Oxfordshire Live (2026)

23/12/2025

The leader of Oxfordshire County Council has called for an “urgent review” into whether the authority should continue using X, following concerns over Elon Musk’s ownership.

The council, with 46,840 followers on the platform, also uses OxonTravel to share updates on traffic and flooding.

Liberal Democrat councillor Gareth Epps criticised the platform, saying it had “entrenched its position as a major driver of disinformation and division in the UK” since Musk bought Twitter and rebranded it as X. He questioned whether critical updates like road closures during Storm Claudia should be communicated primarily via X.

In response, council leader Liz Leffmam acknowledged concerns but emphasised residents access information through various channels. She said: “For critical council updates, we don’t rely on a single channel but use a range of channels to ensure the latest information reaches people as quickly as possible.”

She added that social media use was under constant review and that new platforms such as BlueSky and WhatsApp were being explored. However, she noted these channels had low follower numbers and were used alongside X.

Conservative councillor Liam Walker criticised the focus on Musk’s ownership, arguing the council should prioritise fixing potholes and upgrading roads instead. A council spokesperson confirmed the communications team regularly reviews social media channels and would make recommendations on X’s future use in due course.

✍Original copy via Local Democracy Service by Esme Kenney

22/12/2025

Tomorrow's weather forecast for Oxfordshire

22/12/2025

Car parking fees in South Oxfordshire will rise by five per cent from April 2026, as the district council seeks to address a projected deficit of £122,105 in 2028/29.

A consultation will also be launched on whether drivers should pay on arrival instead of using paper tickets through Pay and Display.

The council’s cabinet approved the fee increase at its meeting last Thursday, with Councillor Sue Cooper suggesting a modest rise aligned with inflation. She said, “This was roughly in line with inflation and appropriate given the cost-of-living crisis.”

Councillor Georgina Heritage highlighted the importance of affordable parking for rural residents, stating, “Many rural residents have no choice but to use a car.” The changes will see two-hour parking increase to £2.30, and five hours to £5.30, with permits also being reduced by up to 50 per cent.

Other proposals, including converting Southern Road car park in Thame to long-stay and aligning other town car parks, will undergo public consultation before possible implementation in July 2026. The council also aims to save £8,000 by introducing charging on arrival.

The council ruled out removing free parking for the first hour or extending charging hours until 8pm, citing concerns for local businesses. It also rejected fees for non-charging car parks in Culham, Benson, Chinnor and Wheatley but plans to consult parish councils about future charges. Electric vehicle permits will remain at half price.

✍Original copy via Local Democracy Service by Esme Kenney

22/12/2025

It’s been a long journey, but Oxford United was finally granted planning permission to build a new stadium in 2025.

The new 16,000-capacity stadium will be built at The Triangle site near Kidlington, along with a 180-bed hotel, restaurant, conference centre and community plaza.

The club is in need of a new home, as its lease at the Kassam Stadium is due to run out.

It was granted planning permission by Cherwell District Council in August after a four-hour long council meeting, then it was given the green light by the Secretary of State two months later.

Here’s a look back the events that led to OUFC getting its future home approved.

A series of delays…

The planning application for the new stadium was first submitted in February 2024.

But for an application of this scale, especially on Green Belt land, it was bound to take a long time to come to the committee.

It was supposed to be discussed by the council in mid-July, but it was delayed to August after Natural England who designated a nearby woodland at Stratfield Brake as ‘ancient’.

Later that month, Natural England withdrew their support for it being classed as ancient woodland.

The all-important meeting

The application was discussed by councillors at their meeting on August 14.

Some fans came to watch in person, while the live-stream of the meeting was watched by more than 8,700 people – the highest number ever recorded for a Cherwell District Council meeting.

Because the stadium will be built on Green Belt land, the club had to submitted a case for very special circumstances, including the need to relocate from the Kassam Stadium and the lack of other sites.

In the introduction to the application, planning officer Rebecca Bell said that these circumstances were enough to justify the stadium going ahead.

What followed was a lengthy debate, with supporters and objectors weighing in on the plans.

Councillor Linda Ward, who represents Kidlington East, said: “Football is a beautiful game. This application is a beast.

“Cinderella’s fairy godmother could not make this shoe fit.”

Councillor Ian Middleton, who represents the same ward, said: “The impact on local residents will be significant and consistent.”

Oxford United’s chief executive Tim Williams said: “We’ve made major changes and went above and beyond what could have been expected, but we wanted to and needed to get this right for everyone.”

Roland Clements, who was a steward at the club for 40 years, gave an emotional speech, calling the club his second home and a second family.

After a long discussion between councillors on the planning committee, councillor Kerrie Thornhill proposed that the application should be approved.

She said: “I want to say this is a tremendously exciting project. It’s huge in its scale and in its potential.”

