Clarion Weekly, 7 February 2025

This week’s top stories

Oxfordshire County Council elections will take place as planned in May. This week Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner announced a number of counties where unitary authorities would be set up, requiring postponement of elections, and also named the first overarching ‘strategic authorities’ grouping several counties. Oxfordshire is not in either list.

However, local government minister Jim McMahon has written to Oxfordshire’s councils asking for them to put forward a proposal for a unitary proposal. Oxfordshire County Council is believed to favour a “one Oxfordshire” council, whereas Oxford City Council has floated a “greater Oxford” with the rural areas hived off into one or two separate unitaries. McMahon stressed that he wanted these differences ironed out:

“We expect there to be different views on the best structures for an area, and indeed there may be merits to a variety of approaches. Nevertheless, it is not in council taxpayers’ interest to devote public funds and your valuable time and effort into the development of multiple proposals. This will mean making every effort to work together to develop and jointly submit one proposal for unitary local government across the whole of your area. We ask for an interim plan to be submitted on or before 21 March 2025.”

Meanwhile, last week’s meeting to discuss a new ‘strategic authority’ with an elected mayor was inconclusive. Oxford City Council, which hosted the meeting, said “Further discussion and work will take place on the optimum size, scope and membership of a Strategic Authority.” The authority could potentially include Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Swindon – with Swindon left out of the ‘Wessex’ authority that includes the rest of Wiltshire. We looked at the background (and the disagreements over Swindon) in last week’s newsletter.

Proposals to switch off some street lights in the small hours have been re-thought, after the original plans caused controversy over safety. An approach similar to Oxfordshire’s 20mph programme will be taken, where parish councils and county councillors ask for their area to be included.

A County Council paper says: “Part night-lighting will be a community choice requested through the parish/town council and the county councillor/s for that area (for areas of Oxford that are not parished, this would only be through the county councillors).” The aim is to reduce energy use and light pollution.

OCC officers are now reviewing accident, crime and safety data in connection with the proposals, saying “Understanding impact and risk is central to the development of council’s part-night street lighting proposals”. The revised plan is expected to be considered by the council’s Cabinet in July. We wrote about the original proposal in a long read here.

Three options for improvements to Bicester’s Market Square are being shared with residents for feedback. Each is based on inputs from a previous consultation, which attracted 1900 responses. All three designs incorporate feedback to support local businesses, residents and visitors, to maintain accessible parking and to enhance Market Square, currently dominated by parking, while preserving its historic character.

Option 1 keeps the current gyratory road, but adds greenery and public space.
 Options 2 and 3 have a two-way street and more public space linked to Sheep Street and Pioneer Square, but differ in the location of parking.

This is not the first attempt to beautify Bicester. In 2014, Cherwell District Council commissioned transport consultants to suggest ambitious ideas to remake Bicester's centre in the image of its most liveable European peers. The consultants, working with Oxford Brookes Professor Tim Jones, modelled their proposal on the Dutch city of Houten, renowned for its high modal share of cycling, walking and public transport. District councillors did not progress the scheme, which remains in draft form.

Nineteen bids have been received for County Hall in Oxford, which Oxfordshire County Council is planning to sell in connection with a move to Speedwell House near the police station.

Estate agents Savills have been marketing the site as ‘No 1 Oxford’. OCC says the site is “a regeneration opportunity in the context of Oxford West End and the city as a whole”. It believes the best return would be obtained by selling both the 1973 New County Hall, which includes most offices, and the 1841 County Hall, which houses the council chamber; of the 19 offers received, 16 were for the two buildings together.

A preferred bidder has now been chosen. Though their identity is not yet public due to commercial confidentiality, OCC say they have “considerable experience of planning in the Oxford market”, and that “[their] proposal will also restore and reimagine Old County Hall opening it up for public use”. Oxford Preservation Trust has advised on reuse of the 1841 building.

The sale is expected to fully fund refurbishing and fitting out Speedwell House as well as “the wider regeneration and placemaking initiatives envisaged in and around Speedwell Street”, allowing the council to move in spring 2027.

