As a team we are able to offer you a combination of long experience in working on behalf of the people of the town together with new energy, enthusiasm and a desire to explore good ideas. Our concerns for the future are:

Housing – young people and low earners cannot afford to live here – we want self-build and co-operative developments, to encourage ‘modest growth’ but insisting on fair proportions of affordable housing on all developments

Business – we need to retain our ‘real town’ feel with a balance of essential and attractive shops, serving the people of the town, the surrounding villages and visitors who bring prosperity - we want to encourage commercial development both in the town centre and on the various business parks together with the necessary IT infrastructure (Broadband) to support it

Jobs – we are concerned for the future of Parker Knoll workers made redundant and the likely loss to the town of this major employer – we want workers to be given all possible help to use their skills or retrain and remain part of Chipping Norton’s workforce. We must attract new employment but it would not be in the interest of the town to allow the Parker Knoll industrial site to become a massive housing development.

Transport – we know how concerned the people of the town are about the lorries - because of the high and unacceptable levels of pollution in the Town Centre we will go on pressing for a mandatory alternative route for HGVs, but, whatever the means, we will continue to pursue our right to walk safely through our town centre.

Recreation – a new library, more play spaces and pitches, a skateboard park are all projects we have been working on – politics is for all ages!

THE TEAM

Robert Evans – Born Bala, N.Wales 1949. Lived in Chipping Norton since 1973. Part-time college lecturer at North Oxfordshire College, Banbury and with the Open University. Board member of the Thames Valley Probation and National Centre for Public Scrutiny. Town Councillor since 1983 and Town Mayor 1995. County Councillor since 1997 and currently Chair of Learning and Culture Scrutiny Committee. Vice-Chairman OCC 2001. Chipping Norton School Governor, ACE Centre and Theatre Trustee, Chairman Community Education Centre and member of Youth Centre Committee. Initiated 1990 Town Appraisal and Chair 2002 Appraisal Health Task Group.Member of the Co-operative Party.

John Grantham – Born Chipping Norton 1937. Educated at Chipping Norton Church School and Grammar School. Served in RAF 1956-1959 (Hong Kong). Retired Operations Director (Parker Knoll Furniture Ltd). Member of Chipping Norton Town Council 1972-83 and 1994 until present. Mayor of Chipping Norton 1976 /1977. Member of WODC 1974-77 and 1996-2000. Member of the Co-operative Party. Chairman of Trustees of the Regulated Pasture, Oxfordshire Association of Local Councils, Chipping Norton and District Fire Brigade Charity and the Traffic Advisory Committee, Past Chairman of Chipping Norton and District War Memorial Hospital League of Friends.

Gwil Stephenson - lives and works in Chipping Norton with his family. He is the technical director of Evergreen, a software company based in the South West and has taught software design part-time for the Open University for the last twenty years. Prior to working as a technical director he spent ten years as the IT Director of an art college. He is a member of the Co-operative Party and of AUT (Association of University Teachers). Gwil has not previously stood as a town councillor but feels his technical expertise and experience in business and education will add to the Labour and Co-operative group’s strength and assist Chipping Norton to maintain and improve its commercial and education infrastructure and facilities.