Chair of the council

About the chair

The chair is the ceremonial head of the council. The chair must be a serving county councillor but must remain politically impartial. A chair must not be a member of the Cabinet.

Ceremonial duties 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.

Chair,  Councillor Felix Bloomfield

Born in Oxford, and educated locally before attending university in London, Felix 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. A professional photojournalist for many years specialising in motorsport and the music industry.

Vice Chair,  Councillor Alison Rooke

Councillor Rooke has lived in Abingdon for over 40 years. She has been a local councillor for over 20 years, serving as both a town and district councillor in the past. She has been both Mayor of Abingdon and Chair or the Vale of White Horse District Council. She has been County Councillor for Abingdon East division since 2013.

Events

If you would like to invite the Chair to an event, email  chair@oxfordshire.gov.uk