Clarion Weekend, 5 June 2026

For Pride month, from the archives when Broad Street was a glorified car park. (Photo by Roger Close, back when all he had was an iPhone 5c)

City centre mobile reception, wheeling to Cambridge, footy scran, £26.5m country estates, coffee horsebox, plus all Oxford’s finest events and some otter-ly brilliant nature news. If there’s a more varied news update anywhere in Britain, we’d like to see it. Step this way…

This week’s top stories

Maternity services at the John Radcliffe Hospital have improved from “requires improvement” to “good” in the latest Care Quality Commission inspection. The CQC carried out an inspection in the autumn “due to an increased number of concerns and complaints being raised by members of the public”.

The inspectors did find breaches around safety issues, and said women reported issues with “gaps in bereavement support, inconsistencies in postnatal care and instances where women were left alone”. The JR’s overall CQC rating remains at “requires improvement”. Simon Crowther, CEO of Oxford University Hospitals, said the findings were “a strong foundation for the further improvements we now need to deliver”. We looked at maternity care in Oxfordshire in a data deep dive in March.

Oxford City Council has ordered an investigation into why mobile reception in the city is so poor by national standards. A newly commissioned report, due by September, will “set out the causes for this poor performance before identifying the route to improvement and giving cost impacts”.

EE, by common consent the poorest network in the city centre, says it has completed legal negotiations with a site owner to install a new mast, but has not yet confirmed an on-air date. The network was cleared to place a temporary mast on St Aldate’s Chambers, opposite the Town Hall, last November.

Meanwhile, ‘small cell’ provider Cornerstone is working with the County Council to trial compact transmitters on lampposts and other street furniture, with the aim of improving mobile reception in high footfall areas “including visitor hubs, commercial zones, and known not-spots”.

Confirming the Clarion’s report in Tuesday’s newsletter, the Government says trains from Oxford to Milton Keynes are being lined up to appear in the December rail timetable. In a written statement yesterday, rail minister Peter Hendy said:

“Chiltern worked with Network Rail, DfT and other operators on the December 2026 timetable and services have been timetabled between Oxford, Winslow, Bletchley and Milton Keynes. The Department continues to work closely with Chiltern Railways and other partners to confirm a start date for the first East-West Rail services between Oxford and Milton Keynes Central via Winslow.”

The start of services has been delayed by a dispute with rail unions about whether guards should be required for the new services, which we first reported delays back in September.

Around the city

"Speeding not a serious offence": Saj Malik, independent city councillor for Temple Cowley and county councillor for Cowley, says that his conviction for doing 53mph in a 30mph zone is not “a serious offence”. The councillor, who works as a taxi driver, pleaded guilty last week to speeding in the Oxfordshire village of Tiddington. Cllr Malik wrote:
“On the day, [my wife] called me and told me her heart was beating very fast and could not breathe. This has all been explained to the court where I took accountability, by no means has a serious offence been committed. I have been a respected taxi driver for over 30 years.”
Cllr Malik is a member of the Shadow Cabinet on the county Conservative/Independent opposition, with responsibility for legal matters. From 2004 to 2006 he sat as a Liberal Democrat on the City Council, then as Labour until 2019, when he was suspended after receiving a domestic violence court order.
Magdalen College has spotted some otters in Holywell Ford. An otter-ly brilliant video has been posted on their Facebook page. Otters were almost driven to extinction in Britain by the 1970s, but efforts to restore rivers and protect the species ensured its survival; they started to return to the county’s waterways in 2010. Are you an otter spotter? Let us know where you’ve seen them near you.
And two years of weekly bee surveys in Magdalen's extensive gardens have recorded 49 different species from the Chocolate Mining Bee to the Swollen-thighed Blood Bee.
Electric Mini production at BMW’s Cowley plant – and with that the whole future of car manufacturing in Oxford – is at risk according to reports in German media. WirtschaftsWoche quotes “an influential insider from the circle of BMW’s new CEO Milan Nedeljković” saying that the post-Brexit Rules of Origin, due to come into force on 1 January, will impose a minimum level for EU/UK-origin parts that BMW believes it is unable to meet at Cowley. Otherwise, a 10% tariff will be imposed at a time when production costs are already rising. Electrive has a good English-language summary.
New yellow lines are proposed across Oxford to “deter dangerous parking at school drop-off and pick up times”, reduce footway parking and improve visibility. Oxfordshire County Council is consulting on a new set of restrictions following complaints from local councillors, schools, and residents. The restrictions are proposed for Ashhurst Way, Barton Village Road, Cranmer Road, Cuddesdon Way, Fettiplace Road, Hollow Way, Knights Road, Leckford Road, Oxford Road (Marston), Sandford Road, Wayneflete Road and Williamson Way. Consultation is open until 3 July.

