FUTURE Lord Mayors of Oxford should travel around the city in a Mini, according to Dee Sinclair.

The Labour councillor has called on the city council to consider a car built in the city when it comes to replace the civic car – currently a Toyota Prius.

Although a standard Mini would be far less environmentally-friendly than the hybrid Prius, Ms Sinclair said a new eco-friendly Mini in Oxford Blue would suit her and her successors.

She said: “We haven’t got any plans to replace the car at the moment, ideally we should have something which is made in the city.

“I don’t know a lot about cars, but I know that technology moves on so fast that it could be even more efficient to have something newer.

“I also think you can get reasonably-sized Minis, they’re not so mini anymore, so I think they would be perfectly fine for Lord Mayors and whoever travels with them to go around in.”

She said she would be pushing for the replacement when the Prius came up for retirement, which is likely to happen long after her term of office finishes in May.

She said: “I think when it comes up for discussion I would certainly push for a car that’s produced in Oxford.”

Oxford City Council spokeswoman Eva Oliver emphasised Ms Sinclair’s point that a replacement car was not on the horizon, but did not rule out a future of Minis for Lord Mayors.

She said: “Currently there are no plans to replace the Lord Mayor's car.

“As part of our commitment to be a cleaner, greener council, we will certainly be looking at a range of low carbon vehicle options, including the new Mini, when the Lord Mayor’s car requires replacement.”