The Clarion, 24 March 2026

The Oxford Literary Festival continues at the Sheldonian all week. (Photo by Roger Close.)

It’s the end of the phoney war and the start of election season proper. But can Oxford learn from Paris? Plus: Magdalen Choir goes co-ed, new towns, college cats, ring road cycling, and mystery varnish-wielding vandals.

This week’s long reads

We’ve been looking forward to this. When we first published ‘College Cats of Oxford’, we were inundated with tales of mogs we’d missed. So here it is, reissued, with a few mysteries solved – plus a Grade I listed cat-flap.

Oxford’s outdoor education centre, Hill End, celebrates its 100th birthday this year. We find out about its 1920s origins, how it works today, and the programme of festivities planned for its anniversary year.

This week’s top stories

Labour has launched its campaign for the May council elections with a pledge to exempt all 165,000 city residents from the congestion charge/traffic filters. Under the headline “Leading the way to zero carbon”, the party says “We have asked the LibDem County Council to give local Oxford residents free passes.”

In its 2026 Oxford manifesto, Labour promises to “build nearly 1,000 homes for social rent, affordable rent and shared ownership”. It will petition Government for powers to control rents, “clamp down on inappropriate holiday lets”, and increase funding for street cleaning.

Labour is campaigning for a city unitary council, which would give it control of transport policy. Council leader Susan Brown said: “We want Oxford to be a city we can all be proud to live in, one which leaves no one behind and remains a climate leader.”

Visits to Oxfordshire’s recycling centres (tips) have fallen by around one third since compulsory booking was introduced. Figures comparing February 2026 to 2025 show a 33% dip at Ardley, 38% at Drayton, and 48% at Alderton.

Oxfordshire’s Conservatives say they believe fly-tipping has increased, with their leader Cllr Liam Walker calling it “the direct result of a poorly thought-out policy that forces residents to jump through unnecessary hoops just to recycle their waste”. The party has brought a motion to today’s council meeting to “return to the successful model previously operated”.

For OCC, Cllr Judy Roberts said: “A reduction in visitor numbers was anticipated through improved measures to prevent illegal trader abuse of the service. Intelligence from other authorities suggests booking systems lead to customers planning visits better, delivering more on each trip to the centre.”

Heyford Park from the air (photo via Dorchester Living).

Heyford Park, the proposed 9,000-home new town on an airfield in north Oxfordshire, has been dropped from the Government’s New Towns programme. The seven-town shortlist, published yesterday, instead says Heyford is “a credible development opportunity [which] may be supported through existing programmes.”

An assessment commissioned by the Government concluded that, at Heyford, “the scale of delivery is relatively small compared to other sites in the Oxford–Cambridge corridor… the potential effects on the setting of the Grade I park and gardens at Rousham will need to be considered”. Milton Keynes and Tempsford, on the as-yet unopened East West train line from Oxford, made the shortlist, but Wychavon, on the Oxford–Worcester railway, did not.

1,200 homes have already been built at Heyford Park, but residents have expressed concerns at lack of infrastructure. A new station at nearby Ardley, on the Chiltern main line, has been proposed. (We looked at an earlier stage of the proposals in 2024.)

Cllr Chewe Munkonge (photo via Science Oxford)

Cllr Chewe Munkonge is to become Oxford’s first Black Lord Mayor. The Lord Mayor is sworn in at the traditional mayor making ceremony in Oxford Town Hall in May. Cllr Munkonge grew up in Zambia and moved to the UK in 2003, first being elected to the City Council in 2014. He said: “I am deeply humbled to be chosen as the next Lord Mayor of Oxford. Having had the privilege of representing Quarry & Risinghurst for the past 11 years, this moment carries great personal and civic significance.” The appointment is subject to his re-election in May’s council elections.

Around the city

Three schools in East Oxford are to get Government funding to support their nursery provision. John Henry Newman Academy, St John Fisher Catholic Primary School, and Tyndale Community School will all receive cash to open or expand nursery provision from September. Anneliese Dodds MP said: “Along with free breakfast clubs for primary school kids and the recent boost in paid-for childcare, these measures will make a real difference for many children and their families. Early years is where we can make the biggest difference to children’s life chances.”

