Clarion Weekend, 16 October 2026

This week: the latest kerfuffle over cheese, there's a shortage of homes and lab space in the city, we're not decarbonising fast enough, but on the plus side there's a shiny new recycling centre and the best school story we've ever seen (from St John Fisher in Blackbird Leys). It’s a roller-coaster – put the kettle on…

This week’s top stories

M’learned friends have been engaged in the latest salvo in the local council reorganisation cheese wars. Oxfordshire County Council (LibDem-run) has issued a formal legal letter to Government asking it to provide the evidence and documents behind its choice (currently on hold) of a three-council split for the county.

OCC says it has previously asked Government to supply this evidence, but having not received a response, it is now formally issuing a pre-action protocol letter. It says it “remains ready to engage constructively with the Government on the review”.

In response, Oxford City Council’s leader Susan Brown (Lab) said: “I don't think the County Council should be spending public money on a legal challenge. We look forward to the government completing its review of its July three-unitary decision for Oxfordshire and West Berkshire.”

Oxford City Council has confirmed that more than 4,000 families are now on the Housing Register waiting for social housing. The council, which receives an average of 160 new applications a month, says it underlines the urgent need for more genuinely affordable homes in the city.

A four-year programme aims to provide 1,632 affordable homes, including 1,072 for social rent. The council says that if the Government reaffirms its plans for a Greater Oxford Council, it will build in the current Green Belt. Cllr Linda Smith (Lab) commented:

"If there was any doubt that Oxford is in the midst of a housing crisis, the fact that over 4,000 people are now on our Housing Register is a stark reminder. Usable land is in shorter and shorter supply in the city: we are utilising every inch, demolishing empty garages, building on former landfills and converting brownfield sites to homes, but the only way to build enough of them is to give the city more land to develop.”

Meanwhile, Vale of White Horse has been recognised as Britain’s third best authority for delivering affordable homes, behind Stratford-on-Avon and Tower Hamlets. West Oxfordshire was 10th and Cherwell 17th. For VoWH, Cllr Andy Crawford (LibDem) said: “This demonstrates what can be achieved when councils, housing providers and developers work together.”

Five Oxfordshire fire stations will get ‘whole-time’ cover to tackle increased threats from wildfires. Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue say that current arrangements do not provide enough cover across the county, particularly during the daytime when there are fewer on-call firefighters available.

The new arrangements would establish 24-hour cover at Bicester and Witney, with daytime cover at Chipping Norton, Faringdon and Witney. Most of these full-time firefighters would be relocated from Oxford’s Rewley Road fire station, with the result that the city would be covered by four fire engines rather than five. The on-call engine at Rewley Road would be retained, with additional support earmarked to address its “persistently low availability”.

The new proposals follow the withdrawal of earlier plans to close fire stations and remove the Rewley Road on-call engine. The County Council says they have been drawn up in consultation with the Fire Brigades Union, which had threatened strikes. Cllr Neil Fawcett (LibDem) said:

“These proposals are about making sure Oxfordshire has a fire and rescue service that is ready for the future and able to meet the needs of our communities. This includes adapting to risks associated with climate change such as wildfires.”

Plans to upgrade the A40 from Eynsham to Oxford are being downgraded again. Construction inflation has added a further £14m to the total £133m costs, meaning that parts of the project – largely funded by Government agency Homes England – will be postponed to stay within budget.

New bus lanes and cycleway improvements from Eynsham to Cassington will still go ahead, including the connection from the new Park & Ride. But the bus lane approaching Oxford North will be put on hold, as will improvements to the cycleway between there and Cassington. Concerns are principally around the Duke’s Cut bridge, crossing a short canal in the run-up to the railway crossing, where – perhaps with an eye to Botley Road – Oxfordshire County Council cites “materially greater uncertainty due to bridge condition”.

OCC says it still intends to carry out the Duke’s Cut works when funding permits, but that it wants to explore “options to reduce costs”. A decision will be taken by the council’s Cabinet next week.

Year 6 pupils from St John Fisher Catholic Primary School have been crowned Primary Junior Chef of the Year Oxfordshire 2026, beating more than 100 schools with a menu made from food grown at their school. Davide, Roxanne and Angelina won the final with their menu, Plot to Plate, which comprised a spring onion soufflé, followed by fresh pasta with vegetables from the school allotment, and finished with a chocolate courgette brownie.