Oxford’s independent Apple retailer, Western Computer (latterly Albion Computers/iStore) on Gloucester Green, has closed. The unit is up for rent with agents Jackson Criss. Apple themselves are believed to be behind a planning application to turn the Superdry unit in the Westgate Centre into an official Apple Store, but despite approval being given in December 2024, no visible progress has been made.
Meanwhile, around the corner, ‘opening soon’ notices have gone up at the former Jamie’s Italian restaurant for “neighbourhood restaurant” chain Megan’s, which is bringing its Mediterranean food to the city.
Cambridge took top billing at this week's powerfully named Oxford–Cambridge Growth Corridor event, the ‘Scientific Superpower Conference’ (did it come with capes?), with Oxford relegated to a supporting role. Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed a Development Corporation to take over planning powers in Cambridge, and announced new housing. Elsewhere in the Growth Corridor, she announced £1.3bn for the Universal Studios resort near Bedford, mooted as “Britain’s biggest tourist attraction”, plus funding for a new eastern entrance to Bletchley railway station. (No East-West trains are yet running to Bletchley due to the protracted dispute over staffing.)
The Oxford–Cambridge conference, which took place in (checks notes) London, also saw a vision document published for the corridor. It envisages “a single innovation ecosystem… a ‘cluster of clusters’ system where complementary specialisms across the corridor operate as a coordinated network”.
Cambridge City Council says it is concerned that the Development Corporation’s planning powers would “reduce the ability of local people to shape their future”. The Government has proposed that Oxford could get a similar Development Corporation.
Spectators at Quarry Rovers FC, Headington’s junior football club, could be in line for better footy scran (link not suitable for work… if you are a dietician or GP). The club is proposing to convert a shipping container into a food and drink servery at their Barton Road site. A planning application is with Oxford City Council.
The Castle Quarter will earn Oxfordshire County Council £0.5m each year, according to council projections. OCC recently acquired the restaurant and hotel site which it believes has underperformed in recent years. It writes: “Where previously the council likely would not have considered such an acquisition, the investment provides a unique opportunity for the council to deliver on its place-shaping mission, redeveloping a key historical quarter of the city to support businesses, tourism, and residents, while at the same time providing a net positive financial contribution to the council.”
This weekend sees the Big Splash Weekend in Oxford's leisure centres. It features free taster swimming lessons, as well as free family swim sessions and other activities across the two days. Free swimming sessions are available throughout the week for children and young people who live in Oxford. Chris Hawkes, for More Leisure, said: “We’ve seen some tragic stories in the news recently about people drowning while out swimming. I would encourage people of all ages to learn to swim. It’s a fun activity, but it has a serious side. The skills you learn could save your or someone else’s life.”
Leys residents are being invited to apply for the board that will distribute £20m of Government funding across the Greater Leys area. There are nine places on the Pride in Place Neighbourhood Board. Drop-in sessions for interested candidates will be held next week.
The Ultimate Picture Palace is marking both its own 30th anniversary and 50 years since the opening of its 'Penultimate' predecessor. The cinema on Jeune Street has announced tie-in screenings with Pride, Great Big Green Week, and Oxford Comedy Festival, among others. The UPP's 'Summer of Celebration' starts this week with Saving Face to introduce Pride Month, followed on Thursday by the first film screened at the cinema when it opened in 1996, Blade Runner. The UPP is campaigning to extend the lease at its East Oxford site, which expires in 2037.

The Kings Arms at Sandford Lock; Cow Lane underpass; the Carfax Conduit

Around the county

Do you have a spare £26.5m burning a hole in your pocket? The thousand-acre Nuneham Estate, to the south east of Oxford, has been put up for sale. The site, mostly arable land, also includes Nuneham House (currently let to the Global Retreat Centre) and its River Thames boat-house, a holiday let complex, and 27 tenanted cottages. Estate agents Bidwells also say that there is potential for gravel/sand extraction, a plan fiercely opposed by local parish councils. Bidwells told Farmers Weekly that the sale would “appeal to a wide range of buyers, from private investors and institutions to those seeking a landmark long-term holding”. Nuneham is also home to the Carfax Conduit, a grade I listed building, which supplied the city of Oxford with water from 1610 until 1869 but was relocated to Nuneham by the Earl of Harcourt in 1797.
The Kings Arms at Sandford Lock will reopen on Saturday at 9am (for coffee and breakfast, obviously) after its month-long renovation.
Work to install new artwork in the narrow Cow Lane underpass under the railway in Didcot has been postponed due to “unforeseen circumstances”. The maintenance closure to update lighting, cut back vegetation and improve guttering will still take place next week.
Oxfordshire’s much-criticised online parking permits could be rethought. Oxfordshire County Council says it accepts “the urgent need for improvements in the online parking permit system”, following a review by a council scrutiny committee. It says that the current contract will continue for another year, but that although the option exists to extend for a second year, “it is not the intention to do so”. OCC also agreed with the committee’s recommendation that any new system should “prioritise quality and functionality over price”.
BT is applying to install one of its controversial Street Hubs on Bury Street, Abingdon. The advertising screens, which also include wi-fi connectivity, have already been subject to several planning refusals in Oxford. BT positions the screens as the successor to its payphones/kiosks. BT claim: “The area surrounding this site is visually busy and typical of this area of Abingdon at ground elevation. This proposal would be an addition to the ground elevation and in context with the surrounding street furniture.”