The scourge of cars parking on the Ring Road cycle track could be coming to an end. Councillors report that a missing crash barrier is to be installed at the bridge over the Weirs Mill Stream, a Thames backwater. The lack of a barrier currently means cars can be driven onto the cycle track. City councillor Anna Railton writes: “Turns out the bridge always should've had a crash barrier. At some point in the summer a nice stretch of barrier is going to appear to protect the bridge – with the side benefit that it blocks access to this fairly antisocial parking.”
A garden designed for those living with Parkinson’s, to be shown at this year's Chelsea Flower Show, will be relocated to the John Radcliffe Hospital after the show in May. Designer Arit Anderson designed it to raise awareness, as her sister is living with the condition. A wide, accessible path weaves through contrasting planting borders, unified by a sculptural “hand-rill” that functions as both a flowing water feature and tactile handrail. The movement and sound of water provide sensory cues designed to assist with ‘freezing’, a common Parkinson’s symptom.
A fire broke out in a flat in Blackbird Leys' Windrush Tower on Saturday night. In a statement, Oxford City Council said: “The fire was quickly contained to the flat after the building’s sprinkler system activated. No one was injured. We would like to thank Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service.”
The Ashmolean Museum was the most visited attraction in Oxfordshire in 2025, figures just released reveal. The Museum, the 31st most popular attraction in the UK, saw a 14% year on year visitor growth. Blenheim Palace was in 34th place across the UK, and the Bodleian at 37th. (Oxford not dead then?)
The Oxford Trust has released its Impact Review for 2025, its 40th Anniversary year. The Trust supported 28 science and tech businesses employing 350 people, and engaged over 32,000 young people and their teachers, parents or groups through Science Oxford and other initiatives. It also launched the new Oxford Centre for Innovation at Blue Boar Court, and started constructing the Aspen Building to add lab and office space at the Wood Centre in Headington. (The Oxford Trust is one of three charities founded by Oxford Instruments entrepreneur, the late Sir Martin Wood and his wife, Dame Audrey Wood; we wrote about them here.)

Ronseal Shed & Fence Preserver – it does exactly what it says on the tin. Sheds. Not noticeboards.

Around the county

The hunt is on for a mystery vandal in the leafy Oxfordshire village of East Hendred (population 1,092) after a newly restored oak noticeboard was varnished without authorisation, just a day after volunteers installed it. Villagers on Facebook believe the vandal was “sneakily doing it in the night”. One volunteer wrote “We spent so much time rubbing it down to the lovely oak, and someone sneaks around and paints fence paint on when it didn’t need it.” (We don’t usually take stories from Facebook ‘Spotted’ groups but this one was too juicy to pass up.)
3D-printed bird boxes are being trialled at Blenheim Palace in an attempt to provide more appealing habitats for marsh tits, whose numbers have halved since the 1970s. The boxes are made out of mycelium (mushroom substance) and shaped to dissuade predators. Cheap bird boxes can be flimsy and draughty. Oxford University ecologist Ada Grabowska-Zhang told National Geographic that the boxes needed to be well insulated – otherwise, “the feathers are going to be worse quality [and] they're going to be lighter than they need to be. We want a nice fat chick.”
Police are hunting a Bicester man with a carp tattoo. Charlie Salisbury is sought in connection with cocaine supply and money laundering offences; police believe he may now be in Spain. He has “a large tattoo on his right arm of a Koi Carp and a dragon”.
Work to upgrade the new Shores Green junction outside Witney is running ahead of schedule, according to local councillor Dan Levy. Extra slip-roads are being added to the junction so that local westbound traffic can use the Witney bypass rather than congesting Bridge Street in the centre of town. Cllr Levy told Eynsham Parish Council: “The new junction at Shores Green is still ahead of schedule, despite the deluges. The remaining work is the final tarmac and lining and putting in the traffic lights. We expect it to be open for traffic before the summer.”
A private zoo in West Oxfordshire is closing after 35 years. Heythrop Zoological Gardens, near Chipping Norton, has provided animals for movies under the ‘Amazing Animals’ brand as well as offering care home and hospice visits, and occasional open days. The zoo said: “This decision has not been taken lightly. We would like to thank everyone for your kindness, generosity and support – and who could forget the lovely residents and staff of the care homes, hospices and hospitals that we have had the privilege of visiting?”

Oxfordshire politics

Our usual run-down of our elected MPs’ goings on, with consensus and disagreement in surprising places this week...

Oxfordshire's LibDem MPs are demanding action on heating oil prices. They say homes in rural Oxfordshire that are “off the gas grid” and heated by oil are excluded from the Ofgem energy price cap, leaving them exposed to market volatility caused by the conflict in the Middle East. The five LibDem MPs called for “an immediate three-month zero-rating for VAT on heating oil for residential homes, to protect rural households from global price shocks.” And as if by magic…

This is how you take a picture with a dog. Other MPs take note..

Banbury MP Sean Woodcock welcomed a £50m support package for low income families off the gas grid. Oxfordshire MPs in glorious agreement! He also welcomed a crackdown on fly-tipping as the Government launched its “toughest ever Waste Crime Action Plan”: waste criminals face up to 20 hours of unpaid work in 'clean-up squads' clearing the streets and parks they have blighted. (Not sure 20 hours will make much of a dent in the mega-tip near Kidlington but we admire his optimism.) He visited Dogs For Good, to find out how dogs can help people retain their independence. (Top quality photo op, no notes.) Finally, in Parliament, he blamed Oxfordshire County Council for spending all its time and effort on Oxford City, ignoring the needs of Banbury constituency’s rural drivers.