The stadium was approved with 14 councillors voting in favour, three abstaining and one against.

The secretary of state gives the stadium the thumbs up

Once the stadium got planning permission from the council, it still needed to be referred to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, who would decide whether to ‘call it in’ for further evaluation.

The Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government issued a ‘holding direction’ on September 11 to allow the secretary of state more time to decide whether to call it in.

This came after Angela Rayner resigned from the post and was replaced by Steve Reed.

Local MPs Anneliese Dodds, Sean Woodcock and Calum Miller all wrote to the new secretary of state urging for a decision to be made quickly.

On October 15, Steve Reed announced that he would not be calling in the application, which means it can go ahead.

Reacting to the news, Grant Ferguson, chairman of Oxford United, said: “The Secretary of State’s decision to not to call in the planning application for our stadium means the club can now begin to

“On behalf of everyone at Oxford United, I would like to thank all of our supporters, along with the incredible project team who have been instrumental in getting us to this point.”

What’s to come in 2026?

The club is currently working through the Section 106 agreements, which is a legal agreement that sets out the financial contributions it would make to local infrastructure to make the stadium possible.

Once this has been completed, the club will be able to move onto the next phase of the project.

It will be able to stay at the Kassam Stadium until June 2028, now that it has planning approval for a new stadium.

While we do not yet know the precise timescales for when spades will go in the ground, many OUFC fans will be looking forward to hearing more about the progress of the stadium in 2026.

✍Original copy via Local Democracy Service by Esme Kenney

22/12/2025

Oxford’s MPs and council leaders have shared their Christmas messages to readers during this festive season.

Anneliese Dodds, MP for Oxford East

From Cowley to Churchill and Rose Hill to Risinghurst, I want to wish everyone in Oxford East (and beyond) a Very Merry Christmas!

I’m so grateful to everyone in Oxford who will be working throughout the festive period.

Whether its workers in our NHS, social carers, firefighters, police and police support staff, social workers, refuse collectors, homelessness staff, taxi drivers, hospitality workers or the many others who will be looking after us during this period – thank you.

Please can I also say a huge thanks to the many volunteers who will be providing food and companionship to those in need this Christmas, including at Flo’s and the Kings Centre.

Peace and good will to one and all!

Layla Moran, MP for Oxford West & Abingdon

As we come to the end of another busy year, I want to wish everyone across Oxfordshire a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

This season is a chance to pause, reflect, and appreciate the people who support us, from our families and neighbours, to the key workers, volunteers, and carers who keep our communities running. Your kindness and resilience continue to inspire me.

I know that for many, this year has brought real pressures. If you’re finding things difficult, please know that help is available and you are not alone. One of the greatest strengths of our community is how we look out for one another.

As we look ahead to 2026, I remain focused on working together to secure the brighter, fairer future our communities deserve.

Wishing you all a joyful Christmas and a hopeful year ahead.

Susan Brown, leader of Oxford City Council

“As 2025 comes to an end, I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who, through their contributions, help make Oxford such a wonderful city.

Our city has faced challenges in recent years, but time and again, the strength and spirit of our communities have shone through. From volunteers supporting those in need, to local businesses and organisations whose work keeps our city the vibrant and varied place we love.

Your efforts make this city a truly wonderful place to live, work, and visit, and I look forward to seeing what 2026 brings us. I have no doubt that 2026 will be busy for us all.

So, I hope you get time over the Christmas period to rest and enjoy time with your loved ones. Merry Christmas, everyone.”

Liz Leffman, leader of Oxfordshire County Council

It only feels like a short period of time since I was last penning a message of festive greetings for Oxford Mail readers – 2025 has passed in the blinking of an eye.

The job of a council leader – or indeed for any county councillor – means that we are often dealing with difficult and controversial issues while trying to do the very best for Oxfordshire residents as a whole and our own constituents in the parts of the county we serve.

However, when Christmas arrives there is still the desire to put all of that to one side and wish everyone a peaceful yuletide.

At the county council we will as always have key personnel on duty throughout the period – social carers for adults and children, firefighters, the gritter drivers and others.

I am quite sure they and everyone at the council would like to wish all of the people we serve a very merry Christmas.

✍Original copy via Local Democracy Service by Esme Kenney

22/12/2025

This year was was a huge one for the Oxfordshire County Council, with local elections, the congestion charge and local government reorganisation moving forward.

But what is on Oxfordshire County Council’s wishlist for the next year?

Let’s take a look ahead at what could be in store in 2026.

Botley Road reopens (we hope)

It was last January when we heard the disappointing news that Botley Road would not until August 2026.

The road has been closed at the rail bridge since April 2023 as part of Network Rail’s £231 million plans to upgrade Oxford Station.

