About the Council
Mayor of Abingdon - Cllr Michael Badcock
Deputy Mayor - Cllr Peter Jones
Leader of the Council - Cllr Sandy Lovatt
The Town Council's Mission Statement
The Town Council will provide a democratic forum for the community through which it can enhance the social, economic and cultural well being of the Town. The Council will seek the opinions of residents and others to understand their needs, and in turn to explain how the Town Council will attempt to address those needs within the powers and resources available to it.
The Town Council will seek to establish and maintain high quality, cost effective services to meet the needs of residents, businesses and visitors. The Council will also aim to assist and encourage other bodies to provide such services and will promote and defend the best interests of the Town for the ultimate benefit of the residents.
The estimated population of Abingdon is 32,287 (Oxfordshire County Council estimate for 2005). Abingdon is the third largest settlement in Oxfordshire, after Oxford and Banbury, and is projected to have grown to 32,879 by 2011 (an increase of 4.9% over the ten year period to this date). The town is an historic market town and is the oldest continually inhabited town in England. It was granted its first royal charter in 1556, and the 450th Anniversary which was celebrated during 2006. In 1974 the Abingdon Borough Council, based in Berkshire, was replaced by a Town Council which retained all the historic traditions of the town, but became part of the administrative county of Oxfordshire. Many of the functions previously undertaken by the Borough Council were transferred to the Vale of White Horse District Council on 1st April 1974.
The twenty one members of the Town Council are elected by the registered electors of Abingdon every four years. A new Council was elected in May 2011. Three councillors are elected for each of the seven Wards of the town - Abbey & Barton, Caldecott, Dunmore, Fitzharris, Northcourt, Ock Meadow and Peachcroft.
Each year one of the Councillors is elected to be the Town Mayor, and another to be the Deputy Town Mayor. The Council has adopted a scheme of Members’ Allowances, under which members are paid £680 per year towards the performance of their duties.
The full meeting of the Town Council usually meets six times a year and between these Council meetings the work of the Council is done by Committees. The Committee structure of the Council was reviewed during the year.
The following are the Council’s standing committees:
Planning and Highways Committee
Amenities and Recreation Committee
Finance and General Purposes Committee
County Hall Museum Management Committee
There are a number of Sub Committees and Working Parties of the main standing committees which deal with specific issues.
All meetings of the Town Council and its Committees are open to the public but occasionally they will be excluded when confidential matters have to be discussed (such as the issue of contracts, staffing matters etc). Provision is made for the public to address and ask questions of the Council.
The Council appoints nominees and representatives to numerous local organisations as part of its commitment to supporting local voluntary efforts in the community.
Whilst the elected members determine the Strategies and Policies of the Council, the day to day operation of the Council’s activities is undertaken by a team of paid professional officers. The Town Clerk is the Council’s chief executive and head of the paid service. The Town Clerk is also the Council’s Responsible Financial Officer and the “Proper Officer” for various other legislative obligations. In addition to the Town Clerk there are 16 (Whole Time Equivalent) other officers covering the wide range of services operated by the Council.