Clarion Weekly, 26 September 2025

Welcome to all our new subscribers this week! We round up the best of Oxfordshire's news, events and local media, gift-wrap it with our own brand of commentary and any longer articles we've published, and deliver it to your inbox each Friday lunchtime. If you like it, do tell your friends.

We started the week with a short yet joyous account of kids taking to the streets on bikes. Were you there?

Kids claim the streets of Oxford

The latest Kidical Mass family bike ride attracted a record turnout, according to organisers Cyclox. More than 200 cyclists of all ages converged in Oxford ringing bells as they circled the city centre. Four feeder rides from Florence Park, Cutteslowe, Headington and West Oxford met in Gloucester Green for a

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On an entirely different note, Oxford trade union activist Toby James writes a call to arms for collective action. Who's in?

Time for Oxford to organise

With the far right hogging the headlines, Oxford trade union activist Toby James says the city can buck the trend – but only if we work together, from allotment associations to school governors to community music… There’s a Kurt Vonnegut quote: “What should [...] people do with their lives today? Many things,

Oxford ClarionClarion guest contributor

This week’s top stories

Plans to move Oxfordshire County Council’s HQ to Speedwell House, just off St Aldates, could be rethought after “a potentially significant archaeological find” at the site. Alternatives could include conversion to residential use or a full sale of the site. OCC has recently sold County Hall for redevelopment as a hotel, meaning the council will need a new home from spring 2027. An OCC spokesperson pointed to the Government push for unitary councils which would see OCC merge with city/district councils:

“Depending on the extent of any delay, this would take us closer to the period of local government reorganisation which is currently scheduled to take effect from Spring 2028. As such it is thought prudent at this early stage to consider alternatives for the site should for any reason the council’s office hub option not ultimately take place.”

An explosive row has broken out between Oxfordshire County Council's cabinet member for transport, Andrew Gant, and Oxford East MP Anneliese Dodds. In a five-page open letter, the LibDem councillor calls Labour’s opposition to the congestion charge “grotesque, upsetting and bizarre”.

The Labour MP had issued a statement “strongly opposing” the charge. Cllr Gant’s reply says the congestion charge is part of a long-term traffic strategy developed together with Labour since 1999, and a direct response to a demand from Oxford City Council to take urgent action on traffic:

“You ask that the County focus on improving public transport instead of this. There is no ‘instead’. Improving public transport flows from reducing congestion. You demand the benefits which will flow from our policies, but pretend you don’t have to take responsibility for them.”

Anneliese Dodds issued a further response with Labour colleagues, saying “You are relying on over 10,000 Oxford residents switching their car journeys to cycling without funding any extra infrastructure improvements to make cycling easier and safer.” This one will run and run. (Running, of course, is another good way to avoid the congestion charge.)

Oxford city councillors have voted to abolish the Special Saturation Policy which restricted the number of alcohol outlets in the city centre and Cowley Road areas. The policy had been strongly backed by Thames Valley Police, but councillors were worried about its impact on the city’s nightlife. TVP wrote:

“The further provisions of licensable activities in the area […] exacerbates the significant demand on the police. It is only through the consistent and robust application of the SSP that we have seen a move away from such venues, toward more diverse and congenial business models.”

However, the City Council’s licensing committee narrowly voted not to renew the policy. Cllr Simon Ottino said “We don't think the evidence provided is sufficient to bring in the saturation policy as proposed, and we think the existing powers we have are enough to achieve the licensing objectives.” Cllr Katherine Miles, LibDem city councillor for Summertown who also chairs the committee, disagreed:

“I am disappointed the committee ignored the advice and evidence provided by the police and fire service on the link between the large number of licensed premises and antisocial behaviour. Labour has prioritised pubs not residents, ignoring the impact of crime and disorder on residents, and the council’s coffers as it bears the cost of street cleaning.”

The decision will need to be ratified by the full City Council before coming into effect. In the meantime, the Clarion hopes Cllr Mark Lygo enjoyed his bargain Stilton.

Around the city

• Oxford’s George Street Social bar has been snapped up by Morgan Pub Co, who run the nearby Grapes and the Oranges & Lemons on St Clements. Previous owner Young’s had ended their lease because it didn’t fit with their pub portfolio. The Oranges & Lemons was also previously a Young’s house in its incarnation as the Angel & Greyhound. CAMRA magazine Oxford Drinker profiled Morgan Pub Co earlier this year.
• Three Oxford-area pubs make their debut in CAMRA's 2026 Good Beer Guide. The Star on Rectory Road is the first for many years in the Cowley Road area. Gus Rogers, landlord since 2020, said “We’re still busy in the summer when the Cowley Road pubs were dead because they appeal mainly to students.” Also making their debut are the Oranges & Lemons, and the Red Lion in Yarnton (on the S3 bus route) which has up to ten real ciders.

• Demonstrators faced each other outside a hotel used to house asylum seekers in Oxford last weekend. Pro immigration protesters numbered around 100 and bore placards saying ‘Hope not Hate’, ‘Everyone is welcome here’ and ‘The only minority destroying the country are billionaires.’ Around 35 anti-immigration protesters waved St. George’s and Union flags, and held a minute’s silence for US activist Charlie Kirk.
• An Oxfordshire blue plaque to the artist Sir Muirhead Bone was unveiled at the weekend at Grayflete in Vernon Avenue, off Harcourt Hill. He designed this house and lived in it from 1931 to 1953. Muirhead Bone’s drawings and paintings of Oxford were used to illustrate the annual Oxford Almanack 15 times; he was the first official war artist, being sent to France in August 1916 to draw scenes of the front.
• International “ice-cream boutique” Amorino is heading for Oxford in the former Burger King unit at 24 Cornmarket. Founded in Paris in 2002, the company has more than 250 stores selling flower-shaped gelato, crêpes and waffles, and other treats. The building was built as a bank in 1911, on the site of the former Blue Anchor Inn, but has been a café since 1921.
• A new youth hub has opened in Blackbird Leys designed to “provide a safe space to socialise, take part in activities, and enjoy a meal at no cost… led by a team of friendly youth workers”. The hub will be open for young people after school and during the summer holidays. Facilities include a climbing wall, teaching kitchen, music/media studio, hub space and 1-to-1 rooms.

• Somerville College’s proposed new Ratan Tata Building, in the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, has been given planning permission by Oxford City Council. The building – mostly teaching and learning space with tutor offices, study space and seminar rooms – is named after Somerville donor Ratan Tata (1937-2024), chair of India’s Tata Group. The area has seen rapid redevelopment over the past decade including the new Mathematical Institute, the Blavatnik School of Government, and the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities.
• The Government has announced £20m for Greater Leys over 10 years as part of its Pride in Place programme, which focuses on “doubly disadvantaged” neighbourhoods with high deprivation levels and weak social infrastructure. The strategy is a mix of initiatives including a commitment “for every household to be within a 15-minute walk of a green or blue space”. A new Community Wealth Fund will give grants for community facilities, with a Right to Buy for playing fields, community centres and pubs.
• Wychwood School in North Oxford has been nominated for an award for Outstanding Engagement in the Community by the Independent Schools Association, recognising its Wychwood Inspires programme of free Saturday morning events for year 5 & 6 children and their parents, with subjects as diverse as African drumming and building a wind turbine.
• People who abuse disabled parking blue badges are being warned of court action following prosecution of two motorists for illegally using blue badges to park in Oxford city centre. Cllr Dan Levy from Oxfordshire County Council said: “The blue badge system is there for people who rely on it to help them remain mobile and independent. Those who abuse it deny vital parking spaces to people who really need them.”
• It’s awards season and this one's for the transport lovers: Oxford City Council's ODS was shortlisted for an Innovation Award at the Highways Awards 2025 for its efforts to move to an EV fleet. (In the same awards, Oxfordshire County Council were twice nominated for their work on the Woodstock Road. Fair to say we have views on this…)

Around the county

• Government plans for “a 21st century market town” at Chalgrove Airfield, 10 miles south-east of Oxford, are finally set to go live at the end of October. Homes England, central Government’s housing agency, has announced a consultation event on 22 October in Chalgrove. The site has been criticised for poor transport links and the effect on defence manufacturers who currently use the WW2 airfield.
• Henley’s River & Rowing Museum closed its doors for the final time at the weekend, after 27 years operating beside the banks of the Thames. Its trustees said the museum was “ultimately just too ambitious” and the award-winning modernist building too expensive to maintain. Museum staff said: “The focus of the few remaining team members will be on the collection – items will be found new homes working to strict heritage guidelines and best practice.” (Their Facebook comments are full of people saying the Wind in the Willows collection should be rehomed in Oxford’s Story Museum. How about it?)
• Fatalities on Oxfordshire’s roads fell 9% in 2024, but people Killed or Seriously Injured (KSI) rose 12% (after a 24% fall to a record low in 2023). KSIs are the key measurement for the County Council’s Vision Zero programme. The rise was entirely on faster roads: KSIs on 20 and 30mph roads fell for a second year, but those on 40 to 60mph roads rose 17% and on 70mph roads by 88%, leaving these at a seven-year high.
• Labour’s deputy group leader on Cherwell District Council has crossed the floor to the Conservatives, making them the formal opposition to the Lib Dem/Green coalition. Dr Chukwudi Okeke, councillor for Banbury Cross and Neithrop, said: “I feel that Labour has lost its focus in building a healthy and inclusive society where everyone, irrespective of their background can thrive and be valued.” Conservative group leader Eddie Reeves said “I couldn’t be happier.”
• A Banbury butcher is shutting up shop after almost 40 years. Steve and Carol Betts, who run the shop on Church Lane, are retiring. Banbury BID (business organisation) said “They've been a pillar of the Banbury community, building a legacy based on trust, loyalty, and exceptional service.”
• A new school-based nursery has opened at St Mary’s CofE Primary School in Chipping Norton, part of a £37m Government investment in new or enlarged nurseries to meet an expansion of funded childcare. Local MP Sean Woodcock said “Parents and carers here have told me this is a game-changer – helping them to stay in work, easing the cost of living, and giving every child the best possible start.”
• Oxfordshire County Council has been recognised as 'Good' for adult social care by the Care Quality Commission. The CQC praised OCC's collaborative approach.
• The ongoing development of Didcot’s power station site continues with a planning application for more logistics warehouses on the former coalyard. The 75,000sq m development at Signia Park would be accessed directly from the major new HIF1 road.
• Pharmaceutical firm Moderna’s vaccine factory in Harwell has been officially opened by Health Secretary Wes Streeting. The Moderna Innovation & Technology Centre will produce mRNA vaccines to support NHS seasonal vaccination programmes, as well as researching new uses for mRNA science.
• A national investigation into maternity services will take in Oxford University Hospitals Trust, one of 14 NHS hospital trusts selected. The investigation, led by Baroness Valerie Amos, aims to improve care and safety in maternity and neonatal services across England, with terms of reference shaped in consultation with bereaved and harmed families. Both Sean Woodcock, MP for Banbury, and Freddie van Mierlo, MP for Henley & Thame, welcomed the investigation, both having written to the Secretary of State for Health raising constituents’ concerns.
• US chip-maker Nvidia is investing in Culham-based autonomous vehicle technology company Oxa as part of a plan to invest £2 billion in UK AI startups. Oxa started developing self-driving cars, but has more recently focused on industrial applications.

Oxfordshire politics

This has been an excellent week for MPs’ photo ops. We’re laughing with you, not at you. (Honourable mention for this one of Sean Woodcock standing on a tank.) The LibDems had the first conference, and we are indebted to our correspondents for the highlights of our elected representatives – keep the tips coming!

