The Clarion, 8 September 2026

The swings and roundabouts of local government… Lord Mayor Chewe Munkonge and City Rector the Rev. Anthony Buckley enjoy a ride on the Sky Flyer at St Giles' Fair following the blessing on Sunday. Photo by Roger Close.

You thought Oxfordshire’s cheese saga was over? The story with more wrinkles than a particularly good Stilton is back. Plus coffee, buses, Pope Leo and the return of our politics section after summer recess.

This week’s long read

Oxford Open Doors is this weekend. With so many fantastic sites open to the public, how do you know which ones to choose? We asked architectural historian Madeline Odent for her shortlist.

This week’s top stories

Plans for a Greater Oxford Council have been dramatically halted. The Government has unexpectedly launched a review into the planned reorganisation of councils across Britain – meaning that Oxfordshire County Council, Oxford City Council and the four rural districts continue for now.

Oxfordshire is one of 14 areas where plans have been paused for a review to take place. In Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk and Hampshire, where the incumbent county councils had threatened legal action, the decisions have been entirely withdrawn. The decision to split Oxfordshire three ways was taken by then Secretary of State Steve Reed, no longer in post, in the dying days of the Starmer administration; but the Clarion understands that Oxfordshire County Council had continued to make its case with Government, most recently in a meeting last week. Reed’s (returning) replacement, Angela Rayner, said yesterday:

“The Prime Minister told the House last week, he was ‘prepared to look at local government reorganisation’ and he asked me as his Communities Secretary to do that. In that context, in light of legal advice, I want to satisfy myself firstly that the right process is in place, that it is robust, and complies with the law. And secondly, I want to fully test whether our proposals for local government reorganisation meet the priorities of a new administration and a new Prime Minister and any additional considerations.”

The ‘shadow’ elections for three new councils in May 2027, which would have operated in parallel with the existing setup for a year, will now not take place. District elections are expected to proceed on their usual timetable until a new announcement is made.

City Council leader Susan Brown (Lab) said: “We are disappointed in this decision. We hope the Government will provide further clarity urgently, given the impact this announcement may have on how we deploy our staff and resources. Considerable work has taken place already to prepare communities in Oxfordshire and West Berkshire along the lines of the Government’s announcement in July. The three-council model is a positive step and we are ready to deliver it.”

County Council leader Tim Bearder (LibDem), however, welcomed the announcement. “It provides an opportunity to review the underpinning advice, considerations and evidence that informed the decision, which I had already written to the Ministry to ask to see.” Oxfordshire’s five LibDem MPs issued a joint statement: “We welcome the Government's decision to review its plans to carve up Oxfordshire, just eight weeks after announcing them. The three-unitary proposal showed little regard to the communities affected.”

South Oxfordshire leader Maggie Filipova-Rivers (LibDem) highlighted the uncertainty caused. “We’re deeply disappointed to have received this information at such short notice. All along, our councils have all done what government had asked of us in the preparation for local government reorganisation. Every pound and every officer hour spent responding to a process that is subsequently paused, is a resource that could have been spent on housing, social care, roads, planning and other frontline services.”

Matthew Barber, Thames Valley Police & Crime Commissioner (Con) said: “At best it shows political confusion by the Government, at worst it demonstrates incompetence. It is less than two months ago that the Government decided to scrap our existing councils and now we’re back to square one with no timescale given for the review.”

Government proposals for an Oxford Development Corporation, a centrally-directed body taking over planning powers around Oxford, sit uncomfortably with the two-council option put forward by the rural districts – leaving the previously agreed three-way split, and the County’s favoured single-unitary option, as the only games in town. With lobbying expected from both City and County councils, the rural districts – especially Cherwell and West Oxfordshire – will be keenly watched to see if they shift allegiance.

The St Giles' Fair is in town. As is customary, it was blessed by the City Rector of Oxford on Sunday evening. The Fair evolved from the St Giles’ parish wake of the early seventeenth century, which later became known as St Giles’ Feast; in the 1780s it was a “toy” fair (selling miscellaneous cheap and useful wares), and by 1800 it had become a children's fair.

