2024 Green Party Candidates 

West Oxfordshire District Council Elections 2024

On Thursday 2nd May 2024 there will be elections for 17 wards and in 20 Town and Parish Councils.

This year we have candidates confirmed in 16 of the 17 wards. We have decided to stand aside in Chadlington & Churchill.

Click on the Ward name to take you to details of our Green Party candidate for this year's election.

• Charlbury and Finstock - Flora Gregory
• Chipping Norton - Amy Long
• Eynsham and Cassington - Nicholas Goodwin
• Freeland and Hanborough - Daniel Eisenhandler
• Hailey, Minster Lovell and Leafield - James Styring
• Kingham, Rollright and Enstone - Arron Baker
• Milton under Wychwood - Tim Eden
• North Leigh - Frances Mortimer
• Standlake, Aston and Stanton Harcourt - Alma Tumilowicz
• Stonesfield and Tackley  - Genny Early
• Witney Central - Rae Cather
• Witney East - Harriet Marshall
• Witney North - Andrew Prosser
• Witney South - Edward Rolison
• Witney West - Penny Ponton
• Woodstock and Bladon - Barry Wheatley

Charlbury and Finstock

FLORA GREGORY

After growing up in the Midlands and then going to university, Flora moved to London to find work and had a successful career in documentary film making and broadcasting.

With a lifelong passion for nature and wildlife, she has roamed the Cotswolds on horseback and on foot for over twenty years, eventually moving to live in Charlbury.

Following an MA at Oxford Brookes, as an artist she focusses on the human-nature relationship.

Flora is the Artist-in-Residence with the Wychwood Forest Trust where she looks at how people in the area relate to the land.  She formed the Charlbury Wildlife Society and is a member of the Land and Nature Working Group which supports the Charlbury Town Council.  Flora also heads up Charlbury Rubbish Friends, who pick up rubbish from 8 miles of verges around Charlbury outside the 30 mph speed limit.

With the dual pressures of climate change and biodiversity loss that confront us, Flora believes that it is community driven initiatives that will affect real change towards an environmentally sustainable future where humans and nature can thrive.

Chipping Norton

AMY LONG

Amy grew up locally and has lived in Chipping Norton with her husband and three children for the past 13 years.

She studied at Goldsmiths, and managed Hauser & Wirth London before moving to the Cotswolds, where she now works in cultural communications.

Amy will work towards creating a thriving community where more food is grown locally, local businesses are supported and prioritised and there is an efficient and useful connection between all the resources that surround this wonderful area to further enhance the experience of living in Chipping Norton. 

It is vital that new housing is planned effectively with a priority for a proper infrastructure so that the heart of this community can flourish.  The piecemeal development that is currently planned is not sustainable, beautiful or useful.

Eynsham & Cassinton

NICHOLAS GOODWIN

Nicholas has lived in Eynsham for twenty years. He works for the University of Oxford, cycling there regularly but grateful for the H2 bus service when it rains. His children attended Bartholomew School and his oldest grandchild is there now.

Eynsham is a good place to live with many thriving community groups and a strong awareness of green issues. It was therefore reassuring to hear the Hight Court has supported the idea that West Oxfordshire District Council can require developers of the new Salt Cross to provide good quality, net-zero-carbon homes.

The Green Party, Liberal Democrats and Labour group (the ‘West Oxfordshire Alliance’) aim to work for everyone in West Oxfordshire. They have funded community groups helping people with the increasing cost of living and pressured Thames Water to reduce sewage leaking into the river but there is so much more to do.  We must find new ways of tackling the climate crisis, such as supporting the Community Action Plan to reach Zero Carbon.

Please use your vote to ensure the effort continues.

Freeland and Hanborough

DANIEL EISENHANDLER

My degree in Health and Social Care introduced me to the social reformist books by Sir Michael Marmot and others, that showed clearly that establishing a more equal society benefits society in its entirety, including those at the upper echelons.

I work as a support worker at a day centre for adults with different learning needs, and my 'secret weapon' is the guitar as I very often sing or make up songs with the people there.

In my studies I researched the local neighbourhood stats  which show that although people in this area tend to be affluent, well-educated and healthy, there is

a big local issue of loneliness and isolation, with many older people not experiencing very little daily human contact. As a councillor I would want to look at ways to tackle this issue, through home visits and inclusive events.

There are already too many unaffordable houses being built and we need to find the answer to  how young people can afford their first home here in West Oxfordshire. The effects of even more housing developments on the road through Long Hanborough and on other infrastructure such as sewage treatment need to be mitigated. We need ways to prise us away from our cars, by encouraging car-sharing to Witney or a fitness drive to prise us all away from our cars for a month at a time? 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.