It was initially meant to be closed for two six-month periods, with a break in the middle, with the works being completed in October 2024.

Network Rail said the road will reopen in August 2026, but we have been here before, so let’s hope the timescale is not delayed once again.

Traffic filter trial begins

The knock-on effect of the Botley Road closure is that the planned traffic filter trial has not been able to go ahead on time.

The traffic filters mean drivers who pass through one of six roads (Hythe Bridge Street, Thames Street, St Cross, St Clements’, Hollow Way and Marston Ferry Road) at certain times will be fined up to £70.

Sound familiar?

The congestion charge was introduced in October as an interim measure until Botley Road reopens.

The bus companies urged the county council to do something about traffic due to the delay to the traffic filter trial.

The permits for the congestion charge will be the same as the traffic filters.

If Botley Road reopens in August 2026, the traffic filters will come into effect immediately.

One council for Oxfordshire?

The Government announced in late 2024 that it would be scrapping two-tier councils like Oxfordshire, where services are split between a county and district councils.

They will be replaced by unitary authorities where all services are provided by the same council.

What’s yet to be decided is whether Oxfordshire will be split into one, two or three local authorities.

Oxfordshire County Council want there to be one council for the whole county, on the grounds that it would save money, be more efficient and more simple for residents to understand.

The other councils are supporting different options, with Oxford City Council supporting the three-council option, while Cherwell, West Oxfordshire, South and Vale support the two-council option.

But the Government will have the final say on which option goes ahead.

It is expected to announce which option goes ahead in early 2026.

Shadow authorities will be elected in 2027, and the new councils will be formed in 2028.

Workplace parking levy could be approved

The workplace parking levy is an annual charge to employers for parking spaces that that they provide themselves, and the fee would depend on how many spaces they provide.

It will be up to individual employers to decide whether this charge will be passed on to employees, and the money raised would go towards better buses, walking and cycling infrastructure.

The public consultation will happen in summer 2026, and the cabinet will make a decision on whether it goes ahead in Autumn 2026.

But the scheme will have to be submitted to the Department of Transport for final approval.

If it’s approved, the charges will start in 2028.

Moving out of County Hall

Oxfordshire County Council is planning to move out of County Hall in late 2026.

It will move into Speedwell House in April 2028, once the building has been redeveloped.

The new HQ will have a café, meeting spaces and a coroner’s court.

In the interim, the council plans to use its existing office space in and beyond Oxford to accommodate staff whose current home base is County Hall as well as a council chamber and coroner’s court.

County Hall has been sold to owners of The Store hotel in Broad Street and will be turned into a luxury hotel.

✍Original copy via Local Democracy Service by Esme Kenney

22/12/2025

From new homes and labs to a new football stadium, 2025 has been a big year for development in Oxfordshire.

The region is set to become ‘Europe’s Silicon Valley’ as part of plans for an Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor, which means more development is bound to be on the horizon.

Let’s recap some of the big planning applications that were given the green light by councils in the last year.

Regeneration of Oxpens for flats, hotel and labs

Plans to build 234 apartments, student accommodation, a hotel, offices and labs on the largely derelict Oxpens site were approved in January.

OXWED, a joint venture between Nuffield College and the city council, applied to regenerate the 15-acre brownfield site into a new leisure quarter for the city centre.

It forms part of longstanding plans to revamp Oxford’s west end, including regenerating Osney Mead industrial estate and the island of buildings between Park End Street, Hythe Bridge Street and Worcester Street.

The Environment Agency objected to the Oxpens development, over uncertainty as to when the necessary improvements to the sewage treatment works would be carried out.

It has since approved Thames Water’s plans to upgrade Oxford Sewage Treatment Works from 2027.

New student flats for Oxford University college near The Plain

Magdalen College’s plans to demolish the Waynflete Building, which was used as student accommodation, and replace it with a new building.

The York Place Residents’ Association raised several objections to the plans, with Dr Peter Collins stating that the building would be “an albatross around the city’s neck” if it went ahead.

Dinah Rose QC, president of Magdalen College, said that the existing building did not meet the current or future need of the college, and that the building had poor insultation and inadequate washing facilities.

The Waynflete Building, which was built in the 1960s, is now almost completely demolished.

New labs to be built on Botley Retail Park

Plans to build new offices and labs on Botley Road Retail Park were rubber-stamped by the city council in May.

Three new buildings would be built on the site, which would mean that the Pets at Home, Screwfix and Currys PC World would be demolished.

The Screwfix on the site closed its doors in March this year.

Aldi and Home Bargains are outside the application site.

Developers British Land say it will create more than 1,800 new jobs, with construction starting in 2026 and due to finish in 2028.

Huge warehouses to be built on M40 near Bicester

Despite receiving more than 500 objections, the plans for a huge development of warehouses and offices near junction 10 on the M40 were approved by Cherwell District Council.