We quite like the new trend for artist’s impressions under moody grey skies.

Lab space latest: a new building is proposed as a “centre for interdisciplinary interaction” is proposed at the Harwell Campus, with specialist science areas branching off a central “social street” extending through the building. The plans are being put forward by the Science & Technology Facilities Council. The architects say the five-storey design caters for “significant spatial requirements for wet lab spaces and cleanrooms, particularly the extensive MEP [mechanical/electrical/plumbing] services, ductwork, and plant”. The design promises a “considered interplay of glazed terracotta panels”.
The Harwell Campus houses the National Quantum Computing Centre, the Diamond Light Source (the UK’s national synchrotron), the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and much more. A planning application is with Vale of White Horse District Council.
In the never-ending round of Local Plans, the planning documents that set out development sites and priorities for an area, South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse are proposing to continue working together to draw up a joint local plan lasting to 2045. The plan up until 2041 is currently being re-appraised by Government planning inspectors, who had originally turned it down but have restarted work following a change in Government guidance over the duty for neighbouring councils to co-operate.
The speed limit on the twisting A4095 between Long Hanborough and Bladon could be cut from 50mph to 40mph, as part of Oxfordshire County Council’s Vision Zero programme to eliminate road deaths and serious injuries. OCC says the move is “supported by local Bladon and Hanborough councillors”. The route is a key link between Hanborough station, Woodstock and Witney. The roadside path was mostly widened to cycleway dimensions in 2022, but a narrow section remains and no formal signs have been installed. Consultation is open until 3 July.

Walking, wheeling and cycling

Cyclists from Abingdon to Oxford could soon be enjoying a morning coffee and pastry, with plans for a coffee horsebox by Radley Lakes, alongside National Cycle Network route 5. Plans lodged with Vale of White Horse District Council by Cuppa Coffee Club envisage daily trading from 7am to 3pm. The horsebox would be parked on a grassed area next to the existing car park “for the sale of hot and cold drinks and pre-prepared baked goods”. It would fill a 4.5-mile coffee gap on NCN route 5 between Abingdon town centre and Proof Social Bakehouse at Sandford Lock. (We note that Abingdon councillor Nathan Ley has taken our ‘coffee gap’ observation and run with it, observing that it is “not yet a formal planning term”. But it should be.)
A man living with multiple sclerosis, Ben Parker, has wheeled his way from Oxford to Cambridge along National Cycle Network route 51 (the ‘Varsity Way’) to raise funds for MS-UK. It’s one of four long-distance wheelchair challenges he is taking on this year, also including London to Brighton (becoming one of only three people to wheel up Ditchling Beacon in a day chair), the Mercian Way and the Rebellion Way. So far, Ben has raised 10% of his £20,000 target. After finishing the ride, he reported:

“My left hand side of my body is numb from top to bottom. My arms hurt with a pain that I don’t think of felt before. I feel considerably weaker throughout and mentally, I am drained. It was tough getting through this. Averaging a marathon each day that I pushed, I hit my limit and I feel broken.”

This weekend

Oxford Pride (free), Sat, Paradise Gardens. Follow the rainbow bus to Radcliffe Square, then back to Paradise Street for an all-day party.
Magdalen Road Village Summer Festival (free), Sat. Street party OX4 style, with a juice bar, beekeeping advice, and yoga in the road.
Change is Brewing (£), Sat, Tap Social. Beer festival in Botley with Count Skylarkin and Proof Pizza.
Purcell: The Musical (£), Sat, Magdalen College. Join baroque composer Henry Purcell on his deathbed.
Jericho Fest (free), Sat/Sun. Street fair, Morris dancers, Run Jericho, live music and much more.
Summertown Big Picnic (free), Sun, Alexandra Park. Part of the national Big Lunch weekend.
Eid Extravaganza (free), Sun, Blackbird Leys Park. This year's second celebration, for Eid al-Adha. Food stalls and funfair.
Rare Plant Fair (£), Sun, Waterperry Gardens. Find something unusual for your garden.

