COUNTY council leaders have missed an opportunity to make the local authority more democratic, an opposition councillor has claimed.

On Tuesday Ian Hudspeth was voted back in as leader of Oxfordshire County Council after his Conservative group gained the support of independent councillors Mark Gray and Les Sibley.

Following his election Mr Hudspeth announced his new cabinet, featuring eight other councillors including Mr Gray.

The cabinet will take the big decisions affecting Oxfordshire, while councillors on scrutiny committees analyse their decisions and refer those decisions back to cabinet if they disagree with them.

It is the custom of some councils to appoint councillors from opposition groups to be the chairmen of scrutiny committees but this tradition was largely ignored at County Hall last week.

Liberal Democrat Neil Fawcett, who represents Abingdon South, said: "I think it would have been more democratic if the chairmen of scrutiny committees were from opposition groups.

"It feels undemocratic to have Conservative councillors chairing scrutiny committees – they can influence the content of what is being discussed.

"Council leaders who are willing to open themselves up to effective scrutiny by opposition councillors demonstrate their strength.

"I think there has been a missed opportunity to have a more democratic council."

At Tuesday's council meeting the chairmen of scrutiny committees were voted in and only one councillor, Liz Brighouse, was from an opposition group.

Mrs Brighouse, who is leader of the Labour group, will chair the performance scrutiny committee, but Conservative Michael Waine will chair the education scrutiny committee, while fellow Tory Nick Carter will chair the audit and governance scrutiny committee.

Council leader Ian Hudspeth denied that the council was being 'undemocratic'.

He said: "Liz will be chairman of the performance scrutiny committee and arguably that is the most important scrutiny committee of them all.

"And Liberal Democrat Jenny Hannaby will be the deputy chairman of the performance scrutiny committee.

"I am happy that the administration's decisions will be properly scrutinised, and the chairmen's views only reflect the views of the committee members.

"If we get decisions bounced back to us by the scrutiny committees of course we will look at them again."

At the meeting on Tuesday Mr Hudspeth, who has been leader of the council for five years, was voted in for four more years as leader.

The vote was close – 33 councillors voted in favour of Mr Hudspeth staying on as leader, 15 voted against, and 15 abstained.