VETERAN councillor Sir Barry Norton has spoken of how much he will miss working with the people of West Oxfordshire as he prepares for his final meeting as leader of the council today.

Sir Barry has led West Oxfordshire District Council since 2001, and also served as a parish councillor for North Leigh since 1973 and as the village’s Conservative district councillor since 1983.

He announced earlier this month he would be stepping down from his role due to ill health.

Today sees Sir Barry, who was described as an "outstanding leader" by Prime Minister David Cameron, lead his last full council meeting in Witney.

His fellow members will be conducting a presentation to mark the milestone event, while tributes will be made in his honour.

Sir Barry, 70, said yesterday to the Witney Gazette: "I've always loved West Oxfordshire as a place.

"Everything I've done has been trying to make it even better, to improve the quality of life here.

"If anything, the bit I'll miss most is seeing West Oxfordshire succeed, and being in contact with all the people here. Just working with them, they have all been so supportive."

Sir Barry, who was Mr Cameron's constituency election agent between 2000 and 2015, said after the elections on May 5 there would be another for the leader of the council.

The new leader then has one week to put together their cabinet before the council's annual meeting on May 18.

Sir Barry added there would be some challenges ahead for his successor, but also some things to look forward to.

He said: "We are in the great position of offering free parking and I only hope when we go forward in the future that we can continue down that way.

"But as money gets tighter and tighter it's something more difficult to continue.

"Another challenge is broadband speed, as we are a rural district.

"We signed a contract with BT but that only covers 90 per cent of the district. The other 10 per cent is in the hard-to-reach rural areas.

"We've been working hard to make sure those hard to reach areas can receive broadband.

"One of the exciting things though is the devolution deal. If successful, the opportunity to have 20 or 30 years of income from the Government will be enough to fix our infrastructure."

Sir Barry, a great-grandfather-of-two, has had Type One diabetes and heart issues for some time, but is now suffering from spinal problems and inflammation of arteries as well.

He said his retirement will consist of making sure he relaxes, but added once he feels well enough he would like to see more of Britain with wife Molly.

He said one of his proudest achievements was securing a long-awaited new village hall for North Leigh, where he lives.

He said of the hall: “It is the hub of the village and must be one of the best in the whole county."

The former pupil of Witney Grammar School, now Henry Box School, entered politics to help North Leigh Football Club get permanent grounds, becoming the parish council’s youngest member aged 27.

He said he was leaving his role as leader of the district council with "a heavy heart".

Sir Barry added: "Thank you to everyone who has helped and supported me, I am so very grateful for that."

Witney MP Mr Cameron said: “He has been an outstanding council leader, delivering excellent services and keeping council tax low. His dedication and love for West Oxfordshire and its people flows through everything he has done."

Sir Barry's final full council meeting of WODC will be held today at 2pm in the council's Witney offices.

Everyone is welcome to attend.