THE new chairwoman of the Oxfordshire Growth Board said she wants to ‘reset the scene’ over fears of excessive housing.

Sue Cooper will become the board’s chairwoman when it holds its first meeting following local elections on Tuesday.

The Liberal Democrat leader of South Oxfordshire District Council said people were worried about the impact of possible growth across the county.

She told the Growth Board’s scrutiny panel on Thursday that ‘people think of lots of houses and not much else’ when they hear about work across the county.

There has been concern from some groups that projected housing figures for all Oxfordshire districts are in excess of demand.

Mrs Cooper will be South Oxfordshire District Council’s second consecutive chairwoman after Conservative Jane Murphy held the post for 2018/19.

The post was given back to South Oxfordshire after former Vale of White Horse District Council leader Roger Cox asked for his authority not to be given the responsibility in March.

He said he thought it was ‘vital’ for the board to have ‘continuity'.

But in last month’s local elections, Mrs Murphy’s Conservative lost control in South Oxfordshire so she lost her place

The board next week will be composed of three Conservatives, two Lib Dems and one Labour council leader.