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Clarion Weekly, 29 November 2024

Clarion Weekly, 29 November 2024
Oxford City Council Deputy Leader Cllr Anna Railton (Hinksey Park) inspects flood water on the Abingdon Road (used with permission)

This week’s top stories

Raindrops have been falling on our heads. Storm Bert visited Oxfordshire this week. Towpaths were closed, buses were diverted, schools shut. Environment Agency staff worked to pump out water and clear drains in a Canute-like battle against the rain.

In Oxford, predictably, the Abingdon Road closed with the High Street bus gate opened as a diversionary route – though councillors spoke of drivers ignoring road closures. Earlier this year, Oxfordshire County Council reported its road workers have been threatened with knives and shooting, while local MP Layla Moran told LBC the EA wouldn’t send its staff out in Abingdon because not enough had received anti-violence training.

Outside the city, the rivers of west and north Oxfordshire – the Cherwell, Ray, Windrush and Evenlode – were all in flood. This is the unfortunately named Dry Lane near Witney:

(We wrote about flooding, why it happens, and how authorities deal with it earlier this month.)

Environment Agency works at South Hinksey and Hailey Road, Witney; River Thames towpath (Oxford City Council).

The detailed plans are out for the A40 improvements from Eynsham to Oxford, including the infamous Eynsham Park & Ride. What’s being built – and what isn’t? We examined the proposals and asked if they’ll make a difference to the endemic congestion.

Is there a doctor in the housing estate? Didcot’s Labour and LibDems have been trading blows over who is responsible for a lack of doctors' surgery in Didcot's mega-development Great Western Park. We looked at it in a long read here, and the implications for future Oxfordshire developments. Shots have been fired. (Is there an election coming up…?)

It’s beginning to sound a lot like Christmas. Oxford is the world’s finest city for choral music. We were delighted to welcome Will Dawes, director of chapel music at Somerville, to the pages of the Clarion with a guide to Christmas choral highlights – from the many Messiahs to Midnight Mass.

Around the city

  • The roof has been completed in the East Oxford Community Centre redevelopment, marking a major milestone for this project. Set to open in 2025, it will provide modern, accessible spaces for local residents and organisations. Once complete, the building, developed in consultation with local groups, will include improved event spaces, community meeting rooms, and a café. Linda Smith, Oxford City Council’s cabinet member for housing, said: “This is a major step forward in our journey to revitalise the Centre. This redevelopment is about providing a vibrant, welcoming space that serves the diverse needs of our community. We’re excited to see the project progressing.”
  • A French-style bakery is to open on Turl Street following planning approval by Oxford City Council. ‘La Savoir Boulangerie’ will take up the shop at no 12, occupied by Rowells jewellers until 2019. Records show that the building was a dwelling from c. 1300; by 1579 it was the Maidenhead Inn. Planners welcomed “the economic benefits of bringing this disused retail premises back into use, which would help to ensure the listed building’s continued care and maintenance”.
  • Over 150 trees are to be planted across Oxford this tree planting season by the City Council, with a further 109 street trees planted by the County Council. All will have a three-year watering and aftercare programme. Residents can also sign up to the Council’s newsletter mini-series on the topic of tree planting, entitled ‘Treemails’ (bonus sub-editor points for that). The weekly mini-series aims to act as an introduction for people wanting to learn more during the tree planting season. Cllr Anna Railton, cabinet member for Zero Carbon Oxford, said: “This is a fantastic step in supporting biodiversity. Each new tree brings benefits for wildlife, air quality & helps tackle the climate crisis. They are helping us to grow Oxford’s urban forest for future generations.”
  • Long waiting lists at Oxford’s hospitals have resulted in the Oxford University Hospitals Foundation Trust receiving extra oversight from NHS England, reports HSJ. 677 people have been waiting more than 65 weeks for elective (non-emergency) treatment. The trust has been moved into Tier 1, the lowest tier of providers, after failing to eliminate 65-week waits by its September target – postponed from March. OUH has previously set up an internal “65-week dashboard” to monitor its performance.
  • Students from an East Oxford primary school have planted a 'mini forest' of 980 saplings in collaboration with Protect Earth and local councillor Emily Kerr. Although the forest won't mature until they are adults. the children learned about the role of trees in supporting ecosystems and fighting climate change.

