Clarion Weekly, 11 July 2025

“More positions than the Kama Sutra” – it was an eventful week in local politics. Read on for commentary on the latest County and City Council shenanigans, news from around Oxfordshire, and the very best events and media.

This week’s top stories

Last month the government published the Strategic Defence Review. We took a look at the implications for Oxfordshire – both a military county and a county of innovators. Featuring AI, quantum, space, and, no doubt, more labs…

Bus, taxi, walking, cycling and car-share representatives gathered last Friday to sign a letter supporting Oxford’s proposed temporary Congestion Charge. The letter says that “Oxford is stuck in a mass of cars. This can't go on – we must move more people in less space. We can do that with buses, bikes, scooters, trains, and just walking. Cars won't disappear, but taxis and shared cars allow use of a car with less space and financial commitment.”

The letter is signed by Oxford Bus Company, Stagecoach West, City of Oxford Licensed Taxicab Association, the Coalition for Healthy Streets and Active Travel, Cyclox, Oxford Pedestrians Association, Oxfordshire Liveable Streets, Velocity Cycle Couriers, scooter/cycle hire Voi, and Co Wheels Car Club.

Oxfordshire County Council’s full council meeting was this Tuesday and saw an almighty row over free bus tickets for under-18s. Scroll down to ‘Oxfordshire politics’ for more.

Around the city

• Oxford has the third lowest city centre high street vacancy rate, according to Centre for Cities. It was beaten only by London and Cambridge. (We wrote about Oxford's footfall continuing to beat the national trend last year.) Andrew Carter, Chief Executive of Centre for Cities, commented:

“The high street has long been the bellwether of the local economy. Our research shows the high street isn’t failing everywhere. Where it is, the cause is economic. Policies relating to shopfronts, rents or parking miss the bigger picture. City centres that struggle are over-supplied with shops and under-supplied with people. If local residents don’t have money to spend or a reason to be in the centre, high streets suffer – no matter what interventions are made.”

• Thames Water's litany of woes in Oxford continued with news of a burst water pipe on Mill Lane and disruption to supply across parts of OX3, 4 and 33. A free bottled water station was opened to residents at Thornhill Park & Ride.
• Discounts for Oxford’s city centre Zero Emissions Zone look set to be made permanent. Oxfordshire County Council is planning to continue discounts for blue badge holders, hybrid-power taxis, and residents and businesses in the small pilot area, and not to double the standard charge. The council had originally planned to remove the discounts, but now says “Ending discounts and increasing charges would be controversial and require significant resource to communicate… this would be better spent working towards a larger ZEZ, which will have far greater sustainability benefits.” The proposal is expected to be ratified at a County Council meeting next week.
• Energy Superhub Oxford marks its third anniversary and is celebrating having charged over 137,000 electric vehicles (135 per day) at the charging hub at Redbridge Park & Ride – nearly 15 million EV miles, saving 3,584 tonnes of carbon. Cllr Anna Railton, Cabinet Member for a Zero Carbon Oxford said: “This shows what is possible when innovation, collaboration & climate ambition come together. This project has also helped to power Oxford’s new zero-emission buses fleet that is improving air quality in the city.” We wrote about Oxford's transition to an EV superpower in a long read in collaboration with Cllr Railton last year.
• The number of young people playing golf in Oxford has quadrupled in two years, says Oxford Golf Club, the county's oldest course, which opened in 1873. It says it has stepped up efforts to engage the younger generation via a membership scheme & junior league. Ashley Butress said: “Golf is stereotyped as a sport for the older generation, but our operation is the opposite. We’re working with more juniors now than at any point in the club’s recent history".

Around the county

• Extinction Rebellion (XR) led a march of 100 people on Saturday from Kidlington to Oxford Airport to demonstrate against private jets, the most energy intense form of flying. Green councillor Ian Middleton and Anna Hughes, Director of Flight-Free UK addressed the rally. Freya Chambers, XR Oxford, called Oxford Airport “a hub for private flights by the wealthy elite”, while Anna Hughes said “1% of people create 50% of aviation emissions”. Cllr Middleton called the jets

“[…] one of the starkest examples of climate injustice in the UK – the superyachts of the sky. This is environmental vandalism cloaked in luxury in the middle of a climate crisis. Every ton of carbon counts, every delay is deadly, to us and to future generations.”