Around the city

• Oxford City Council is to sell Northgate Hall on St Michael’s Street. Currently let to the Oxford Evangelical Presbyterian Church, the hall provides an income of £145,000pa to the council. The council Cabinet approved its disposal to “manage the budget in the medium term”. The hall has a remarkable history including as a Methodist Free Church, Ian McKellen’s Oxford Lesbian & Gay Community Centre, and Bill’s restaurant.
• The Diocese of Oxford says it has received “information of sexual abuse and coercive and controlling behaviour” about Revd David Fletcher, former rector of St Ebbe’s, the city centre conservative evangelical church. Fletcher led Iwerne Camps where John Smyth abused more than 100 boys and young men. Fletcher was appointed to St Ebbe’s in 1986 by a committee including his brother Revd Jonathan Fletcher, who is currently awaiting trial for eight counts of indecent assault and one of grievous bodily harm. He stepped down in 1998 and remained a member of the congregation until his death in 2022. In a statement, St Ebbe’s rector Vaughan Roberts and its churchwardens write that since 2017 it has received “reports from two women about him having been inappropriately tactile with them”. They say the church is undergoing “an ongoing process of cultural reflection”.
• Two new food choices could be set to open on St Clements. A planning application has been made for 'Greek Box' and 'Sushi Box' outlets on the site of the former Delish Vegan Kitchen premises. The cafe will feature kebabs and a charcoal barbecue.
• Planning permission has been formally signed off for the demolition of the Odeon cinema and construction of an aparthotel. The Newbury Abbot Trent bas relief, currently above the entrance, will be preserved and installed within the ground floor community art space.
• Oxford City Council has purchased a building in Abingdon, comprising four flats, to add to its affordable homes register. In 2024 we reported that those on the Oxford City Housing register could apply for homes within the Vale of White Horse, to alleviate the housing shortage in Oxford. The homes are part of a council run acquisitions programme to bring more homes at social rent to the market.
• An empty shop unit at Gloucester Green could become a Chinese restaurant. The applicant, Mr Wang Casserole, has submitted a planning application to Oxford City Council for change of use.