This week in the council chamber

Since our earliest days we’ve live-tweeted a selection of County and (latterly) City Council meetings. Monday was full council at Oxford City, and for the first time we posted it to Bluesky rather than Twitter (part 1, part 2). Here are a few highlights.

At a full council meeting, councillors of all parties can ask questions of the council’s ruling Cabinet. These are answered in writing in advance, but the questioners can then ask followups in the meeting. With 72 written questions, Lord Mayor and meeting chair Mike Rowley had his work cut out to keep things moving.

  • Ajaz Rehman (Oxford Independent Group*, Lye Valley) asked about tree-felling at Grandpont for the new Oxpens Bridge. City Council deputy leader Anna Railton replied: “The trees in question were self-seeded around 40 years ago. This is intensely contaminated land with clay dumped on it. We will replant no matter whether the bridge is built or not.”
  • Liberal Democrat group leader Chris Smowton asked about “building upwards” and “places where increased density is desirable”. Cabinet member Louise Upton: “We are absolutely open to that. But it’s not up to us to go to developers and ask for eight storeys instead of three. I see no reason why we would not welcome a well-designed project.” (Our Housing Week series examined the challenges on building in Oxford – aka why your rent is so expensive, there are not enough key workers, and traffic is terrible.)
  • Alex Powell (Green, St Clements) asked about ongoing post issues in the city. Council leader Susan Brown said she has raised it with Royal Mail but “Needless to say, I haven’t received a response from them.” (Laughter.) “No, I didn’t post it. The postal service in Oxford is shocking.”

After a break, the second half debated a residents’ petition to site a playground in Oxford City Centre – passed unanimously in a glorious outbreak of consensus and cross-party collaboration.

It then moved on to councillor-submitted motions, with eight on the agenda though there is never enough time to debate all of them. The first was a Green party motion on “Making Oxford a Truly Walkable City”, which resolved to make Oxford more pedestrian and wheelchair friendly. This too passed overwhelmingly, but not before a political scrap over street lighting and an amusing speech from this week's cover star Anna Railton (Lab, Hinksey Park) on Dutch-style kerbs involving her 90 year old neighbour Pat:

Dropped kerbs is a fake news name. They’re actually dropped pavements. For the sake of smoothing a couple of car movements a day, we’ve made life worse for every pedestrian.

Cllr Anne Stares (Independent Oxford Alliance*, Littlemore) said: “One of the biggest issues for pedestrians is the danger posed by bicycles, e-bikes and scooters. The elderly, vulnerable and those with young children express reluctance to come into the city centre for this sole reason.” She later abstained on the motion. Sajjad Malik (Real Independents*, Temple Cowley), meanwhile, opposed the motion. “It is a war on the working class. I’m going to vote against this motion.”

If you have the time, do browse the two threads (1, 2) for more debate. We were impressed by new Green councillor Max Morris’ attempt to draw consensus together when summing up the walking motion; he could be one to watch in future. The seven motions missed off due to time constraints included one on the Zero Emission Zone, a motion to introduce shuttle buses to the JR, and a recurring motion on affordable housing for all which surely has to make its way up the agenda some time. City Council meetings can sometimes be dominated by resolutions urging the Cabinet to write to Government to protest against the national issue of the month, so we were delighted to see a full slate of motions relating to the City Council’s own work, and that could make a significant difference in the city itself.

* There are four groups of Independents on Oxford City Council. The Oxford Independent Alliance are the anti-Low Traffic Neighbourhood party with four councillors. The Oxford Community Independents (formerly the Oxford Socialist Independents) and the Oxford Independent Group, with three and two councillors, broke away from Labour last year over its Gaza policy. The Real Independents are two councillors representing Temple Cowley. We have linked to the Monty Python sketch too many times already.

