successfully) against the Expressway and has consistently argued against the Thames Water megareservoir and in favour of the Severn-Thames Transfer project, and has fought on behalf of residents on a number of planning issues.  
 

Bethia Thomas

Bethia is passionate about Faringdon; it has been home to her family for almost twenty years and she has dedicated much of that time working to promote the town in several different roles. Since becoming a councillor in 2019 she feels as though she has made a difference to the town, listening to residents and making their voices heard where it matters; as leader of the council she wants to give everyone a fairer deal.
 

Lucy Edwards

Lucy is an amazing team player, committed to working for her community. She lives in Faringdon with her family, and is a Parent Governor at Elms Primary School. Working to promote Faringdon Rugby Club she has used her professional experience to great effect. She has already fought for the community, petitioning the county council to repair the town centre’s pavements, and was a key member of Faringdon Viral Kindness helping vulnerable residents during the pandemic.
 

Kiera Bentley

A self declared serial volunteer, Kiera is an active member of the community and an experienced Councillor.  Before moving to this area she served as a Councillor in Faringdon for 6 years including spells as both Chair and Mayor. Her knowledge of how the Council  works and passion to get things done make her an ideal choice to represent our local community.   Kiera has a previous career in the charity sector being the Chief Executive of a charity working with Blind and Partially Sighted People and a decade training Guide Dogs and rehabilitation work. More recently, Kiera has run her own successful business as a Private Investigator and continues as a Trustee for various charities as well as Chairing Oxfordshire Association of Local Councils.  What spare time she has is spent on her smallholding with her various animals, wildfowl birds and husband Tom who serves in HM Forces at The Defence Academy in Shrivenham. 
 

Ron Batstone

Ron has lived in Grove since he retired in 2008. Before that he worked firstly as a research scientist and then in various IT roles. Ron stood successfully as a district council candidate for Grove North in 2019. At the same he became a Grove parish councillor. In his roles he has been a strong advocate for Grove residents. He has campaigned for the new improved X36 bus service and was particularly pleased to have been part of the effort to refuse planning permission for the proposed 300 houses at Tulwick Park and to gain permission for the new Lidl store to be built alongside the A338
As a district councillor he is a trustee of Vale Community Impact (formerly Wantage Independent Advice Service) and on the board of the Letcombe Brook Project
Ron has a particular interest is public transport, attends the Grove and Wantage Traffic Advisory Committee and is energetically  involved in promoting active travel.
Outside of council work he has a particular interest in the weather and modern art.
 

Diana Lugova

Diana has been a hardworking, proactive Councillor for Kennington and Radley since 2019, representing local people and serving on the Planning Committee.  Diana is particularly interested in ensuring we get better infrastructure before new development and protecting our environment and open spaces. She uses her position at the council to push for homes that are truly affordable and energy efficient.  Diana has a professional background in IT and is enthusiastic about using technology to make people’s lives better.

James Cox

James lives locally and works as a teacher in a nearby school. A keen environmentalist, James is proud of the Vale Council’s high recycling rate. He wants to support green initiatives and
measures to safeguard and enhance biodiversity. James has campaigned against local pub closures and for more effective policies to tackle homelessness.
He is delighted to have been chosen to be a candidate for the vibrant communities of Kennington and Radley and will work hard for everyone in our community.

Jill Rayner

Jill has lived in Kingston Bagpuize for more than a decade and is a successful Oxfordshire businesswoman.
A publisher of high end magazines, Jill established Fyne Times more than 20 years ago and produces other well known publications such as OX Magazine.
She has a rescued greyhound, Lionel, and has campaigned against any plans to restart greyhound racing in Oxford.
Jill says that her two greatest achievements are building a pond during Lockdown and singing On Ilkley Moor Bar t’At with Sir Ian McKellen!

Robert Clegg

Robert has lived in Marcham since 2016, having earlier grown up in South Oxfordshire. As a husband and proud father of two young children, Robert is well aware of the challenges currently facing families right now. He works as a project manager in the IT sector, giving him both a technical background and strong organisational skills. He is a resourceful pragmatist, dedicated to seeking consensus and compromise.
Robert is keen to bring his strong organisational skills to the management of the area. More housing is needed, but without accompanying infrastructure the quality of life will decrease for all residents: old and new. Local development needs to be handled well to benefit everyone.
 

Dr Paul Barrow

Dr Paul Barrow has been our hard-working councillor for four years. Paul has lived in the heart of our community for more than 30 years with his wife Anna. They brought up their two
sons here.

