WE ALL love a good Freudian slip, but rarely do we hear one as apt as John Jackson’s at a meeting this week.

The county’s social services director was at the performance scrutiny committee, where £7.1m of cuts to his department were being discussed.

Oxford Mail:

  • John Jackson

As if it isn’t bad enough that there are concerns frontline services will no longer be protected, Mr Jackson revealed his own fears in a fitting way. Tripping over his words, he accidentally referred to the department he runs as “adult social scare”.

Clearly, with £64m of cuts planned over the next four years, it is a scary time for everyone in local government, and Mr Jackson is no exception.

 

ONE of Oxford’s most vociferous campaign groups has extended an olive branch to its enemies to celebrate Christmas.

Oxford Mail:

In a gesture reminiscent of the unofficial ceasefires of the “Christmas Truce” seen between English and German troops on the Western Front in 1914, the Save Port Meadow group, pictured earlier this year, has invited city council and university officials to a party to celebrate community spirit.

The invitation is set against a background of fierce fighting between the Save Port Meadow group, which opposes the Castle Mill development, and both the city council and university, which it has accused of colluding to get the eyesore buildings through the planning process.

Nevertheless, the group has promised no speeches or campaign talk at the Gardeners Arms on Monday night. A nice gesture? Absolutely. Is the vice-chancellor likely to accept their invitation? No chance.

 

COUNTY Hall’s shoddy public announcement system has struck again, and this time the county council tried to pin it on journalists and councillors.

When the microphones and PA system at Monday’s scrutiny meeting started acting up (as it does at EVERY meeting held there), an officer took it upon himself to demand phones and WiFi devices were turned off.

When he got to the press bench, a colleague of ours refused, as this would impair his ability to cover the meeting on Twitter.

Oxford Mail:

Even councillor Arash Fatemian, pictured, was asked to turn his iPad off, and responded by instead using a laptop, much to said officer’s chagrin.

We have consulted a few experts (well, we asked Twitter), and no-one seems to understand how WiFi signals could disrupt PA equipment. A more cynical Insider might shout censorship... or at least attempted censorship... but we wouldn’t dare.