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Clarion Weekly, 13 December 2024

Clarion Weekly, 13 December 2024
Cllr Katherine Miles, Cllr Emily Kerr and Santa Claus (not currently an elected councillor) at the Magdalen Road Frost Fest on Saturday.

This week's top stories

Will the Government’s announcement of more special needs funding fix Oxfordshire’s SEND crisis? We took a detailed look this week. Spoiler: it’s rather more complex than the headlines might imply – pointing up the difference between revenue (ongoing) funding for support staff and capital (one-off) funding for new schools, and between provision in mainstream schools and building new special schools entirely. We’ll be returning to this topic in the New Year and would be interested to hear your thoughts.

We could really do with finding another artist’s impression rather than endlessly reusing this one.

The £332m ‘HIF1’ relief road from Didcot across the Thames to Culham and Clifton Hampden has finally gained planning permission. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner confirmed approval on Wednesday, overturning a decision by Oxfordshire’s planning committee in July 2023.

Construction is anticipated to start on site in early 2026 and last approximately two years. Before then, detailed designs must be finalised, contractors appointed, and the land secured: Oxfordshire County Council says “private negotiations with landowners continue to progress”.

Judy Roberts, OCC’s cabinet member for travel & development, said “The approval of this application is fantastic news. This work is a big step towards tackling congestion, and providing real sustainable travel options for people, in Didcot and the surrounding villages.” We looked at this road, and others proposed to serve new housing, in a long read in September.

Artist's impression of a new tram system in Cambridge (not Oxford).

A new thinktank report says Oxford should be expanded with up to 75,000 new homes, and a tramway built. ‘Creating New Towns Fast and Well’, by Create Streets and Britain Remade, proposes the city as one of 13 developments to ease what it says is Britain‘s “housing crisis”.

It identifies four locations for building: Oxford Parkway, Begbroke/Kidlington, between Botley and South Hinksey, and Culham. “A Greater Oxford is essential to scientific advancement through expanded laboratory space, while providing the homes for researchers and workers who will build this future.”

The report advocates “gentle density”, building terraces and mid-rise buildings rather than detached houses or tower blocks. It says existing development around Oxford is too sparse and “will fail to deliver as many homes as a gentle density approach on the same amount of land”.

It recommends trams to solve Oxford’s transport problems. “Every city in France over 150,000 people has a tramway, Oxford (165,000) should be no different. Countries across the globe are desperate for world-leading universities: Britain has them & fails to let cities grow to maximise the benefits.”

Other suggested locations include Cambridge, Chippenham, and Winslow and Tempsford on the new East-West rail line. Bicester and Didcot are included in a “long list”.

It was ‘full council’ at Oxfordshire County Council this week – the (roughly) bi-monthly chance for every county councillor to put forward motions and ask questions of the Cabinet. In an unprecedented move, the Labour and Conservative groups put forward a joint motion, calling for a Citizens’ Assembly (Labour preference) or Commission (Conservative) to consider congestion in Oxford.

OCC is a hung council – the LibDem/Green group is the largest but doesn’t have a majority – so it was always inevitable that the motion would pass. We live-tweeted the debate on Bluesky. Cllr Charlie Hicks, Labour councillor for Cowley, proposed the motion:

Declining trust in democracy is being exacerbated by the administration’s approach. We need to put the traffic filters, Zero Emissions Zone and Workplace Parking Levy back to the public to decide what happens next. Some things matter more to me than sustainable transport policy. The Labour group believes that the decision taken on traffic filters two years ago has timed out. The Conservatives [and us] are on the same page about giving the public another say. This is not an abandonment of buses and we do not want to put the council on a collision course with bus companies.

Though the Conservatives lined up with them in the metaphorical lobbies (OCC has electronic voting), their councillor Ian Corkin (Ploughley) suggested Labour’s concern was motivated by electoral fortunes:

I sense the long shadow of the ballot box falling across this chamber. I would remind our Labour colleagues they were the enabler of the trajectory this council is now on. The point made about the ballot box being the final determinant of this is quite right.

Liberal Democrat Tim Bearder (Wheatley) agreed:

You’ve got some independents nipping at your heels and Cllr Hicks is probably going to lose his seat.

At times the discussion took a frivolous turn, with one councillor reciting the 1914 Oxford poem ‘The Motor Bus’ (“What is this that roareth thus? / Can it be a Motor Bus? / Yes, the smell and hideous hum / Indicat Motorem Bum!”) and another reciting a tale about “the ghost of traffic measures yet to come”. (The Oxford Mail chose the latter to anchor its story. We gave it rather shorter shrift.)

Independent councillor Damian Haywood, supported by the Greens’ Robin Bennett, said that a Citizens’ Assembly into Oxford transport had already been agreed, and that all that was needed was to “reiterate” that it should consider congestion: “Why don’t we just take the Citizens’ Assembly that is already being set up, and add a comment to make sure any traffic issues are discussed?”

As expected, Cllrs Haywood and Bennett’s amendment failed, and the Labour/Conservative motion passed. We’ll give the last word to Yvonne Constance (Con, Shrivenham), cabinet member for transport in the last administration, who was the one rebel from the Lab/Con benches.

I cannot support this motion in any form. It is simply setting up parallel representative bodies without understanding who they are, how they are elected and who they represent. We are subject to the ballot box.

We’ve continued to revisit articles from the archives in our Advent Calendar on Twitter and Bluesky – follow along for a selection of greatest hits.

Around the city

  • Oxford City Council says the Gasworks Pipe Bridge, over the Thames between Grandpont and St Ebbes, will reopen on Christmas Eve. “There is always uncertainty with complex engineering projects, and we regret delays to this one, but we are confident the bridge will be back and fit for the long-term.” The bridge was closed in 2021 after serious structural issues were discovered. It reopened for a short period this summer but in the knowledge that further work would be required in the autumn. Final work in January will restore the towpath under the bridge.
  • Storm Darragh caused disruption across city and county. Network Rail were forced to cancel plans to crane out the Botley Road footbridge by the station, while Headington Hill was closed to traffic for much of the weekend after a tree fell from the Oxford Brookes campus. The north and west of Oxfordshire took the brunt of the storm, with numerous power cuts and roads closed.
  • East Oxford residents braved the storm at the weekend to come out and support their local shops on Oxford's Magdalen Road. The organisers had previously declared ‘the show must go on’ for the street's Frost Fest on Saturday. Organiser Emily Kerr said: “Local retailers need our support every day, rain or shine. Most of our events were inside shops so we continued and were delighted to see cafes and shops packed with people sheltering from the storm. We even managed some carolling ‘in the bleak midwinter!’” The festival featured a ‘Santa parade’, carolling, a free children’s Christmas film screening, a Christmas trail, and a Santa grotto in aid of the charities on the street, Asylum Welcome and the Samaritans. Longtime resident of Magdalen Road and ‘Santa’ for the day Craig Simmons said: ‘It was wonderful to see the best of our community. Local residents joined us to ride down the street in their Christmas jumpers and sing carols. The welcome is always warm on Magdalen Road, whatever the weather." Xander Cansell, owner of Caper Bookshop, said: “It was a cold, windy, & rainy day but loads of people braved the weather and showed up to support local businesses – everyone still had a great time. Our Santa’s Grotto was a fantastic success with the children very excited to meet Santa in person.”
I feel the Knead… the Knead for, er, bread.
  • Another new bakery could open in the city centre. Knead, which has branches in Cirencester and Tetbury, has applied for permission to refit 115 High Street. The unit is owned by Lincoln College and was formerly occupied by the Hobbs clothing chain, which has moved to the Westgate. The application states “The company is founded on the key principles of tradition, quality and seasonality and focuses on baking and patisserie, producing and selling breads, pastries, cakes, breakfasts and lunches by hand.” The shop will offer takeaway and “around 24” eat-in spaces.
  • The Catweazle Club for music, poetry and story-telling has found a new home at the Slow & Steady pub on Abingdon Road, after its residency at Common Ground on Little Clarendon Street was ended. It will take place fortnightly from the New Year. The club was established by Matt Sage in 1994 as an “intimate cultural experience that didn’t involve big crowds, noise and bad expensive lager… An intense and often otherworldly atmosphere soon developed”. Entrance is below £10; performers attend free.
  • Templars Square in Cowley is set to be brightened up in the New Year thanks to a major community art project and local Labour activists in collaboration with Boundary Brook Community Projects (BBCP), who delivered the Flower Lane mural in East Oxford. Labour councillor for Cowley, Charlie Hicks approached BBCP after seeing their murals on Flower Lane and their repainting of telecom boxes across East Oxford. Dawn and Lisa from BBCP are now engaging with children from local schools, and will also be running community workshops in January. The councillors have given Boundary Brook Community Projects £5,000 from their community pots to design art installations inside and outside Templars Square, with further funding from Redevco, the leaseholder of Templars Square. “We’re determined for the regeneration of Templars Square to be for our community, by our community - and this is an exciting opportunity to breathe life back into the heart of Cowley,” says Jason Mosley, Labour’s County Council candidate for Cowley. Following resident feedback, MP for Oxford East, Anneliese Dodds is further pushing Redveco to upgrade the centre by demolishing the old Nelson pub and creating a temporary space for pop-up shops and food outlets.

