Benson,
16
May
2023
|
10:42
Europe/London

Councillor Felix Bloomfield becomes new Chair of Oxfordshire County Council

Councillor Felix Bloomfield who represents the Benson and Cholsey division at Oxfordshire County Council has been elected as the new Chair of the authority.

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 16 May.

Born in Oxford, and educated locally before attending university in London, Cllr Bloomfield has lived and worked in Oxfordshire most of his life. He was a South Oxfordshire district councillor for 20 years and was the district's youngest ever chairman. He was also a professional photojournalist for many years, specialising in motorsport and the music industry.

Cllr Bloomfield will be raising funds for several charities during his term of office with a particular focus on those promoting Sepsis awareness for the public and medical practitioners. With this also being National Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK, he would like to take the opportunity to raise public and professional awareness on a subject that touches everyone in one way or another. The official theme this year is anxiety.

chairvicechair

Cllr Bloomfield had served as Vice-Chair in 2022/3 while Cllr Susanna Pressel was Chair. The new Vice-Chair of Oxfordshire County Council will be Cllr Alison Rooke who represents Abingdon East.

About the role of chair

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.