A congestion charge originally forecast to bring in £320,000 a month instead raised more than £1m in January, figures show.

Oxfordshire County Council introduced the temporary £5 daily congestion charge on six roads in Oxford in October.

Council figures, show the majority of the £1.04m generated from the scheme in January came from fines issued to people who failed to pay the charge.

Overall, £757,435 came from penalty charges, while £287,205 was from those paying the charge.

That is compared to only £70 earned through fines in the scheme's first two months.

In total, the authority has generated £1.7m in income from the scheme since it started.

Kidlington Parish Council voted unanimously to change its status at a meeting on Thursday following a consultation with residents.

Councillor Melanie Moorhouse said the move would give the Oxfordshire community important extra protections in planning and policing decisions.

However, some residents told the BBC last year they opposed the change and had described the village as being "nice as it is".

An Oxford University college said it had no other viable option after it applied to replace the existing Oxfam shop with a new academic space for students.

The Oxfam bookshop at St Giles has been running since 1987 and was officially opened by Sir John Mortimer.

Regents Park College has submitted a change of use application to convert the bookshop into a Middle Common Room, (MCR) which is a community space for graduate students to socialise and study.

When contacted for comment, Regents Park College confirmed that the lease for 56 St Giles has come to an end.

A spokesperson added: “The college is seeking to bring the building back into educational use in order to support its expanded postgraduate community.

“The timing of any change in occupancy will be managed in line with the lease terms and the planning process.

“Our focus is on ensuring that, subject to planning permission, the building can be repurposed for a fit-for-purpose Middle Common Room for postgraduate, mature and ministerial students, whose current facilities are not suitable for a community of their size.”

Labour councillor Susanna Pressel, who represents Jericho & Osney, previously said she was “shocked” to hear that the Oxfam could be leaving.

She added: “Far too much of that street is already made up of institutional buildings.

“The thousands of people who walk up and down there every day need interesting premises to look at, like shops, cafes and pubs, not yet another dead frontage.

“I know Regents Park College is short of space, but that is not a good place for a student common room.

“St John’s College has lots of property very nearby: perhaps they could let out something to Regents Park College.”

A spokesperson for the college added: “We recognise that the bookshop is valued by many people.

“The college is a charity and has a responsibility to ensure that its limited estate is used to support students and educational purposes, particularly where existing facilities no longer meet requirements.

“The college has explored options, and 56 St Giles represents the only viable opportunity within our estate to provide a space of sufficient size for our postgraduate community.

“The current MCR is located in a basement, is too small, and is accessed only by a narrow staircase.

“This project would represent a significant investment in the ability of our postgraduate students to participate fully in college life.”

Oxfam said that they had no immediate plans to move, and that they would await the outcome of the planning application.

The college said it would not comment on the affairs of its tenants.

In 2008, a rare copy of Graham Greene’s ‘Rumour of Nightfall’ was found in a box of donated books in the store by volunteer Andrew Chapman, and went on to fetch £15,000 at auction.

Oxford City Council will decide whether or not to approve the application (reference number: 26/00282/FUL) in due course.

A scooter driver was rushed to hospital after he collided with a "lethal" pothole, which left him needing stitches.

"One minute everything was fine, the next I'm staring at the tarmac and not able to get up," said George Balkwill, 32, from Oxford.

He was riding a Voi hired e-scooter along Oxford Road at around 18:00 GMT on Saturday, just outside the Red Lion pub in Old Marston, when he hit the hole which was obscured by rainwater.

An Oxford City Council spokesman said the pothole had been scheduled for repair but had "deteriorated since it was first inspected".

Oxford seems to be a pretty Tesla friendly city. I've even seen multiple cars in Abingdon and Woodstock. Do we expect there to be any push back on owners like we are seeing in the states?

I believe the UK is still lagging behind the EU in terms of Tesla sales dropoff.

Oxford City Council has agreed to boycott and divest from companies which are linked to war crimes and violations of international law.

A motion from the Oxford Community Independents called for the council to stop investing in and trading with companies which are implicated in state violence and oppression, war and occupation, and grave violations of human rights, as well as companies involved in using fossil fuels.

Farmers protesting Labour policies have caused disruption as tractor horns could be heard across the city from outside the county hall in Oxford this morning.

More than 10 tractors and dozens of farmers planted themselves in New Road from about 11am today (Monday, March 24) to protest inheritance tax and other government policies.

Three councils have backed a proposal to combine into one new local authority as part of a two-unitary council plan.

An initial proposal for the creation of a new Ridgeway Council has been submitted on behalf of West Berkshire Council and the district councils in South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse.

They will be moving into the abandoned Topshop building on Queen Street.

Part of the charm of Waterstones is that lovely old building they had. The old staircases and the little nooks dotted around. The children's section was particular enchanting when I was a kid too.

Another shop lost on Cornmarket.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/25781031

An hourly train service connecting Bristol to Oxford could start next year if proposals are approved by the government.

The service would run every day, with stops at Bath Spa, Chippenham and Swindon.