Liberal Democrat candidate Mark Mills has been re-elected as Oxford City Councillor for the Holywell ward, winning 1,073 votes in Thursday’s elections.
Mills, a student at St Edmund Hall, promised constituents that if re-elected he would work towards an overhaul of the way that the council consults students to ensure that their interests are always taken into account.
Mills had campaigned on the basis that the he was the only real opponent to Labour, warning prior to the election that “Only the Lib Dems can kick Labour out of the town hall in May. A vote for the Conservatives or the Green party will only help Labour here.”
Labour was not, however, Mills’ most successful opponent. Alistair Luke Strathern, a second year PPEist from St Anne’s College who stood as Labour candidate won only 478 votes while Sophie Lewis, a finalist from Wadham College achieved 621 votes for the Green Party.
The Conservative candidate Dr Frances Kennett, who is also head of development at Regent’s Park College, won 583 votes.
All four candidates ran in the Holywell ward which, situated in central Oxford, is dominated by University students. Most Oxford University Colleges fall into the Holywell district of Oxford.
Labour has won full control of Oxford City Council, securing 25 out of 48 seats. This follows the success of Oxford East MP Andrew Smith who was elected with an increased majority.