Around the county

  • Wallingford beach and Wolvercote Mill Stream have both been downgraded to “poor” water quality status, following sewage being pumped into local watercourses. Local MPs Olly Glover and Layla Moran have slammed Thames Water. Layla Moran said: “In 2022, our local community came together and fought so hard for Wolvercote Mill Stream to become an area with designated bathing water status. It is shameful this is now at risk thanks to Thames Water's gross incompetence. The current system is broken.” Olly Glover added: “For far too long Thames Water has been pumping gallons of disgusting sewage in our rivers and waterways, and this reaches the homes of my constituents who are experiencing flooding for up to the third time this year. It is completely inexcusable that residents cannot enjoy the Wallingford bathing place.”
  • Car club sites in Oxfordshire are to expand following a successful trial, say Oxfordshire County Council. 1200 new members drove over 250,000 miles using electric vehicles at sites from Abingdon to Witney. New sites are to be added in Chipping Norton, Woodstock and Thame. Cllr Pete Sudbury, Deputy Leader of the Council, said: “Car clubs give people a chance to use an EV when they need one, and can make it more affordable for those who don’t drive every day. A car club vehicle can take 20 individually owned cars off the road.” EVs in the scheme can be hired from £5.95 per hour, including insurance, plus 12p per electric mile. Residents can submit suggestions using Oxfordshire County Council’s car club tracker.
Pioneering EV company Canoo Inc arrives at Bicester
  • Pioneering US EV company Canoo has announced it will base its UK commercial operations at the automotive tech hotspot Bicester Motion. Established in 2017, Canoo has developed breakthrough EVs with pioneering technologies and unique design. Tony Aquila, Canoo’s CEO, said: “Our mission is to bring EVs to everyone. We have chosen Bicester Motion as an iconic automative campus that reflects the company’s spirit of innovation and commitment to sustainability.” We wrote about Bicester Motion in a long read on this unique automotive site.
  • Hackney carriages (black cabs) from outside Oxford, and private hire vehicles, will continue to receive a 50% discount on Oxford’s Zero Emissions Zone charge according to proposals from Oxfordshire County Council. The discount was due to expire at the end of July 2025. Oxford’s own Hackney carriages are already exempt from the charge. A consultation on continuing the discount for other cabs/taxis is open until 20 December.
  • Number plate recognition (ANPR) is going live in Oxfordshire’s latest School Streets, with parents contacting the Clarion to say they have been informed cameras are being switched on today (Friday 29). Four schools in Oxford and one in Didcot were approved for ANPR in September. The national Department for Transport recently published guidance for School Streets, in which roads are closed to cars at pick-up/drop-off times. It concluded: “School Streets schemes can be relatively low cost, high impact interventions.”
  • Following reports of drone activity at air bases in East Anglia, RAF Brize Norton is asking locals who notice unusual activity to report it. A Flight Restriction Zone at Brize forbids drones. A US Air Force representative confirmed “small unmanned aerial systems” had been sighted above three bases.
  • Local campaign group Safer Waters (formerly GARD) has applied for a judicial review into Thames Water’s Water Resource Management Plan, which includes plans for a mega-reservoir near Abingdon. Again, local MPs responded with Olly Glover saying: “Given their shoddy record on sewage, and the dismal state of their finances, local residents have no faith in Thames Water to properly deliver such a huge project. We welcome any opportunity for residents to have their concerns heard.” Layla Moran added: “Without first providing a sound plan for reducing the amount of water lost to leakage, the proposal to construct a mega-reservoir is just like filling the bath when the plughole is open.”
  • Does anyone want to see beautiful police horses patrolling in Didcot? Of course you do!
  • And finally, we spotted this vignette from the Leader of Witney Town Council Ruth Smith about her meeting schedule this week – a day in the life of a councillor, frequently on top of an existing job. Councillors of all political stripes, we thank you for your service.
Chancellor William Hague

University and research

  • William Hague has been elected as Chancellor of the University of Oxford. Elish Angiolini was second. He said: “What happens at Oxford in the next decade is critical to the success of the UK. My heart and soul are in Oxford and I will dedicate myself in the coming years to the university I love.” Hague studied PPE at Magdalen College and was President of the Oxford Union; he led the Conservatives from 1997 to 2001 and latterly served as Foreign Secretary. Vice-Chancellor Irene Tracey said “William is a great friend to Oxford and will serve this magnificent institution with dignity and vigour.”
    • First stage of voting, results:
      William Hague: 9,589
      Elish Angiolini: 6,296
      Jan Royall: 3,599
      Peter Mandelson: 2,940
      Dominic Grieve: 2,484
    • After vote transfers:
      William Hague: 12,609
      Elish Angiolini: 11,006
  • Wycliffe Hall, the Church of England theological college on Banbury Road, is to get a new entrance, dining hall and common room. The plans were approved by Oxford City Council this week. Wycliffe say visitors currently find the entrance unintuitive: the new entrance will be modelled on a traditional Oxford porter’s lodge. Other aspects of the plans include an improved children’s play area and 118 cycle parking spaces. Recently, Wycliffe Hall launched a New Renaissance fundraising project to encourage Christian scholarship, saying that “the Church has long ceased to be the place people turn for wisdom on the major issues and developments of the day”.
Plans for Wycliffe Hall's common room.
  • Holywell Cemetery has been recognised with an Oxford Preservation Trust Award, after the overgrown site was transformed into a tranquil, green space that is now a haven for biodiversity as well as the final resting place for over 160 dons.
  • Researchers in Oxford are to pilot a new clinical pathway which aims to improve early diagnosis of Alzheimers Disease through biomarker testing, and to understand how to scale diagnostic processes for this, the leading cause of death in the UK.