The children grew the vegetables themselves on the allotment, and the eggs came from the school’s own chickens. The rest was donated by the Oxford Food Hub, a Botley charity that gives food to the school community every week. The team was led by teaching assistant Michelle Turton.

Davide said: “It is pretty cool to have won based on the food we grow at school. I am Italian, so I knew that the pasta would be fantastic. We were a bit worried the soufflé wouldn’t rise, but it was actually incredible!”

Headteacher Paul Higgins said: “I could not be prouder of Davide, Roxanne and Angelina. They won with food from our own allotment, our own chickens and the Oxford Food Hub, and showed the judges you can grow and cook brilliant food in the middle of the city. Mrs Turton has already told me she’s taking early retirement to enter MasterChef next year. I’m hoping she’s joking.” (Show us a better story than this. We'll wait.)

Around the city

• A new report has placed Oxford as the 5th most attractive UK city for overseas investors – but warned that it does not have enough lab space. International lawyers Irwin Mitchell say: “Expansion is running into limits on land, planning and grid capacity rather than any shortage of demand… Oxford’s investment case rests on research intensity rather than economic weight. Its economically active population is among the smallest, despite being highly qualified, and business creation is relatively weak. Its life sciences and deep technology spinouts continue to draw capital.” However, Oxford scored very highly on local infrastructure, bafflingly earning a top ranking for road capacity per head of population (jointly with Exeter and Cambridge). Birmingham scored lowest here. Overall, London came first, Edinburgh second and Cambridge seventh.

• Cantay House on Park End Street has its first new tenant. The prominent building is being redeveloped as offices, with a proposed cafe/bar on the ground floor. Academic publishers Taylor & Francis will be moving there from their current base at Milton Park near Didcot. MD Alex Robinson said: “The new location and facilities will help us to form much deeper connections with Oxford’s communities, including researchers and students.”
       Cantay House was erected in 1901 as a furniture packing and storage warehouse for Archer & Co, with a steel frame and iron columns cast by William Lucy’s Eagle Ironworks in Jericho; Archer was bought by Cantay in 1971. Tenants have since included Phillips auctioneers, Waterfields bookshop and the Atik nightclub.
• Pub news: The Gardeners Arms on North Parade looks set to become the Duke of Normandy, partly to avoid confusion with the other Gardeners Arms 500m away on Plantation Road. The pub is now run by Michel Sadones, landlord of the Old Bookbinders in Jericho. A planning application is with Oxford City Council. Another pub previously run by the family, the James Street Tavern in East Oxford, has changed hands and is now run by the team behind the Eagle Tavern and music bar Fat Lil’s in Witney.
• Oxford City Council’s carbon emissions have dropped by 31% in five years. Newly released figures for 2024/25 show that its own emissions were 5,088 tonnes in the year. However, an 8% year-on-year drop on paper was largely due to changes in the calculation method rather than an actual carbon reduction: the council concedes that cooler average temperatures in 2024/25 resulted in “a significantly higher number of heating degree days”. It aims to achieve net zero carbon across its own operations by 2030, which will require reducing emissions by 10% annually – such as by decarbonising community centres and sports pavilions. It is also exploring plans for a city centre heat network. Cllr Anna Railton (Lab) said: “While this year's results are encouraging, we know there is still more to do if we are to meet our net zero target by 2030. As an organisation we are responsible for around 1% of Oxford’s carbon emissions, but we remain committed to leading by example.”
• Fashion store Bershka will open in the Westgate Centre on 29 October, in the prominent unit formerly occupied by River Island. Bershka is a sister brand to Zara and is described as a “global leader in fashion-forward apparel and accessories at accessible prices”.