Around the county

  • Anti-sewage groups Windrush Against Sewage Pollution and the Henley Mermaids have protested at what they say are plans for Thames Water to charge bill-payers over £250 a year to cover a temporary £3bn bailout. Campaigners are calling for ministers to intervene before the deal goes before its initial hearing in the High Court on December 17th. Thames Water is requesting a 53% bill hike, with Ofwat set to rule on this on December 19th. Jo Robb, of Henley Mermaids and Sewage Campaign Network, said:
16 million people rely on Thames Water for their very survival. We have no choice of water company, but right now a deal is being agreed that could mean that cash-strapped bill payers are coughing up to keep Thames in private ownership. It is outrageous that struggling people should be expected to foot the bill for Thames Water's failure. It’s long past time that the scam of privatisation was ended and Thames Water is put into Special Administration and taken back into public ownership.
  • A new ‘Maternity Library’ is set to open in Berinsfield this month. Members of the public can come to borrow maternity and breastfeeding clothes, cloth nappy kits, and baby-wearing slings at a low cost. Trained staff and volunteers will be on-hand to provide support for safe baby wearing. Director of The Berin Centre, Laura Harte, says: “Families can spend huge amounts of money on maternity and baby items, and often these items are only used for a few months. We’ve collected a stock of lightly used or brand new clothes and other useful items which we’ll be making available for hire.” The first event will take place on Saturday 14th December, 10am-1pm, at the Berin Centre. No booking is necessary; organisers have set up a Facebook page ‘The Berin Centre Maternity Library’ for regular updates and upcoming events.
  • American Formula 1 component supplier Penske Racing Shocks is to open a dedicated UK facility in automotive tech hotspot Bicester Motion, the 'future mobility estate' in Oxfordshire's Motorsport Valley. This centre will provide F1 customers with technical support, training & emergency spare parts. Jim Arentz, Technical Director at Penske said: “Bicester Motion is a motorsport and automotive hub, home to businesses & artisans serving everything from Formula One to vintage racing. It’s an ideal setting for our expansion and highly convenient for our teams - most are less than an hour away." We wrote about Bicester Motion in a long read here, featuring flying taxis, vintage Rolls Royce conversions, and electric vehicles.
  • Cherwell District Council has begun work on moving its offices from the Bodicote House site, which could be redeveloped for housing, to the underused Castle Quay shopping centre in Banbury town centre. The units were formerly occupied by BHS and Gap.
  • Last week saw Small Business Saturday – a day to support local businesses no matter the weather. Oxford East MP Anneliese Dodds said: “We’re absolutely spoiled for choice for small businesses here in Oxford, from the Covered Market to gems on the Cowley Road, Magdalen Road, Headington High St and more.” Olly Glover, MP for Didcot & Wantage, visited Dan Lynn at Wallingford’s Ride on Air bike shop who told him: “The biggest challenge is online competition, who do not have the same overheads. It would also be great to see an increase in safer cycling routes to encourage people into the town centre.”