Oxford East MP Anneliese Dodds released a video advocating the City Council’s ‘Three Councils’ plan, saying: “I believe that only the Greater Oxford proposal will stop Oxford residents’ interests being ignored, as they have been too many times by the County Council.” Scroll up to what her fellow Labour MP Sean Woodcock just said. Scroll down again. Yes, us too. Anyway: she dropped in on Rose Hill Youth Club’s 15th birthday party, flagged up £1bn funding available through the government's Local Power Plan, persevered with her tireless Royal Mail campaign, and appeared on the Quiet Riot podcast talking about Iran and foreign aid cuts.

Calum Miller with Experience Oxfordshire.

Bicester & Woodstock MP Calum Miller wants Parliament to have a vote on the US using UK airbases. He warned that the forthcoming Oxford Development Corporation could be a “power grab from London”, welcoming the promise of new infrastructure but calling for local democratic accountability. For English Tourism week he met with Experience Oxfordshire; his Facebook post is thin on detail but what the Mini Clarions really want to know is progress on both Puy du Fou and the “temporarily paused” Great Wolf Lodge, aka the plan to make Bicester one of Britain’s biggest tourist destinations.
Witney MP Charlie Maynard went on a walk in aid of Healing Military Minds, and he opened Omera's restaurant in Witney. (The sheer joy in this video is palpable; extra points for someone in a Mayoral chain holding a baby.)
Oxford West & Abingdon MP Layla Moran argued for a closer relationship with Europe. She met with the Minister for Water to discuss your friend and ours Thames Water and the water industry’s customer panels. She wants the Government to focus on vaccination after the tragic events at the University of Kent.

Glover outside East Hagbourne Village Shop, and at Milton Hill House.

Didcot & Wantage MP Olly Glover joined residents in the village of East Hagbourne whose Post Office has been closed following the resignation of the postmaster, which Glover thinks contradicts Government policy on protecting rural post offices. In Parliament, he waded in to the debate on potholes, saying local government’s funding model was unsustainable. He signed a letter to the Minister asking for better endometriosis care. For English Tourism Week, he met Experience Oxfordshire at Milton Hill House. (But did they discuss this spectacular AI video which claims you should skip London and Manchester and visit Didcot, “England’s most underrated town”, instead? The Orchard Centre as you’ve never seen it before… for good reason.)

Van Mierlo with the children at Valley Road Primary School

Henley & Thame MP Freddie van Mierlo met local farmers campaigning against what the LibDems have dubbed the Family Farm Tax. In Parliament, he questioned healthcare professionals about the impact of too much screen time on children. Hotel firm Travelodge has its HQ in Thame; following news of a woman being assaulted in her hotel room after a room key was given out, the Travelodge CEO failed to show up to Parliament to explain. Van Mierlo committed to follow up. For English Tourism Week he visited Waterperry Gardens. And the children at Valley Road Primary School grilled him on cyber security, water quality, and potholes (the kids are all right).

Barber at Aurelius School, and at the Conservative party election launch.

Thames Valley Police & Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber visited Aureus Secondary School in Didcot for a meeting with headteachers to talk about their approach to banning phones in school. He's written an article for Policing Insight on how to tackle youth knife crime. On BBC Radio, he spoke out to say people should be empowered to confront shoplifters and not ignore “bad things going on around us”. Straying from his usual brief, he's meeting with Oxfordshire County Council to try and reduce the eight-month closure of the B4016 for construction work on HIF1, the new Didcot relief road. Finally, he attended the Conservative party local election launch. (Nothing says “we are a party of the people” like a launch underneath a gilt chandelier.) Here is his week's recap.

Magdalen College’s choir, now giving girls the opportunity to experience the best view of Oxford every May Morning.

