TRIBUTES have been paid to the outspoken, controversial, and proudly politically incorrect former leader of Oxfordshire County Council, who died this week.

Keith Mitchell CBE served as the Conservative leader of the county council for more than a decade between 2001 and 2012.

Mr Mitchell represented Bloxham, Adderbury, Bodicote and the surrounding areas of north Oxfordshire between 1989 and 2013.

His friend and fellow county councillor Kieron Mallon praised his work ethic over more than 20 years in local politics.

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Mr Mallon said: “Keith was my mentor in politics and public service, we had a friendship going back over twenty five years and our divisions bordered each other’s. We colluded on so many projects, locally and at County Hall.

"His work ethic was second to none and he dominated local government both in Oxfordshire and in the south of England for a generation. His like will not be seen again and I will miss him”.

Mr Mitchell came into politics as the local councillor for Bloxham in 1989.

In 1990 he retired early at the age of 44, having sold his stake in an accountancy business, and then began to pursue politics full time.

He became leader of the council in 2001 when his Conservatives joined forces with the Liberal Democrats to form a coalition.

After the 2005 elections, in which the council saw a sea change and the Conservative group gained an overall majority, Mr Mitchell was credited for providing strong direction to the bolstered Tories.

Oxford Mail:

As pictured above, Mr Mitchell campaigned in this election alongside two young Tory hopefuls who would later go on to become prime ministers of the UK: David Cameron (then parliamentary candidate for Witney) and Boris Johnson (then a candidate for Henley).

READ MORE about the story behind the picture here

As the swingeing austerity cuts of the coalition Government began to eat away at services in the early 2010s, Mr Mitchell oversaw their affects on youth clubs and libraries in Oxfordshire.

The council leader was criticised for overseeing these cuts by campaigners who wanted to preserve libraries - but he hit back, often publicly.

He waded into debates with prominent Oxford figures, including authors Colin Dexter and Philip Pullman over the planned library closures, branding them as 'well-known Oxford lefties'.

And he also drew the ire of political opponents within the council chamber as well.

Mr Mitchell was first dubbed 'Kaiser Keith' in 2005 after appointing members of his own party to important positions in leadership roles and on scrutiny committees within the council.

He also had a somewhat abrasive relationship with the Oxford Mail.

On one occasion in 2005, when the Mail's then-political reporter Giles Sheldrick wrote an article predicting severe budget cuts, Mr Mitchell promised he would make the newspaper 'eat humble pie'.

When the next year's council budget came, the cuts were proved to be not as great as expected, the council leader arrived at the newspaper's Osney Mead office to deliver a pie straight to Giles' desk.

Oxford Mail:

Picture: Sean Dillow

On his retirement from leadership of the county council, Mr Mitchell recounted some of his successes in Oxfordshire politics in a blog he wrote.

Among them he included the two hamburger roundabouts on Oxford's ring road, transforming Oxford Castle, removing buses from Queen Street, and coping with the 2007 floods.

FROM THE ARCHIVE: When Mr Mitchell stood down as leader of the council

The current leader of the county council, Ian Hudspeth, was Mr Mitchell’s successor.

In 2011, Mr Hudspeth was kicked out of the then-leader's cabinet, the inner circle of senior councillors, after he made an unsuccessful challenge for the leadership of the council.

But the next year, he secured victory as the new council chief after Mr Mitchell quit the leadership and stood down to the back benches.

Of his predecessor, Mr Hudspeth said: “Keith is a towering figure in the history of Oxfordshire County Council and was at the helm through some very significant times. He was very proud to lead the county council.

“He brought experience of the business world in to the role having previously run his own accountancy business."

He added: "Keith’s public profile could be at odds with the experience of councillors and council officers who dealt with him on a day to day basis and who would testify that he was pragmatic, practical and conciliatory.

“I am sure everyone at the county council would join with me in passing on condolences to Keith’s wife. He will be missed, respected and long-remembered by staff and councillors of all political persuasions.”