Updates on Thursday 18 February 2016
News, sport, travel and weather updates resume at 08:00 on Friday
The narrow boat that was stuck in the River Thames at Botley Bridge for five days after coming free from its moorings is now getting lifted from the bank to be taken to a boat yard.
The Environment Agency says it is going to take them several hours to remove the vessel, but there should be no disruption on Botley Road.
An Oxford MP is backing a campaign by the widow of a man stabbed to death in Abingdon last year, calling for shops that sell knives to make it more difficult for customers to get hold of them.
More to follow...
Dan Freeman
BBC Oxford Sport
This afternoon's sport headlines:
Oxford Rugby League are optimistic that a new partnership with Super League club Castleford will give them a supply of new talent which will see them thrive in the next year.
Image source, PACastleford Tigers Matt Cook is tackled by Hull KR's Maurice Blair
The two clubs have set up a dual registration agreement which Castleford believe will allow some of their talented youngsters to hone their skills here in Oxfordshire and help develop the sport outside its heartlands in the North.
Quote MessageYoung talent at Castleford get valuable game time to further progress as individual players. Also, it'll bring that professionalism, that environment, down to our young potential players here.
Adrian Smith, Chief executive, Oxford Rugby League
South Today
On South Today this afternoon: People living in five tower blocks in Oxford could take legal action to avoid being charged up to £50,000 for renovations.
Evenlode tower in Blackbird Leys
The city council wants those who own their flats to contribute to the £20m improvement scheme saying it will raise the standard of housing in Oxford. But residents say they're being asked to pay too much.
Join David Allard for the latest at 13:30.
BBC Travel
Plenty of clear skies and sunshine for the majority of the day, before some cloud arrives later.
For a full forecast see the BBC Weather site.
Andrew Humphrey
BBC Local Live
Oxfordshire's top stories this afternoon:
Close to one in 10 of Oxfordshire's homes will be worth more than £1m by 2030, according to a report.
Image source, PAThe London School for Economics says 8.4% of homes in Oxfordshire will be worth more than seven figures.
That compares to an estimate of 25% for London and one in 20 around the country, and the average UK home costing £280,000 today is expected to be worth £557,444 by 2030.
Quote MessageBy 2030 the divide between housing haves at the top and the have nots at the bottom will be even wider than it is now. More owners will enjoy millionaire status, as homes that many would consider modest fetch seven-figure prices in the most sought-after areas... It will make entering the market more difficult still for new buyers.
Paul Cheshire, LSE professor and the author of the report
Hannah Bewley
BBC News Online
Former Labour leader Ed Miliband says he's "deeply disturbed" by claims of anti-Semitism at Oxford University Labour Club, and has cancelled an appearance at a dinner held by the group.
Image source, Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty ImagesMr Miliband has pulled out of a talk at the Oxford University Labour Club on 4 March
Quote MessageIt is right that the executive of the club has roundly condemned the comments and fully co-operates with the Labour Students' investigation. Ed and the Labour Club have agreed that his talk should be postponed until the investigation is resolved.
Spokesman, Ed Miliband's office
BBC Travel
Three lanes are blocked on the M40 southbound between J12 at Gaydon and J11 for Banbury after a collision involving a van and a lorry.
It's taking more than an hour to get through there.
You can keep up to date with the BBC Travel site.
Bethan Phillips
Political reporter, BBC Radio Oxford
The Oxfordshire County Council cross-party scrutiny committee is discussing what this week's budget agreement means for the county's children's centres.
Image source, Desmond BrambleySave Oxfordshire Children's Centres campaigners have held a number of protests
No decisions will be made today, but the committee will be putting comments forward to the cabinet which meets next week.
The officers speaking so far have indicated that not all of the 44 centres will stay open, despite Tuesday's budget deal stopping a proposed £2m cut to their funds.
Quote MessageWe can't do that because we need to find £6m and because we do really need to deliver a different model in the future.
Lucy Butler, Deputy director children, education and families, Oxfordshire County Council
Questions and concerns about cancer will be addressed in three free, specialist support and information sessions, external run by Macmillan Cancer Support next week.
Marcus Liddell
BBC Radio Oxford
The proportion of students from poor backgrounds getting into Oxford University has fallen in the past decade, according to research by the Press Association.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe data came from the Higher Education Statistics Agency which showed that, of the 24 top universities that belong to the Russell Group, Oxford had the lowest proportion of entrants from disadvantaged backgrounds, at one in 10. In 2004-5 it was one in eight.
Oxford University said it has legally binding targets with the Office for Fair Access which it is working towards, and focuses on categories of disadvantage rather than school type or self-reported socio-economic class.
A flytipper who dumped more than 60 bags of rubbish at the recycling bank at Ferriston in Hardwick is being sought by Cherwell District Council.
Image source, Cherwell District CouncilAlthough the majority of bags contained textiles which can be recycled, the council is appealing for the public's help to identify the culprit as it made the site difficult to access for others.
Quote MessageThis incident is a perfect example of the difference that can be made by taking the time to dispose of things properly. Had the offender taken just a few minutes to put the textiles in the banks, they would have made a significant recycling contribution and left the area tidy. However by just dumping the bags on the floor they have committed a criminal offence and spoiled the area for others.
Debbie Pickford, Lead member for clean and green, Cherwell District Council
Andrew Humphrey
BBC Local Live
The top stories in Oxfordshire today:
Oxford City Football Club is pressing ahead with plans for a new artificial pitch, external amid claims in the media the proposed 3G surface could cause cancer.
Charlotte Stacey
BBC South Today
An army veteran in Oxfordshire is setting up an online support group for post-traumatic stress disorder sufferers, because he says there is so little support available.
An army veteran in Bicester is setting up an online support group for PTSD sufferers.
Nick Westhorpe served in the military for more than 14 years, and saw action in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He struggles with flashbacks and traumatic memories, and says that more needs to be done to support people locally when they leave the forces.
Tom Turrell
BBC South Today
The company constructing the pipeline linking the heating systems between two Oxford hospitals, which has been delayed after a planning application was declared invalid, says the issue has "never happened before".
The project involves digging up nearby roads and it has emerged some of the land may not be owned by Oxfordshire County Council.
Joe Nimmo
BBC News Online
A homeless woman who was arrested after claiming she stopped a burglary has said she is the victim of a "witch hunt".
Image source, Lush OxfordLottie Pauling-Chamberlain said she challenged a thief on 10 February
Thames Valley Police said they had taken a 29-year-old woman into custody on suspicion of conspiracy to burgle and yesterday Lottie Pauling-Chamberlain wrote a post on Facebook, external saying she was arrested, but denied having anything to do with the break-in, claiming "if I wasn't homeless this wouldn't happen, it's a witch hunt".
A man, 42, also of no fixed abode, has been arrested on suspicion of burglary. Both suspects have been released on police bail until 14 May.