University and research

Magdalen College’s choir is to admit girls for the first time in its history, following the decision of Magdalen College School – founded as the college’s choir school – to go co-educational. Two extra chorister places will be created, bringing the number to 18, and Magdalen will offer additional bursaries towards school fees for families in need of financial support. Mark Williams, Informator Choristarum, said: “Ours is a living tradition. This represents a tremendously exciting development as we strive to maintain and nourish that tradition. Girls will join the Choir in Year 4 in 2027, leading to a fully mixed cohort by 2031.” Elsewhere, Christ Church’s choral foundation includes a girls’ choir, Frideswide Voices, who frequently sing with the boy choristers; Merton has 24 girl choristers who sing twice a week; and New College’s top line remains boys-only.
A vaccine for the deadly Nipah virus took a step closer to production, as the University of Oxford signed a licence agreement with the world's largest vaccine manufacturer to develop the drug, currently at clinical trial in human stage. Professor Brian Angus said: “With mortality rates of up to 70%, Nipah virus poses a serious threat to vulnerable communities. Our focus is to turn discovery into vaccines that could help prevent future outbreaks.”
The University of Oxford has received a donation of £2m to the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences to support academic leadership, research capacity and training in Tunisia. The donation comes from from Fondation Docteur Sadok Besrour; in May 2025, the university announced a dedicated Besrour Centre for Global Primary Care with the aim of improving access to high-quality primary care worldwide. (We looked at Oxford's 21st century donors, including Dr Besrour, in a long read in December.)
An Oxford historian has warned that job prospects in the humanities are “very grim”. Professor Lyndal Roper, who has been awarded Norway's Holberg Prize, said: “What makes me so upset is that Britain has always been an intellectual leader.”
Children’s author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler are this year’s recipients of the Bodley Medal, the highest honour awarded by the Bodleian Libraries. Previous winners of the Bodley Medal include Hilary Mantel, Kazuo Ishiguro and Zadie Smith. (As part of the Oxford Literary Festival, you can hear Donaldson and Scheffler in conversation with Bodley’s Librarian Richard Ovenden at the Sheldonian on Thursday.)
Two Oxford colleges have elected their first women Principals, coincidentally both diplomats. In August, Lindsay Skoll will become head of Jesus, and in October, Alyson King will start at Brasenose. Skoll is ambassador to Austria and King is ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Meanwhile, Alexandra Freeman has just taken up the office of Principal of Hertford College – again, the first woman to do so. She said: “I feel that I am joining an incredibly supportive community after the warm welcome I’ve had since my election.”
Oxford Brookes is working with the NHS on a project to retrofit buildings to protect patients from the effects of extreme heat due to climate change. Extreme heat is linked to higher morbidity and mortality rates among vulnerable groups.
Young people who use social media for less than one hour per day report the highest levels of wellbeing, say Oxford researchers as part of their World Happiness Report. It also found that platforms driven by algorithmically curated content tend to demonstrate a negative association with wellbeing, yet those designed to facilitate social connections show a clear positive association with happiness.
The 144th Varsity Chess Match, played in London earlier this year, ended in a draw, at four matches each. This leaves Cambridge narrowly ahead in the long-running series with 61 victories vs 59 for Oxford, with 24 matches drawn.
Oxford University spinout Dark Blue Therapeutics, which delivers pioneering precision cancer medication, has been acquired by global biotechnology company Amgen in an £840m deal. John Pollard, Dark Blue CSO and visiting Professor of Drug Discovery, said: “The discovery of this new class of drugs demonstrates the potential in the Oxford ecosystem that can be realised when ground breaking disease insights are collaboratively leveraged by industrial drug hunters.” (We swear we saw an A-Team episode about industrial drug hunters once.)

Botley Road works in progress. (Photos by Network Rail.)

Trains and buses

Work at Botley Road rail bridge has moved on to flood defence and drainage systems under the road. Sheet piles have been installed to hold back the land, so that earth can safely be excavated for the flood prevention system and the road itself. A new retaining wall (above right) is being built to support the forthcoming new platform 5.
Oxford’s free Park & Ride buses will continue until at least May, funded by income from the congestion charge. Oxfordshire County Council says further plans for spending the income will be considered by the its cabinet later this spring.
A new timetable for the S6 bus to Swindon starts on 12 April, which Stagecoach say will improve reliability – the main changes are in the evening peak. A decision on GWR’s planned train service to Swindon and Bristol is still awaited; the May timetable has been designed to leave space for it, but GWR’s recently acquired fleet for Cornwall and Devon is proving troublesome, raising doubt over whether enough trains will be freed up.

Notes from Clarion HQ

Regular readers know our editorial line is progressive but not party political, and always in favour of walking, cycling, and liveable cities. So Team Clarion were delighted to see the Parti Socialiste’s Emmanuel Grégoire elected as Paris mayor this week, continuing the work of Anne Hidalgo and her remarkable 12-year project to make the city walkable, cyclable and liveable.

Of course, Oxford and Paris are not the same. One of them is a city where there has been repeated vandalism to traffic-calming features, hostility to city centre emissions controls, 15-minute city debates, controversial school streets, and a well-publicised ‘bikelash’. The other is Oxford.

But we think maybe Grégoire’s union de la gauche et des écologistes is onto something. In the mixed city of the boulevard and the banlieue, you can win an election by offering a forward-looking vision of streets for people, not just harking back to 1970s free-for-all traffic but with 2020s-size cars. You don’t fool the electorate by glibly advocating for “reconciling the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers” as his right-wing rivals did, while offering no more specifics than rolling back active travel measures. It certainly didn’t fool the voters of Paris.

France 24, the English-language news site, thinks “France’s capital has likely gone green for good”. Oxford? Courage, mes braves. Have a great week.