Clarion Weekly, 19 September 2025

This week’s top stories

Banbury’s Labour MP Sean Woodcock has called out roundabouts being painted with red and white flags as “vandalism”, saying “it doesn’t honour our nation, it disrespects it… we must reject racism and bigotry outright”. Read more:

“We must never sacrifice our decency or humanity”

Banbury MP Sean Woodcock weighs in to the debate on flags, and outlines his thoughts on national pride and Labour’s progress in their change agenda. Pride in our country I am immensely proud to call England my home. Our nation, with its rich history, is something to cherish. There’s

Oxford ClarionClarion guest contributor

The Oxpens pedestrian/cycle bridge looks set to go ahead after a Lord Justice of Appeal refused permission for the Friends of Grandpont Nature Park to appeal. The Friends’ case had been turned down in a judicial review in March. Oxford City Council plans to start construction early next year.

Lord Justice Stuart-Smith rejected arguments including the lack of an Environmental Impact Assessment and the failure of the planning committee to visit the site. The Friends say “we now fear for the worst… the loss of precious woodland and the beautiful glade loved by so many”.

A plan for 450 new homes on the north-western edge of Witney, next to the Minster Lovell and Crawley roads, has been lodged with West Oxfordshire District Council. The Curbridge Downs development of mostly two-storey buildings would have 40% affordable homes, with half the site left as open space. Allotments, orchards and “edible landscape” sites would be designated, plus a central play area. A Heritage Park would mark the Roman farmstead believed to have been sited here.

A new traffic-free cycleway would be provided along the Burford Road to improve National Cycle Network route 57. Developers Mic Mac propose a “mixed-use landmark building including community provision” at the entrance to the site, and have suggested a mobility hub with parking and charging for e-bikes and car club vehicles. The application is on the WODC planning portal as 25/02116/OUT.

Around the city

• Five new businesses have taken space in Oxford’s Covered Market over the summer, according to the City Council. They include Lula’s Ethiopian Café, opening a second outlet after a first on Frideswide Square, and Cowley Road’s Arbequina, taking on the former Blueblood premises. Other new entrants are Oxford Dogs, Ginger & Spice, and Potato Hut. The council also pointed to businesses moving onto the High Street and other city centre premises.
• Saturday's Farmers to Action protest in Oxford saw a still further reduced number of tractors, with just five today compared to 10 in April and around 100 in January. An off-key horn rendition of Darude’s Sandstorm, however, remains part of the rally.
• A man has been left with “potentially life-changing injuries” after an assault with a motor vehicle in Oxford city centre. Thames Valley Police say “The driver of a grey Mercedes mounted the pavement and ran over two men in their twenties in St Clements at around 10.30pm. The driver then reversed in an attempt to cause the victims further injury but missed before driving off. We believe it was a targeted attack with no threat to the wider public.” 30-year old Romario Qatja of Pipkin Way, Oxford, has been charged with attempted murder.
• Water quality at Wolvercote Mill Stream is the worst since records began, according to Environment Agency testing. As a designated bathing site, water is tested for E. coli and intestinal enterococci which usually get into water from sewage and animal manure. Tests are carried out weekly; a reading taken earlier this month showed the worst levels of intestinal bacteria in the water since the site's designation as a bathing pond in 2022. Local MP Layla Moran has asked the Environment Agency to explain the cause and find solutions to protect the pond.
• Blackwell’s bookshop will open early next Thursday for the publication of The Rose Field, the conclusion of Oxford author Philip Pullman’s Book of Dust trilogy. He will be speaking about it at an event at the Sheldonian that Saturday.
• The architect behind Oxford Ice Rink, Nicholas Grimshaw, has died at the age of 85. Built in 1984, the ice rink was one of his earlier projects before Waterloo International station (1993) and the Eden Project (2001). Its distinctive masts are intended to “make reference to Oxford’s famous spires”. Architects’ Journal wrote that “It was unorthodox in appearance, one of the first to exploit corrosion-resistant coatings developed for the North Sea, but it was also very cheap.” The 20th Century Society unsuccessfully applied for the building to be listed in 2015.
• Oxford United’s new stadium remains in administrative limbo after the Government issued a “holding direction”, in effect saying that it hasn’t yet decided whether it needs to make a decision. The standard period for “calling in” a planning application is 21 days, which elapsed last week, but the changeover of Secretary of State from Angela Rayner to Steve Reed has apparently complicated issues. (The Clarion will be beyond amazed if a Labour Secretary of State whose motto is “Build, baby, build” decides to call in a football stadium less than 2 miles from a Labour-held constituency, but stranger things have happened.)
• A company set up on 2 September, TNT Convenience Ltd, has applied for a licence to sell alcohol at 19 Park End Street (Frideswide Square). The licence of the current store at 19 Park End Street, Uni Food & Wine, was revoked in March after “persistent & continued non-compliance with licensed conditions”. TNT Convenience Ltd has one director, 18-year old Rajmeet Lalpurwal of Oxford Road, Kidlington. Uni Food & Wine is owned by Avtar Singh Lalpurwal of Oxford Road, Kidlington, who pleaded guilty to offences relating to illegal vapes and tobacco in July. Thames Valley Police told the hearing in March: “Repeated advice and threats of further enforcement have been made to this venue over the years… on each occasion we’ve been assured that these matters have been addressed, and each time that we go back, we’re not able to evidence this.”
• Magdalen College School’s detailed plans for a new Science, Library & Partnerships Building on Iffley Road have gone live with a planning application submitted to Oxford City Council. Existing school buildings will be demolished to make room for the 4,000m² development. The school says: “The 3-storey building will offer new facilities to support engineering, electronics and robotics, alongside emerging areas such as AI and Big Data. A partnerships laboratory will increase the number of non-MCS pupils accessing transformative STEM learning experiences.” As part of the plans, school coaches will no longer stop on the Plain, but instead use “dedicated bus stops such as those on Iffley Road and St Clements”. (The school has a pedestrian tunnel under Magdalen Bridge, known as the Choristers’ Tunnel.) The planning application reference is 25/02092/FUL.
• The Chabad Jewish community building at 75 Cowley Road, established in 1988 and with a resident rabbi, is proposed for rebuilding to “address all their communal and personal requirements”. The community say the plans will “enhance the continuing evolution of an important section of the Orthodox Jewish community in Oxford”, and that traffic impact will be minimal as they are mostly “aimed at students who do not own cars”. A planning application is with Oxford City Council.
• And finally... Could you be the face of Oxford United FC? The club is looking for models for retail photo shoots in and around Oxford, and say no previous modelling experience is necessary.
  

