Dr Michele Paule said she was “really sad” to be standing down as the county councillor for Rose Hill and Littlemore with immediate effect.
The Labour member resigned from her seat on Monday, confirming to the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the decision had been taken due to “ongoing health problems”.
Dr Paule has served as a member of Oxford City Council and governor of Rose Hill Primary School, as well as being a voluntary carer. She is described as “a strong advocate for improved social care” on the county council’s website.
“I am really sad to be stepping down,” she said. “I have a long association with the division as a councillor, as a resident and through family.
“It is never an easy thing to step down mid-term. I would like to thank all of the residents, community groups and council officers who have been such wonderful people to work with.
“We have really resilient communities in Oxford. We are very lucky.”
A notice of election was issued this week with candidates able to obtain nomination papers from Oxford City Council’s headquarters at Town Hall, St Aldate’s, Oxford.
Read more: Oxford City Council has announced a by-election in the Littlemore ward
The deadline for nominations is 4.00pm on Friday, 03 February, with the list of nominations to be published by 4.00pm on Monday, 06 February.
Members of the public must be registered to vote by Tuesday, 14 February, if they want their voices to be heard at the ballot box.
The Notice of Poll, which confirms the candidates and the polling stations to be used, will be published on Wednesday, 22 February.
Dr Paule won her seat with more than three times the votes achieved by her nearest rival, Conservative candidate Daniel Stafford, in the 2021 elections.
She was put forward by Labour when grandee Gill Sanders, who had held the seat for the previous nine years, did not stand again.