• A memorial bench for those who died during the Covid pandemic will be unveiled on Sunday morning at St Andrew's, Headington, the parish church for the John Radcliffe Hospital. It is inscribed with a line from Psalm 34, ‘The Lord is close to the brokenhearted’. The new bench in St Andrew's churchyard will be blessed after the 10am service on Sunday. 18 October is the feast day of St Luke, the patron saint of doctors. The service is open to all, regardless of faith, including hospital staff, patients' families, and local residents.
• The campaign group opposing Oxford United’s new stadium near Kidlington have lodged a formal complaint with Natural England over the much contested ‘ancient woodland’ status. Friends of Stratfield Brake say that the Government regulator “has not followed its own precautionary approach”. The complaint is separate to FoSB’s ongoing application for judicial review of the decision to grant planning permission.

Around the county

• The Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock celebrated its 60th birthday yesterday. Opened on 15 October 1966, the museum chronicles Oxfordshire through time, from dinosaur discoveries to the Victorian era, plus regular art exhibitions. The museum, run by Oxfordshire County Council, is free to enter and attracted 115,000 visitors last year (averaging 369 per day). After threatened closure in the 1990s, the site was reinvigorated by Lottery funding for a new cafe, galleries and shop. It is supported by a volunteer group of Friends. (We reported earlier this week how the separate Museum of Oxford, in the Town Hall, is planning to reintroduce free admission for city residents after visitor numbers plunged when charges were introduced.)

• Sustainable Wantage, a local community action group, has secured a Lottery grant to help residents live more sustainably. The £223,000 funding will support the Mix, a hub supporting ecofriendly initiatives including a community fridge, a library of things and a repair cafe, as well as expanding volunteering and empowering young people to take action on climate change. Over the past year Sustainable Wantage has redistributed over 62 tonnes of surplus food. Rachel Smith said: “This funding will allow us to continue and expand our activities and services – look out for Mix pop-ups appearing across Wantage and Grove in the coming months!”
• North Oxfordshire’s recycling centre could be on the move. Oxfordshire County Council is proposing to open a new site at Bicester, by the Park & Ride, to replace the current Ardley recycling centre when the latter closes – expected to be by 2030. Cllr Laura Gordon (LibDem) said: “Ardley HWRC no longer meets modern recycling centre standards. With the lease due to expire, we have an opportunity to plan a new facility, closer to population centres in Bicester and Kidlington, accessible from major roads, and home to a new re-use facility.” The Ardley area is currently a focus for development including a proposed Rail Freight Interchange, warehousing by the M40 junction, and a mooted new railway station.
• Two north Oxfordshire neighbourhood plans are moving forward. The plan for Bloxham (near Banbury) was backed by 85% of villagers voting on 27 August, while that for Stonesfield (near Charlbury) goes to a referendum on 12 November. Neighbourhood Plans are formal planning documents which have weight in the planning process, unlike publicity-seeking referendums about declaring independence (looking at you, Piddington).
• Liberty Choir, which sings with prisoners, is coming to HMP Bullingdon next month. The choir consists of volunteers and inmates, with the aim of rehabilitation and resettlement after prison. HMP Bullingdon, near (yes) Piddington, holds approximately 1,100 male prisoners.

Walking, cycling and boating

• A report on five years of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods in East Oxford shows that they have reduced road casualties by over 100. The report by the Coalition for Healthy Streets and Active Travel (CoHSAT) also points to the health benefits of reduced air pollution and the good performance of Cowley Road shops relative to other UK high streets.
       Casualties have been reduced by 20 a year, with most of the reduction on boundary roads rather than inside the LTN areas. CoHSAT say this is because LTNs reduce traffic turning into and out of LTNs. Air pollution reductions have been measured by Oxford City Council within LTNs, and also on boundary roads and other sites in Oxford. Not all the reduction is due to LTNs but there is no evidence of displaced pollution. Air pollution from vehicles can have severe health effects, including heart and lung disease, and affecting child brain and lung development. CoHSAT cite this as a reason it should be a priority.
  CoHSAT have also surveyed vacant shops on Cowley Road in the LTN area, and found one fewer than a pre-LTN survey. If Cowley Road had followed national trends there would be 3 more vacancies.
       Robin Tucker, Co-Chair of CoHSAT, said “East Oxford residents are less likely to be harmed by collision or pollution thanks to the Low Traffic Neighbourhoods. In addition, Cowley Road shops are doing better than national trends. The reduction in rat-running traffic means it is safer for people to walk, wheel or cycle to the shops or the bus stop. That’s visible in the data, and in the people you meet in the streets.”
• Entries for next year's Oxford Half marathon have already sold out. All standard places were snapped up in the four hours after the race – whereas this year's event had taken three weeks to sell out. Places are still available with 23 of the charities that partner with the race, including the headline charity, the Alzheimer's Society. The race organisers say over £1.6m was raised for charity this year. Our ace photographer Roger Close snapped this gallery of runners at Sunday's event.
• Abingdon Bridge is being repaired. Concrete and masonry repairs are being carried out to the main bridge span over the Thames (officially, and confusingly, called Burford Bridge). Headroom is restricted while the works proceed, which has led to Salters Steamers recalling their Marlow trip-boat back to its Oxford base early. The ever-assiduous Abingdon Blog has photos of the work.