Hailey, Minster Lovell & Leafield 

JAMES STYRING

James has lived in Oxfordshire for 30 years and has been a member of the Green Party for even longer. He has always had an interest in green transport and founded the respected Oxford-based cycling advocacy group, Cyclox, 20 years ago.

James has lived in Charlbury in West Oxfordshire for nine years. As a Town Councillor in the town for the past three, his main activities have related to transport initiatives.

In conjunction with Oxfordshire County Council, James and fellow Town Councillors have been working to agree a Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan, a County Council framework for implementing wide-ranging walking and cycling safety measures in the town.

Already, James and his team have succeeded in installing a new zebra crossing outside the town’s school. James organises an annual children’s bike rally through a local estate, giving children a taste of the freedom and fun of cycling on smooth estate roads without any traffic to worry about. He is also trying to get a peer-to-peer car-sharing club off the ground, with the aim of reducing the number cars that people need to own.

If elected, James will help residents to work out how low-carbon transport can fit into their lives, be that public transport, cycling and walking, electric bikes or cars, or car-sharing schemes. He will also help the community to provide – or enable – fun and meaningful free-time activities for young people, who so often find there is little for them to do in rural areas like ours.

Kingham, Rollright & Enstone

ARRON BAKER

Arron is standing to get elected as the Kingham, Rollright & Enstone Ward Councillor.

Chipping Norton has been Arron’s home for over 20 years and he feels privileged to live in such a wonderful place in the UK.  With a family background linked to the countryside and time spent working the land, Arron feels very much part of local area and values its place in his heart.

His working life as a skilled negotiator in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors has provided different learning opportunities and taught him that there is no single approach to resolving the difficulties we face.

He actively enjoy’s bringing people together who have the right knowledge at the right time to solve problems collaboratively.  Whilst 2024 is his first foray into local politics, he is well seasoned in working with stakeholders, Government, and the general public in delivering good quality outcomes.

Arron wants to see:

• Farming: To support a new rural economy by championing opportunities within regenerative farming, small farmer co-operatives, local food markets, community food production, and new market avenues for specialist products.
• Environment: Our living environment needs to be at the heart of our decision making, valuing our role in stewardship of the land and its intrinsic link to everything we do.  The right decisions now makesound financial sense and protect our countryside for future generations.
• Community: Recognising and supporting the amazing community volunteers right across the district where I commit to working with groups to assist in bringing them together and finding opportunities and funds to support their essential work.

Whilst Arron know’s that potholes, blocked drains, and litter are issues in our area which need resolving, as a candidate councillor he also believes that there is also a wider responsibility in the role to bring our communities together. 

Please use your vote to ensure the effort continues.

For more information about Arron Baker and what he stands for,
here is his election address

Milton Under Wychwood

TIM EDEN

Although relatively new to the immediate area around Milton under Wychwood, Tim has lived in or around Oxfordshire for over 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.

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.

North Leigh

DR FRANCES MORTIMER

Frances grew up locally and 16 years ago moved back to West Oxfordshire to live with her husband and now their three 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 loves the freedom of e-bikes and is often to be seen cycling around Witney on the family's blue e-cargo bike with a couple of kids on the back! She is a member of a local Land and Nature working 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.

Standlake, Aston and Stanton Harcourt

ALMA TUMILOWICZ

Alma spent the early part of her life in Manchester, she 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 a strong interest in environmental issues.

After acquiring a degree from Manchester University as a mature student, 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 grass root projects. Before lockdown she helped a West Oxon Green Party colleague set up and run the Eynsham Repair Cafe  and during lockdown, she volunteered as a Co-ordinator for the Bampton Aid Network.

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 my belief that the only political party committed to this aim whole heartedly is the Green Party.

Alma has recently joined the Witney branch of ’Make Votes Matter’ because it bitterly disappoints her that during a general election, the Green votes aren’t fairly represented in the U.K’s ‘first past the post’ voting system.

Stonesfield & Tackley

GENNY EARLY

Genny Early runs a small business with her partner from her home in Stonesfield. “A Blackbird Sang” is an RHS Chelsea Flower Show award-winning, art and design studio, where they create pieces of art for gardens, landscapes and homes.  

Genny has just finished studying for an MSc in Conservation Ecology at Oxford Brookes University, with a dissertation on floodplain meadow plants. 

After several years in academic publishing, she now wants to do as much as she can for her local communities, using a wide range of skills, and in particular to help communities to protect and regenerate the natural landscape, flora and fauna.

