Archive

  • Council HQ budget doubled

    The budget has almost doubled to replace a council's headquarters that was burned down in an arson attack. South Oxfordshire District Council originally allocated £9.4m as the budget for the Crowmarsh Gifford building and now that budget is £17.8m

  • Prisoners tested for coronavirus given their results

    Prisoners at Bullingdon have been given the all-clear after being tested for coronavirus, reports say. The Press Association reported that the prisoners had tested negative for the virus - three days after the prison, near Bicester, was put on

  • Popular football pitch is NOT closing

    WITNEY Town Council has denied claims that a football pitch on the Leys is set to close. Rumours circulated on social media yesterday that the popular grounds were to be closed by the council, with many upset by the possibility. However, town

  • Stormzy joins Liam Gallagher for Reading Festival

    EVEN before Glastonbury took the crown of king of festivals, lovers of rock were descending on the banks of the River Thames to shake their stuff to the latest, noisiest, new bands. Reading Festival is still going strong – and is still putting on

  • Pop-up church cafe run by museum

    A CHURCH will offer tea, cake and a look back in time at a pop-up cafe this weekend. St Alban's Church in East Oxford will welcome members of the public on Saturday, who can view historic artefacts, enjoy the church architecture and enjoy refreshments

  • 'Sharper' Matty Taylor ready for Oxford United run

    MATTY Taylor says he is fit to play a run of games for Oxford United after putting a knee injury behind him. The striker started successive Sky Bet League One matches this week for only the third time this season. But he was only in the XI

  • Cars 'tampered' with in Oxford

    THIEVES are breaking into cars in Oxford, police have warned. In the latest online appeal, Thames Valley Police officers said that cars had been 'tampered' with in different parts of the city. Read more: Man punched in head during robbery in

  • New health chief vows to help neglected communities

    THE new health boss at Oxfordshire County Council has set out his plans to improve the county's wellbeing. Ansaf Azhar, Oxfordshire's new director of public health, gave an annual report into the state of the county's health at a meeting of the

  • MP backs Government's £5 billion transport spend

    WITNEY MP Robert Courts has welcomed the Government’s announcement to invest £5 billion into overhauling buses and cycling over the next five years. The money will be used to: create more frequent bus services; fund 4,000 new zero emission buses

  • £50m electric bus fleet could be arriving in Oxford

    BUS passengers in Oxford could be the first in the country to use a fleet of electric buses costing up to £50m. A partnership involving the county council, city council, Stagecoach, the Oxford Bus Company and Arriva announced it is submitting a

  • 'Why not spend HS2 money on improving existing services?'

    Dear Editor, So the controversial HS2 rail line is going to go ahead at a cost of £100 billion. From my experience, trains don't run on time and after often cancelled with standing room only – ask any London commuter. The money could be better

  • Town's department store will NOT close

    A DEPARTMENT store in Chipping Norton is one of eleven that will not close. Beales is set to close 12 of its 23 stores, yet the one in Chipping Norton's High Street will remain open. The chain will permanently shut a dozen stores, with a potential

  • Fundraising night raises money for children's charity

    OVER £150,000 was raised at a glittering night in aid of Ronald McDonald House. A fundraising Glitter Ball was held at Heythrop Park, Chipping Norton on Saturday to help with the construction of the new Ronald McDonald house in Oxford. The current

  • Nursery upgraded from 'inadequate' to 'good'

    A NURSERY has got rid of its 'inadequate' Ofsted rating and received fresh praise from the regulator. Ladygrove Day Nursery And Nursery School in Didcot has been graded 'good', seven months after it was given the worst rating. A new report, published

  • Oxford United loan Fabio Lopes to AFC Rushden & Diamonds

    AFC Rushden & Diamonds have announced Fabio Lopes has joined on loan from Oxford United. The 18-year-old's paperwork is expected to be completed in time for him to be available this weekend. Rushden are sixth in the Premier Central division

  • Clothes sale in aid of Citizens Advice

    A POP-UP clothes sale will raise funds for Citizens Advice next month. The Friends of West Oxfordshire Citizens Advice is seeking donations for the event at The Methodist Church, Witney. The charity asks that all donated clothes are clean and

  • Council refuses to publish zero-star Subway report

    DISASTROUS food and hygiene findings about a fast food franchise will remain a secret after a district council refused to publish the full report. Following a Freedom of Information request submitted by the Oxford Mail, Vale of White Horse District

  • Bus to celebrate its 60th birthday

    A LOCAL museum will be celebrating a special birthday as one of its buses turns 60 years old this year. The 1960 AEC Reliance (756 KFC) is just one of the anniversaries the Oxford Bus Museum in Long Hanborough will be celebrating this year. The

