By-elections to be held in Abingdon Abbey and Northcourt

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By-elections will take place in Abingdon on Thursday 12 March 2026, following the resignation of Green Party councillor Cheryl Briggs. Cheryl served as Mayor of Abingdon from 2021 to 2022 and had been a councillor since 2019. In 2025 she was Vice-Chair of the Environment and Amenities Committee and a member of the Community Committee. She was also a district councillor

I took a picture of the Green Party candidate and supporters crossing the Market Place today. They and the Liberal Democrats have already been active. Nominations close on 13 February so we won’t know the full list of candidates until then.

What happened last time: Abbey ward (Town Council, 2023)

Elected

Liberal Democrat – 537 votes (40.5%)
Green Party – 485 votes (36.6%)

Not elected

Labour – 174 votes (13.1%)
Labour – 130 votes (9.8%)

The town council currently has 18 Liberal Democrat councillors and one vacancy.

What happened last time: Abbey Northcourt (District Council, 2023)

Elected

Liberal Democrat – 1,109 votes (34.3%)
Green Party – 948 votes (29.3%)

Not elected

Conservative – 389 votes (12.0%)
Labour – 299 votes (9.3%)
Conservative – 273 votes (8.4%)
Labour – 215 votes (6.7%)

The district council currently has 31 Liberal Democrat councillors, 3 Green councillors, 2 independents, and 2 vacancies.

At the 2019 and 2023 elections, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party each stood one candidate, even though two seats were available. The next full election of town councillors (and possibly district councillors, depending on local government reorganisation) is due in May 2027.

Abbey Gateway with the last of the sun

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According to Agnes Baker (¹), access to Abingdon Abbey was once controlled by at least four gateways, of which the surviving Abbey Gateway was the principal entrance.

Above is the Abbey Room; straight ahead stands the Old Abbey House Hotel in Abbey Close; and to the right is the Abbey Hall, home to the Abbey Cinema. Walk on and you reach the Abbey Gardens, and beyond that the Abbey Meadows. Down Checker Walk are the Abbey Buildings that did belong to the Abbey. Even though most of the Abbey has long since vanished, the name Abbey is everywhere.

When I took this picture, on Wednesday, a broad band of late afternoon light stretched down the middle of the gateway. Since then, we have had two days of rain.

¹ Baker, Agnes. Historic Streets of Abingdon. Abingdon: The Abbey Press, 1957.

The Weir Walk opens. St Helens Wharf waits

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The weir path is open again, after a few days, and the notices have been updated to confirm this. It looks as though it was closed only as long as necessary for safety.

Meanwhile, the road by St Helen’s Wharf remains shut, but progress has been made: the new yellow plastic gas main has been laid, and the trenches have been backfilled. There are just a few inches left at the surface, waiting to be finished with tarmac.

So one route has returned to normal, the other is a work in progress but should be finished soon.

Where Snowdrops Grow Naturally

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You can make a visit to some fine snowdrop displays in Oxfordshire during February. The nearest are probably Kingston Bagpuize House, where the gardens open on selected days, and Waterperry Gardens, with more than sixty different varieties spread through the gardens and along the riverside walk.

But you don’t have to go far to find masses of snowdrops. Walking across the Ock bridge on Drayton Road, it’s worth looking over the side. Below, along the riverbank, is a spread of snowdrops that don’t appear to have been planted or tended. They have grown where conditions suit them.