Local News

30 minutes of quality childcare will be offered to parents ahead of the start of the school day Local schools are being urged to be one of the 750 early adopters of a new government free breakfast club programme. Banbury’s MP Sean Woodcock says breakfast clubs will make a huge difference for families in Banbury, […]

Katharine House staff have managed to organise a last-minute venue change This Sunday’s Santa Fun Run fundraiser for the Katharine House Hospice will now take place at the North Oxfordshire Academy. Organisers have been forced into a last-minute change of venue due to flooding at Spiceball Park following last weekend’s storm. Runners donning their Santa […]

People can pop-in to Egerton Hall between midday and 4pm Anyone with questions or comments on the construction of the HS2 railway through our area can speak directly to representatives from the project today. A drop-in event is being held at Egerton Hall in Brackley. Experts from HS2, contractors EKFB and Kier, Highways and National […]

Up to 80 guests can be accommodated in the Grade II listed building From this weekend people will be able to get married at Banbury Town Hall.   Oxfordshire County Council’s registration service is moving out of its current home in the Old House at Cherwell District Council’s Bodicote headquarters. The new ceremony room in the […]

Sean Woodcock is yet to decide how he will vote on Friday Banbury’s MP Sean Woodcock has thanked the people who attended his online meeting to discuss Assisted Dying legislation last Saturday. Thirty local people joined the meeting, including a number who expressed their own views. Mr Woodcock said: “It was moving to hear constituents […]

The local need reflects a national trend of rising homelessness and rough sleeping A lack of accommodation for homeless people has left Cherwell District Council using rooms at local hotels. To provide stability for the families a block booking at the Whateley Hall Hotel has been in operation since August at a cost of £33,000 […]

The Russian News Agency Taas has reported on a closed-door hearing in Kursk’s Leninsky District Court A man from Banbury is reported as having been captured by Russian forces whilst fighting for Ukraine. A video on the Telegram platform shows a man dressed in military clothing being questioned.   He identifies himself 22-year-old James Scott Rhys […]

The proposed Plan calculates a requirement to build 911 new homes per year in the district The latest version of the long awaited new Local Plan will be discussed by the Executive at Cherwell District Council next Monday. The Local Plan is the document which, when approved, will control how our area develops over the […]

Cost savings and an increase in some fees are being proposed Cherwell District Council is asking for our views on its proposed new budget for the next financial year, from 2024 to 2025. The council plans to balance the books by making £1.02m of efficiency savings. It also wants to increase some fees, including the […]

The River Cherwell has again broken its banks in Banbury town centre Even with Banbury’s flood defences north of the town holding back a huge quantity of water, the River Cherwell has broken its banks causing flooding at the bus station, around the Mill and underneath the Lidl supermarket. These shots show the scene on […]