South Oxfordshire Council leader Sue Cooper to resign

A council leader who previously faced calls to resign after voting against her authority's housing plan is to step down.

Sue Cooper has been South Oxfordshire District Council leader since May 2019.

She said she had thought "long and hard" about her decision and decided now was the time for a new leader to "drive delivery" for residents.

Mrs Cooper faced calls from the Conservatives to resign last year after voting against 13,500 new homes.

The coalition of Mrs Cooper's Liberal Democrat party with Green councillors had promised to scrap the plan, due to the amount of homes proposed and green belt development.

However, the then communities secretary Robert Jenrick intervened and said he would remove planning powers from the authority if it was not adopted.

The plan was eventually approved in December but seven councillors, including Mrs Cooper, voted against it.

Mrs Cooper told a cabinet meeting on Thursday she would resign formally at a council meeting on 7 October, when her successor will be chosen.

She said her cabinet could be "rightly proud of our many achievements", including its "clear and visible leadership" over climate change and ecological recovery.

"It has been my pleasure to lead a diverse team of committed members and officers and I look forward to supporting my successor as leader and will serve them in any capacity requested of me, as we continue to do the very best we can for the communities we serve here in South Oxfordshire," she added.

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