Trains and buses

  • The Botley Road footbridge outside Oxford station will be removed by crane overnight next weekend (7/8 December), as part of the preparatory work for the delayed rail bridge replacement. Access to the car park will be via Frideswide Square.
  • Witney MP Charlie Maynard called for a new Oxford to Witney railway line in a debate in Westminster. Transport minister Lilian Greenwood flagged challenges with the £600m cost. Mr Maynard suggested the line could be partly funded via private landowners and developers, in exchange for allowing new homes to be built around stations. “That might sound radical, but it’s what our Victorian forebears did 150 years ago, it's what Japan, Korea and Hong Kong do, it's what much of Northern Europe does.” He suggested housing development would be more readily accepted in the area if investment in rail came alongside it.
  • £1 Sunday bus fares start this weekend. Throughout December all single bus fares are capped at £1 across the county.

Walking and cycling

  • Plans are to be drawn up for new cycle routes from Berinsfield and Wheatley to Oxford. Oxfordshire County Council has engaged specialist firm Phil Jones Associates for “feasibility and preliminary design work”. Their report is expected by the end of January. The route from Berinsfield could follow the existing Roman Road bridleway to Blackbird Leys, or go along the main A4074 road, where there is currently extensive central hatching, via Nuneham Courtenay to tie into the cycleways alongside the proposed HIF1 Didcot-area road via Clifton Hampden. (Clarion readers have been debating the best route in our Bluesky replies.) Wheatley, meanwhile, already has a narrow cycle path alongside the A40 which could be upgraded. There is also a route via Horspath towards Cowley, which is signposted as part of the National Cycle Network but suffers from high traffic levels.
  • Broken Spoke, Oxford’s community bike co-op, has launched a crowdfunding appeal for £25,000, saying: “We were hit hard in the pandemic. We are doing a great job rebuilding, but are in urgent need of unrestricted funding to help us through the quieter winter months and bridge a critical funding gap.” Broken Spoke runs DIY workshops and servicing courses, refurbishes and repairs bikes, trains beginner cyclists, and runs events for under-represented people. Crowdfunding rewards range from T-shirts to bespoke courses.

Oxfordshire politics

If you’re reading this on Friday, today Parliament votes on the Assisted Dying Bill. MPs around the county have been setting out their views. Oxford West & Abingdon MP Layla Moran took pains to point out that MPs can vote ‘aye’ on a Bill at the second reading and ‘no’ at a later stage, or vice versa: “The media is acting like if an MP votes one way tomorrow they cannot change later. Not so. Please be gentle with MPs as we grapple this enormous issue.”