Developers Albion Land and Tritax Symmetry Ardley submitted four planning applications between them, with only one of them being refused based on “visual impact”.

Many of the objections raised concerns about increased traffic on the M40 and the environmental consequence, while one objector called it a “monstrous development”.

The meeting lasted five and a half hours and was ultimately approved.

Oxford United’s new stadium

After years of anticipation, Oxford United’s plans to build a new stadium at The Triangle site near Kidlington was approved.

The new stadium will have capacity for 16,000 fans, along with a 180-bed hotel, restaurant, conference centre and community plaza.

More than 8,700 people watched the live-stream for the four-hour-long council meeting – the highest number ever recorded by Cherwell District Council.

Oxford United fans feared that not approving the planning application would mean the end of the club, as its lease on the Kassam Stadium was due to run out.

But some raised concerns about the site being built on Green Belt land, the environmental impact and transport.

The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed, said he would not call in the application, which means it can go ahead.

The club will stay at the Kassam Stadium until up to June 2028 while the new stadium is being built.

✍Original copy via Local Democracy Service by Esme Kenney

22/12/2025

Today's weather forecast for Oxfordshire

20/12/2025

The Lib Dems have urged Oxford City Council to oppose any plans to delay the May 2026 local elections, warning it would harm local democracy.

The Government contacted 63 councils, asking for their views on postponing elections to prioritise local government reorganisation.

Oxford’s minority Labour-run council said it is “carefully considering” its response, which must be submitted by midnight on January 15. In a joint statement, MP Layla Moran and Lib Dem leader Chris Smowton criticised the potential delay, stating: “Democracy delayed is democracy denied.”

Oxford City Council elects half its members every two years, with each serving four-year terms. West Oxfordshire District Council also has the chance to delay their elections, with a third of councillors elected annually.

A council spokesperson said: “We received the letter yesterday and will consider our response over the coming weeks.” The councils across Oxfordshire will be replaced by new unitary authorities, with elections for shadow councils scheduled for May 2027 and the new councils launching in April 2028.

✍Original copy via Local Democracy Service by Esme Kenney

20/12/2025

Oxford’s hospitals are urging the public not to abuse their free parking offer during the Christmas period, which is meant for patients, visitors and staff.

Free parking is available at the John Radcliffe, Churchill, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, and Horton’s car parks on Christmas day, Boxing day and New Years Day.

Paul Shead, deputy chief estates and facilities officer at Oxford University Hospitals, said: “We offer this free parking for our staff and visitors every Christmas – no-one wants to be in hospital at Christmas time, and we want to make things as easy as possible for the people we are caring for and their loved ones.

“We ask that people do not abuse this gesture – it is in place for patients, visitors, and our staff at Christmas time.

“We do not want people having trouble accessing our car parks at what can be a really distressing time for the sake of people using our car parks to visit surrounding areas.

“Please do the right thing this Christmas, and don’t abuse our services.”

Parking will work as normal between Saturday, December 27 and Wednesday, December 31, and from Friday, January 2 onwards.

Cherwell District Council offers free parking on Christmas day, Boxing Day and New Years Day every year at council-run car parks.

But no councils in Oxfordshire are offering free or discounted car parking in the Christmas period.

The £5 congestion charge will still be in place on Christmas day, and other bank holidays.

✍Original copy via Local Democracy Service by Esme Kenney

20/12/2025

Planned cuts to Oxfordshire’s fire service, including station closures and 12-hour shifts, have been criticised by the district council.

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue’s consultation proposes closing stations at Eynsham, Woodstock, and Henley, while merging Kidlington and Rewley Road stations in Oxford into one facility.

Only five fire engines would be available overnight, risking delays in response times, with at least 42 firefighters facing redundancy. The plans also threaten to displace 14 firefighters from Kidlington due to station mergers.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has opposed the proposals, with a petition gathering 1,600 signatures. Cherwell District Council passed a motion urging the council to oppose the reduction of firefighters, 12-hour shifts, and station mergers.

Labour councillor Andrew Crichton said: “When the very people who risk their lives for us are telling us these plans will make their jobs harder and our communities less safe, we have a responsibility to listen.” He added that delays of “two minutes longer than the national average” could risk lives amid rising demand.

Council leader David Hingley proposed an amendment to express “concerns” rather than outright opposition, but it was rejected by a vote of 19 to 25. The original motion was approved with 30 votes in favour.

Deputy chief fire officer Mike Adcock stated: “No decisions have been made on any of the proposals because first we want to carefully consider the views of residents and firefighters during the ongoing consultation process.” The consultation closes on January 20, after which further decisions are expected.

✍Original copy via Local Democracy Service by Esme Kenney

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