Councillor Ted Fenton becomes the new Chair of Oxfordshire County Council
The new Chair of Oxfordshire County Council for the 2026/7 year is Councillor Ted Fenton who represents Bampton and Carterton South at County Hall.
Councillor Fenton, 63, was voted in to the role at the Annual Meeting of the county council on Tuesday, 12 May. His chosen charities for the year will be Oxfordshire Air Ambulance and Oxfordshire Royal British Legion.
The Vice Chair for the 2026/7 year will be Councillor Roz Smith.
Educated at the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle upon Tyne, King’s College London (BD, AKC), and Magdalene College, Cambridge (PGCE) Cllr Fenton moved to West Oxfordshire in 1985 to join Cokethorpe School. During 35 years there, he held roles including Director of IT, Senior Tutor, Director of Studies, and later Senior Administrator, transitioning from teaching Religious Studies to IT and academic administration.
Councillor Fenton was elected to West Oxfordshire District Council in 2015 (Bampton and Clanfield) and to Oxfordshire County Council in 2017 (Witney West and Bampton). In 2025, he was re-elected to represent the new division of Bampton and Carterton South.
He has been married to Hilary since 1998, he has three stepchildren, several young granddaughters, and a grown-up grandson. He retired early in 2020 to spend more time with family. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking and practising the piano.
Cllr Fenton said: “It is an honour to have been elected by my fellow councillors to chair the council for this municipal year. I am looking forward to the next 12 months and to the challenge of chairing the council. As Vice-Chair of the council last year I have an insight into the role and thus I am well prepared.”
About the role of Chair
As the ceremonial head of the council, the chair must be a serving county councillor but must remain politically impartial. A new chair is elected each May at the annual general meeting of the county council, which this year was on Tuesday 21 May.
Ceremonial duties performed by the chair include:
- being the politically impartial civic leader of Oxfordshire
- promoting the objectives and services of the county council and Oxfordshire
- acting as an ambassador for the county council and Oxfordshire
- fostering community identity and pride
Key responsibilities include:
- presiding over meetings of the full council
- accepting invitations on behalf of the county council to attend events
- inviting individuals and representatives of key organisations to events at County Hall and other venues.