  • Existing schools could relocate as county grows

    MORE schools could be moved and expanded to meet population growth. Oxfordshire County Council could favour the approach, instead of just relying on housing developers to build new schools alongside housing. All new schools are now academies,

  • Council set to introduce housing development charges

    WEST Oxfordshire District Council (WODC) is formulating plans to introduce new charges on housing developments in the region. The council wants to introduce a series of charges under the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and is set to launch a

  • Eighty DIY recipes for green household cleaners

    By Catherine Somerville of Sustainable Wallingford. The last thing you want to do is dump toxic chemicals into the environment in the name of cleaning, right? Have you noticed the statements on Persil, Ariel, Surf, etc that they permanently harm

  • Man takes on Arctic challenge for dogs

    A PAWNBROKING expert and passionate dog-lover has completed a gruelling four-day trek across Finland to raise thousands of pounds for an animal charity. Michael Suter, from Banbury, embarked on an adventure walking, skiing and husky sledding in

  • Botley Road traffic clears after broken-down bus removed

    A BROKEN-down bus on Botley Road which caused delays getting into Oxford this morning has been removed. The Stagecoach bus was stuck near Ferry Hinksey Road and was partially blocking the lane headed out of the city. The county council has

  • Prisoner at centre of Bullingdon coronavirus testing named

    A WALLINGFORD man extradited from Thailand on drugs charges is believed to be at the centre of Bullingdon's suspected coronavirus outbreak. The prison, which is near Bicester, has been on lockdown since Monday. Mark Rumble, 31, arrived back

  • Lane reopens on A34 and lorry removed

    THERE were long delays on the A34 this morning following a broken-down lorry. Confirmed that it's a broken down lorry opposite the #Wytham turn on the southbound #A34.https://t.co/m1BcEDkMAZ — OxonTravel (@OxonTravel) February 12, 2020

  • FOOTBALL: Spartans’ magnificent seven + Witney FA round-up

    DAVE Cross slammed a hat-trick as Spartan Rangers thrashed Milton 7-2 in the Witney & District FA Premier Division. Further goals from David Pryse, Frank Clarke, Mitch Constable and Henry Clarke secured a comfortable win for Spartans, while Alex

  • FOOTBALL: Oxford Mail Girls League goalscorers

    OXFORD Blackbirds won 4-3 at Didcot Town in an Oxford Mail Girls League thriller. Cherniel Wright, Anaya Grey, Lara Layug and Siena Chung were on target for the visitors in the Under 13 clash. Lois Copping, Alice Corrigan and Amelie Stock all

  • FOOD REVIEW: Pub meal filled us up on cold winter’s night

    On a cold Thursday night after a long week, I wanted nothing more than some good pub grub, writes JAMES ROBERTS. I had driven past the Cherry Tree on Steventon High Street countless times and was hoping for the warm atmosphere and hearty food that

  • Brookes building 'transformed' in £6.65m project

    A UNIVERSITY building has been 'transformed' after a £6.25m makeover. Oxford Brookes University has unveiled its modernised Sinclair building in Headington, following a refurbishment spanning 92 weeks. Construction company Stepnell, which led

  • Man facing alleged Oxfordshire rape enters plea

    A MAN accused of raping a woman in Oxfordshire has elected to face a trial by jury. Max Warner appeared at Oxford Crown Court yesterday facing the single count of rape. The 27-year-old of Dawls Close, Ascott Under Wychwood, Oxfordshire, pleaded

  • Suspected coronavirus cases reported at hospital and prison

    FEARS over coronavirus in Oxfordshire have been fuelled by reports of suspected cases at Bullingdon prison, the John Radcliffe Hospital and an ambulance spotted being decontaminated outside the Headington hospital. UPDATE: Prisoner at centre of

  • Homelessness is up for discussion at Town Hall tonight

    A STRATEGY to help the homeless is among topics up for debate at a meeting tonight. Oxford City Council's cabinet will gather at Oxford Town Hall from 6pm, with 18 items on the agenda including financial reports. Councillors will also discuss

  • Hands-on science activities and exhibits this half term

    The Science Oxford Centre is full of family fun this February half term with a range of events for Children and families. The Science Oxford Centre in Headington, is the UK’s first indoor-outdoor science education centre for early years and primary-aged

  • Man charged with flouting court order by using the internet

    A MAN charged with flouting a previously imposed sexual harm prevention order is due to appear at court today. Jonathan Duffy was made subject to the court order at Oxford Crown Court on May 30 2013. The 39-year-old of Walton Street, Oxford,

  • Service for town's former mayor today

    A FORMER Woodstock mayor has died after a short illness, aged 88. Colonel Nigel Clifford MBE was twice mayor of the town, an honourary townsman and a former soldier who built airfields around the world in a distinguished 30-year military career.