The blessing concluded with the Rector and Lord Mayor Chewe Munkonge riding the Sky Flier ahead of the Fair’s official opening. John Betjeman wrote about the fair in 1937 – “thick with freak shows, roundabouts, cakewalks, the whip, and the witching waves”.

All the fun of the fair. Photos by Roger Close.

Thames Valley Police have published the charge sheet for Ryan Bridge, national leader of Raise the Colours. He has been charged with a total of 14 public order offences after RTC’s flag-raising activities in Oxfordshire. The charges relate to reported incidents between 31 January and 31 March, which includes the day when Bridge and acolytes “flagged” Abingdon Road. They are:

Seven counts of using threatening words or behaviour to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
Three counts of using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to cause fear of, or provoke, unlawful violence.
Two counts of racially aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress.
One count of racially aggravated fear of violence.
One count of common assault.

Bridge is due to appear at Oxfordshire Magistrates Court on 3 November. Separately, Oxfordshire RTC leader Ben Cullen is expected to go on trial next year on several counts of making indecent images of children.

Around the city

The footpath through Mesopotamia has been closed. Oxford University, on whose land it sits, has asked people to find alternative routes for the next week.
Mesopotamia is the name for the narrow path (between two streams of the Cherwell) which runs between Parson's Pleasure and Marston Road. A University spokesman said: “Mesopotamia Path is currently closed due to damage to a section of the concrete pathway, which has created a significant trip hazard. Our in-house team will carry out repairs and aims to reopen the path by Monday 14 September. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank visitors for their patience and understanding while these essential safety works are completed.”
The Eagle & Child is on track to reopen in 2027, according to new owners the Ellison Institute of Technology. The Institute told CAMRA’s Oxford Drinker that “The E&C is indeed on course for re-opening in 2027. There is a full refurbishment/restoration going on behind the large hoardings that may not be visible to the casual passerby.” (We looked at the plans back in 2024.)
Not quite on track, however, is Osney Bridge, where Thames Water have been carrying out works after an Environment Agency patrol boat hit the water main five years ago. Two-way traffic will be restored through the daytime from 20 September, when Botley Road rail bridge reopens, but one lane will still be closed overnight for another month. The north-side footpath and cycle lane will also remain closed until October.

Retail comings and goings: UK chain Black Sheep Coffee is opening a new cafe on George Street, in the former STA Travel premises. Meanwhile, the Westgate Blackwell's has (perhaps inevitably) closed its doors following the establishment of parent company Waterstones’ new branch nearby on Queen Street.
A Botley resident has been told “tough beans” to his attempt to roast coffee in his garage. Vitor Freire Pereira had applied for a certificate of lawfulness, but planning officers decided roasting coffee was not “incidental or ancillary to the normal residential use of the property”. Mr Pereira wanted to roast up to 50kg of coffee on the site for use in a single, unspecified cafe. But planners said there was not enough information about the noise and smells emitted by the ~~Acme~~ FZ94 Evo Professional Lab Roaster, and that a full planning application would be required. (We did wonder about starting the story with “Vale of White Horse officers have roasted a resident’s plans…”, but decided “tough beans” was too good to pass up. Still, we’re just leaving this here in case any other local papers are looking for a headline.)
The notorious Rose Hill/Church Cowley Road junction is to be adjusted, in an attempt to prevent collisions caused by motorists using the parallel service road to skip the lights. An experimental scheme has been approved to prohibit through traffic, other than residents, using the service road.
Magdalen College School has appointed Alan Bird, currently head of City of London School, to succeed Helen Pike as master. MCS will admit the first girls into its Junior School in 2027 as it moves to fully co-educational, and is opening a new Science & Partnerships building on Iffley Road.
Meanwhile, the Oxford Festival of the Arts will no longer take place. The annual programme of arts and music events was founded in 2009 by Magdalen College School but has outgrown the school's financial and logistical resources. MCS has committed to a new county-wide primary school singing event in 2027.
East Oxford Farmers' & Community Market celebrates its 20th anniversary on Saturday, with a special market including a kids' craft table & face painting. The weekly Saturday market was a finalist for BBC Food & Farming Awards’ ‘Best Food Market’ in 2011.

