Clarion Weekly, 30 May 2025

It’s been half-term week and your normally assiduous Clarion scribes have mostly been elsewhere. So this week's newsletter is definitely in the “small but mighty” category. (We resisted the temptation to ask ChatGPT to bulk it up with reworded press releases.)

This week's top stories

New traffic measures could be introduced in Oxford before the full “traffic filters” trial starts in August 2026, when Botley Road reopens. Oxfordshire County Council says the need to act is “urgent and pressing”, citing requests from bus operators.

OCC’s Cllr Andrew Gant said: “We need faster, more regular, cheaper bus services, and we need them now. The way to do that is to tackle congestion, which will of course also deliver safer, quieter, cleaner streets, and help key workers and businesses delivering vital services on our roads.”

Oxford Bus Company had said congestion is at “emergency levels”. Options will be brought to the OCC cabinet soon. Cllr Gant spoke to the Clarion about Oxford’s traffic problem last year.

Oxford Pride has announced that it is to ban political parties from next weekend's event. This follows an announcement from the four largest Prides (London, Brighton, Birmingham and Manchester) along similar lines, two weeks ago.

Organisers said they had refused Oxford Labour a stall following the UK Supreme Court ruling on trans women, and asked the LibDems, who had registered, not to march. In a statement, Oxford Pride said “We welcome everyone but ask that you do not attend as a representative of a political party. Allyship is not shown through logos, but action and policy. We are witnessing a disturbing rollback in LGBTQIA rights, and trans people are bearing the brunt. We protest. And we ask every political party: if you want to stand with us, do it through meaningful, visible action.”

A proposed 340-home development on the northern edge of Kidlington could be the first test of new Government “grey belt” rules in Oxfordshire. Housebuilder Harper Crewe wants to build north of The Moors road, near the old village and St Mary’s Church.

The site is in Oxford’s Green Belt, but the planning consultants argue that it “does not strongly contribute” to the purposes of the Green Belt and thus qualifies as “grey belt” land open to development. They say it would not be sprawl nor affect Oxford’s setting or character. They also claim that certain clauses in the national planning guidance restricting Green Belt development “relate to towns and not villages such as Kidlington”; Kidlington proudly claims to be England’s second largest village.

The plans also include a community centre, village green and cricket pitch. The developers say that the location is within 30 minutes’ cycling from Oxford, reducing the need to drive. The plans are now with Cherwell District Council for consideration.

Around the city

• A fundamentalist creationist college is planning to open in Oxford in October, although it currently has no premises. Selden College will charge £12,500 per year for “Christian higher education to the glory of God”. It has no connection to either university.
• Electricity bollards for visiting boaters have been installed on the Oxford Canal at Aristotle Lane. The aim is to provide an alternative to wood burners, generators and running the engine for heating and on-board power.Ros Daniels for the Canal & River Trust said: "While boats are a very minor contributor to air pollution compared to road traffic and other sources of emissions, we recognise that they can have a localised impact on air quality; indeed, those most at risk from engine fumes are boaters themselves.” The three bollards each have two sockets, so six boats can use the facilities at any one time. Funding of £193,000 is from the Government.
• 100 anti-racist demonstrators surrounded a small far-right gathering on Cornmarket on Sunday. The Great British National Strike (GBNS) had aimed for 500,000 protestors; Cherwell reported a “few dozen“ in Oxford. The Oxford Stand Up to Racism counter-protest followed demonstrators from GBNS on their way, chanting “there are many many more of us than you”.
• Oxford East MP Anneliese Dodds is urging residents to feed in to Cherwell District Council's consultation on the proposed new Oxford United stadium at Kidlington Triangle. The stadium would create around 1,000 jobs and add £32m a year to the local economy, say the club. She commented: “I wholeheartedly support the club’s plans. The current stadium is not up to standard. It lacks a fourth stand, the club is being charged unviable rent, and more. I would urge all local representatives at all levels to get behind the Yellows and support the club’s proposals.”
• Seven city sites have been added to the Oxford Heritage Asset Register, including Tumbling Bay and Long Bridges bathing places. The register offers no extra legal protection but can be a factor in planning decisions. Also added are New Marston Meadows; Milham Ford and St Andrew’s Headington schools; Slade Camp and the Kilns, Lewis Road, both in Headington; St Mary’s Church on Bayswater Road; and Henry & Joyce Collins’ 1970s mural in Temple Cowley. The full register can be viewed here.