Around the county

• An accident in which a medical supplies lorry came off the road between Heyford Park and Ardley, a heavily trafficed minor road where frequent potholes have been reported, has come at a time when councillors are due to agree the road maintenance budget for the next year. Oxfordshire County Council’s proposed budget, to be decided next week, includes £38.6m for “surface dressing, prevent potholes from occurring and improve drainage across our highways network” – up from £7m last year. OCC says £40m will be required every year until 2034. Local MP Calum Miller said he was “very concerned to hear about the lorry that came off Camp Road this week… I have contacted OCC Highways to express residents’ concern about the routing of HGVs & road maintenance”. He has also asked Heyford developers Dorchester Living to review traffic management. Road maintenance is expected to be prominent in campaigns for the county council elections this May, with Labour and Conservative leaflets already highlighting the issue. The Conservatives launched a petition asking to “declare a pothole emergency”, while Oxford Labour placed the blame on the previous Conservative government: “Under the Conservatives, pothole damage has cost drivers almost £500 million, while car insurance is up by more than £200 on average over the space of just two years.”
• Oxfordshire’s solar boom continues with two more planning applications lodged for solar farms. Willowfields Energy Park, spanning the A415 between Kingston Bagpuize and Marcham, is proposed to have 49.9MW generating capacity and a battery energy storage system (BESS) on site. A second solar farm outside Witney would have capacity of up to 30MW and, again, a battery energy storage system. The site is between the A40 and the Curbridge–Brize Norton road. “Glint and glare” mitigation aims to eliminate the impact on flights from RAF Brize Norton. Finally, new battery energy storage systems have been proposed for the (already approved) Tar Farm Solar Farm near Stanton Harcourt, and for a site north of Didcot between the railway line and Moor Ditch. Planning applications are now with Vale of White Horse and West Oxfordshire district councils.
• A consultation has opened for Highlands Park, a development of 131 homes in Henley. It includes a bespoke building for the Chiltern Centre, a charity providing care for disabled young adults. The developers propose a mix of housing sizes including 40% affordable homes. The proposal describes a design including “integrated movement corridors to encourage a modal shift towards sustainable transport methods – also ensuring connectivity with surrounding routes”.
• Thames Valley Police is inviting community groups to apply for funding on grass roots crime prevention initiatives. The Community Fund is paid for by the sale of items seized from criminals that cannot be returned to their rightful owners. Organisations can apply for a grant of up to £10,000 for projects that support one of the Police and Crime Plan priorities: ‘Protecting Communities’, ‘Protecting People’ or ‘Protecting Property’. TVP Police & Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber said “We are fortunate to have an active community who play a significant role in supporting us around crime prevention. I look forward to receiving applications, particularly those which are focused on tackling anti-social behaviour and vehicle crime.”
• An application has been submitted for 370 houses on the western edge of Witney, at Peashell Farm. The plan, which we first reported on in September, would include both ‘affordable‘ and full-price homes. Developers Hallam say it includes “an extensive new parkland resource”. Access would be from the existing Downs Road roundabout with improvements to the bridleway and footpaths that cross the site. Peashell Farm is not included in the current West Oxfordshire Local Plan but the developers believe it would “contribute to the council’s five-year supply of housing”.
• Labour is calling for Hitchcock Way in Didcot, the road leading east from Didcot Parkway station, to be reconfigured as three lanes for motor traffic. The road is currently two lanes with a cycleway and footpath on each side. Labour says that Oxfordshire County Council’s plans for the road focus on “pedestrians, cyclists and wheelers” but “ignore drivers completely”. Candidate Laura Greatrex said “Why haven’t they considered a solution that works for private cars?” The debate on Bluesky around this has been remarkable (start here): in a followup statement, Didcot & Wantage Labour stressed that “There is space to accommodate the widening of the road across this short section and maintain provision for cyclist, pedestrians and wheelers.”
• Construction starts next week on the £25m scheme to add two new slip roads to the A40 at Shores Green, outside Witney. Oxfordshire County Council says the slip roads, opening spring 2026, will “alleviate traffic on Bridge St and across Witney town centre”.
• Organisations across the county have reaffirmed their commitment to inclusion this week. The Oxford Inclusive Economy Partnership, dedicated to fostering a fairer & more inclusive economy has welcomed its 100th member, Oxford University Development. The OIEP helps organisations to embed social value into their operations to work to improve lives of the county’s residents and reduce inequality. Members include Amey, B4, Blenheim Palace, Oxford North, Mischon de Reya, Thames Valley Police, and Unipart. At the same time, Oxford City Council has reaffirmed its commitment to Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) in its workforce, approving a series of equalities reports. The reports note that the workforce is 60% female, though the proportion of women in senior roles has decreased by 1% and the gender pay gap stands at 6%. Both applications and recruitment from minority ethnic groups have slightly increased in the past year. Initiatives to improve diversity include training to spot biases in recruitment and a schools work experience programme.
• Thames Valley Police have launched an antisocial behaviour campaign which aims to encourage witnesses and victims of antisocial behaviour to speak out. Police are encouraging residents to report nuisance neighbours, loud and disruptive road users or people using drugs which they might have previously thought “not that bad”. Reports can be made via the TVP website. Head of Community Policing John Batty said: “ASB can take many forms. It is not a crime in itself but a description for a number of behaviours, which can be offences. It is important that agencies work in partnership, to tackle the root causes of ASB – but to do that we need people to report it.”
• A planning application has been finally submitted for a GP surgery on Didcot's Great Western Park. We wrote about the struggles to build a surgery in a long read last year.

University and research

• The statue of imperialist Cecil Rhodes on Oxford's High Street will stay up – but will be 'contextualised' by a new sculpture to be chosen in a competition launched by Oxford Zimbabwe Arts Partnership, ten years after 'Rhodes Must Fall' protests came to Oxford. The winning sculpture will be the centrepiece of an exhibition at Oriel College, which Rhodes attended. Oriel's head Lord Mendoza, who also chairs Historic England, said the exhibition would “explore the nuances of the legacy of colonialism and bring the art of the people of Zimbabwe to Oxford”. In 2021, sculptor Antony Gormley suggested turning the statue so that Rhodes would face the wall. All Souls College has kept its statue of Christopher Codrington, who bequeathed money from enslaved labour on plantations, but removed his name from the library and set up scholarships in the Caribbean. Cecil Rhodes made his fortune from diamond mines in South Africa where, as businessman and politician, he strengthened racial segregation. In the 1890s, his British South Africa Company forcibly conquered what is now Zimbabwe, killing an estimated 20,000 people.
• Oxford graduate, barrister and human rights advocate Amal Clooney has been appointed a visiting Professor of Practice in International Law at Oxford University's Blavatnik School of Government. Clooney said: “It is a privilege to have this opportunity to engage with the next generation of global leaders and to contribute to the vibrant academic community at Oxford. I look forward to collaborating with both faculty and students to advance access to justice around the world.” The Clooney Foundation for Justice provides free legal aid in defence of free speech and women’s rights in over 40 countries. Its work has led to dozens of journalists being set free and thousands of women receiving free legal support to defend their rights.
• Somerville College has announced Catherine Royle as its new principal, after Jan Royall’s tenure comes to an end this autumn. Royle, previously a Political Adviser at NATO, studied PPE at Somerville. She said “I couldn’t be more grateful and honoured to return.”
• Do you want to see how colleges celebrate Burns Night? Of course you do. This, from the University of Oxford. Sound on.

Trains and buses

• Re-opening the Cowley Branch Line to passenger trains has taken a step forward as Oxford City Council’s cabinet allocated £2.5m of future Community Infrastructure Levy (developer funds) to support the next delivery phase. In the cabinet discussion, Cllr Louise Upton called it “one of those wonderful projects that’s pretty much universally popular”. The funding will only be released if central government committed to support the project and was met with £17.5m of funding from other sources, and if full council approved the proposed budget later this month. Community Infrastructure Levy is funds paid by developers to the council to support local infrastructure projects: the funds for the Cowley Branch Line are earmarked from CIL contributions from the Oxford Science Park and the Ellison Institute of Technology. Cllr Alex Hollingsworth said this principle, where the developers who benefit will help to fund the railway, marked “a fundamental shift away from the sclerotic way this country deals with investments in infrastructure”. (Want to know more about CIL contributions? We wrote about the travails of Oxfordshire County Council’s CIL pot in a long read here.)
• A new limited-stop bus from Cowley to the city centre is the highlight of Oxford Bus Company’s new timetable from 23 February. The new 500, which stops only at five key locations along Cowley/Oxford Road, replaces the 11X which served only the BMW plant via Abingdon Road. Buses will run every 10–15 minutes. In other changes, Thame services are being integrated into the 400 bus to Wheatley and Thornhill P&R; a 400 will continue to Thame every half hour, replacing the interim 280 service. A frequency uplift on the 3A (Kassam Stadium/Science Park) will result in buses every 7-8 minutes along the Iffley Road. The 5A is being rerouted via the LTN bus gate on Crowell Road to speed up journeys between Minchery Farm and Templars Square, while the H2 from Witney to the JR transfers from Stagecoach to OBC’s sister company Pulhams.
• Electrifying the railway from Didcot to Oxford – and beyond to Bletchley – was Oxfordshire County Council’s chief “ask” at a rail conference held in Oxford last Friday. Chiltern Railways and GWR are seeking investment to electrify and upgrade their fleets. The new rail bridge over Botley Road, due to open in August 2026, will have room for 6 tracks. This will enable East West Rail to Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge; the Cowley Branch Line; expansion of the North Cotswold Line; direct Oxford-Bristol services; and potentially one day to Witney. Speakers at the event, held at the Blavatnik School of Government, included GWR MD Mark Hopwood, OCC leader Liz Leffman, and GWR’s Rich Fisher who is leading the train operator’s Project Churchward, “aiming to replace ageing diesel multiple units with new battery electric trains”.
• Introducing an hourly Oxford–Bristol railway service would make back over four times the cost, according to a new report by regional transport bodies. A trial service currently runs twice a day on Saturdays only, but is scheduled to finish in May when the train is needed for summer holiday services. The report says more rail journeys are already taken from Oxford to Swindon than to Birmingham (which has direct trains), while Oxford–Bristol is similar to Oxford–Birmingham. But the need to change at Didcot dissuades many. A direct service could lead to 58% more journeys between Oxford & Bristol. It claims the proposal is “quick, simple and affordable”, requiring only four trainsets to be freed up from existing fleets, and says “options exist to provide at least two units (for a service every two hours) by early 2026”. No new infrastructure is needed and there is a “narrow” space in the timetable. Liz Leffman, leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said “This really is a no-regrets decision – requiring very little investment but delivering major benefits to our communities, businesses and environment.” The full report is available here.
• As we write, a workshop on improving Oxfordshire’s buses is underway at County Hall with some 40 people. The first speaker, Tim Schwanen from Oxford University’s Transport Studies Unit, encouraged planners to “focus on demand, not just supply” – thinking about all transport modes together, not buses in isolation.

Walking and cycling

• The Gasworks Pipe Bridge in Oxford was officially reopened on Saturday by the Lord Mayor – accompanied by a piper (and a speech containing more pipe puns than you could shake a hollow tube at). The bridge connects South Oxford to the centre for walking and cycling via quiet streets and is part of National Cycle Route 5. The refurbished bridge contains extra ducts for future utilities such as cables and optical fibres.
• A draft cycling and walking plan for Chipping Norton envisages segregated cycle tracks on the main roads into the town. Oxfordshire County Council says the plan prioritises “directness, gradient, safety, connectivity, and comfort” when assessing potential cycle routes. Proposals include more signalised and zebra crossings for pedestrians; redesigning the double mini-roundabout at the entrance to the town; town centre cycle parking; and resurfacing off-road paths to nearby villages. Consultation is open until 27 February.
• Also getting a new walking and cycling plan are Woodstock and the surrounding villages. The plan envisages safe connecting routes to villages and upgrades to the National Cycle Network, as well as a host of small improvements within the town. Local routes to Eynsham, Hanborough, Begbroke, Tackley and Stonesfield would be improved with new cycle lanes or off-road provision. A scoring exercise ranked links to Hanborough and Bladon as the top priority. Consultation is open until 5 March.

Oxfordshire politics

We gained a lot of new followers and subscribers last week (thanks Reddit). Welcome! You won't see this section on our socials – this is the place we round up everything we've spotted Oxfordshire's MPs up to. It's a flavour rather than a complete picture, and we tend to focus on local rather than front bench/APPG work. By way of illustration, of a more complete picture, Witney's Charlie Maynard this week posted a summary of his January, as did Banbury's Sean Woodcock.

