Summary

  • Updates on Thursday 3 March 2016

  • News, sport, travel and weather updates resume at 08:00 on Friday

Live Reporting

Andrew Humphrey

  1. Woodgreen Leisure Centre to undergo £1.2m upgrade

    Dave Gilyeat
    BBC News

    A leisure centre in Banbury is to undergo a £1.2m upgrade, with the addition of a new gym, dance studio, cafe, and library.

    Woodgreen Leisure Centre upgradeBurke Richards

    Cherwell District Council said its expansion of Woodgreen Leisure Centre would be "state-of-the-art".

    It will also include a spinning studio, enlarged changing rooms, and a purpose-built reception area and meeting room.

  2. Barton bonanza: Oxford estate gets £4m cash boost

    Oxford Mail

    A cash boost of almost £4m to regenerate Oxford’s Barton estate is set to transform shops, homes and facilities.

  3. County councillors hit back at abolition plan

    Politicians at Oxfordshire County Council have attacked plans put forward last week that would have abolished their authority.

    Oxfordshire County CouncilRobin Sones

    District councils have come up with a plan to get rid of the county authority and set up four smaller unitary bodies to deal with all the services.

    But county council leader Ian Hudpseth says it would be best to have just one council for the whole of Oxfordshire.

    Actually, you only want one call centre for all the inquiries across Oxfordshire. You want one back office, you don't need four chief executives. One chief executive will do.

    Ian Hudspeth, Leader, Oxfordshire County Council

  4. Travel latest: A34 delays and M40 lanes closed London-bound

    Al Ryan
    BBC Oxford travel presenter

    • The A34 southbound is looking busy from the M40 junction down towards Oxford
    • The A41 is slow going approaching the M40 junction at Wendlebury
    • There are problems on the M40 London-bound with two lanes closed before the M25 junction, and congestion stretching back to Beaconsfield

    You can get more details on the BBC Travel site.

  5. Weather: Settled and sunny

    Bee Tucker
    BBC Weather

    There could be some isolated showers this morning, but it should be a mainly dry and bright day.

    Bee Tucker brings you the forecast for today

    It will become more cloudy later in the afternoon, but with light winds we should see highs of 8C (46F).

    You can get the latest forecast on the BBC Weather site.

  6. Sport headlines: Rower Alex Gregory looking forward to Olympic glory

    Ross Heaton
    BBC Oxford Sport

    The county's top sport stories:

    • Oxfordshire's Olympic gold medal-winning rower Alex Gregory says he's hungry for glory again in Rio this summer
    • North Leigh are through to the Oxfordshire Senior Cup semi-final after a 1-0 win over Oxford University Press
    • Banbury United midfielder Duran Martin has received international recognition for his recent form, after being called up to the full national squad for Antigua and Barbuda for two Caribbean Cup matches

  7. