Local News

West Northamptonshire Council’s decision would have been to reject the plans by Nadia Lincoln, Local Democracy Reporter Plans to build up to 700 homes on the edge of Brackley have been turned down, but the decision must now go to a planning appeal inquiry for a final call. The large housing development was referred to […]

“I have decided that Mr Smith shall not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach” A former Warriner School teacher has been barred from teaching indefinitely after he sent inappropriate and “sexually motivated” messages to pupils. Karl Smith had been employed as the Head of Computing at the school from September […]

The current plan is to retain the theatre building and car parking space The majority of the former Southfield Primary School site in Brackley will be sold, with it expected to be used for housing. However, the theatre building will be retained as a community hub ‘spoke’ and a long stay car park created with […]

Rehearsals for “Goodbye Charles” have been underway since March Banbury Cross Players are preparing for a performance at the National Drama Festival, which could see them win a prestigious award in a number of categories. The festival is being held at the end of the month at the Artrix in Bromsgrove.   They will be performing […]

Thames Valley Police made the call so resources aren’t tied up during the busy summer period This year’s Emergency Services Day has been cancelled in an attempt to ease the workload of Thames Valley Police staff during what’s been described as “an extremely busy period for all emergency services”. A spokesperson for Banbury Town Council […]

A decision will be made today by Nadia Lincoln, Local Democracy Reporter West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has announced its intentions to alter the region’s climate change policy and scrap its net zero targets. The new Reform UK administration has said it wants to ‘refocus’ the council’s sustainability commitments and prioritise public resources towards delivering practical, […]

The run was one of a number of initiatives raising money in memory of a former teacher A teacher at the North Oxfordshire Academy has completed a full marathon – on the school’s athletics track! Matt North, who is Head of PE, completed 105.5 laps of the track as part of a series of fund-raising […]

Repaying a loan early has resulted in a windfall into this year’s budget The total amount of Cherwell District Council’s net debt fell by £21million in the three months up to June this year. At the end of March the Council’s net borrowing figure was £160million, but by the end of June this had fallen […]

The name WHSmith has been part of British life for 233 years The WHSmith name is set to disappear from Banbury town centre before the end of the summer. The retailer, which has been part of British life since 1792, was sold to Hobbycraft owner Modella Capital back in March. The new owners have now […]

Thames Water has seen customers’ daily demand for water reach levels last seen during the 2022 drought Thames Water is implementing a hosepipe ban for their customers, which will be in force from next Tuesday (July 22). The company says that following the driest spring in over a century and England’s warmest June on record, […]