• Clean water activists Windrush WASP and Witney MP Charlie Maynard were in the High Court on Monday fighting Thames Water’s bid for a £3bn rescue plan. They believe the company should be taken into special administration instead. Maynard said: “Thames Water is running out of money, is unable to pay its debts and its customers are suffering for it. The deal the creditors are pushing for serves their interests only; it is a short-term fix at the expense of the company, customers and UK taxpayers” Maynard and Windrush WASP submitted witness statements to the court, with the WASP team advocating for the public and Thames Water customers. He explains more in this video. All the LibDem Oxfordshire MPs, and others who also represent constituencies served by Thames Water, signed a letter in support.
• Oxford East MP Anneliese Dodds attended the opening of the Gasworks Pipe Bridge, and not far away, opened Activate Learning's new science labs on their Oxpens Road campus. She hosted a drop in with Thames Valley Police to discuss crime in Cowley: her video summary talks about increasing investment in policing plus a demand for improved PCC accountability. Marking LGBT+ History Month, she said “Labour will always stand with LGBT+ people.”
• Sean Woodcock, MP for Banbury, celebrated Banbury United's win over Spalding. He welcomed Monday's government announcement of a plan to tackle “stuck” schools (those that have received two consecutive poor Ofsted judgements). He spoke up for Proportional Representation and spoke out against Donald Trump’s plans for Gaza, signing a letter to the Prime Minister. Closer to home, he committed to fighting for constituents on Cherwell Council's housing waiting list and welcomed a government announcement on flooding investment. He met the British Coffee Association for coffee (naturally) at their Charlbury offices. As enthusiasts for Oxfordshire’s markets we were pleased to see him endorse Banbury Market.
• Layla Moran, MP for Oxford West & Abingdon, was out knocking on doors in North Oxford. She was on BBC Politics Live where she called out President Trump for being a “playground bully” and urged backing the EU as part of standing up to him. In the same programme she took aim at the Conservatives for the Brexit deal they negotiated, asking “Do you really believe it's working?” In an interview with the News Agents podcast, she spoke up for a two state solution in Palestine, and called for all those who believe in it to speak up too, calling silence complicity (video here). Finally, we don't normally cover MPs’ roles in All-Party Parliamentary Groups, but this video is a very short & helpful primer of what APPGs do, and specifically the Health & Social Care Committee of which Moran is the chair.
• Didcot & Wantage MP Olly Glover spoke in Parliament in praise of Post Office franchises, highlighting Karen, the postmistress from Blewbury – saying they play a huge role in their community but need investment and support. He also spoke in Parliament in support of the campaign for Proportional Representation. He has written an article urging the government to end the SEND crisis. The whole (short) article is worth a read, but if we were to pull out just one sentence to shout from the rooftops, it would be “The process for securing EHCPs and support must be simplified and made more transparent as parents should not have to become legal experts to advocate for their children.” He celebrated the news of a planning application for a GP surgery in Didcot's Great Western Park (we wrote about this saga in a long read here), and also the news of a £1m investment in Wantage Community Hospital. He met cider makers and growers during a wassailing season event (…can someone show him this?). On a lighter note, he met constituents in a pub in Culham, discussing apprenticeships, housing and local development, and meeting a truly excellent pub dog.
• Freddie van Mierlo, MP for Henley & Thame, was out knocking on doors in Benson. He was on BBC Politics South talking about airport expansion and new building. Many of his appointments this week had a health flavour to them. On World Cancer Day he asked a question in Parliament about ensuring cancer patients have access to effective medicines that are not yet approved by NICE; to mark Children's Mental Health Week, he supported a campaign to ensure children have easy access to mental health support; he visited the Warneford Hospital and shared his thoughts in this video; and he met with the First Steps Nutrition Trust to talk about baby food labelling. He spoke out against pretty much all of Donald Trump's foreign policy actions this week. He visited HR Wallingford who have developed an AI tool to identify river pollution. Finally, to mark the first day of LGBT+ History Month, he committed to continue to campaign for progress.
• Bicester & Woodstock MP Calum Miller met with children’s mental health charity Place2be in what is Children’s Mental Health Week, and called for better access to children’s mental health services. In a powerful speech in Parliament he told the story of Agnes, who has waited over five years for a CAMHS assessment (Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service). He secured a meeting with the Energy Minister to discuss National Grid capacity and energy outages in his constituency, and he called for a new EU- UK customs union.
• Witney’s Charlie Maynard, not content with being in the High Court, called for the CMA to investigate Livenation/Ticketmaster's potential dominant market share and pricing practices. He called out Donald Trump for proposing ethnic cleansing of Palestine, and spoke in favour of a two-state solution.

Charity begins at home

We’d like to showcase the work of the fantastic charities we have in the county. If you have something you feel we ought to know, our inbox is news@oxfordclarion.uk.