Around the county

Campaign group Witney Flood Group have erected a sign on a newly formed shoal in the River Windrush to highlight frustration with the lack of river maintenance, specifically silt accumulation, fallen trees and unaddressed riverbed obstructions which they say increase flood risks in Witney. “This new 'island' is a physical symptom of neglect,” said William Wareing, chairman of WFG. “By declaring this shoal the property of local residents, we are calling on authorities and riparian landowners to step up and take flood mitigation seriously before next winter.”
Thames Valley Police are appealing for witnesses to a stabbing in People’s Park, Banbury, on Friday. Ambulance and police attended the scene at 6.30am. The victim is in hospital but his injuries are not life-threatening. Anyone with information is asked to call 101 or make an online report (ref 43260460422). Banbury MP Sean Woodcock (Lab) said: “I am deeply concerned by the shocking stabbing in Banbury town centre. My thoughts are with the victim and their loved ones. I urge anyone who witnessed the incident or has any information, CCTV, dashcam, or doorbell footage to come forward and contact the police.”
Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue Service are reminding residents to get their chimney cleaned ahead of winter. They say 70% of chimney fires take place between January and March. Andy Ford, Safety Manager, said: “All chimneys and flues should be regularly cleaned and checked to ensure they’re free from debris, soot and other blockages, such as birds’ nests, and in full working order ready to use safely when the weather gets colder. If the worst should happen, working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms can give you an early warning. Make sure you have at least one smoke alarm on every level of your home and test them monthly.”
Residents are being encouraged to get their blood pressure checked in a new initiative at Oxfordshire County Council’s libraries. As part of Blood Pressure UK’s Know Your Numbers Week, people can check their blood pressure at a dedicated ‘pressure station’ in any of the county’s 44 libraries. Cllr Kate Gregory (LibDem) for OCC said: “High blood pressure often has no symptoms, so the only way to know if your reading is high is to have it checked. Our libraries are trusted, welcoming spaces at the heart of communities across Oxfordshire, so they are a natural place to host these."
A tranche of proposals for new EV chargers has been partly deferred by Oxfordshire County Council for further design work and local engagement. In Oxford, four sites were approved, while another three are pending additional work to maintain footway space. Sites in Berinsfield, Burford, Henley and Kidlington were also approved, with Shrivenham, Witney and Bampton proposals deferred.
The programme is designed to help the estimated 30% of Oxfordshire residents who do not have a driveway or private off-street parking where they could charge an EV. Cllr Gareth Epps (LibDem) said: “There is more work to do before some sites can move forward, but we need to achieve a balance between ensuring residents without EVs can continue to park and access essential amenities, and providing a public charger service that encourages EV take-up.”

Oxfordshire politics

Parliamentary recess is over. We hope our local heroes had a good break. In truth we know they didn't spend their entire recess on the beach, as we have seen tales of tours of villages (LibDems Layla Moran and Freddie van Mierlo, who in this video has a very cute dog); constituency meetings on issues like Personal Independence Payments (Anneliese Dodds, Lab); and a visit to the Falkland Islands (Sean Woodcock, Lab). Here's what they've been up to since Parliament re-started.

Woodcock on a trip to the Falklands as part of the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme.

Banbury MP Sean Woodcock (Lab) spoke in the House of Commons on the Representation of the People bill, warning of the UK population’s distrust in politicians: only one in eight people believe that politicians put the national interest over party advantage. He called for restoration of trust via a commission on electoral reform. This speech is brutal in its assessment of the state of UK politics and its demands we do better – but will his own government listen? Together with Anneliese Dodds, he sent a joint letter to LibDem-controlled Oxfordshire County Council warning of a safeguarding risk in transport arrangements ahead of the new school term: on top of previously reported issues with SEND transport, school bus timetables were showing as the prior year, and the transport department was unobtainable.