University and research

  • An archeological dig, ahead of rebuilding Oriel College's kitchens and bar, has revealed the remains of the original college building dating from the 1600s. The medieval layout of the college can now be more accurately mapped. Oriel’s Provost, Lord Mendoza CBE, called the find “serendipity” ahead of the college’s 700th anniversary in 2026. Ben Ford, of Oxford Archaeology, said:
This is an archaeologically rich area of Oxford, having once been located in the late-Saxon town’s south-eastern corner. These recent findings at Oriel build on our understanding of how it has developed. The discovery of a roasting hearth and oven base tells us where Oriel’s medieval kitchens were located. We have also found the remains of a substantial medieval stone wall, which was probably the former boundary between what was once St Martin’s Hall and land owned by Oriel to the north. These findings shed new light on the medieval layout of the area and extent of the original Oriel College buildings — and add detail to the otherwise patchy evidence from the earliest known historical maps, views and the surviving historical documents.
  • Oxford theologian Timothy Radcliffe has been appointed a cardinal of the Catholic Church by Pope Francis – one of 253 across the world. He is a fellow of Blackfriars Hall, a Catholic theological college and ‘permanent private hall’ in the University of Oxford.
  • In her Christmas message to staff, University vice-chancellor Irene Tracey anticipated William Hague’s appointment as the new Chancellor: “We are delighted to welcome William and his wife Ffion back to Oxford, and I am very much looking forward to him in the years to come. He will be terrific.” (Plus a lovely rendition of ‘It came upon the midnight clear’.)

Trains and buses

  • Network Rail is to make a second attempt at removing the footbridge across Botley Road by Oxford station this weekend. The first attempt was scuppered by Storm Darragh. The replacement footbridge is intended to be ‘future-proofed’ as the location for an additional rail track span if needed.
  • Oxford West & Abingdon MP Layla Moran met with Rail Minister Lord Hendy and Network Rail CEO Andrew Haines to discuss the re-development of Oxford Station and consequent effect on Botley Road, which has been closed to motor traffic since April 2023. A spokesperson for Ms Moran said that, in the meeting, Network Rail apologised for mismanagement of the project, citing complications over the historic arch and difficulties diverting utilities. The MP pressed on issues facing local businesses, and the frustration of residents. Speaking afterwards, Layla Moran said:
The main message from Network Rail and the Minister today was ‘sorry’ – but frankly that is the least they could say. Our local community has endured this serious disruption for far too long, and the end is not yet in sight. I am pleased Network Rail are acknowledging their failings, and reiterated their commitment to the project. I pressed hard on the need for support for local businesses, many of whom are struggling and some of whom have already gone under." “Network Rail have demonstrated utterly shambolic project management from start to finish, and residents have lost all faith in them to deliver this project. It is up to them now to convince our community they have a credible plan to get this project finished.

