The Clarion, 3 March 2026

Spring is in the air, temperatures are rising and Oxford is stretching its legs – as shown in this wonderful picture of Port Meadow sent to us by Nick Thorn. This week we have new homes (…but are there enough?), carbon savings, the future of streets in Oxfordshire, OUFC’s Great Escape and news from (checks notes) Swindon. Read on…

This week’s long read

Last week, Baroness Amos published her interim report into maternity and neonatal care in England. Vocal campaigners have catapulted Oxford University Hospitals Trust to the top of the investigation's agenda. We took a look at Oxfordshire's maternity care, the data, and the claims.

Oxfordshire’s maternity care

Many Clarion readers will have passed through the maternity ward of the John Radcliffe Hospital, whether as an infant or a parent. It is a place with which Oxfordshire, literally, has a familial bond. But recently it hasn’t all been happy families. On Thursday, Baroness Amos published her Interim

Oxford ClarionOxford Clarion

This week’s top stories

Work started yesterday on clearing up the illegal waste tip near Kidlington. Contractors are arriving with lorry-loads of aggregate to build an access track above the level of the flooded ground. Traffic lights are being installed to control access to the site, fencing constructed, and a site compound built for staff. More sandbags are being deployed to keep the adjacent drainage ditch from waterlogging the site.

The Environment Agency says: “We appreciate clearance is later than originally forecast; however, this illegal waste has been dumped on land which has been subject to significant rainfall. We have had 188% of the long-term average rainfall for January, and 178% of long-term average rainfall for February.”

‘Martha’s Rule’ is being introduced at Oxford’s hospitals. The rule says that inpatients and their family/carers can request an urgent review if they feel their condition is worsening and their concerns have not been addressed. Martha Mills was a 13-year old who developed sepsis in hospital in 2021 after falling off her bike.

A coroner’s inquest found that, had staff at King’s College Hospital, London responded to her family’s concerns, she could have been moved to intensive care earlier and would have survived. Oxford University Hospitals is introducing the rule in inpatient wards including emergency, neonatal and maternity.

