Former County Councillor Barbara Gatehouse

Councillor Gatehouse was the Labour councillor for the divisions of Blackbird Leys from 2001 to 2005 and Leys & Lye from 2005 to 2009

During her county council service, Barbara served on a number of committees including Social Services Committee, Pension Fund Committee, Health & Community Services Scrutiny Committee (formerly Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committee), Democracy & Organisation Committee, Social & Community Services Scrutiny Committee and Planning & Regulation Committee.

Prior to becoming a County Councillor, she was a City Councillor, and held the role of Sheriff in 1990 and Lord Mayor in 1993.

Councillor Liz Brighouse said: “Barbara was a very hard working councillor. She put in long hours for the people she represented and on subjects that she cared about such as homes for older people and adult social care.

“She was a very dear friend and colleague who had a great sense of humour. She stood in as leader of the Labour group despite being in her eighties during the year that I was Chairman of the county council. I know there was a mutual respect between her and Keith Mitchell who was leader of the county council at that time.

Councillor Ian Hudspeth, the leader of the county council, said: “I joined the county council in 2005 so only knew Barbara briefly. She was very clearly passionate about the areas of Oxford she served as a county councillor for almost a decade.. Although we may have differed politically I knew she had her community at the centre of everything she worked for.

“The East Oxford area recently lost another stalwart former county councillor in Val Smith. Similar to Val, Barbara was a very hard working county councillor with deep seated values.”