Around the county

• Two people running a dog breeding business in the Banbury area have received custodial sentences and fines for unlicensed dog breeding and animal cruelty, and been banned from keeping dogs. Following investigation by Cherwell District Council, Sonia Black and Jason Walsh were found to have bred and sold at least 116 puppies illegally in four years. A Doberman in labour went without veterinary support for over 12 hours, resulting in a stillborn puppy. Thanking the licensing team, Cllr Rob Parkinson, Cherwell District Council said: “This case is horrendous and highlights the devastating consequences of people illegally breeding dogs.”
• Oxfordshire’s SEND provision (Special Educational Needs & Disabilities) is being inspected again by Ofsted. A 2023 inspection found “widespread and/or systemic failings”. This year’s is underway until 2 October. The Oxfordshire SEND Parent Action group says parents can give their views by emailing LASendsupport@ofsted.gov.uk with “Oxfordshire” in the subject line; the online survey closes today.
• Cherwell District Council is switching fuel for its waste & recycling vehicles to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil. They say the change will cut fleet emissions by up to 85% and save around 1,150 tonnes of CO₂ over two years.
• The latest plans for Witney’s High Street, where traffic has been largely restricted to buses, taxis and Blue Badge holders, have been put out to consultation. The mini roundabout with Welch Way will be replaced with a corner junction, and a new zebra crossing installed. Proposed loading arrangements have been revised after feedback from businesses. The formal consultation covers waiting restrictions, disabled parking, and flat-top humps for traffic calming, and is open until 17 October.
• A new bakery has opened in Abingdon. The Ock River Bakery, open Wednesday–Saturday, offers artisan breads, pastries, sandwiches and other treats. There is coffee and a small outdoor seating area. It’s run by Maria, former Head Chef at the well regarded Eyston Arms in East Hendred. Your dedicated Clarion team has tested an almond croissant, pain au chocolat and cinnamon bun, and they are good. (Never say we don’t go out of our way to provide essential consumer information.)
• The current owner of one of Oxfordshire’s most storied inns, the Spread Eagle in Thame, has been ordered to pay £29,000 after “a series of significant hygiene issues”. The Spread Eagle was owned by John Fothergill from 1922 to 1930, who wrote An Innkeeper’s Diary about his time at the inn. A century later, in July 2023, a South Oxfordshire District Council inspector found “waste storage and disposal were inadequate and the premises’ construction failed to prevent contamination from pests”; owner Ravinder Singh Takhar was fined at Oxford Magistrates’ Court. John Fothergill was an irascible character who wrote “The Oxfordshire yokel doesn’t pronounce the ‘t’”; withdrew his inn from the Automobile Association Handbook due to motorists’ entitlement to use his toilets for free; and was described by Evelyn Waugh as “Oxford’s only civilising influence”. (We have linked to secondhand listings on Abebooks because every Clarion reader ought to own a copy.)
• The Oxfordshire County Council Parking Schemes and Traffic Orders Team won the Traffic Team Award in the prestigious British Parking Awards 2025 – “the Oscars of the UK parking sector”. The British Parking Awards are not to be confused with the Ernest Davies Award for Advancing Parking Knowledge, named after an editor of the original Clarion and Labour MP from 1945–1959 who went on to establish the British Parking Association.