  • Anneliese Dodds, MP for Oxford East visited the Co-op on Littlemore Road as part of trade union USDAW’s ‘Respect for Shopworker Week 2024’, discussing issues that have led to a recent spike in violent and persistent shoplifting. She also visited Wellbeing Pharmacy on Abingdon Road as part of a visit aimed at showcasing the importance of independent, community pharmacies, saying Labour wanted to “accelerate the roll out of independent prescribing to improve access to care”. In Parliament she has been championing activism against against gender-based violence: Monday 25 November was White Ribbon Day, for a charity that works to end male violence against women. Her spokesperson said “This Labour government has set out an unprecedented ambition to halve violence against women and girls within a decade. We will use all of the levers available to us to deliver it.”
  • Banbury MP Sean Woodcock spoke to the BBC about assisted dying, saying he was wrestling with the arguments – particularly as his wife has multiple sclerosis. He held a constituency meeting today (Friday) to canvass opinions of his electorate ahead of the vote. Around the constituency, he held a surgery in Hook Norton, visited Bloxham Primary School, and spoke about youth homelessness and violence against women and girls.  
  • Layla Moran, MP for Oxford West & Abingdon, focused on the on-going delay to the Botley Road bridge reopening and Oxford station upgrade this week. The bridge has been closed since April 2023, and Moran has secured a meeting to discuss this with the Secretary of State for Transport (at the time of going to press, awaiting a replacement after Lou Haigh’s resignation). However, Thames Water – whose water main has been a key factor in the delays – have been less responsive. She said:
I’m very grateful that the Secretary of State agreed to meet with me to discuss the setbacks to the Oxford Station project. The extended closure of Botley Road has been disastrous for many local businesses, especially as we approach the Christmas period. Local residents and businesses have lost all faith in Network Rail and I look forward to getting some answers. However, Thames Water’s inability to arrange a timely meeting is both disappointing and unsurprising – delays and inaction seem to be their standard response.
  • She also congratulated Lord Hague on his election as Oxford University Chancellor and said she looked forward to working with him, and celebrated the ceasefire in Lebanon. Finally, her cat Murphy lost out “by a whisker” on becoming Battersea Dogs & Cats Home's Purr Minister. (We say: recount!)
  • Didcot & Wantage MP Olly Glover met with representatives of the Brain Tumour Charity to talk about a national brain tumour strategy. Railway expert Glover has been keeping a log of his commute to parliament from Didcot, saying he liaises with GWR on their plans to improve. (We wouldn't bet against him on this one.) He secured a commitment from the Culture Secretary to press colleagues for multi-year county council funding to support arts venues such as Cornerstone in Didcot.
  • Charlie Maynard’s Witney constituency was one of those most affected by flooding. He kept his constituents updated on flood warnings and resources, inspected flood areas of Witney, spoke out against future developments in flood risk areas, and asked a question of the Environment Secretary on funding for flood modelling for farmland. He was one of a few lonely voices opposing the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which passed overhwelmingly in the Commons (it significantly restricts smoking and vaping): prior to the vote the LibDems said that while they supported it on health grounds, it raised issues around civil liberties. He asked a question in Prime Minister’s Questions on aligning UK manufacturing standards with EU standards: The PM responded that post-Brexit the government believed it “can improve the situation with when it comes to trading and security”. He also spoke in Parliament in a debate on the High Street, where he advocated reforming business rates to support local retailers.
  • Freddie van Mierlo, MP for Henley & Thame, met with the headteacher of Lord Williams School, supported the White Ribbon campaign to end violence against Women and Girls, and raised the issue of Thames Water once again as sewage was pumped in to watercourses across his constituency during Storm Bert.
  • Bicester & Woodstock MP Calum Miller visited Chesterton School and shared advice on how to make an insurance claim if your home has been flooded. The Financial Times marked him as a “rising talent” in the Liberal Democrat party.
people standing near lights beside building during night time
Photo by Sam Headland / Unsplash

This weekend

  • Tap Social in Botley have a seven-brewery Winter Beer Bash on Saturday.
  • Headington Christmas Lights will be switched on this Saturday at 4.30pm; Headington crossroads, outside Treats.
  • The Oxford Indie Book Fair is at the Examination Schools on the High on Sunday – a chance to meet local authors and publishers.
  • The Oxford Green Fair, at the Town Hall on Sunday, is always a great place for off-the-wall Christmas ideas.
  • Many of Oxford’s churches and chapels will be offering carol services for Advent Sunday, a distinct musical heritage to the more familiar Christmas songs.
  • Fancy shopping local? Check out our Market Directory; there’s lots on across Oxfordshire this weekend.

Dates for your diary

Oxford’s independent media

Notes from Clarion HQ

We started in 2022 as a Twitter account for Oxford news. The subsequent travails of Twitter have forced us to consider which platforms we should post on, and where we should spend our effort. Many of you have been advocating Bluesky, so for the first time we live-tweeted a City Council meeting there this week. Follow-up comments were thoughtful and considered, and debate measured, which was encouraging.

We don’t have the resources to post everything on both platforms. Everything (and then some) does make it into this newsletter, though – so if you haven’t already, do subscribe. It’s free: we do this for the love of the city and county, although the night before publication day can be a bit of a scramble! This week we have been assisted by several new writers, to whom thank you.

If you have got a story to tell, a tip, or a collaboration with a byline, our inbox is always open: news@oxfordclarion.uk. Thank you to everyone who has contacted us this week. This is our city and our county. We are all the Clarion.