Miller has been visiting museums over the summer; this dragon is from the Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock.

Bicester & Woodstock MP Calum Miller (LibDem) seems to move from one major issue to another in his constituency. Is it cursed? Having (broadly) declared victory on the London Road/EWR saga, the latest challenge is the proposed asylum seeker centre at MOD Bicester, and building a fragile cross-party coalition against it. As we finalised this newsletter, the Government confirmed that residents can formally make representations on the proposal (consultation closes 17 September), which Miller hailed as “a win for local democracy”.
Witney MP Charlie Maynard (LibDem) has done a video update about his first week back in Parliament. Surprise: it involves demanding Thames Water be put into special administration! He also asked for more money for Witney for flooding to protect farms, which given the PM is asking us to stock up on tinned food seems… sensible?

Dodds at an event with Oxford's Timorese community.

Oxford East MP Anneliese Dodds (Lab) has proposed an amendment to cap political spending to stop the 'arms race' in UK politics, after the Conservatives raised the cap on political spending by 80% three years ago. On BBC's Any Questions, she spoke out on the climate crisis, supporting the government's push for renewable energy sources.

Moran on her summer tour, this stop Kennington.

Oxford West & Abingdon MP Layla Moran (LibDem), as chair of the Health & Social Care Select Committee, is calling for support for the Education, Health & Care Plan amendment to the Health Bill. If accepted, this amendment would give NHS services the same legal obligation as local authorities and education services to ensure agreed support is provided to children with EHCPs. Relatedly, she spoke to 5 Live about why so many young people are ending up in A&E and why suicide rates have been growing.

Glover has been fuelled around his constituency this summer on cheese and onion toasties. His constituents argue about the best place to get them here. You're welcome.

Didcot & Wantage MP Olly Glover (LibDem) started his parliamentary season by asking the government what it can do to narrow the participation gap in sport between state and private schools, highlighting Challow & Childrey Cricket Club's collaboration with King Alfred's Academy. And it does rather look from this video as if Glover, the LibDem transport spokesperson, did his summer tour of his constituency by bike, fuelled by toasties.

Henley & Thame MP Freddie van Mierlo (LibDem) stood up in Parliament asking the Government to reconsider the new Greater Oxford unitary after hearing feedback on his summer tour from residents and parish councils. Looks like they were listening…

Thames Valley Police & Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber (Con) doesn’t look like he took a break at all: every other day he seems to be delivering leaflets or pulling pints. In campaigning news he’s been out with TVP’s retail crime team, reporting that last month they solved over 78% of the crimes reported to them: “We need shop staff and the public to continue to report crime and be willing to provide evidence, and we need the Crown Prosecution Service and the courts to take retail crime more seriously – something that may be even more challenging thanks to the Government’s Sentencing Act.”

University and research

The Oxford-educated King of Norway has died, aged 89. As crown prince, Harald V studied at Balliol College between 1960 and 1962, following his father Olav. A keen member of the college boat club, Harald once rowed against Stephen Hawking (cox for Univ's crew). Balliol's flag flew at half mast.
'Orbiting Orbital', Nitin Sawhney's contemporary oratorio based on Samantha Harvey's Booker Prize-winning novel Orbital, is to have its world premiere at Oxford University's Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities in November. The work includes six new poems by Harvey, accompanied by six new pieces of music and a new cantata composed and performed by Sawhney. Drawings by Antony Gormley and photography by Mary McCartney will weave into an immersive setting, including a filmed contribution by Prof Brian Cox.

Lord Mendoza presenting the engraving to Pope Leo (photo © Vatican Media).

