When I lived in Scotland, people often used to say to me “Don’t worry if you’re not happy with the weather, it’ll change in 15 minutes.” And they weren’t lying. It wasn’t uncommon to have all four seasons| Oxford Clarion
This week’s top stories It’s all go for Oxford United’s new stadium at the Triangle, near Kidlington, as the Secretary of State Steve Reed confirmed he won’t “call it in”. This means the Government has forgone the chance to order a further review, which it could| Oxford Clarion
Happy weekend to all our readers! We have a gloriously varied newsletter for you this week: historical mysteries, bonus buses, and geeking out about council reorganisation. Put the kettle on and settle down. We know it's long – pretend it's a newspaper and enjoy it all,| Oxford Clarion
Do you want an extremely geeky deep-dive into local council reorganisation? You’re a Clarion reader. Of course you do. Your quick recap. In those days, Angela Rayner issued a decree that county and district councils shall be merged. In previous episodes of the Clarion (cue dramatic theme music)| Oxford Clarion
The group leader of the Independent Oxford Alliance, David Henwood, has been found to have harassed and bullied a Labour councillor and brought Oxford City Council into disrepute. Trish Elphinstone, who works as a music teacher, was Labour county councillor for Rose Hill & Littlemore. She brought a complaint to| Oxford Clarion
An unexpected discovery at Oxfordshire County Council’s proposed new HQ could transform our understanding of Oxford’s history. Madeline Odent explains more… Oxfordshire County Council received some unfortunate news this month. Its move to Speedwell House must be paused, perhaps permanently, by the discovery of ‘well preserved walls’ beneath| Oxford Clarion
This week’s top stories Oxfordshire's council leaders issued a rare joint statement following the terrorist attack in Manchester. In it they expressed shock and horror, sending thoughts and prayers to the victims, their loved ones, and members of the local community. The districts of South Oxfordshire and Vale of| Oxford Clarion
Welcome to all our new subscribers this week! We round up the best of Oxfordshire's news, events and local media, gift-wrap it with our own brand of commentary and any longer articles we've published, and deliver it to your inbox each Friday lunchtime. If you like it, do tell your| Oxford Clarion
With the far right hogging the headlines, Oxford trade union activist Toby James says the city can buck the trend – but only if we work together, from allotment associations to school governors to community music… There's a Kurt Vonnegut quote: “What should [...] people do with| Oxford Clarion
The latest Kidical Mass family bike ride attracted a record turnout, according to organisers Cyclox. More than 200 cyclists of all ages converged in Oxford ringing bells as they circled the city centre. Four feeder rides from Florence Park, Cutteslowe, Headington and West Oxford met in Gloucester Green for a| Oxford Clarion
This week’s top stories Banbury’s Labour MP Sean Woodcock has called out roundabouts being painted with red and white flags as “vandalism”, saying “it doesn’t honour our nation, it disrespects it… we must reject racism and bigotry outright”. Read| Oxford Clarion
Banbury MP Sean Woodcock weighs in to the debate on flags, and outlines his thoughts on national pride and Labour's progress in their change agenda. --- Pride in our country I am immensely proud to call England my home. Our nation, with its rich history, is something to cherish.| Oxford Clarion
This week’s top stories Oxford’s £5 congestion charge is set to come into force by 10 November. The County Council cabinet unanimously approved the scheme at a special meeting on Wednesday. We covered the meeting live on Bluesky. Proposing the motion, Cllr Andrew Gant said| Oxford Clarion
Kids are back at school, traffic is back… and the news never went away. We bring you a smorgasbord of exclusives, events and some dodgy monastic puns. Trigger warning: there is a picture of a spider in the MP section! This week’s long reads Oxford’s| Oxford Clarion
At the end of a hot, dry summer where the impact of climate change has been visible from day to day, how do Oxford residents and their families come to terms with the changing world? Karen Dauncey, a volunteer for Oxford's Network of Climate Cafés, writes| Oxford Clarion
Is your garden suffering in this uncommonly hot summer? Oxford horticulturist Amandine Lepers-Thornton explains how to future-proof your planting in the age of climate change. Imagine a typical British garden. Lush green grass, shrubs and trees looking full and beds bursting at the seams with green leaves and spires of| Oxford Clarion
West Oxfordshire District Council and local Liberal Democrat councillors are celebrating victory over the Government in the High Court this week. The dispute concerns Salt Cross, the new ‘garden village’ development near Eynsham, which WODC had specified needed to be built to net zero standards. WODC had planned a fossil| Oxford Clarion
With a government determined to “sprint towards clean, homegrown energy”, it’s a good time to be an investor in solar farms. Ed Miliband, the Secretary of State for Energy, has made no secret of his support for onshore solar – a stark contrast to his Conservative predecessors. He approved three| Oxford Clarion
“Sir Keir Starmer has made overhauling planning the foundation of his push for growth, attacking the current rules as ‘ruinous’ and promising to take on ‘nimbys’ who have held Britain ‘to ransom’ and ‘choked’ the economy.” So ran a splash in the Times this weekend. Local councillors have been fingered| Oxford Clarion
Happy Valentine’s Day to all our readers. We love that you’re here. Let us bring a romantic flavour to your Friday lunchtime with some… in-depth budget coverage? This week’s top stories There was a point on Thursday evening, with Oxford City Council deep in debate about garden| Oxford Clarion
Once a year Oxford City Council sets its budget. It doesn't often make for good headlines (Giant pothole on A34! Emma Watson! Jeremy Clarkson’s dog!) but it should. For the 165,000 people living in Oxford City, this is how the council will spend around £100m and materially impact| Oxford Clarion
This week’s top stories The Oxford–Cambridge Arc is back – but this time it’s a ‘growth corridor’. Oxford is to get a Government-led Growth Commission to “review how best to tackle the barriers that are constraining development of new housing and infrastructure”. Bringing together councils, universities and local| Oxford Clarion
Rail industry documents passed to the Oxford Clarion show that the Government will need to overrule Network Rail if the Botley Road work is to finish before June 2026. The road was originally closed in April 2023, and was set to reopen in October 2024. But the discovery of a| Oxford Clarion
It is tree planting season. Oxford City Council has made much of planting 150 trees across the city. Oxfordshire County Council is adding another 109 street trees within the city limits. One enterprising city councillor, in conjunction with an East Oxford school, has planted nearly 1000. (You are reading that| Oxford Clarion
Oxfordshire’s on-going Special Educational Needs (SEND) crisis continues. The Government has pledged additional funding – but will it be enough? Following the recent Budget, the Labour Government announced on December 4 a “£740m capital investment to create more specialist places in mainstream schools”. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson promised “tangible change| Oxford Clarion
In a city where every scrap of land is sought for much-needed housing, it scarcely seems believable that a 2,000m² site just outside the centre has been sitting derelict for 18 years. Even more so when that site has a history stretching back 180 years and is located in| Oxford Clarion
Will Dawes, Director of Chapel Music at Somerville College, curates a selection of choral delights for the festive season – from the Messiah to Midnight Mass. Whilst the big day is still about a month away, the season of shopping, festivity, and celebration in these darker evenings is very much already| Oxford Clarion
