CONSERVATIVE-controlled Oxfordshire County Council has a new chairman from Abingdon a Liberal Democrat who succeeds a Tory.

Lesley Legge takes over from Catherine Fulljames, from Middleton Stoney, who becomes vice-chairman.

A mother of three who used to teach maths in south Oxfordshire, Mrs Legge represents Abingdon East on the county council and had been council vice-chairman.

Before having children, she worked at a pioneering computer company designing air traffic control simulation programmes and as a computer manager at the Royal National Institute for the Blind.

Mrs Legge, who has lived in Abingdon since 1979, has been a town councillor since 1995 and was town mayor in millennium year and chairman of governors at Rush Common County Primary School for many years.