• A six-year contract to run the Immigration Removal Centre at Campsfield House, near Kidlington/Oxford Airport, has been awarded to facilities group Mitie. It is due to reopen this winter. Mitie’s motto is “Better places, thriving communities”; it says Campsfield will be “the first ‘green’ IRC”. The company also runs Harmondsworth IRC near Heathrow, where detainees attempted a mass suicide in March 2023. Mitie previously ran Campsfield from 2011 until its closure in 2018. The Keep Campsfield Closed campaign says “More detention means more years of danger, misery and harm.”
• Plans by South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse councils to build a new HQ opposite Didcot Parkway station look set to be cancelled. South Oxon officers say that Government plans for unitary councils mean “the councils will cease operating by April 2028… it would be inappropriate to continue”. South Oxon estimates it has already committed £2.2m to the project. The HQ would have been part of the wider Didcot Gateway site, with housing being brought forward by the Government’s Homes England agency: the council plans to spend £10m of earmarked budget on social housing across the district. The Government deadline for unitary proposals is November, with a decision expected in spring 2026.
• A stonemason who collected stories from the villages around Wychwood Forest has been honoured with a blue plaque. John Kibble grew up in Finstock and published Charming Charlbury in 1930. The plaque was unveiled at his childhood home on Saturday.
• Oxfordshire’s motorsport connection continues as Sauber Motorsport opens a new Technology Centre at Bicester Motion. The centre will support its F1 team as it transitions to Audi Formula 1. Daniel Geoghegan, CEO of Bicester Motion said: “It's thrilling that Bicester Motion was chosen as their UK base connecting to their Swiss & German operations.” (We wrote about Bicester Motion in September.)
• The first successful European flight of an electric vertical take off and landing aircraft took place in Oxfordshire last week. The prototype took off at Turweston in Buckinghamshire, and landed at Bicester Motion before returning. Bicester Motion is the home of a prototype 'vertiport'.
• 100 solar panels have been installed in Oxfordshire homes via a Government-funded trial of affordable solar, run by Oxfordshire County Council. Householders pay £40/month rather than having to pay up front. Users of the County Council's energy saver app registered their interest in the trial: installations are continuing and people can still register interest. Cllr Judy Roberts, Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Action, said: “These installations are now generating significant clean electricity for Oxfordshire and enabling residents to get cheaper tariffs. They have created savings of around £300 a year per household.”
• “The vast majority” of items stolen from an elderly military veteran in Abingdon have been recovered, say Thames Valley Police. A member of the victim’s family said: “We would like to thank the public for their incredible response. Thanks to their interest and generosity in coming forward, our Dad is reunited with some of his treasured engines and we’ve made sure they’re secure.” Two vintage motorbikes and a green model Great Western locomotive are still missing and police have appealed for anyone with further information to get in touch.
• One of Witney’s numerous car parks could be replaced with affordable housing. West Oxfordshire District Council is proposing to build 70 “genuinely affordable” one- and two-bedroom homes on the Woodford Way site near the town centre. The Woodford Way site is opposite another free car park, the multi-storey at the council-owned Marriotts Walk shopping centre. A number of spaces would be retained for overnight parking, when the Marriotts car park is closed, and for EV charging. Cllr Geoff Saul said: “The site was always intended for housing: this is the first step in delivering on that promise. With so many residents in need, we have a responsibility to use council-owned land to meet that demand.” WODC this week recommitted to its unusual free parking policy: budget documents show that council tax payers, including those without cars, pay up to £120,000 a quarter to subsidise this, while a recent survey identified a further £170,000 of outstanding maintenance.
• A new pump track and skate park is set to open in Berinsfield on Saturday. It is provided by Berinsfield Parish Council and is funded by the Government and South Oxfordshire District Council. Councillor Robin Bennett, SODC councillor for Berinsfield, said: “I’m proud we have delivered this for Berinsfield. I hope as many as possible come out to the launch day to give the facilities a go. Even if you’ve never tried skateboarding or BMX before, there will be experts on hand to help, so there is no excuse!”
• An 85-year old died and two people suffered life-threatening injuries in a four-car collision on the A44 between Enstone and Chipping Norton yesterday afternoon. Police are appealing for dashcam footage and witnesses.
• One more housing development is being proposed for Bloxham, just south of Banbury. David Wilson Homes want to build 125 dwellings on farmland at the village’s south-eastern edge, beside the old railway line. Bloxham has seen several housing proposals in recent years.