• Sitting pretty: Members of Oxford Pedestrians Association (OxPA), Oxford City Council, and Oxford Civic Society met to celebrate the installation of 13 benches in Oxford, to encourage people to walk as a form of urban transport. Benches have been placed in Headington, Littlemore, Cowley, St Giles, Botley Road, St Aldate's, Merton Street, Jericho, Blackbird Leys and Wellington Square, thanks to a bequest from the family of late OxPA member Keith Holly. Each bench comes with its own line of poetry. Sushila Dhall, chair of OxPA, said: “It is thanks to so many people and organisations that we managed to get all the benches installed. Together we have achieved something to be proud of, a truly positive contribution to Oxford.”
• The village of Blackthorn, near Bicester, could get Oxfordshire’s next quiet lane. Plans drawn up by County Council officers and reported by local councillor Laura Gordon (LibDem) envisage a trial starting in January on either (or both) Lower Road or Station Road, frequently used as cut-throughs to the A41. Farmers on the road would be given keys to the gates. The Parish Council is carrying out a survey of villagers.
• Walking and cycling improvements are planned for Walton Street, Jericho’s thoroughfare. New bike parking will be installed, some existing Pay & Display car spaces removed, and the raised area around the zebra crossing enlarged to take in the Great Clarendon Street junction. Consultation is open until 13 November.

Charity begins at home

• The Unicorn School, an Abingdon independent school for children with Specific Learning Differences, has launched a £2m fundraising campaign to create The Mill – a new site designed to help young people with SEN including an auditorium, food technology kitchen, and a support hub. The Mill will help expand the school’s capacity to over 200 pupils as demand for SEN support continues to rise. “The Mill represents an incredibly exciting new chapter for The Unicorn School,” says headteacher Alison Woodworth-Sturla. “It will give our young people the space and support they need to develop their independence and prepare for life beyond school. Just as importantly, it will allow us to share our expertise with families, teachers and organisations far beyond our own school community, and will offer a new communal space for the town that has supported our growth from the beginning.”

This weekend

• Sniff (£), Fri, Blackwell's. How did the past smell? ('Terrible!') Book talk with fragrance samples.
• Neapolitan Songs (free), Fri, Covered Market. Live music outside Naples café Il Corno, part of the Oxford International Song Festival.
• NAZA (£), from Fri, Phoenix Picturehouse. How the Israeli military target and kill Palestinians from a distance (screenings continue next month at the Ultimate Picture Palace).
• Michaelmas Fair, Fri/Sat, Banbury town centre. A proper old-fashioned town funfair tonight, with a family day out on Saturday.
• Oxford Unites Against the Far Right (free), Sat. March from Manzil Way to a rally in Bonn Square.
• Noether (£), Sat, Mathematical Institute. Verbatim play about a female Jewish mathematician working in Germany before the Second World War.
• In the Wilderness (£), Sat, St Mary Magdalen Church. The City of Oxford Choir perform Britten and Holst.
• Beats, Rhythms & Rhymes (£), Sat, Museum of Oxford. Spoken word extravaganza for Black History Month.
• Medieval Compline by Candlelight (free), Sat (20.45), All Souls College. Newcomers the Resonantia Consort sing a contemplative service at the close of the day.
• IF Oxford, from Sat, venues around Oxford. Oxford’s kid-friendly science and ideas festival, with a ‘Pay What You Decide’ approach to entrance fees.
• The Last Quiz Night on Earth (£), Sun, Florence Park Community Centre. What do you do when the world is ending? Put on a play and a pub quiz. (Fri/Sat already sold out!)

