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We have an amazing team of candidates standing for election to Blackbird Leys Parish Council on the 7th of May 2026. In Greater Leys you can vote for both your city and parish councillors.
Our 2026 Green candidates are an amazing group of ordinary people, everyday activists and community figures from varied walks of life, backgrounds and professions – representing the diversity of the city we are proud to call home. What unites them is a passion for building a fairer, greener Oxford. In Blackbird and Greater Leys, all our candidates love the place and want to make it better.
Meet Oxford Green Party’s 2026 Blackbird Leys Parish Council candidates.
You can check which ward you are in here.
If you live in Northfield Brook ward you will receive 2 ballot papers. One for your city councillor. The other lets you select 7 parish councillors for Greater Leys ward (out of 8 candidates). The parish councillors for Blackbird Leys ward have been elected unopposed.
Maria Fancaria moved to Oxford in 2020 and has since fallen in love with the city. She works as an engineer and volunteers at an animal sanctuary.
Maria has lived in a few areas of Oxford and now lives in Greater Leys, where she is running for the Parish Council. She is passionate about animals and the environment. She wants to improve the Leys area for its residents and wildlife, and increase the sense of community.
Millie Henson lives in Greater Leys and joined the green party to advocate for the community she loves.
Millie cares deeply about the issues affecting our communities, such as lack of affordable housing, the cost of living crisis, pollution in our rivers and natural spaces, and will keep pushing for positive change big and small.
She is also passionate about protecting the planet and working together to reduce the impact of climate change. Practically this means supporting local initiatives such as litter picks, cycling schemes, and rewilding projects, as well as petitioning for wider systemic change. She wants to make sure every person living in Greater Leys feels listened to and like they belong to a community that cares.
Steve James has lived in Blackbird Leys and Greater Leys his entire life, so this community is home to him—it is a part of who he is. He understands its strengths, its challenges, and the people who make it what it is.
His work has focused on supporting people with disabilities and neurodiversity, alongside local organisations and charities. Through that, he hs seen how much difference the right support—and the right kind of listening—can make. He cares deeply about improving mental health provision, strengthening community services, and ensuring advice and support are accessible to everyone who needs them.
As an autistic person, he brings a perspective rooted in careful listening and genuine understanding. People need to be heard, not spoken over. Community begins with communication. When we take the time to understand one another, we build something stronger and fairer, where differences are met with curiosity, not judgement.
David Newman lives in Greater Leys, where he has served for 4 years as a Blackbird Leys parish councillor and chair of the group preparing a neighbourhood plan.
He is a retired university lecturer who has worked in Mauritius, Moçambique, Kenya and Belfast on appropriate technologies like energy efficient jikos and community networking.
He is keen to see the Leys neighbourhood and communities develop, and passionate about protecting our great green spaces and fighting the cost of living crisis by reducing energy costs. With a neighbourhood plan we can set the rules developers have to follow when getting planning permission. What should we protect, what should we support and where?
Barrie Finch has been living in Oxford since 1980. He has worked in local government and theatre. He is a retired health service worker, member of Unison and still a union activist.
He is a keen observer of local government, taking an interest in housing and community issues, including food larders. Barrie is an active regional campaigner for pensioner and LGBT rights. In his experience councillors seldom listen to or learn from local residents. Barrie is a good listener.
Michael Osborne is a retired Quality Management Systems (QMS) manager and environmental specialist with extensive experience in automotive body painting operations, where he focused on compliance, sustainability, and continuous improvement.
Alongside his professional career, he has been an active trade union representative and is a former Labour Party branch officer, advocating for fair working conditions and community-focused policies.
Now elected as a Green Party parish councillor in Blackbird Leys, Oxford, he brings a wealth of practical experience, a strong sense of public service, and a dedication to supporting local residents and strengthening the community.
Morgan works as a librarian, and has lived in Oxford since 2009, and Blackbird Leys since 2022.
You can vote for up to 7 candidates in the Greater Leys ward ballot. Put an X in all 4 boxes for your Green Party candidates.