A high-profile councillor who has failed to attend any meetings of a important committee for a year has been told he has let down the people of Oxford.

But Labour county councillor Mick McAndrews, who is seeking re-election to County Hall on May 5, said he is struggling to fit in all his community work.

Mr McAndrews, 38, claims about £7,200 a year as a county councillor, but skipped seven meetings of the Oxford health scrutiny sub-committee, the last of which was on April 27.

The committee was set up to hold Oxford Primary Care Trust and Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust to account.

Recently, the cross-party committee, which has representatives from both the city and county councils, has criticised a lack of NHS dentistry and highlighted concerns about the decline in young people attending sexual health clinics.

On Thursday, Mr McAndrews, formerly an Oxford city councillor but now representing Old Marston on the county council, stands for election in the new division of Barton and Churchill.

Committee chairman Paul Sargent said: "After three or four meetings where he hadn't shown up or given any apologies, I said to the committee 'do we ask the county to provide another councillor?'

"He has let us down and potentially let people in the city down."

Mr McAndrews, who once lived rough in his native Glasgow, has carved out a reputation as a dogged councillor.

In January, he quit his job at Stonham Housing Association because he could not juggle his day job and council casework.

He said: "I can't do it all, but I am trying my best. I didn't attend any of the meetings, but I certainly did give my apologies to the relevant officer.

"The ideal person to be a councillor is someone who is retired."