Around the city

• Boat moorings on the Thames riverbank could come under more scrutiny in central Oxford. The City Council says “There is growing concern about the safety of boats moored on the River Thames from Folly Bridge towards Iffley Lock and beyond.” At present, most mooring on the towpath is unregulated. The council, with landowners (such as the colleges) and the Environment Agency (which runs the Thames), say they are working up an option to make these “formal or semi-permanent residential moorings” where boaters would sign a mooring contract. The City Council’s budget has now allocated £200,000 of developer funds for a study looking at how this might work and what amenities would be needed – such as mooring rings, electricity points and water. It is anticipated that the riverside landowners would fund on-the-ground work.
• Mary Sophia Merivale, Oxford’s first woman councillor, looks set to be commemorated with a blue plaque outside the house in Park Town where she lived until her death in 1928. Women were only allowed to stand in local elections in 1907: Mary was among the first cohort to be elected, one of just six outside London. The Oxfordshire Blue Plaques Board says “She was especially active on bodies promoting health and welfare, and in her support for women’s full membership of Oxford University.” A planning application is with Oxford City Council.
• High river levels on the Isis (aka the Thames in Oxford) have led to the cancellation of Torpids, Oxford University's annual spring 'bumps' races. They had previously been cancelled in 2024. The summer rowing races in Eights Week are scheduled for the end of May.
• Oxford City Council has saved 523 tonnes of carbon emissions from leisure centres since 2019/20 by installing various more energy efficient measures — a 26% reduction. This is despite energy usage increasing by 12% over the same period. The savings work out around £45,000 per year. Cllr Anna Railton, cabinet member for Zero Carbon Oxford, said: "We are focused on practical measures that reduce emissions while maintaining high-quality facilities for residents and reducing costs to the taxpayer. This is about cutting carbon in a way that is both responsible and financially sensible.”
• Construction is officially underway to deliver a new community centre in Blackbird Leys. The community centre is planned to sit at the heart of a revitalised District Centre, alongside new affordable homes, new shops, green spaces, and improved roads and cycle routes.
• Oxford People's Theatre is fundraising to stage a version of Ovid's Metamorphoses after one of its actors received a lifechanging diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease. OPT is a community theatre group established in 2022 by Emma Webb and Lizzy McBain. OPT say “Gillian really wants to be in a show, whilst she can. This project will have a fast turn around; we are working hard to weave this experience and the tales together because life, like the tales, is unpredictable.” Shows are scheduled for 22-24 May.
• OUFC fans, supported by the club, are creating a Disabled Supporters Association to improve the matchday and wider Club experience. Disabled supporters, carers, helpers and people who wish to improve accessibility at the club are asked to register for an online meeting to begin the process.
• Oxfordshire think-tank POETS has called for new developments within the city to prioritise housing, not employment sites. Katie Barrett said: “There are already more jobs in Oxford than are residents to fill them. Large numbers of people have to commute into the city, creating traffic problems.” The comments are part of the group’s submission to the consultation on Oxford City Council’s Local Plan: they write that housing could be provided on or around the ARC site, the Science Park, and in the West End, Osney Mead and Botley Road. POETS is a group of former council planners and academics from Oxfordshire.
• The Big Open Weekend returns to Oxford on March 7, with free swimming, activity sessions, classes and family-friendly events, designed to encourage people of all ages to try new activities and focus on health and wellbeing in an accessible and welcoming environment. Barton Leisure Centre, Leys Pools and Leisure Centre, Oxford Ice Rink and Ferry Leisure Centre will be taking part. Additional highlights include free soft play and Tag X sessions at Leys Leisure Centre, as well as ice-skating taster lessons available throughout the weekend at Oxford Ice Rink.
• Thames Valley Police has a new technique to catch offenders who escape the scene of a crime. SelectaDNA tagging spray is a forensic spray which contains a unique DNA solution that sticks to a suspect’s skin or clothing, contains no harmful substances, is invisible to the eye and can’t be rubbed off. It is used where officers need to keep distance for safety or with a fast-moving suspect. Cllr Lubna Arshad, Oxford City Council, said: “Resident say crime and anti-social behaviour are key concerns so we are working with police on this to tackle motorbike related anti-social behaviour in Barton.”
• Lab space latest: The Oxford Trust has “topped out” its new Aspen Building in Headington, marking the structure’s highest point ahead of completion in July. The building will provide two floors of lab space, as well as facilities for science outreach to local schools through Science Oxford. The Oxford Trust’s Steve Burgess said the building would “strengthen Oxford’s science and tech cluster by delivering more lab and workspace where innovative science and technology start-ups and scale-ups can grow”. We wrote about founders Martin and Audrey Wood last year.
• We don’t routinely report OUFC’s results, but their 2-1 win over fellow strugglers West Bromwich Albion is the best news this year in their fight to avoid relegation. Oxford United are currently second from bottom with 32 points, three points short of safety. (We’re humming this already…)