• Banbury MP Sean Woodcock is happy about the second runway at Gatwick, had breakfast with the Prime Minister, held a housing drop-in, celebrated the UK recognising Palestine, and visited a new nursery in Chipping Norton. Still no cat though.
• Bicester & Woodstock MP Calum Miller, as the LibDems’ Foreign Affairs spokesperson, delivered a keynote speech at their conference this week. Elsewhere he extended a welcome for American cancer researchers to come to the UK, saying “if Trump won't back this research, the UK must”.
• Witney MP Charlie Maynard’s socials show a busy conference, from a Liberal Reform fringe event on national debt to a reception for farmers, millers and agricultural businesses: his conference speech proclaimed “this country has a way to go, but the passion and ideas of people I’ve been meeting give me hope". This week those people included visiting Donaldson Timber Systems and talking about the use of technology to address labour shortages.
• Oxford East MP Anneliese Dodds starred in a podcast challenging the idea that you have to hate someone you disagree with. She spoke to the Iffley Fields Residents Association about the state of the river, and visited Royal Mail’s East Oxford's delivery office: NHS mail is now being prioritised and there are 20 new delivery vehicles. She hosted the launch of the government's report into devolution in Parliament. (We’ll have more on devolution and council reorganisation next time.)
• Oxford West & Abingdon MP Layla Moran, the UK's first MP of Palestinian descent, has put in five private members bills on the subject since her election in 2017. She cautiously welcomed the news of the UK recognising the state of Palestine, calling it “bittersweet” and “significant”.
• Didcot & Wantage MP Olly Glover visited Didcot’s gas power plant, talked about parking at the Orchard Centre, and asked residents to fill out a survey on health services in the constituency. (We have it on good authority that the picture in this post was used as an example at the LibDem conference this week of ‘How an MP should dress’.). At the conference he proposed a motion on the future of the space sector (see here from c. 1:10). It has Star Wars jokes.
• Henley & Thame MP Freddie van Mierlo joined a protest against pollution in the River Thame, and a community-led climate lobby in Sonning following July’s mass lobby of Parliament for stronger action on climate change. He said: “Engagement like this is vital to keeping climate and nature at the top of the political agenda. The Mass Lobby in Westminster was a strong reminder of just how much this matters to people across the country.”
• Thames Valley Police & Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber has written a thought piece on taxation which has not a lot to do with his PCC role but is nonetheless worth a read. (A Clarion correspondent wrote to ask “Perhaps he should be asked how much he thinks Thames Valley Police should be cut by?”) Read the piece for yourself: we wish we could see you all in the pub to debate it. (We're so rock and roll.) Less controversially, he was out on the doors in Sutton Courtenay, speaking to residents about crime in Banbury, and here is a lovely picture of his dog.

University and research

• Oxford University tutors will have to get used to being told “You’re absolutely right!” with a liberal sprinkling of em-dashes as the university rolls out ChatGPT free to staff and students. The Clarion asked ChatGPT to summarise the quote from Jayna Devani, International Education Lead at OpenAI, in 250 characters to fit into a single tweet; unfortunately its response had 453 characters so we had to screenshot it instead. The International Energy Agency estimates that AI tools like ChatGPT will soon equal Japan’s electricity consumption, while last week, Oxford researchers reported that climate change has been responsible for 1,700 heat-related deaths in a single European region.
• Oxford’s centuries-old tradition of University Sermons could break out of the Church of England with a new University Sermon on Interfaith Relations. It would be delivered by “a preacher of any faith community” and held within colleges rather than the University Church on the High. The University Church describes the sermons as “an occasion of focus and exploration for the illumination of the mind in the context of prayer”, alluding to the University’s motto Dominus illuminatio mea.
• Oxford University has topped rankings in a ‘University TikTok report’. Universities have long used social platforms to appeal to students but the report praised Oxford’s approach of staying true to itself while having a sophisticated approach to platform dynamics. Melinda Lee from Nonsensical, the UK media agency who wrote the report, said: “They’ve shown you can succeed on TikTok without relying on comedy or slapstick.”
• Oxford University Hospitals are trialling world-first techniques to tackle the blood cancer myeloma. One of the trials is testing a new tracer to be used on myeloma patients during PET-CT scans; the other is investigating a new potential drug combination therapy. OUH Consultant Haematologist Karthik Ramasamy said: “It’s very exciting to be the first in the world to be testing this brand-new approach, which we hope will detect the disease at an earlier stage.”
• A new report co-led by the University of Oxford has found that a majority of Britons continue to back Equality, Diversity and Inclusion principles, and are opposed to sweeping EDI cuts such as those seen in the United States. But support for EDI has fallen over the past year.
• “The clever men at Oxford / Know all that there is to be knowed”, according to Mr Toad, but the Oxford English Dictionary admits it still can't tell the origin of the word ‘clever’. New words entering the dictionary in September include ‘hyperpop’, ‘deplatforming’, and a dozen new senses of ‘crack’, including ‘crack of sparrow's fart’ for the start of the day.