Paul’s professional experience working in infectious disease meant he was the perfect person to write a report for the county health scrutiny committee on infection control in care
homes during the Covid pandemic. He is committed to preserving the character local villages in the face of the excessive levels of development imposed by the
Conservatives.

Sue Caul

Sue brings her energy and enthusiasm to the local Liberal Democrat party, looking to generate positive change in the Stanford area. She feels strongly that local voices should be heard, local needs addressed, and that the potential to enhance life in the beautiful countryside in the Vale of White Horse should not be squandered by those that will not listen, or think they know better. Sue will be working for a fair deal for Stanford.

Sue feels passionately that politics should be a force for good and will work hard to improve the local perceptions of politicians and listen to the residents of Stanford.
 

Sally Povolotsky

Sally won the district council ward for Steventon & Hanneys in May 2022. Representing her parishes means a huge amount to her, as well as being part of change, driving an agenda that’s focused on people and our planet. Sally has championed inequalities in SEND and education, school transport, community facilities and infrastructure. She has been at the forefront for ensuring our communities have warm spaces and being the voice for all of us suffering from this cost of living and energy crisis. She is on the front line objecting to the SESRO Reservoir scheme, and trying to hold developers to account for schemes in and around the ward where enforcement is needed. 

Mark Coleman

Mark moved to Faringdon in 2005 whilst serving in the Armed Forces. He retired after 37 years of Service and now works in the voluntary sector.  He volunteers at the Faringdon Covid Vaccine Centre, and last year was appointed as a trustee for the Faringdon United Charity.  An advocate for the environment, Mark volunteers with the Faringdon Wilderness Project, the National Trust, and Hinksey Heights Nature Trail.  He is committed to being a hardworking representative of the people to improve residential and environmental areas across the Vale. 

Amos Duveen

A qualified teacher and parent of school age children here in Wantage, Amos is passionate about the importance of a good education for all our children.   He was instrumental in ensuring that the local council stood in during the COVID pandemic helping support those children who needed extra resources such as recycled computers and free school lunches for eligible students when the scheme was sadly withdrawn by Government. 
Also a committed environmentalist, Amos has served for 4 years on the Climate Emergency Advisory Committee (CEAC) at the Vale – a time during which the Council has successfully received £6 million in grants to fully decarbonise all of its Leisure Centres. Phase 1 in Faringdon goes live this month and both Wantage and Abingdon will follow shortly. CEAC has also helped the Council both save money and reduce its carbon footprint through various imaginative schemes including significant tree planting projects and the establishment of wildflower meadows on Council owned land and verges across the Vale. 
 

Jenny Hannaby

Jenny is a retired business woman and lifetime resident of Wantage area. 
Jenny has served for over 20 years on both the Vale District and Wantage Town Councils including four terms as our Mayor and at Town she Chairs both Leisure & Amenities and Health Committees.
At the District Council she has served on Cabinet for Housing and Waste Services and was instrumental in negotiating the award-winning waste contract (still with the 4th best recycling rates in the country) and has held positions of Deputy Leader and Vice Chairman. At County, Jenny is Cabinet member for Community Services & Safety and previously held posts for Adult Social Care and Health Overview Scrutiny Committee (HOSC).

Andy Crawford

An experienced Councillor first elected in 1999, Andy has been an active campaigner for Charlton Ward residents. A former Governor of King Alfred’s School as well Wantage C of E Primary, he was a Trustee of Court Hill Youth Hostel and on the Wilts and Berks Canal Trust. A passionate environmentalist he is a Director of Westmill Solar Co-operative and a member of Sustainable Wantage. Educated at the University of Oxford and after a career in Finance he was, for 7 years,  Director of Oxfordshire’s largest mental health charity.  Married to Jane, who runs a Wantage based national health charity, in his spare time Andy enjoys supporting their daughter in her out of school activities and trying to tame his ga

Patrick O'Leary

A resident of Wantage for over 25 years ago, Patrick established and ran the Dolphin Gallery in the Market Place until retirement some years ago. Married with five children the three youngest attended King Alfred's school and are now at University. His wife is a medic at Swindon Hospital. 
First elected to Wantage Town Council in 2010, Patrick served on many and various committees and has also served as our Town Mayor for two terms.
Patrick was President of King Alfred's scouts for 12 years and also served as treasurer for the Wantage Chamber of Commerce. Long involved with the Dickensian Evening event, Patrick is a great supporter of town events which bring vitality and fun for the residents of our Town.  A passionate environmentalist Patrick was a speaker at a recent Climate Change event held in Wantage Market Place. In his spare time Patrick is a keen cyclist in all weathers!
 

Val Shaw