Oxfordshire politics

Oxfordshire County Council’s full council meeting took place this Tuesday. We live-tweeted (bleated) the meeting in two halves on our Bluesky feed, before and after (vegan) lunch. The morning was principally questions from councillors and members of the public, but afternoon was when the fireworks began.

Four councillor motions were on the agenda: special educational needs funding (moved by the LibDems), free bus travel for under-18s (Labour), reinstating the cabinet member for special educational needs (Conservative), and sorting out the two-opposition situation (Green).

The first SEND motion passed peacefully, but free bus travel caused an almighty row. It started amicably enough with Labour leader Liz Brighouse encouraging transport cabinet member Andrew Gant to sit down with young people for “pizza and politics”. She said:

“It distresses me when I see young single mums stuck in council estates who cannot afford to take their whole little family into town on the bus, or even to a different play park. We should look at using money from ANPR fines to increase the life chances of the poorest children.”

The Greens then brought forward an amendment noting that ANPR income was unlikely to cover the cost (some £276,000 per day), and that other young people (such as under-25 care leavers) should be considered. The LibDems in turn amended this amendment (!).

Both parties were of the view that a Workplace Parking Levy was more likely to provide funding than ANPR, the LibDems’ Andrew Gant suggesting that Labour “learn how to use a calculator”. Cllr Gareth Epps noted that free bus services were not an answer in those parts of rural Oxfordshire without any buses, and said Labour had “more positions on traffic than the Kama Sutra”. Green councillor Emma Garnett wryly observed that the Labour government had already raised the bus fare cap from £2 to £3.

Labour were furious, a visibly emotional Liz Brighouse saying: “I do wonder if the LibDems and Greens are so interested why they didn’t put their own motions in. The original motion wasn’t narrow. What you’ve done is changed the whole emphasis. Well, thank you very much. I will not be voting for it.” And she didn’t – so the (amended) motion passed with LibDem and Green votes, but opposed by Labour, who had brought the motion in the first place. All these shenanigans meant there was no time for the remaining motions, so the abolition of the SEND cabinet position went undebated – to the dismay of parents who had travelled to the council meeting to speak on it.

Other politics news:

• Electoral campaign group Make Votes Matter marked the first anniversary of the General Election by campaigning in Oxford city centre for proportional representation, which they say 60% of UK adults support – as do most of Oxfordshire’s MPs. The group say the last general election was the most undemocratic election in recent history, with almost half of UK electors represented by an MP they didn’t vote for.
• The LibDems have retained the Botley & Sunningwell seat on Vale of White Horse District Council after yesterday’s by-election. Results are Ben Potter (LibDem) 732, Charlotte Adlung (Conservative) 162, Thomas Gaston (Green) 130.
• Oxfordshire MPs Anneliese Dodds, Olly Glover, Freddie van Mierlo, Sean Woodcock and Calum Miller were among scores of MPs who took questions about climate change from their constituents at the ‘Act Now, Change Forever’ event organised by The Climate Coalition in London yesterday. They faced questions on social justice in the UK and globally; whether they would support polluters or the wealthy paying more; and the impact of development on the environment. Anneliese Dodds' session was joined by 40 children from Oxford schools.

In our weekly roundup of Oxfordshire’s elected representatives:

• Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber shared this recap of his activities. He is asking Thames Valley residents to complete his ongoing local crime survey. He reported that the police are increasing their presence in town centres anticipating a summer increase in antisocial behaviour: “People visiting our town and city centres this summer will see more officers on patrol, so please feel free to speak to them and share any concerns. This is about more than just fighting crime: it is also about building relationships, us addressing local concerns and being where it matters most.” And he was on the doors in Wantage.
• Oxford East MP Anneliese Dodds is urging leaseholders in Oxford to take part in a Government consultation covering service charges, landlords and managing agents: “I know that many leaseholders are fed up with poor service and unclear, sky-high fees. The changes proposed could turn things around for nearly five million leaseholders.” She hit out at Thames Water's record on sewage and the Botley Road works, citing the government action on a ban on management bonuses. Finally, she marched in London Pride with the Terrence Higgins Trust.
• Banbury MP Sean Woodcock penned an opinion piece for LabourList on proposed changes to Personal Independence Payments and Universal Credit: “A fundamental part of any reform must start with the understanding that some people who aren’t in work, but who could be, need to be encouraged into it with the necessary support. Recent events must not sound the death knell to our ambition of welfare reform.” He is part of the new Living Standards Group of Labour MPs, a caucus arguing for “radical ideas to help people with everyday costs”. In Parliament he spoke in support of the Football Governance Bill, arguing football was Britain's greatest cultural export, and describing how Chipping Norton had been left without a football club for a decade “due to an unscrupulous individual who had no regard for the club or its fans”.
• Olly Glover, MP for Didcot and Wantage, called Oxfordshire an “NHS dental desert”. In a debate in Parliament, he told Health Secretary Wes Streeting that fewer than 1 in 4 people in his constituency can see an NHS dentist (compared with half of adults in Oxford and as many as 70% elsewhere in England). Responding, the Health Secretary gave no timeline for reform, but said the Government was working hard to fix “the mess left by the previous Government”. Then yesterday, Glover slammed regulator Ofcom for “letting Royal Mail off the hook” after they announced that they would allow the company to abandon second-class deliveries on a Saturday and cut them back throughout the week. “Local posties do a fantastic job even in the face of failing leadership. Instead of giving those at the top a free pass the regulator should step in and hold those that run it properly accountable.”
• Oxford West & Abingdon MP Layla Moran is celebrating a win for Oxford students and victims of non-disclosure agreements, following the Government announcement that these will be banned in cases of discrimination or abuse. Students came to the MP in 2021 saying they felt they were forced into signing NDAs after sexual assaults; Moran raised the issue in Parliament and met Ministers to develop legislation. She commented: “I’m delighted that after years of tireless campaigning we can celebrate. This would not have been possible without the brave students who have shared their heartbreaking stories with me over the years.”
• Henley & Thame MP Freddie van Mierlo presented a petition in Downing Street with the residents of Horspath, calling for the return of their Post Office. He spoke out against a proposed Tory amendment on the Welfare Bill, saying it sought “to ban non-British citizens like my father, who has worked in the NHS for over 40 years from accessing universal credit and PIP should they ever need it. It’s divisive and disgusting. It’s anti-British and we should not stand for it.” (Say what you really think!)
• Bicester & Woodstock MP Calum Miller met French President Emmanuel Macron during his recent visit to the UK, and judged a dog competition at Hampton Poyle village fete. (Nothing to do with each other. We just love the juxtaposition. Do click here for excellent dog photo op.) He said: “The UK cannot stay on the sidelines. We face threats from China and a White House we cannot depend on. We must deepen European defences against Russia’s aggression. Our businesses, farmers, young people and artists need easier access to EU markets. On marche ensemble!” He campaigned on free-to-air football (Team Clarion is more preoccupied with free-to-air Tour de France right now…) and called on the Government to reform “the broken SEND system”.

Congestion charge

• Another Oxford councillor has called for the city’s congestion charge to vary by vehicle type. In a question to this week’s county council meeting, Labour councillor James Fry (Summertown and transport shadow) asked “Will the [County] Council consider using data on the size, age and market price of a vehicle to adapt the charges to these as proxies for income?” The idea has previously been promoted by Oxford’s Green councillors. LibDem cabinet member Andrew Gant responded: “The Council is already considering linking the congestion charge to vehicle size – a question on this very topic appears in the consultation survey currently open.” Separately, Oxford City Council will next week debate a motion by the Labour Group which proposes to “express its opposition to the congestion charge scheme proposed by the county council”. (Oxfordshire County Council is the highway authority and as such responsible for any charges.)

University and research

• Different types of EV charging are needed for different drivers, according to research by Oxford University’s Transport Studies Unit. Motorway chargers tend to be used by ‘premium EV’ drivers while local public chargers have wider use. The study found that motorway charging was more profitable as higher prices could be charged, so private companies tended to invest here. Local charging, both ‘on street’ and in convenient places like car parks, may need public funding.
• Two tsunamis caused by landslides and trapped in a fjord in Greenland made the earth shake for nine days, say researchers at the University of Oxford. Using satellite data and machine learning, the team matched the waves to global seismic data. Study author Thomas Monahan said: “Climate change is giving rise to new, unseen extremes. These extremes are changing the fastest in remote areas, such as the Arctic, where our ability to measure them is limited.”
• The Oxford College Barges Preservation Trust has launched a new website telling the story of this unique part of Oxford history. The predecessors of the boat-houses, they fell into disrepair in the mid-20th century. The Trust owns and has restored the Corpus Christi Barge, and is seeking to encourage preservation of the other five survivors. It also tells us:

“The Corpus Christi barge lays claim to the title of having hosted some of the best parties in Oxford.  This is a simple truth, to which many will testify. One of the most notable of these occasions - lost some time in the mists of the 1960s - has gone down in history as the 'wear nothing but a hat' party when several, now very senior judges, were allegedly arrested wearing.... well, not very much.”