Oxfordshire politics

Former Banbury MP Victoria Prentis has announced a diagnosis of an aggressive cancer, though she says she has an “excellent prognosis”. Baroness Prentis of Banbury made the announcement as part of a Lords debate on assisted dying on Friday. Baroness Prentis pointed out she had “every advantage” but that she had watched women and minorities say “This Bill is not good enough for my vulnerable community”. She urged the Lords to think about how the vulnerable may feel that their lives are not worth living.

The curious case of Abingdon South, where an independent candidate in May’s elections appeared on the ballot paper with a Reform UK logo, appears to have been resolved. Vale of White Horse election officers write: “The lack of a party description on the ballot paper arose because the candidate's nomination form did not correctly include the use of the party description. […] The candidate's nomination form requested the use of the Reform UK party logo which was correctly authorised by the party and thus it appeared on the ballot paper.”

Speaking of Reform UK, their sole Oxfordshire councillor, Hao Du (Didcot South), is engaged in a magnificent spat with the admins of the ‘Didcot Community’ Facebook group which, at the time of writing, has reached ‘Part Three: Months of Hindrance’. We feel this could be the next Game of Thrones, but set in Didcot and with fewer dragons. But more residents’ parking schemes.

• Banbury MP Sean Woodcock was out canvassing in Charlbury and enjoyed a pint in the Rose & Crown. On Sunday he marked the 85th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. Continuing the military theme he started his training as part of the Armed Forces Military scheme. And he still hasn't posted a picture of his cat. (Sean, if you're reading this, 80 people clicked on the link in last week's newsletter about your trip to Crofts. Oxfordshire awaits....)
• Bicester & Woodstock MP Calum Miller called for a strong cross-party response on the SEND crisis in English schools, spoke up for Palestine and against Israel and Hamas. He met Japanese politicians. (He's the LibDems’ foreign affairs spokesperson, if you couldn’t tell.) He was out on the doors in Heyford Park in the Most LibDem Jacket Ever.
• Witney MP Charlie Maynard has been doing Parkrun in Witney and wants you to too (find your nearest here). He visited RAF Brize Norton to discuss current and future issues on station and in defence, and discussed reviving the rail link between Carterton, Witney and Oxford as an asset to the base.
• Oxford East MP Anneliese Dodds posted more on social media in one weekend than she has in the last two months. New staffer or something going on in Oxford East? Deep breath: she congratulated the organisers of Oxford Open Doors (as do we), encouraged everyone to vote for the Ultimate Picture Palace for Cinema of the Year (as do we), was out on the doors with a huge crowd of activists and councillors in Rose Hill, met with St. John's ambulance at the Westgate, attended the South Oxfordshire Family Triathlon and possibly also the East Timorese festival, cheered on local rugby star and Red Rose Maud Muir, and wrote an article on international development. All that before Monday. Then: Windale Primary School, an industry event on women in communications, a visit to Oxford Biodynamics (and a call to open the Cowley Branch Line), and a lecture in the City. Phew!
• Layla Moran, Oxford West & Abingdon MP (and former teacher) on parental leave, demanded action after the Education Select Committee released their report into the SEND crisis: she says the lack of adequate provision “is having a devasting impact on families”.
• Didcot & Wantage MP Olly Glover visited the Post Office in Didcot to post a letter understand employee challenges. His latest roundup is here, including the Vegetarian Society's drop-in event against male chick culling. He spoke up for trans rights, signing a letter to the minister for Women & Equalities. Finally, he hit out against the recent Cabinet reshuffle calling it “deeply disruptive”.
• Henley & Thame MP Freddie van Mierlo (current king of photo ops) visited the Henley Family Farm show. In parliament, he asked what an acceptable time limit was for prosecution of rape cases, and what the plan was to fix it. He advocated for action on pavement parking, saying councils needed powers to act; spoke up for action on sepsis; and met up with Garsington Opera at a Westminster opera drop-in (yes, a-rially…)
• Thames Valley Police & Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber, in a weekend where the country seemed polarised and thousands marched the streets of London, made a plea for community engagement. He also wrote an interesting article on legislation around drink spiking, saying the defence of “it was just a prank” is a loophole that needs to be closed.