Walking and cycling

  • East Oxford is to become a ‘Mini-Holland’ with £6m of funding allocated by Oxfordshire County Council to “public realm, walking and cycling improvements”. The scheme, which builds on the existing Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, echoes similar Mini-Holland projects in several London boroughs; these include segregated cycle tracks, traffic calming, continuous footways across side streets, and cycle routes on quiet roads. One such, in Waltham Forest, has been widely praised by campaigners while Government research found “a positive impact on active travel behaviour”. OCC says the £6m will “increase the durability of recent active travel schemes and accelerate quick-win projects” and that it hopes to roll “similarly ambitious schemes” out across other parts of Oxford and the county’s market towns. An additional £646,000 will come from developer contributions. At an OCC Cabinet meeting, cabinet member Andrew Gant said “It’s a good scheme and I’m glad we’re doing it” while Dan Levy said “It will take a bit of work to work up the scheme. There will be appropriate development and consultation before we spend the money.”
  • Parents at the Europa School and staff at Culham Science Centre have presented an 870-name petition to Oxfordshire County Council calling for a cycle route along the A415 and a safe crossing. They say the current situation poses “an unacceptably high risk of injury and death for children”. Aidan Reilly told this morning’s OCC meeting: “There was a serious accident last year – a child was seriously injured. Many people with children use the narrow causeway as a cycle path. There are 100 children who live within cycling distance of the school, but most of them are driven there.” Council chair Cllr Alison Rooke agreed, saying “I do know this section of road and you’re spot on”. Local councillor Robin Bennett (Green) agreed, saying “There’s an amazing cycling culture at the Europa School but you’re not given the right infrastructure for it.”

Kath Cochrane and Brigitte Hickman.

  • Kath Cochrane and Brigitte Hickman, founders of Witney’s Windrush Bike Project, have been named in the 100 Women in Cycling 2024 list by national charity Cycling UK. WBP “started as a small community initiative but has grown into an impactful social enterprise”. Kath’s citation mentions her “dedication to inclusivity which has led to the successful expansion of the Bikeability programme, reaching over 1,000 children annually”. Brigitte’s work “alongside a team of 20+ volunteers has brought joy and opportunities to countless individuals in West Oxfordshire”.

Oxfordshire politics

In our weekly MP round-ups we often write that casework doesn’t hit the headlines – but can be a huge part of the job. By way of illustration, Freddie van Mierlo in Henley & Thame commented his team received close to 2,000 emails in November alone:

This weekend

  • Musically it’s the most wonderful time of the year. We took a tour of Oxford’s choral highlights in November with a lively roundup by Somerville’s Will Dawes. If you fancy a different spin on the traditional Christmas carols, the University Church on the High has ‘A Very Brassy Christmas’ on Saturday evening, Oxford band Magpie Lane are singing folk carols in the Holywell Music Room at 2pm on Saturday, and the City of Oxford Silver Band will be playing Christmas favourites at St Mary & St John in Cowley.

Dates for your diary

  • Ukrainian Christmas Festival, 21 December, 11am to 5pm. Ukrainian Friendship Centre, St. Michael & All Angels Church, Summertown. Charity fair with a Ukrainian choir, food, drink, crafting – plus “everyone who comes in a costume and tells a poem gets a gift from the real St Nicholas”.

Oxfordshire's independent media

Notes from Clarion HQ

Some of my former colleagues had moved to papers that had been bought by Newsquest. I emailed one of them and asked, ‘What can we look forward to?’ They replied, ‘Slashing, burning, that kinda thing.’

This week we’ve been reading Panic as Man Burns Crumpets, the memoirs of local newspaper journalist Roger Lytollis. He got his dream job as a feature-writer at the Cumberland News in the early 1990s, when “it was hard to find an unoccupied desk, such was the number of staff employed”. As the 2010s roll in and local news goes free online, the paper’s comfortable existence starts to be troubled. Then Newsquest swoop in and buy the independent publishers, CN Group – and the redundancies start.

It’s a thoroughly enjoyable read (we devoured it in two sittings), proud of the best local journalism’s connection with its readers, but rueful of the descent into clickbait and incendiary online comments: “People used to say they weren’t going to buy our papers any more. Now they threatened to stop reading our work for free.” Working out his redundancy period, he wonders why his newspaper is now running stories like ‘McDonalds are now doing breakfast until 11am in all restaurants across the country’ and ‘Kardashians in Cumbria’. (Newsquest Oxfordshire’s equivalent is ‘Jeremy Clarkson’s strange link to Paddington Bear revealed amid new film’, we guess?)

One for your Christmas list.