Richard Webber, husband to Catherine, father to Edward, Rebecca, Richard, and Sophie, was my friend and mentor, and he died peacefully at home last Sunday after a long fight with oesophageal cancer.
Richard was an inspiring teacher, much respected councillor, entrepreneur, dearly beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend to many. He was a mainstay and stalwart of the Oxfordshire Lib Dem Party, stepping up to fight (and win) a District by-election in his home village of Drayton in 2005, following a long and successful career as a teacher. He then fought a much harder series of Oxfordshire County Council elections from 2013 (in the depths of Lib Dem struggles), winning his first contest by 31 votes and holding on through 2017 and 2021.
He led the Oxfordshire Lib Dem Group through the wilderness years post-Coalition as the party rebuilt, until 2021, when they took control of Oxfordshire County Council, when he willingly stepped aside for Liz Leffman to lead the council. He saw the party rebuild from single figures of District seats in Vale of White Horse, from third place in Oxfordshire County Council, and from no MPs in Oxfordshire to a super-majority in the Vale (wiping out the Tories completely in 2023), a majority on the County Council, and five of seven MPs in Oxfordshire.
Above – Richard and his wife Catherine, campaigning with Ed Davey in Oxfordshire
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