THE next leader of Oxford City Council has said there is much work to be done at the local authority, but vowed to unite all sides to ensure it works as one.

Susan Brown, its current deputy leader, was chosen to succeed Bob Price at a private meeting of Labour Party councillors at Oxford Town Hall on Thursday night.

She said the party had a ‘very clear' plan to implement – and was backed by the council’s opposition leaders to succeed in her new role.

Ms Brown said: “We have a very clear manifesto but there’s always more work to be done. What I will be focusing on is bringing my colleagues together, as Bob did before. There is more we can do together than working on our own. Working with our partners across the system will be really important in the future.”

She added: "It is an honour and a privilege to be elected as leader of my group and the council. It is very exciting to be able to play my part in developing the vision for Oxford’s future – the city where I grew up and have spent most of my life.

"Bob is a very hard act to follow as he has been carrying out the role for 12 years now and has brought great experience and wisdom to the role."

Ms Brown works for the NHS as a senior communications manager and the head of stakeholder engagement at Oxford University Hospitals Foundation Trust – but said she would be reducing her hours there to focus on council work.

She said: “I will be talking to my employer but that is still to happen. I will continue to work but not full time.”

Ms Brown moved to the city aged two, and was educated at St Philip & St James Church of England Primary School and Oxford High School.

She left Oxford to study at the London School of Economics, where she met her partner, fellow member of the council’s executive board and former council leader, Alex Hollingsworth. They have two daughters.

Ms Brown said she would talk to Mr Price about his role ‘over the next few days’, and said he would continue as the chairman of the Oxfordshire Growth Board ‘to make sure there will be no disruption’ to its work.

That includes implementing a strategy for spending £215m of government investment over the next five years to build infrastructure and support the delivery of up to 100,000 new homes across Oxfordshire.

Mr Price will also remain a member of the council’s executive board until he steps down as a councillor in May.

Earlier this month Mr Price told Labour colleagues he would stand down as council and Labour group leader, ahead of him retiring from the council after 35 years’ service as city councillor.

Ms Brown was first elected an Oxford councillor in 1994, representing Churchill ward until 2006. In 2012 she returned to the council after she won a by-election in the same ward. She is up for re-election in her ward in May's local elections.

She has been deputy leader since October and has previously held the community safety and corporate customer services portfolios on the council’s executive board. Ms Brown has also been chairwoman and vice-chairwoman of a number of council committees. She was the Sheriff of Oxford in 2016/17.

Her deputy will be the council’s board member for leisure, parks and sports, Linda Smith.

Speaking yesterday morning, Andrew Gant, the Liberal Democrats’ leader, said he had already exchanged emails with Ms Brown, congratulating her on her victory.

Dr Gant said: “I very much appreciate Bob Price’s collaborative approach and look forward to that continuing.”

David Thomas, the Green Party’s leader on the city council, welcomed Ms Brown’s election.

He said: “It’s really good news. Susan has been the customer services portfolio holder and she has done a really good job with that.

“I have been impressed with her work on the financial inclusion strategy which I thought was excellent.”

He added: “I think she will be at very good at reaching consensus and moving the city forward but I hope this is an opportunity for the Labour group to review some of its strategy around rough sleeping and homelessness.”