County councillor Harry Wyatt retires (From Witney Gazette)

County councillor Harry Wyatt retires

3:30pm Monday 27th March 2006 in Witney

TWO Oxfordshire county councillors have retired from civic duty due to ill health.

Harry Wyatt, the Liberal Democrat member for Eynsham, and Rosemarie Higham, the Conservative councillor for Banbury, Grimsbury and Castle, officially told County Hall they would be standing down 'with immediate effect'.

Their decision to quit means by-elections for the vacant seats will be held within two months.

Mr Wyatt, a qualified mining surveyor, who is married with seven children and five grandchildren, was chairman of Oxfordshire County Council in 1999/2000, and previously a West Oxfordshire district councillor.

The county council is made up of 74 seats and run by a Conservative cabinet. After the announcement, the Tories have 42 seats, the Liberal Democrats have 16, Labour has nine seats and the Greens have five seats.