THE Insider was interested to see his old nemesis Kaiser Keith make a return to the public stage this week.

The former leader of Oxfordshire County Council has been making public pronouncements about the fact that Cambridge is “streets ahead” of Oxford.

At least this time he doesn’t seem to be offending anyone – although The Insider is only too happy to admit that he does miss the outspoken politician.

The Insider has been wondering if Mr Mitchell’s return to the public eye has been carefully timed.

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After all, there is a job going for an MP not far from Mr Mitchell’s Bloxham stronghold.

Commuters into Oxford have been facing an epic struggle just to get to and from work this week.

But county councillor David Nimmo Smith, cabinet member for transport, seemed unaware of this when one of The Insider’s colleagues contacted him for reaction to the bedlam this week. 

As Oxford was brought to a standstill Mr Nimmo Smith was elsewhere – undoubtedly doing important business. 

When asked about Oxford’s transport chaos he said he didn’t have a clue what was going on.
Ignorance, as they say, is bliss. 

Campaigners hoping to save Temple Cowley Pools submitted their bid to buy the site on Tuesday. 

Listed as a community asset, the site has been subject to a six-month moratorium preventing its sale until then and is now back on the open market. 

The Save Temple Cowley Pools group certainly cut it fine, as they submitted their bid late on Tuesday afternoon. 

But The Insider is interested to hear that there may have been as many as nine other bids for the Temple Road site. 

Oxford City Council hasn’t been able to sell the site for six months but it seems to have been busy keeping its options open in the meantime.

Planning inspector Ross Crail has been tasked with deciding whether the land at Foxwell Drive, Northway, should be designated as a town green. 

Residents want to protect the land to prevent a junction linking Northway with the planned 885-home Barton Park development from going ahead. 

On Monday she had the unenviable task of actually visiting Northway – in the rain – and looking at this land with Oxford City Council lawyers and the campaigners. 

That’s enough to put anyone in a bad mood – no wonder she refused to have her picture taken by our photographer.

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