Around the county

• Banbury could trial experimental micro electricity storage facilities. A planning application for a ‘battery box’, the size of two parking spaces, has been made for a verge at Middleton Close, Grimsbury, by AMP Clean Energy. The system imports electricity from the local electricity network when demand is low, or when there are high levels of renewable energy available, exporting back to the grid during periods of high demand. Each battery box stores 800kWh and can power 200 homes for four hours. Manufacturer AMP Clean Energy say they are working to “provide a low carbon, flexible and de-centralised store of electricity that benefits local communities, businesses, and homes.” They have 225 installed nationwide to date.
• Residents of Heyford Park, the village built around a former airbase between Banbury and Bicester, say there are “huge levels of frustration” with developers Dorchester. They claim promises for community facilities have not been kept while communication has been “aggressive”. A new Heyford Park Community Action Group has set out five demands: an HGV diversion, road repairs, an audit of the service charge, an end to the “policy of only allowing Dorchester-owned outlets to sell food”, and action on community facilities. The group praised the efforts of new County Councillor Gareth Epps, MP Calum Miller, and Heyford Parish Council in pressuring Dorchester. “The Heyford Park Community Action Group wants a wonderful village that is in place for decades to come,” they concluded. We wrote about Dorchester’s plans to build 6000 more homes at Heyford Park in a long read last year.
• Oxfordshire County Council's Targeted Youth Support Service (TYSS) has received positive feedback in a review by the National Youth Agency. The TYSS supports 11-18 year olds with social & emotional development, and communities to address issues like antisocial behaviour or violence in the community. The review found that the TYSS had a clear sense of purpose that was widely understood throughout the council, and valued by young people as well as being highly regarded by other practitioners and delivering high quality youth work. Cllr Sean Gaul for OCC said: “Young people face many challenges, so it’s vital they have trust in help that’s available. The review’s findings are encouraging; however, we will never be complacent, particularly in initiatives designed to help at a time of greatest need.”
• Oxfordshire has two of the top ten places to start a new business in the UK, according to analysis by Utility Bidder. West Oxfordshire came 2nd for its high business survival rate and fast broadband, and Vale of White Horse was 6th, out of 400 local authorities. The study considered five-year business survival rate, median Internet download speed, employment rate, GDP per capita, train stations, non-domestic energy efficiency, and workforce qualifications.
• The land for a railway line from Oxford to Witney and Carterton will be protected and set aside in West Oxfordshire District Council’s upcoming Local Plan. The council says it wants “a sustainable pattern of growth based on well-connected towns and strategic transport corridors”. West Oxfordshire, the least populated of the county’s five districts, will be expected to provide 905 new houses every year. Cllr Hugo Ashton said “Our plan will have to meet this challenge or else we will have no control over the location of new housing.” An initial strategy will go out for consultation in June followed by more detailed consultation on sites for housing later this year.

University & research

• Researchers at the Nuffield Department of Medicine have succeeded in extracting and identifying proteins from human brains found in a Victorian workhouse cemetery in Bristol. Their new technique offers clues to the diet & diseases of prehistoric humans & animals where soft tissues were preserved.

Oxfordshire politics

A finely curated selection of the week's political goings-on.

The controversy over the official opposition at Oxfordshire County Council rumbles on. After a backlash on the cost of running two oppositions, Independent (now Tory-allied) Cllr David Henwood suggested that halving councillor allowances (i.e. splitting the costs) would be a responsible step. Cllr Emily Kerr, (Green, Bartlemas) took the Conservative/Independent Alliance to task over their claim that the £44,000/year additional payment to them was a "drop in the ocean" but the £55,000/year cost of Oxford’s Low Traffic Neighbourhooods is the reason that there's "no money left" at the County. This one looks set to run and run.