This week

• Oxfordshire Day, Mon. Why not celebrate St Frideswide with a walk to her well at Binsey followed by a pint at the Perch? Alternatively, there's Frideswide Square...
• Spooky Britain (£cheap), Mon, Westgate Library. Ghosts and legends from a new gazetteer of 100 mysterious locations, including Oxford Castle & Prison.
• The Alonetimes (£), Mon, Schwarzman Centre. Exploring isolation through a collage of voice and music.
• Love Lane (£), Tue, Oxford Castle. Distinguished local historian Malcolm Graham tells the story of this locked alley (where last year's Open Doors tours were oversubscribed).
• Blood and Ice (£), Tue-Sun, Old Fire Station. Liz Lochhead's play about Mary Shelley, first performed in 1982. Who was the monster?
• How Do We Revive Community Spaces? (free), Wed, Rewley House. Panel discussion hosted by Oxford Civic Society with speakers from Oxford Preservation Trust, Makespace Oxfordshire, and the Ultimate Picture Palace.
• Glow Ride (free), Thu. Meet in Radcliffe Square for a (gentle) evening ride in support of safe streets for women cyclists. Bike lights essential, fairy lights encouraged. (Other glow rides in Didcot and Thame at the same time.)
• Massif (£), Thu, Blackwell's. Fantasy author Garth Nix branches out into space opera.
• Elif Shafak in Conversation (£), Fri 23 Oct, Sheldonian Theatre. Madame Bovary speaks about her creator Gustave Flaubert.
• Stand Up for the Church Roof (£), Sat 24 Oct, St Mary & St John Church. Comedy fundraiser for renovating the Cowley Road landmark.

Coming soon

Next weekend: autumn fair at Harcourt Arboretum on Saturday (free buses from Redbridge P&R), Alfredfest in Wantage, Oxford Green Fair on Sunday.

Oxfordshire’s independent media

• The Oxford Sausage remembers when money was made in Oxford.
• The Oxford Student says we are all Jane Doe.
• Cherwell are last out at Dosa Darlings on Cowley Road, and also visit Gatineau in Summertown.
• Oxford University’s alumni website (which used to be called Quad) visits Oxford’s secret farm, Park Farm.

Notes from Clarion HQ

Cheese is expensive. Recent figures showed that Oxford City Council alone had spent £721,000 on local government reorganisation before the plans were halted by Government in September. So we do have some sympathy with city leader Susan Brown’s exasperated call for the County Council not to spend more money on a legal challenge. Still, the county’s legal letter is asking Government simply to show its working – to publish the reasoning that led it to choose three councils. This, you might think, is Accountability 101. Instead, the Ministry has reacted with a rather peevish “we don’t feel like it” when asked. Making the biggest decisions on local government for 50 years in secret, then refusing to explain why, is a very poor show and OCC is right to challenge it.

In other ‘spending a lot of money’ news, the Wall Street Journal decided to write about Botley Road this week in a hilariously overwrought article that suggests they know roughly as much about Oxford as we do about the Dow Jones. The new bridge, which took 41 months and $314m to construct, is “ludicrously ugly”, according to the journal of record of a nation which is currently spending 38 months and $330m on the not-exactly-elegant White House State Ballroom. The WSJ went on to take aim at the ballooning cost of HS2 (around $130bn), though curiously didn’t suggest taking lessons from California High-Speed Rail (also, er, $130bn). No one is going to claim Botley Road as a shining success, but maybe the WSJ could have a little self-awareness before asserting “Britain gets less for more”.

We had an editorial meeting this week where we discussed, among other things, survey feedback, tech improvements, and the future of the Clarion. If anyone with spare time and brilliant admin skills wishes to get in touch, we'd love a chat at news@oxfordclarion.uk. The news keeps coming and so do our subscribers – thanks to all of you sharing the Clarion. We must raise the bar to accommodate this, which we discussed, appropriately, in a bar. Thanks to the Royal Blenheim for accommodating our lively discussions!