University and research

• A new stained glass window by acclaimed artist Thomas Denny has been installed at Christ Church Cathedral, depicting the parable of the Prodigal Son. One of only a few UK stained glass painters, Denny has made some 50 windows for churches and cathedrals, including Hereford, Durham, and Gloucester. The Very Revd Sarah Foot, Dean of Christ Church, said “The light and warmth emanating from this window are more than descriptive of the parable – they draw the viewer into its theological purpose. We are truly blessed by its addition to the Cathedral.” The Prodigal Son Window will be dedicated during Choral Evensong on Sunday 28 September at 6.05pm, sung by the girls’ choir Frideswide Voices and the Clerks of the Cathedral Choir.
• The Dean of the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford, Soumitra Dutta, has resigned. Bloomberg reported that a university investigation “upheld three allegations of breach of the university’s harassment policy by Dutta made by a female academic”. Mette Morsing, currently Professor of Business Sustainability and Director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, is stepping in as Interim Dean.
• Oxford University has been ranked fourth in yet another university ranking, this time the Times/Sunday Times’ Good University Guide 2026. We’re going to link to the Independent story instead because most rankings are not much more than clickbait and we’re not sure we want to encourage them.
• Southern Water will have ‘robust conversations’ with billionaire Stephen Schwarzman about transporting water across county lines. The BBC reports that tankers are filling a lake on his estate in Wiltshire in spite of a hosepipe ban. Oxford University's Schwarzman Centre opens on 29 September.
• Still on Schwarzman, the Guardian reported he sat next to the Prime Minister at the state banquet for Donald Trump. Schwarzman gave £150m for Oxford University's Humanities Centre, a further £3m to restore the adjacent Radcliffe Observatory, and an undisclosed amount to Trump's presidential campaign.

Walking and cycling

• 96 families took part in a family triathlon on Sunday morning in aid of the South Oxford Family Room at Grandpont. Competitors completed 6 lengths of Hinksey Pool, 3 running laps of Dean's Ham (1.8 km), and 4 cycling laps of Grandpont Nature Park (6 km) in whole, part, or in relay. Children of all ages took part with toddlers on child seats and older kids splitting the ride between their own bikes and cargo bikes. Sponsorship goes to launch the Family Room at Grandpont as a community interest company.
• Campaigners are seeking statements from anyone who has walked Electric Road, the path from Osney Mead to South Hinksey. The path is not yet formally a public right of way, meaning access could be withdrawn at any time; the campaign aims to apply for it to become one. Particular concerns are around the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme, which could see the path subject to compulsory purchase.

Trains and buses

• Plans for a new railfreight hub and warehousing site at Ardley, north Oxfordshire, are going out to consultation. The plans envisage an “intermodal rail terminal”, where goods can be transferred between lorries and trains, between Heyford Airfield (itself proposed as the site of Heyford Park new town) and the Chiltern main line. Proposers claim 9,500 jobs will be created. The plans include an Ardley bypass and link roads for Middleton Stoney and Heyford Park, but the mooted Ardley station – a new passenger station to serve Heyford Park – is not included. The development could be classed as ‘Nationally Significant’, meaning the decision to proceed would be made by central Government, not local councils.
• A former community bus service in South Oxon has been taken on by Thames Travel. The hourly Goring–Wallingford 134 was previously run by Going Forward Buses, the project of Goring resident Mike Ward. He said “We hope they will have as much fun operating the route as we have had for the past eight years.” Thames Travel’s Luke Marion said “Congratulations to Michael Ward on delivering a fantastic community service for many years and we wish him a long and happy retirement.”