Pope Leo received a delegation from Oriel College on Friday – thought to be the first time ever that the Vatican has welcomed a group from an Oxbridge college. The visit, in Oriel’s 700th year, follows the church’s recognition of John Newman, founder of the Oxford Movement and a former Oriel Fellow. Lord Mendoza, Provost of Oriel, said: “We are deeply grateful to Pope Leo for receiving our delegation and recognising former Fellow Saint John Henry Newman as a Doctor of the Church.” He presented a gift to Pope Leo of an original 17th century engraving of Oriel from the first illustrated book of Oxford. In May, Pope Leo issued an encyclical on AI, saying we must choose “whether to construct a new Tower of Babel or to build the city in which God and humanity dwell together”. Last week, he spoke on climate change, saying "it is not yet too late" to repair humanity's relationship with the environment.
Scientists have seen features of Einstein’s theory of gravity (General Relativity) in a quantum object for the first time, in a unique experiment by an international team including Oxford-based Roger Penrose. The experiment split an atom into two wave packets, holding one static and sending the other on a ballistic path, like throwing a ball. When the two wave packets met, they could measure the phase difference. The results matched those predicted by the equivalence principle in Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity. It doesn’t unify quantum theory and gravity, but it shows consistency in the regime tested. Lead author Ron Folman said: “This combines a hard experiment with a far-reaching theoretical interpretation, about one of the most fundamental questions in physics: how can gravity and quantum theory be unified into one understanding of the universe?” The team dubbed the instrument, housed at Ben-Gurion University, Israel, a ‘quantum Galileo interferometer’ in honour of Galileo’s discoveries about gravity. They hope to continue with larger objects.

Trains and buses

No trains will run to London Paddington over the weekend of 28/29 November. Oxford passengers are being asked to use the Marylebone line instead. GWR services from Bristol and Wales will be diverted into Euston via East West Rail but will not be picking up passengers at Oxford. Extra services will also run from Reading to Guildford for connections to London. (Full map.) The closure is to facilitate a junction upgrade speeding up semi-fast trains, including those to Didcot.
A new two-platform station at Ardley “could significantly enhance rail access for nearby communities”, according to a study commissioned by Oxfordshire County Council. The station would have direct trains to Banbury, Bicester and London Marylebone, and would cost £24m–£29m. The next stage would be a strategic outline business case. (Clarion rule of thumb: all new railway stations require at least five studies to determine that they will cost £25m.)

City Sightseeing Oxford and the Museum of Oxford have partnered to create a joint ticketing option. Visitors and residents alike can now add the museum to the 18 stops on the route, for a combined price of £21.50 (adult) or £13 (child). The Museum of Oxford, a 2025 TripAdvisor award winner, started charging for entry in January 2026: footfall has dropped and campaigners seek to reverse the decision.
An Oxfordshire bus company has shut its doors after over 100 years. Charlton Services started in the early 1920s as a one-bus operation by Charles Knight of Charlton-on-Otmoor. Ownership moved between three families over its lifespan, but it continued with both scheduled village bus services and coach hire in the Bicester and Otmoor area until 2023, when the last village bus ran. The retirement of family owner Penelope Holder has seen the end of coach services and winding up the company. We are indebted to the Facebook ‘Bus Archive’ page for this anecdote about their legendary conductor Phyllis:

“One Saturday night she was challenged by a policeman for overloading the double-decker leaving Oxford; it was full of ‘well-oiled’ servicemen. She explained that she could turn them all off and then the police could chase them round Oxford all night. They stayed on the bus.”

Notes from Clarion HQ

This week, your Clarion cinema correspondent saw a film in which an Oxford-educated lawyer fights big tech, strikes a blow for animal rights, and learns an important lesson about self-belief. No, we weren’t expecting an Oxford connection to Coyote vs Acme either, but there you go.

Thanks to all those of you who have been in touch this week. The cheese news means we've had to move some stories to Friday's newsletter (otherwise your email clients will clip this message). But do keep them coming to news@oxfordclarion.uk and we'll share as many as we can. See you on Friday.