• An ambulance en route to Ukraine stopped in Radcliffe Square last week. Justin Robinson of the Ukrainian Medical Charity said “This ambulance is leaving tomorrow with medical equipment for Ukraine and 3 more will be on their way from across the UK.” To contribute, visit their JustGiving page.
• Oxfordshire Mind has welcomed bestselling author, comedian, and former doctor Adam Kay as the charity’s inaugural Patron. Widely known for his bestselling memoir This is Going to Hurt and his candid approach to discussing mental health and wellbeing, Adam has become a passionate advocate for mental health causes.
• Oxford Mutual Aid are looking for delivery cyclists, drivers, volunteers or just support to get food parcels to those who need it.

This weekend

• Winter is horrible. Spare a thought for your local market stallholder, standing in the cold. Better yet, go and buy something. Local root veg, leeks and brassicas are in season, and Oxfordshire does an excellent line in meat, dairy, eggs and treats. Find your local market here. And send us a picture or comment so we can update our directory.
• Sustainability and Oxford Heritage: How can Oxford’s historic buildings be sensitively brought up to Net Zero standard? A fascinating-looking discussion at St Cross College this evening.
• Vaughan Williams: Roots & Branches is a collab (…hold on while we find the unseriffed ‘𝗑’ on our keyboard) between Oxford folk group Moonrakers and string quartet Oxus, delving into how RVW turned English folk tunes into some of the 20th century’s most memorable classical music. At SJE Arts on Saturday.
• While we’re on a folk crossover tip, the all-star Transatlantic Sessions are at the New Theatre, also on Saturday.
• Go wassailing at Oxford City Farm.
• Or dance the blues away at a ceilidh or with some Greek dancing. (More like this in the always fabulous Daily Info.)

Dates for your diary

• One World Family Festival. 22–23 February at the Ashmolean. Celebrates the many communities and faiths of Oxfordshire through activities, performances, talks and crafts for all ages. This year’s theme for our annual One World Family Festival is ‘In Unity – Exploring the Past, Our Planet and Community’.
• Lord Mayor of Oxford's Charity Quiz. 28 February, Oxford Town Hall. Does your pub quiz team fancy taking on Oxford’s sharpest minds? (How brave are you?)
• Oxclean, the city’s annual spring clean, will be 7–9 and 14–16 March.
• Phoenix Digital Workshop. 15 February, 10am. One for the Mini Clarions: learn to draw comics like a pro, and create a case for Doug Slugman PI to solve.  Hosted by Joe List, artist and Doug Slugman creator.

Oxford’s independent media

• You are my Oxford is a new independent podcast “celebrating everything about Oxford United, even when they’re rubbish”.
• Cherwell says Oxford is at the centre of the UK's housing crisis (can someone point them at our Housing Week series?).
• Ox in a Box rounds up Oxfordshire's winners in restaurant listings and highlights a book-club-with-food in Charlbury.
• Muddy Stilettos looks at what's on in February in Bucks and Oxon.
• Little Oxplorers has a ‘Build your own adventure’ tool. If you have little ones, give it a go.
• The Oxford Sausage celebrates Najar's Palace, the falafel kiosk on St. Giles. If you know, you know. If you don't, read the article, then go buy falafel. Trust us.
• Daily Info reviews Stewart Lee at the Oxford Playhouse (ends tonight).
• The Oxfordshire Local History Association's latest mailer spans lunchtime talks on Alice in Wonderland, an exhibition on Ronnie Barker and The Changing Face of Banbury.

Notes from Clarion HQ

This week was our third birthday! We started with a tweet on 4 February 2022, reporting that Blackwells was up for sale with Waterstones the front-runner to acquire it. Since then we’ve diversified into Bluesky and this (5300-word!) newsletter, and gained a ton of new daily correspondents. The cake we'd have to make for you all would be huge. It’d be a fun party though. Maybe one day?

And finally, as Scotland confirms it will not, in fact, ban cats, we would like to point everyone to the very excellent Cats of Oxford Bluesky account. News and cats. What more could you want? See you next week.