Councillor Louise Upton is set to become the new Lord Mayor of Oxford.
The ceremonial role will see Councillor Upton carry out a wide range of civic engagements during 2025/26, from leading Oxford’s Remembrance service to school visits and charity events.
Councillor Susan Brown, the Leader of Oxford City Council, made the announcement at the Council meeting last night (27 January).
She also announced that Councillor Mike Rowley will be the Deputy Lord Mayor of Oxford, and Councillor Andrew Gant will be the Sheriff of Oxford for 2025/26.
Mayor making
The Lord Mayor, Deputy and Sheriff will be sworn in at the traditional mayor making ceremony in Oxford Town Hall in May.
The ceremony will see the outgoing Lord Mayor, Councillor Mike Rowley, officially step down and hand over their chains of office to Councillor Upton.
The bells of Carfax Tower will then be rung by the Oxford Society of Change Ringers to commemorate the ceremony.
Councillor Louise Upton
Councillor Louise Upton was born in Shropshire and first came to Oxford to study for a degree in Biochemistry at New College, Oxford, where she also captained the university’s Women’s Football Team. After that came a PhD in Cell Physiology from University College London. Since then she has worked as a research scientist, first in Paris for several years and then for 25 years at the University of Oxford, where she continues to teach neuroscience.
Councillor Upton was elected to Oxford City Council in 2013 and represents Walton Manor ward. She is currently Cabinet Member for Planning, and for many years held the role of Cycling Champion.
Lord Mayor of Oxford
The Lord Mayor generally carries out more than 300 engagements each year. These cover a wide range, from Royal visits and leading Oxford’s annual Remembrance Sunday service to small community group meetings and charity events.
The Lord Mayor also raises money for charity during their year-long term of office. Councillor Upton has chosen The Gatehouse, OXSRAD and TRAX to be her Lord Mayor’s charities for 2025/26.
The first recorded Mayor of Oxford is Laurence Kepeharme, 1205-1209. Mayors’ names stretch in an unbroken line until 1962, when the dignity of the Lord Mayor was granted to Oxford by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Comment
“I am so looking forward to being the Lord Mayor. We live in one of the most vibrant, most historic, most diverse cities in the UK, and I will be incredibly proud to represent every single one of our citizens.
“The number of engagements is daunting, but it will be an amazing opportunity to meet many of the wonderful people who make Oxford tick.”
Councillor Louise Upton
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