(Two Clarion observations. Stipends aren’t the only cost; two official oppositions means double the officer time. And we do wonder whether every post needs a shadow: for example, Cllr Henwood could offer to shadow the two OCC transport cabinet posts, those held by Cllrs Judy Roberts and Andrew Gant, thus halving the cost as he requested. Be the change you want to see…?)

An odd political spat took place between Banbury MP Sean Woodcock (Lab) and Oxfordshire County Council (majority LibDem), over, of all things a Crime and Anti Social Behaviour Roundtable the MP had organised. When no one from OCC turned up, Woodcock wrote an angry letter to council leader Liz Leffman. We asked OCC to comment, and received the response that the invitation

"…was not directly sent to the council leader, cabinet members or senior officers. It was sent to an MPs general inquiry email address and from there was not forwarded for action. As such we apologise for not attending the specific meeting referenced and will contact the MP as soon as possible. Oxfordshire County Council is strongly committed to Banbury as the second largest settlement in the county and a hugely important contributor to the economy, identity and vibrancy of not just north Oxfordshire but the county as a whole.”

On to our national representatives.

• Matthew Barber, Thames Valley Police & Crime Commissioner, shared this summary of his week, including attending the Rural Crime Taskforce, and the Blewbury Annual Parish Meeting. (Matthew Barber is behaving more like an MP than some MPs. Is he after a seat at the next election or gunning to lead the new strategic authority mixing Oxfordshire and Berkshire? Place your bets.)
• Anneliese Dodds, MP for Oxford East, aside from wholeheartedly endorsing OUFC's new stadium that we referenced above, also wholeheartedly endorsed the Ultimate Picture Palace on Oxford's Cowley Road. Which we, too, also wholeheartedly endorse. This may be enough wholehearted endorsements for one newsletter. Away from Oxford East, she also went to visit the Bicester Motion site,
• Sean Woodcock, MP for Banbury, aside from chairing the Crime & Anti Social behaviour roundtable, was out on the doors in Charlbury.
• Olly Glover, MP for Didcot & Wantage seems to have been doing a lot in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill Committee. (We read Hansard so you don't have to!) He shared this summary of his week which included infrastructure targets, rail nationalisation, the safety of women and girls, and an account surgery.
• Freddie van Mierlo, MP for Henley & Thame, asked for investment in the Warneford Hospital for mental health (not in Henley & Thame, though obviously used by constituents), and met with the Breck Foundation to talk about children's online safety.
• Charlie Maynard, MP for Witney, has been working on APPGs for both Less Survivable Cancers and Brain Tumours, where they welcomed experts to discuss how parliament could be used to help promote a more research-friendly environment, and spoke with Health Minister Ashley Dalton to press her on committing to uphold the government's 2018 commitment to host an annual global conference to bring together world experts on brain cancer.
• Calum Miller, MP for Bicester & Woodstock, is set to present a petition in Parliament next week calling for a fully accessible underpass at the London Road level crossing in Bicester. The crossing is set to be closed on safety grounds when the East West Rail line’s second tranche of services gets underway. EWR have proposed a pedestrian and cycle-only underpass, but many residents want car, bus and ambulance access too. The petition has over 3000 signatures. Miller said: “EWR is a project of national significance – but it must not come at the cost of the town cut in two. I look forward to presenting this petition in Parliament. I will continue to press Ministers and EWR to deliver the solution that Bicester wants to see.”.
• Layla Moran, MP for Oxford West & Abingdon is on parental leave but she pointed out that Experience Oxfordshire is running a residents' survey on your views and perceptions of tourism within the county and your experience of Oxfordshire. (We know Clarion readers have views on this! Is Oxford a ghost town, barricaded inside the ring road by an impenetrable fortress of permits? Or are there too many tourists only buying cappuccinos? Go have a look at the survey and let Experience Oxfordshire know...)

