Green Party Candidates 

West Oxfordshire District Council Elections 2022

Brize Norton & Shilton

Rosie Pearson

Rosie has lived in Asthall for 23 years and brought up two daughters in the Windrush Valley.

She was a journalist for the Economist and the Independent, taught drama and English in Jamaica
(and briefly at Burford School) and now runs events at Asthall Manor, including the much-loved on form sculpture exhibition and a community-supported food project in the walled garden. She sees a direct connection between soil, nature and climate, and has dedicated the land she cares for to helping all three to recover.

Rosie has volunteered with Assisted Reading for Children in Oxfordshire, and spent many years on the editorial team of the Asthall chronicle.

Rosie has been a member of the Green Party for 17 years, and has long been inspired by the idea that a greener world would also be fairer and less stressful.

If elected, Rosie will work to:

• Challenge over-development: protect our countryside and the individual character of our villages.
• Reduce bills, improve homes: provide support and more local jobs and training to insulate houses and flats – reducing energy bills and making homes cosier.
• Stop sewage pollution: hold Thames Water to account – demand real-time information on water quality for residents, prosecute illegal spills and halt new housing approvals in the District until Thames Water has delivered its promised extra sewerage capacity.
• End A40 traffic mayhem: ensure a dedicated bus lane all the way from Carterton and Witney to Oxford and secure a rail or trackless tram link along the A40. Work with bus companies, community transport and car-sharing schemes to give real choices to people in villages.
• Support local farmers and growers: protect allotments and farmland from development, work with food producers to help them to sell affordable food directly to local families and businesses.
• Prevent flooding, restore nature: use natural flood solutions to soak up, slow down, and retain more water upstream - reducing the risk of flash flooding and drains being overwhelmed.

For more details of what Rosie wants to do for Brize Norton & Shilton click here

Bampton and Clanfield

Alma Tumilowicz 

Alma spent the early part of her life in Manchester, trained to teach in Hertfordshire then, while based in Manchester worked as a Film Editor around the UK -- mainly for the BBC and ITV. While working on a documentary series called ‘Eco’ at Central TV, Birmingham, she developed an awareness and interest in environmental issues.

After acquiring a degree from Manchester University, she moved to West Oxfordshire in 1991 to raise a family.

In 2000 after reviving her teaching qualification, she worked as a supply teacher and later as a Home Tutor for Oxfordshire County Council.

She enjoys working on grassroot projects. During lockdown, she volunteered as a co-ordinator for Bampton Aid Networkand and now helps run the Eynsham Repair Cafe.
Alma originally joined the Green Party in 2010 because of the party’s holistic approach to society and the environment. Research shows that a more equal society is a fairer and happier one. It is her belief that the only political party committed to this aim whole heartedly is the Green Party.

If elected she would campaign to:

• re-instate the a cross country bus service from Clanfield to Oxford and
• for the reduction of the speed limit through villages and residential areas to 20mph.

The Bartons

Dr Frances Mortimer

Frances grew up locally and lives between Charlbury and Stonesfield with her husband and three young children. She studied medicine in Oxford and London and worked as an NHS doctor for five years before leaving in 2008 to co-found the independent charity, The Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, where she now works as Medical Director.

She joined the Charlbury Town Council as councillor last year, where her first action was to organise a popular electric bike try-out event. She loves the freedom of e-bikes and is often to be seen riding the family's blue e-cargo bike with a couple of kids on the back! She is a member of the Stonesfield Climate Emergency group and over the past three years has been liaising with local farmers and the community to plant trees and protect local wildlife.

If elected, she will continue to work towards creating a thriving community where much more of our food is grown locally, our homes are efficient, the air and the rivers are clean, streets are safe for people of every age to get around on foot or by bike, and we are well-connected by public transport. 

Carterton North East

Tony Barrett

Tony Barrett has lived in Carterton for 20 years and seen it expand dramatically in that time. As an ex bus driver he knows the importance of a comprehensive public transport system. Clean public transport, including a light rail link to Oxford, and more bus services linking towns and villages will help to reduce our over-reliance on car use.

If elected, he will also work for more cycle paths to encourage cycling with all the health benefits and well being that would bring.

Ducklington 

Carol Rae Cather

Rae Cather has enjoyed being a Witney resident since 1984 and a member of the Green Party for almost twenty years, she  has been a teacher in mainstream and special schools but is now retired and since has been an active community member, developing a fair-trade project and contributing to looking after the local environment. 

The Green Party appeals to Rae because of its longstanding commitment to environmental, economic and social justice; it is the only Party setting realistic goals about the work that needs to done in order to protect our young and our planet.

Locally, we must face up to the truths of how we live impacting on our earth, water and air.

Rae has been supporting Windrush Against Sewage Pollution since it was launched, this highlights a crisis with serious local impacts due to longstanding government policy of selling our precious resources for capital investment. 

Having grown up on a farm, Rae is very concerned about the direction of our mass food production and the future of the agriculture industry.  She has arranged public events on these issues and will continue to do so.

Rae is passionate for Witney and the surrounding area to continue to improve its Active Travel facilities, essential for residents improved mental and physical  health and air quality.

