Witney's youngest mayor elected to serve second term

At Witney Town Council's annual meeting the serving mayor Cllr Owen Collins, 31, was nominated and elected to serve again for 2024/25.

Mr Collins said he felt "honoured and humbled" to have been re-elected, adding that he had had "an absolute blast over the last year".

He said: "Since last May, I’ve tried my hand at everything from inflatable sumo wrestling to pole fitness, have been invited to celebrate Christmas and Eid with our community, and I've cut the ribbon on everything from nurseries to offices and hair salons to pubs.

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"I was particularly honoured to return to our twin town of Unterhaching and lay a wreath on behalf of the town at Volkstrauertag commemorations - the German equivalent of Remembrance Sunday.

"I’ve really enjoyed meeting so many people – most of whom have been pleased to see me! – and sometimes surprising them too, as someone who perhaps doesn’t fit the traditional image of what a Mayor looks like.

"I don’t know if many of my predecessors ever ended up raving in the dance tent at the Witney Music Festival but I’d certainly recommend it to my successors in years to come."

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Mr Collins said he would continue to raise money for his Mayoral charities APCAM and Yellow Submarine.

And he thanked "everyone who I’ve met over the last 12 months, and everyone who has helped me – not least my fantastic Deputy Mayor Georgia Meadows, and all the staff at the Town Council who do such a splendid (and often unappreciated) job for the people of Witney".

The new deputy mayor is Andy Bailey. The leader of the town council Dr Ruth Smith was also elected to serve a further year, along with deputy leader Joy Aitman.