Trains and buses

• The troubled CrossCountry train service through Oxford, the main route to Banbury and the Midlands, is to see further disruption as the RMT union introduces an overtime and rest-day-working ban. RMT is traditionally the union that represents guards/conductors. The action will run from June to October, excluding Sundays. CrossCountry’s ability to run a full service relies on staff working overtime. RMT Secretary Eddie Dempster said “CrossCountry is trying to wriggle out of agreements and block fair pay for our members. We will not accept that.”

Charity begins at home

An occasional section. Please do submit content via news@oxfordclarion.uk.

• ARCh (Assisted Reading for Children) is celebrating Volunteers' Week with an Open Office Event at their offices in Gobles Court, 7 Market Square, Bicester. Join them on Tuesday 3rd June (10am–1:30pm) or Thursday 5th June (12pm–3pm) to learn how volunteers help children become confident readers. Discover how you can get involved, hear inspiring stories, and enjoy refreshments. No need to RSVP: just drop in and say hello! See here for more details. 

Dates for your diary

• Party for the Planet, Thu 5 Jun, Broad Street: because there is no Planet B, right? Thank you to everyone who has sent us this one.
• Jericho Street Fair, Canal Street, Sat 7 Jun. Celebrating 200 years since the 1825 sale of the meadows on which Jericho was built.
• LGBTIAQ+ Lexicography in the Oxford English Dictionary, online, Thu 26 Jun. How does queer language enter the mainstream, and how does it appear in dictionaries?
• Android Invasion Day, Hagbourne Village Hall, Sun 6 Jul. Space-rock band Lunar Kites play a free gig to mark 50 years since Doctor Who was filmed outside Didcot.
• Hogs on Film. West Oxford Community Centre, Sat 7 Jun. Family-friendly open afternoon for this citizen science project devoted to 'all things hedgehog'. Please someone send us pictures.
• Science Wonder Garden Party. Begbroke Science Park, Sat 21 Jun. Get your portrait drawn by a robot caricaturist, and much more, at Oxford University's hi-tech campus. Free minibuses from Kidlington, Yarnton and Begbroke.

This weekend

• Totally 90s Festival at Cutteslowe Park, Saturday. All the tribute bands you can shake a glowstick at.
• Chadlington Beer Festival, Saturday. The epitome of a village beer festival in this lovely corner of the Oxfordshire Cotswolds. Buses from Witney and Chipping Norton (X9), or walk across the fields from Charlbury railway station.

Oxfordshire‘s independent media

• The Oxford Sausage visits Osney Island.
• Cherwell looks at AI in academia.
• Ox in a Box gives a sneak peak of the new Knead bakery on Oxford's High Street. Do not read if hungry. Or gluten intolerant, in which case...
• Bitten Oxford goes gluten free in Oxford.
• And we have been giggling inappropriately at this affectionate spoof of the Witney Gazette, the West Oxfordshire edition of the Oxford Mail. Don’t miss the ‘Scales of Justice’ reports.

Notes from Clarion HQ

We are endlessly fascinated by the Bluesky vs Twitter nuance. We posted two stories, almost at the same time, on both platforms. Anneliese Dodds and OUFC almost immediately did big numbers on Twitter but barely raised a murmur on Bluesky. The slightly non-committal statement from OCC on traffic filters, meanwhile, set Bluesky alight but did nothing on Twitter.

The juggle to get this (or, for that matter, any news at all) out this half-term week has been quite something… but perhaps you are enjoying a shorter newsletter? We'd love your feedback, good, bad, indifferent. What you like, what you'd like to see more or less of. We are amused/bemused by how many of you seem to have read, and liked, our article on moths this week. So we'd love to hear from you. Chuck a comment on the end of the tweet/bleat where you found this, or drop us an email at news@oxfordclarion.uk.

And particular heartfelt thanks this week to all our contributors, whether you sent us a tip-off, wrote us a tweet, or are patiently responding to our enquiries in a press office. This week, we really are all the Clarion. Is it the weekend yet?!