Climate Change is our wakeup call, evident in West Oxfordshire by floods and inconsistent harvests.  Addressing these concerns and their impact on our community would be at the forefront of her mind if she becomes elected to West Oxfordshire District Council.

Eynsham & Cassington

Celia Kerslake

• safer routes for cycling and walking
• properly insulated homes that people can heat more cheaply and with less carbon impact
• better public transport options, including a tram or rail service along the A40 from Carterton and Witney to Oxford.  

Freeland and Long Hanborough 

Timothy Eden

Although new to the immediate area, Tim has lived in or around Oxfordshire for thirty years. He works for the University of Oxford in finance, but has held down many various jobs such as publican, teacher, and chocolatier.

If elected, he would ensure that fiscal prudency would be at the heart of every decision the council would make, promote proper accountability and foresight for the foreseeable issues that are on the horizon, and ensure that your voice would be heard in the democracy we all call local government.

The villages in the West Oxfordshire district have little in the way of public transport so the use of Long Hanborough Railway Station as the main focus is leading to excessive traffic though the village. 

Whereas direct assistance is given occasionally by the district to SMEs, this is inefficient and does not create resilience that our area needs. Studies have proven that a highly connected public transport area is both value for money for the operator, and helps drive successful economies.

Of course, local transport is in the purview of the County Council, but it is down to both district councils and electors in the county to force this issue through to the County Council – it should not be down to local communities to arrange their own bus service; that is a sign of a failed democracy.”  

We have a strong groundswell of green agricultural intentions in this part of the Cotswolds.

it would be wonderful to harness this energy to grow the number of Green Party members and supporters, and increase the awareness that we need to look closely at how we produce our own food in locally.

Witney East

Harriet Kopinska

Harriet has lived in West Oxfordshire for over 15 years and has two children who go to school in the area.

Until recently Harriet worked in Witney, supporting students to achieve their qualifications at Abingdon and Witney college, as well as teaching Environmental Sciences through distance learning with the Open University. Harriet now uses that experience when volunteering with local scout group supporting young people to develop skills for life.

Harriet feels very lucky to live and work in such a lovely area,  and is passionate about improving livelihoods and health whilst protecting the environment through truly sustainable development. 

In her own village, Harriet runs a 'Toad patrol' to help toads cross the road safely  during their migration season.

Harriet is a recent convert to the electric bike which has transformed her journeys, making travelling on her bike  in the local area often the most attractive transport option.

If Harriet was elected as well as pushing for improved public transport such as the Witney Oxford Rail Link, she would encourage more active travel both within Witney and to the neighbouring villages, she would stand up against housing proposals that potentially contribute to increased flooding, air pollution and ever increasing congestion on our roads.  She would also do her best to encourage the Councils to invest in more leisure facilities and for the councils, local land-owners and business to do their best to encourage nature to flourish in and around our beautiful town.

Witney South

Sandra Simpson

Sandra Simpson has lived in Witney for over 20 years.  She was a lecturer with the Open University and University of Hertfordshire teaching IT and Business studies.   Since retiring she spent several years teaching local people the skills to help them gain employment.

Interest and understanding of the environment was fostered through studies in natural sciences with the Open University. 

Following a Millennium Award trip to the Utah desert in 2001  Sandra set up the Woodgreen Area Waste Action Group which campaigned for improved recycling and the introduction of green waste collections and, with the council, organised a monthly green waste collection point. 

If elected Sandra would continue to campaign for improved recycling, better cycle routes and help for local businesses to thrive and grow.  She will also try to ensure new developments serve the needs of this community without causing environmental harm through pollution and flooding. She would encourage more active travel both within Witney and to the neighbouring villages, she would stand up against housing proposals that potentially contribute to increased flooding, air pollution and ever increasing congestion on our roads.  She would also do her best to encourage the Councils to invest in more leisure facilities and for the councils, local land-owners and business to do their best to encourage nature to flourish in and around our beautiful town.

Woodstock & Bladon

Barry Wheatley

Originally from the midlands, Barry Wheatley has lived in Woodstock for over 30 years and his daughter studied at the local Marlborough CofE School.  He is a Chemical Engineer with 50 years of experience in various aspects of environmental technology, renewable energy, management and business development.

Since 2004 he has been running his own businesses from his home in Woodstock and as a result of collaboration with Oxford Innovation has been leading several projects in the Middle East in the Life Science, Environment and Health sectors. 

Barry is passionate about supporting small businesses, and was chair of the Oxfordshire Federation of Small Businesses for some years. More recently he has taken on the role of Chair of the West Oxfordshire Branch of the Green Party.

If elected he would fight to help our small businesses to recover and thrive after the pandemic; would do his best to make sure that there was more urgency the District’s Climate Change strategy and importantly, that future housing developments should only take place in the right place and where adequate infrastructure and services already exist - before building starts.

Woodstock & Bladon have already outgrown its service provisions and the present planned expansion is not to provide housing for local residents, but to service the needs of the proposed growth of Oxford City and beyond.  There is a great community in Woodstock and now that he is no longer working abroad he wants to commit his time to protecting and developing what we all value about our town.