Around the county

• 85.4% of Oxfordshire children applying for secondary schools have been offered their first choice this year, down slightly from 87.4% last year. Appeals are open until 31 March, and waiting lists start on 25 May.
• Cherwell District Council has demanded action over litter from Sainsbury’s as leaseholders of Pioneer Square and Crown Walk in Bicester. Although they are prominent public areas, they are managed privately, with the leaseholder having responsibility for emptying bins and clearing litter. Cherwell District Council met with leaseholders last week to demand a reliable cleaning programme. In 2022, a similar case resulted in Cherwell securing a prosecution of a private landowner. Cllr Lesley McLean said: “Our council tax payers can’t be expected to provide a free service to a large and profitable business. The council expects an update from the leaseholders very promptly.”
• Oxfordshire Liveable Streets has opened registration for Future Streets Oxfordshire, described as 'a people powered project to envision thriving streets and neighbourhoods across the county'. Over five workshops from March to September, participants will imagine what thriving streets could look and feel like, co-design community-led indicators of change, and consider together what it would take to make this vision real. The first workshop is on 24 March.
• 400 new homes are proposed for the eastern periphery of Chipping Norton in an early-stages planning application. The plans would also include a two-form entry primary school, shops and community buildings, and public open space. The site, by the A44 fork at Southcombe, is currently arable land. Developers Ashflame Cardington are a vehicle for billionaire property magnate Tony Gallagher, who lives in nearby Sarsden. An application has been lodged with West Oxfordshire District Council and, according to a cover sheet, “contains sensitive badger data”.
• And another 1,000 homes are proposed for Bicester, between the A41 south-east of the town and the Chiltern mainline railway. House-builders Vistry have made an early-stages application for a development with a care home, “local centre” shops, and open space. The site adjoins the 1,500-home Wretchwick Green development, already underway. Existing cycle paths along the A41 would be extended to the estate, and the road towards Launton could be converted to a bus-only route. The plans promise “particular attention” to the setting of Blackthorn windmill.
• Oxfordshire has its first all-female fire crew for 20 years. The five on-call firefighters, based in Abingdon, are engineer Emily Potter, RAF firefighter Anastasia Osborne, photographer Kayleigh Williams, airport employee Maria Alegria and H&S adviser Karen Bellcourt. Emily said: “We’ve worked incredibly hard to gain the necessary skills so we can respond together as an all female crew. We’re proud of what we’ve achieved together.” Oxfordshire County Council published the story ahead of International Women’s Day on Sunday.
• Bins and EV news: South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils have taken delivery of their second electric waste collection and street cleansing vehicle, which is set to save more than 13 tonnes of CO2 per year. The new vehicle, an IVECO eDaily caged tipper, is being used on street cleansing, emptying litter bins, and clearing fly tipping. (It is undoubtedly Good News but is it cuter than this one from Oxford City, a repurposed 1970s electric milk float called Ernie? The Clarion, making bins interesting since 2022.)
• Sewage latest: Abingdon Green Party candidate Aidan Reilly has called on Thames Water to clean up a sewage filled watercourse just south of the town. Data shows it has been dumping raw sewage into Oday Hill Ditch alongside Peep-O-Day Lane for hundreds of hours in February alone. Reilly said: “I am disgusted by this massive sewage release which is just lying around next to the Peep-O-Day Lane cycle route and footpath. This is a health risk to residents and deadly to wildlife in the brook.” District councillor Sam Casey-Rerhaye added: “This is shocking. I have also seen sewage scum in the Thames near here in the last couple of days and this stream is a Thames tributary. It is unacceptable for Thames Water to use our environment as a dumping ground.” (Cllr Casey-Rerhaye is also Green, and not just because she smelt the sewage. 🤢)
• Oxfordshire County Council is looking for volunteer flood wardens. The scheme is being rolled out county-wide, following successful pilot projects in Witney, Ascott-under-Wychwood, Abingdon and Sunningwell. Witney volunteer William Wareing explained their role: “Our flood wardens attend public events, learn about river management, hold conversations with both the responsible authorities and our residents and business owners. We held two public events in September, conducted a full survey of the River Windrush with evidence of photos, locations and identified any poor levels of maintenance we want to see improved.” For OCC, Cllr Judy Roberts said: “Flood wardens are our eyes and ears; reporting things liked blocked ditches so that we can fix them before a flood can occur. As extreme weather becomes more common, their role becomes much more important." (We wrote about flooding in Oxfordshire and what can be done about it in a long read in 2024.)

Oxfordshire politics

• Banbury MP Sean Woodcock celebrated a raft of Government policy announcements this week. Deep breath and in no particular order: frozen rail fares, 16 and 17 year olds getting the right to vote, lowering energy bills via a decreased price cap, fewer asylum seekers in hotels, a £345m boost for farming, SEND reform as part of the Schools White Paper, and extension of the Warm Homes Discount. Phew! He also found time to write a short opinion piece on fixing Britain's housing shortage.

• Bicester & Woodstock MP Calum Miller, as his party's Foreign Affairs spokesperson, speaking after US missile attacks on Iran, is urging Keir Starmer “not to let the UK get drawn into this illegal, unilateral war”. He's not impressed at the US administration hosting convicted criminal and far right provocateur ‘Tommy Robinson’. He was at East West Rail's consultation sessions on the underpass for Bicester, and raised the issue at PMQs. Finally, as you can see from the screen shot, he was at the clear-up for the Kidlington waste dump. (Top flight MP-ing, no notes, except maybe stand the other side of the arrow next time...?)
• Witney MP Charlie Maynard has activated a roving reporter persona (does he want to write for the Clarion?) and has been interviewing residents about sewage running through their village and into the Thames. Do not watch these videos while eating.
• Oxford East MP Anneliese Dodds was out on the streets of Gorton and Denton on polling day. We'll quietly draw a veil over that one... but she is in this video talking about the £20m investment coming to The Leys.

