OXFORD now has its first zero-carbon Lord Mayor.

Craig Simmons, who represents the Green Party, has officially been appointed the city’s Lord Mayor for 2019/20.

He has been a city councillor for 17 years and was previously a county councillor, representing his party between 1997 and 2009.

Mr Simmons, a keen cyclist and sailor, has lived in Oxford for 25 years. He has picked Asylum Welcome and the Lord Mayor’s Climate Change Fund as his chosen charities.

He said: “Given my own interests, and those of the Council as a whole, I intend to focus on promoting Oxford as a welcoming international city and facilitating action on climate change.”