• The 100 libraries of Oxford University have received a 97% satisfaction score in the National Student Survey. This is the highest score for any university library (though behind the Northern School of Contemporary Dance and the Royal College of Music). Last week, the Bodleian broke ground on an extension to their Swindon warehouse, currently housing 10 million books, to provide storage for the University's museums. They are also preparing to open a new Humanities Library off Woodstock Road in September.
• The director of the Oxford Vaccine Group has warned of 14 million preventable deaths by 2030 following cuts to international aid. Professor Andrew Pollard adds that “the only risk-free way to get good immunity and be sure that your child is still alive is through vaccination”.
• And finally, Oxford University shared this fascinating archive footage of the city in the 1940s (Facebook link).

Trains and buses

• Kids travel free on the Oxford Tube this summer. The offer applies from 18 July to 7 September and is for up to two children under 16 when accompanied by an adult. Tickets can be purchased from the driver on the day, or on the app. (Clarion note: the County Council spent forever debating this; the Oxford Tube just did it.)
• This week’s Government announcement of road and rail schemes included two already well known Oxfordshire schemes: the Botley Road rail bridge and completing East-West Rail to Cambridge. There were no road schemes listed in the county. The list said the Botley Road works “will support our plans for housing and employment growth as part of the Ox-Cam Growth Corridor strategy. It will provide significant freight benefits allowing up to an additional 10 trains per day as well as completing the remodelling of the crucial Botley Road.”
• £10m has been awarded to Oxfordshire County Council for bus service improvements. From August, the funding will support increasing the X32 and X40 weekday services from Didcot and Reading to Oxford to every 20 minutes, and new Sunday services in Bicester, Banbury and Chipping Norton. The funding from Government also supports existing routes subsidised by OCC, following on from a previous grant in 2022; the MyBus Oxfordshire multi-operator ticket; and support for vulnerable groups, such as the free bus pass scheme for asylum seekers in Oxford. OCC is also planning a new bus stop design guide, a countywide bus stop audit, a new bus stop design guide, targeted marketing to raise awareness of services, and a pilot scheme to help schoolchildren build confidence in using the bus network.

Walking and cycling

• Repair work has begun on the Thames towpath just south of Folly Bridge. The path remains open.

Dates for your diary

• An evening with Robin Ince: ‘My Adventures in Neurodiversity’. Monday 14 July, 7.30pm, Caper Books, Magdalen Road. A personal exploration of anxiety, ADHD and neurodiversity. (Editorial note: new bookshop on the block Caper is rapidly becoming the place to go to for interesting author events. Sign up here for updates – we can't cover them all!)
• How to fight AI hype and create the future we want. Tuesday 15 July, Blavatnik School of Government. Dr Emily Bender, co-author of The AI Con, on “plagiarism machines”, “synthetic text extruders”, and “stochastic parrots”. Free public lecture (booking required).
• Fun and Music in the Park. Saturday 19 July, 10am until late. Abbey Gardens, Abingdon. Arts and crafts tent, family circus, inflatables and facepainting plus lots of community performances. Ticketed event from 5pm with music from Country Bound, The Undercovers and New Jovi.
• Shakespeare Springboard, Tuesday 22–Friday 25 July, Burton Taylor Studio. Oxford People's Theatre invites you to 'Put a Sonnet in your Bonnet' with theatre workshops for adults & young people (11+).
• Oxford Coffee Festival. Saturday 25 October, Osney Mead. Advance warning but this one's ticketed. New flavours, techniques, and connect with fellow coffee enthusiasts in a vibrant atmosphere dedicated to all things coffee. Vendors include Missing Bean & Jericho Coffee Traders. (Half of Team Clarion is very excited… the other half drinks instant. Words have been had.)
• Tiny Ideas Festival, Saturday 27–Sunday 28 September, for 7s and under. The programme has just been published.
• Wychwood Inspires is a programme of Saturday morning events for year 5/6 children and their parents, hosted by Wychwood School. The new school year’s programme (starting in September) is now live.