• Oxford West & Abingdon MP Layla Moran was on the BBC calling for an investigation in to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as a trade envoy. Again on the BBC, she opposed a proposed removal of trial by jury and wants to tackle the court backlog in other ways.
• Didcot & Wantage MP Olly Glover is unimpressed with proposed changes to rail fares, calling the system Kafkaesque. (Bonus points for quote-posting the Man in Seat 61.) He made the case in Parliament for funding for local museums. In a subject close to many Clarion readers' hearts, he asked about Government plans to increase active travel and the ambition lacking in in the draft targets to get more people walking, wheeling and cycling. In a similar vein (but a different debate), he spoke about potholes, road design and the lack of space for walking and cycling on key A-roads. He visited UTC Oxfordshire, a STEM focused secondary school in Didcot; and he's hiring a caseworker, if making Didcot a better place sounds like your bag.

• Henley & Thame MP Freddie van Mierlo congratulated Henley-on-Thames Town Council on being nominated as a finalist for the ‘Climate Response of the Year’ Star Council Award. Their nomination rested on home energy efficiency projects, real-time E. coli monitoring, and achieving bee-friendly town status. He spoke out in Parliament on planning law, talking about developers with armies of lawyers “only having to win once”. He handed in a petition to 10 Downing Street on Jason's Law, seeking better support for families bereaved by suicide. He spoke about the need to improve SEND funding for local councils, reliable access to HRT implants, and IVF provision (but not all in the same speech).

• Thames Valley Police & Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber has filmed a video on a free tool marking scheme. He was out with the Neighbourhood Policing team at the Uffington Farmers' Market, and campaigning in the Stanford by election, where County Councillor Lee Evans hopes to represent the village in the District Council too. Here's his week's recap.

Our friends in the west

An occasional section devoted to mainly Swindon, if we're honest.

• Swindon has attempted to belie geography by placing itself in the heart of the Oxford–Cambridge corridor. Its council hosted a visit from Ox-Cam tsar Lord Vallance. Business leader Matt Griffith said: “Swindon has a natural complementarity (?!) as the place to make and grow the ideas being generated by Oxford and our high knowledge region. Government can help unlock further growth with enhanced rail connectivity into Oxford from Swindon.” A decision on Oxford–Swindon–Bristol trains is pending…
• …but until then, we have to tell you about the High Speed Train simulator being installed at Swindon’s Steam museum. Surplus to requirements now that train operator GWR has retired its HST fleet, it will be opened up to visitors this summer giving visitors a chance to drive a 125mph train – the workhorse of the Western for over 40 years. We can’t wait to visit, ostensibly for the Mini Clarions, but mostly because we want a go ourselves.

University and research

• A 'Smart Ageing' summit is to be held in Rhodes House in May, bringing world-class scientists together with author Professor Chris van Tulleken as keynote speaker. Topics include food system, GLPS, hydration, cooking for health and longevity and keto diets.
• Oxford University Hospitals have been awarded £4.5m by the government to upgrade their lighting to energy efficient LED lighting, which is estimated to save £2m a year in energy bills and over 2000 tonnes of CO2.
• Supernumerary Fellow at St. John’s and one of the most influential figures in modern infectious disease research, Professor Sir Nick White, has died. His research on malaria treatments alone saved millions of lives; he also worked on other major infectious diseases, including dengue and typhoid.
• Rice rice baby? Researchers from the University of Oxford have identified the master regulator in plants that balances root and shoot growth when nutrients are limited, meaning that fertiliser use could be cut, whilst still protecting yields. In field trials, rice plants with a natural, improved version of the gene had yield increases of up to 24%. The breakthrough was published in Science.

Trains and buses

• The Botley Road bridge replacement – in one minute! Network Rail has published a timelapse video recapping the bridge works earlier this month, when the railway line was closed for a full week. The bridge is due to open to vehicle traffic this summer.
• Oxford Bus Company has launched its annual ‘Brand the Bus’ competition, in which charities get a chance to have their name plastered over the side of a double-decker bus. Nominations are now open ahead of public voting in April.

Notes from Clarion HQ

We hope we've left you with a spring in your step. Our list of long reads gets ever longer: this week one Clarionette was poring through maternity data for our deep dive on the subject, while another has been enmeshed in Companies House directors’ records and a third in towpath ownership information. Look out later this week, too, for a guide to spring veg planting from our resident horticulturist Amandine.

Mostly, though, we’re disappointed that we didn’t have anyone to hand for a photo opportunity this lunchtime covering the Lord Mayor’s visit to Mr Wang Hotpot on Gloucester Green. Maybe we need a restaurant critic? Form an orderly queue.

Just like the hotpot, do share the Clarion with your friends if you like it. We’ll see you on Friday.