Dates for your diary

• Street Band battle. Tuesday 23 September, 7pm, Tap Social. Locals Horns of Plenty face visitors Pompier Poney Club, the Fanfare Hyperactive de Marseille. A brass cultural exchange between two amazing street bands.
• The Untold History of Ukraine through Coffee Culture, Tuesday 23 September, 7.30pm, St Antony's College, 62 Woodstock Road. Join award-winning barista Vadym Granovskiy for an evening of stories, history, and tasting of his iconic Flat Red.
• Olive Gibbs: A Remarkable Woman, Wednesday 24 September, 7.30pm, Florence Park Community Centre. Free film and Q&A about the Lord Mayor who brought down the Cutteslowe Walls.
• Tiny Ideas Festival. 27–28 September. Oxford’s early years arts festival. Events for 0-10 year olds at nine venues: shows, movies, workshops and more.
• UN Older People's Day. Wednesday 1 October, 10am-3pm, Oxford Town Hall. Annual networking event to promote activities of interest to older people and their families. Organised by the Oxford 50-Plus Network. (Submitted by a follower. The Clarion is posting this through gritted teeth and would like to point out 50 is not old and all our writers, regardless of their ages are in their prime, okay?!)

This weekend

It’s fair season! We’ve already had Oxford’s St Giles’ Fair and Witney Feast. This weekend it’s Chippy Mop (until Sat), Thame September Fair (until Sat) and Charlbury Street Fair (Sat). Next month it’s Michaelmas Fair in both Banbury (15–18 Oct) and Abingdon (5–7 Oct). Also this weekend:

• Market Tap Live, Friday, 7pm, Covered Market. Live music from singer-songwriters Arwen Baxter and Ben Jacobs.
• Oxford Wikimedia Meetup, Sunday, 1pm, The Four Candles. Meet local Wikipedia editors improving the free encyclopaedia.
• Kidical Mass, Sunday, 2pm-4pm. The free family bike ride returns. Meet at one of four start points to converge on Gloucester Green for a joyful circuit of the city centre. All ages welcome.
• Septembersong. Friday–Sunday, Braziers Park, Wallingford. A fascinating-looking music, craft and nature festival: songwriting workshops, sourdough bread-making, traditional woodcarving and some great bands.
• And if you want to get out of Oxfordshire altogether, direct Saturday trains from Oxford to Bristol are back this weekend.

Oxfordshire’s independent media

• The Oxford Sausage visited the Corpus Christi barge, if you didn't get to see it at Oxford Open Doors.
• Ox in a Box has been to Mr Wang's Hot Pot in Gloucester Green and Proof Social in Kennington.
• The Witney Gitzette reviews Witney Feast in a uniquely Gitzette way.
• The Oxford Student marks 40 years of A-ha’s ‘Take On Me’. Now you have an earworm.
• Bishop Steven, Bishop of Oxford, writes about a Christian approach to leadership in his latest Substack.
• And finally, an Oxford writer, Mark Piesing, has won The Best Unmanned Systems Submission (aka drones) in the global Aerospace Media Awards 2025. His winning article, The Secret History of Drones, was published in the Smithsonian's Air and Space Magazine.

Ozymandias update

If Sean Woodcock won't post a picture of a cat (see above) then it must be time for an update on Magdalen's furry feline fellow. He looks very studious.

Notes from Clarion HQ

We were bemused to go mildly viral with this story on Friday last week. All credit to the OCC comms team for being excellent sports:

The “bang bus” owned by adult entertainer Bonnie Blue, visiting Oxford for Freshers’ Week, will not be eligible to pass through the High St bus gate. An Oxfordshire County Council spokesman told the Clarion: “Having taken the risk of googling Bonnie Blue’s Bang Bus, the vehicle appears to be a van. It therefore wouldn’t be exempt from the normal restrictions.” Vans will, however, be exempt from the new Oxford congestion charge which was confirmed this week as starting by 10 November.

What more can we say, other than “hope this item doesn’t get our email blacklisted”?

We’ve loved the variety of stories this week. We’ve ruminated in our writers’ chat that we prefer our version of Oxford where we lift it up (albeit aware of its faults!) rather than constantly talk it down. If you, too, feel this way, do share the Clarion with a likeminded friend. Have a good weekend.