Walking and cycling

• Car parking spaces across Oxford could be replaced with bike parking under proposals from the City and County councils. Seven parking bays have been identified as locations for new on-carriageway bike racks. The bays are at Wilberforce Street, St Andrews Road, Observatory Street, Leckford Place, Cherwell Drive, Boulter Street and Magdalen Road. Racks would also be installed on Market Street in the current No Waiting area. Consultation is open until 24 October.
• Carterton Town Council says it objects to a School Streets plan for two primary schools in the town, Edith Moorhouse and St Joseph’s. The scheme would restrict non-residents’ cars at pick-up and drop-off times; similar schemes have been successfully rolled out in Oxford, Abingdon and Didcot. OCC’s consultation is open until 13 October.

Charity begins at home

• Self-belief charity I Can & I Am is running a week of workshops for students across Oxfordshire to support their mental health and resilience, with participants from Banbury and Bicester College, City of Oxford College, and The Leys College – some of whom are preparing for GCSE retakes. One in five people aged eight to 25 years suffers from a probable mental health challenge.
• Friends of the Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock are halfway in their fundraiser to acquire an Iron Age hoard discovered by a metal detectorist near Henley – including a stunning copper alloy Iron Age horse harness fitting, an enamelled patera handle, a brooch, one silver Roman coin and a lead weight. The crowdfunder closes in 10 days.

Dates for your diary

• Labour's Fifth Column. A 30-minute staged reading by Pete Cann. Wednesday 8 October, Florence Park Community Centre. Nuclear weapons, the CIA, corruption involving key figures in Oxford – an everyday story of town folk!
• Wychwood Forest Hedgelaying Competition. Foxburrow Wood (near Witney, OX29 9UN). Saturday 11 October, 10am-2pm. Come and watch Oxfordshire’s most skilled hedgelayers compete for the annual trophy.
• Cotswold Hedgelaying Competition. Ditchley Estate (near Charlbury and Chipping Norton, OX7 4EU), Saturday 18 October, 9am-2pm. Not to beat about the bush, but you wait all year for a hedgelaying competition then…

This weekend

• Banbury Early Music Festival, all weekend. Concerts, workshops and an instrument market. Your chance to revive your childhood recorder skills.
• Charlbury Oktoberfest, Saturday from 5pm. Cricket Club (opposite the railway station). Beer, sausages and music. But mostly beer.
• Witney Fine Food & Crafts Market, Saturday, Marriott's Walk, 10am-5pm.
• Brickwork Lizards, Friday, The Bullingdon. A “unique blend of Arabic music and pre-war swing”.
• Detention, Friday/Saturday, Oxford Playhouse. Dance theatre exploring Section 28, which prohibited the “promotion” of homosexuality throughout the 1990s.
• I'll Be Back, Saturday, Old Fire Station. A one-woman Terminator parody running on Windows 95.
• Warneford Meadow Apple Day, Sunday, 11am-1pm (follow signs from Hill Top Road). Make juice from the community orchard. Bring your own container.

Oxfordshire’s independent media

• The Tolkienist has reviewed My Oxford Year so you can decide if you want to spend your hard-earned cash on seeing it. We also enjoyed this YouTube excoriation.
• The Oxford Sausage gets afloat with Salters Steamers.
• Bitten Oxford gives us yet another reason to love Eynsham with this review of the Corner House.
• The Witney Gitzette has an amusing take on parking at the Woolgate.
• Nightshift’s October issue marks the reunion of Oxford band Unbelievable Truth.
• The Oxford Student writes about English wine.
• Ox in a Box reviews Detention at the Playhouse (catch it on Friday and Saturday night).
• The Ashmolean continues its excellent series of linking its collection to current events with this post on Rosh Hashanah. Shana Tovah to our readers who celebrate.

Notes from Clarion HQ

Your little Clarion gets ever bigger. We put on a whole bunch of new subscribers this week thanks to a mention by George Monbiot in the Guardian. We find more to report every week: this newsletter was at 6,000 words before subbing. Our inbox is bursting with your tip-offs and recommendations, for which thank you. And with nine regular contributors in our WhatsApp group, finding a pub table big enough for our editorial meetings is getting difficult. So where next? We’re discussing possibilities, but would love to hear from you – drop us a line at news@oxfordclarion.uk. Have a great week.