Genny works with local Oxfordshire

conservation groups including the Wychwood Flora Group, managing landscape for wild flowers, and the Farmland Bird Aid Network, feeding and monitoring farmland birds and other wildlife.

If elected, Genny is keen to work to improve social fairness, increase support for young families, and sustainably revitalise the local rural community.

For more information about Genny Early and what she stands for
here is her election address

Witney East 

HARRIET MARSHALL

Harriet Marshall has lived in West Oxfordshire for nearly 20 years and has two children who go to school in the area. 

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. 

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 feels that it is important to stand up against housing proposals that potentially contribute to increased flooding, air pollution and ever increasing congestion on our roads. 

Harriet is particularly passionate about clean rivers and would do her best to encourage the councils, local land-owners and business to do their best to encourage nature to flourish in and around our beautiful town.

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.

Witney Central

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.

Witney North

ANDREW PROSSER

Andrew has lived in Witney for 25 years and is married with two daughters. He is a professional  expert on climate change and carbon emmissions,  advising both UK and international businesses on how to reduce their carbon emissions.

On a personal note he has coached girls’ football teams and helped organise 6 a-side football at the Witney ATP for over 15 years.

In 2021 Andrew was elected for Witney North to the District Council in 2021 and has taken the Lead  for Climate Change on the Executive of the Council since 2022.

Andrew led the Council’s efforts to support residents with the cost of living crisis and flooding, he has stood up against planning applications where inadequate sewerage was in place, and has worked hard to bring forward residents’ concerns about the Witney North development.

The residents of Witney North were the first to elect a Green councillor to the District Council, in 2021. Since being elected, Cllr Andrew Prosser has also been challenging unsustainable housing developments and river pollution, as well as championing safe walking and cycling.

If re-elected, Andrew will continue to work hard to provide a strong Green voice on the

Council, pushing for joined-up action on planning, transport, local jobs and services.

For more information about Andrew Prosser and what he stands for
here is his election address

Witney South 

EDWARD ROLISON

Ed Rolison graduated from the University of Warwick with a degree in Computer Systems Engineering. He's worked in IT ever since, with a range of employers from a range of sectors.

He moved to Witney for work in 2016 and has lived locally since then. He lives in Witney South with his partner and his dog. 

He's a keen cyclist, and commutes from Witney to Oxford by bike. He was diagnosed with ADHD a year ago as an adult, and has been coming to terms with the implications of a late diagnosis.

Having lived in the Tewkesbury area for a number of years he has had first hand experience of the increase in flooding that we are encountering and how it impacts daily living, and businesses.  Here in Witney he is concerned about how large scale developments are bringing fundamental changes to how we live and work in the area.

We should ensure that all future local developments are not to the detriment of the existing business, homes, and natural environment.  Increased local housing is an obvious and pressing need, and affordable housing is in reallity unaffordable to most young couples here in West Oxfordshire.

If elected he'd be looking to improve infrastructure in the local area to enable cleaner and greener lifestyles - including making clean forms of transport more accessible, and our rivers safe to paddle in again. 

Witney West

PENNY PONTON

Penny Ponton, a retired teacher, has been a Witney resident for 24 years. She is a long standing member of the Green Party, with a lifelong interest in the environment.

A member of Witney Woodland Volunteers, she works for the improvement of green spaces, for nature and for people to enjoy.

Penny is enraged at the level of sewerage in our river and appalled at the subsequent decline of fish, birds and mammals which depend on the river, and the fact that children can no longer play and swim there in safety.

If elected, Penny would work tirelessly with the other councillors to bring pressure on Thames Water to improve the quality of the River Windrush.

She would oppose new housing developments unless appropriate infrastructure and services are in place before any building commences.

A firm believer in, and habitual user of public transport, she would support improvement of local bus services and the reintroduction of a rail link to Oxford. This would help to ease the ever increasing congestion on the roads, to the benefit of all.

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, intellectual property, management and business development.

After a long career supporting reseach and technology transfer in universities he helped establish and headed up the South East England's regional office in Brussels lobbying the EU for more support of public transport, renewable energy, medical research and many other subjects.

In 2004 he set up his own businesses from his home in West Oxfordshire 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. 

Since 2019 he has taken on the role of Chair of the West Oxfordshire Branch of the Green Party and more recently Chair of the countywide Oxfordshire Green Party.

If elected he would fight to help our small businesses to recover from the disaterous managment of the economy by the national government; 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 responding to local needs and are built in the right place and where adequate infrastructure and services are in place - before building starts.