This weekend

Please check details on organisers’ websites before setting off.

• Rusty Bicycle Street Party. Saturday from midday, Magdalen Road, East Oxford. Annual street party, run by a pub. Music kicks off at 12.30 with children's favourite Nick Cope.
• Tour de Farcycles. Saturday. A charity Cotswolds sportive (bike ride but not a race) starting in Faringdon, including a 20 mile 'espresso' route. Spaces available on the day.
• West Oxford Fun Day. Saturday afternoon, Botley Park.
• Sandford Summer Festival. Saturday afternoon, Sandford-on-Thames recreation ground.
• Woodstock Fire Station Open Day, Saturday 10am-4pm. Spare a thought for firefighters in a heatwave!
• Oxford Indie Book Fair. Sunday, Magdalen College School. Meet authors, leaf through their latest books, and maybe persuade publishers to take on your epic novel.
• Oxford Comedy Festival continues with events at Tap Social and Trinity College Bar.

Oxfordshire’s independent media

• Bitten Oxford recommends places to hang out in the summer heat.
• Ox in a Box does the same thing but theirs is much longer.
• Oxford Student has a must-read piece on Oxford’s pub quiz problem. (The Mason’s Arms in Headington Quarry is the winner.)
• Muddy Stilettoes picks the pick of the pick-your-own.
• The Oxford Sausage celebrates its second birthday.

Notes from Clarion HQ

Look out next week for a three-part series by a guest contributor examining Thames Water’s Abingdon Reservoir project. Live on the Clarion website every morning from Monday, we hope it will spark debate about what could be Oxfordshire’s biggest ever infrastructure project, whichever side you’re on.

It’s the last gasp of ‘meeting season’ before councils slow down for the summer. After Oxfordshire County Council this week, next week sees full council at Oxford City Council.

There are seven full City council meetings a year, where all councillors, and many officers are required to turn up. It “costs” significant resource. So permit us a degree of frustration when we see four out of five councillor motions are on issues where the city council has limited, or zero, impact.

A Labour motion on the congestion charge? County Council matter. A LibDem motion on banning smartphones in schools: national Department for Education. A Labour motion to Keep Oxfordshire's Street Lights on: County Council matter. A LibDem motion on the Planning & Infrastructure Bill: technically related to the City Council, but the output is “writing a letter to Oxfordshire's MPs”. Full marks to the Greens at least, whose motion on protecting trans people’s access to services likely won't get debated but does speak to services such as housing that the City Council provides.

There are some big names on these motions, politicians we genuinely respect. But what are the motions for? Their effect is writing a letter of outrage and issuing a press release. This week’s County Council meeting might have been a bunfight, but free bus tickets are at least an issue that the council can decide.

So in the spirit of constructive criticism, here’s a motion we’ve just written which we invite any party to put forward next time round. No charge!

This Council welcomes the Centre for Cities finding that Oxford has the third lowest high street vacancy rate in Great Britain, and commends officers’ hard work to achieve this. Council also notes long-term retail unit vacancies on Cornmarket, High Street, and other city centre streets, as well as over-provision of certain shop types (e.g. gift shops). Council therefore resolves to ask the Cabinet to commission a review considering:
1. Which units in city centre streets are currently out of active retail use;
2. What the City Council, as landlord, can do to bring units back into active, varied use;
3. What powers are available through the planning system and other legislation to improve current occupancy rates and ensure a varied retail landscape, including in buildings not owned by the City Council;
4. Whether conditions of occupancy can be imposed on planning applications to prevent units sitting empty during major projects;
5. Building on the experience of the Covered Market, whether short-term leases can be used to encourage independent retailers, ‘pop-ups’, and a more varied retail offer; and
6. The establishment of a working group with major landowners (including Oxford University colleges) to maintain a busy, varied retail landscape in the city centre.

Bonus points if you can get a Harry Potter reference into your opening remarks.

It’s 32°C in Oxford tomorrow – a weekend for swimming, splashing, lounging, and a cold Oxfordshire cider. (And sharing the Clarion newsletter with your friends. We have to say that.) Have a great weekend.