This week

Intrusion 25th Birthday (£), Tue, Jericho Tavern. Anniversary party for Oxford's goth night. There is a dress code.
The Harrowing of Hell (£), Tue-Thu, St Edmund Hall. Medieval mystery play in a 12th-century crypt.
Einstein and the Refugee Scholars in Oxford (£), Wed, Museum of Oxford. How Christ Church welcomed Einstein in the 1930s and why his blackboard is in the History of Science Museum.
Stories from the Sands (free), Thu, Magdalen College. Three artistic responses to newly discovered lines from ancient Greek tragedy.
A Midsummer Night's Dream (£), Thu-Sat, Oriel College. Shakespeare, a string quartet, and the sunset. Content warning for 'coerced romance'.
Peace & Friendship Walk of Faiths (free), Thu, Oxford Jewish Centre. The annual interfaith walk, from synagogue to church to mosque.
A Northern Tr*nny Hootenanny (£), Thu, Old Fire Station. The story of the fastest milkmaid in the North West. (Asterisk: performer's own.)
Mount St Helen (£), Thu, The Bullingdon. Big moody sounds from local multi-instrumentalist launching his EP 'The Stillness, The Dancing'.
Birds of the Lye Valley (£donation), Bullingdon Community Centre, Fri. Local ornithologist and wildlife photographer Tom Bedford talks about residents and migrants.

Pirates in comics and choristers. We love the variety of events you send us.

Dates for your diary

A selection of upcoming events for which you might want to book in advance.

A Magic Lantern Extravaganza! (free/booking), Thu 2 Jul, Christ Church. "See the dead rise and great monsters speak!" Sensational performance of Victorian visual entertainment.
From Taverner to Today (£), Sat 20 Jun, also at Christ Church. A 500th anniversary concert for Oxford’s cathedral choir, including the world premiere of a new work by Nico Muhly, The Shadow of the Sun.
Caption Comics Festival (£), Sat 8/Sun 9 Aug, Seacourt Hall. Oxford's own small press & comics convention returns with a pirate theme.

Oxfordshire’s independent media

The Oxford Sausage writes about Oxford sausages. Must-read.
Little Oxplorers has a cracking weekend roundup for the mini Clarions. Lots on, much of it free; no reason to be bored this weekend.
Ox in a Box previews the Black Horse in Gozzards Ford near Abingdon. Owner Tom Rainey is also behind the Punter and the Porterhouse. Run, don't walk.
Bitten Oxford say it's alphonso mango season at the Dishoom Permit Room (our mango correspondent recommends the mango kheer). Because all the cool people write about mangoes.
Morris Oxford has been plaque-spotting.
FOI will eat itself: Cherwell sent every Oxford college a freedom of information request on how many FOI requests they receive.
The Oxford Blue calls to rewild college lawns in the interests of diversity and biodiversity.
And developers Goldmoney (really) have branded their work in progress, a passage between Cornmarket and Queen Street, as the definitive 'Clarendon'. They've started sharing archive pictures on their Instagram. (They really do seem to be trying to make Oxford Bridgerton again.)

Charity begins at home

The Oxford León Association is holding their annual fundraising Sponsored Swim for Oxford's Nicaraguan twin city of León on Friday 3 July, 4-7pm at Hinksey Pool. Funds raised will be used to help provide clean water to communities in remote areas near León, as well as educational charity Hypatia. Oxford León Association says: “Whether you have taken part in lots of Sponsored Swims..., or whether it will be your first time taking part, whatever you raise small or large will make a big difference to poor children in León. The most anyone has swum is 177 lengths by an 80 year old!”

Books

Book recommendations return next week. But this week we learned you can borrow a book from any Oxfordshire County Council library and return it to any other OCC library. Your library card works at any Oxfordshire library. You also get free online magazine access and a whole bunch of other delights. We feel more people should know this information. Happy (free) reading.

Notes from Clarion HQ

There’s no excuse (even the odd spot of rain) not to get out and enjoy Oxford this weekend: Oxford Pride, Jericho Fest, Summertown Big Picnic, Tap Social beer festival, Magdalen Road Village Summer Festival. Smile for the camera if you see us taking photos there.

We picked up a lovely story this week about Oxford research on the (how do we put this…) self-gratifying behaviour of birds. Our challenge between now and Tuesday is to find a way of phrasing it that won’t get the newsletter cast into Gmail’s outer darkness for profanity. Tune in next week to find out if we’ve managed it… and if not, check your ‘Junk’ box. Have a great weekend.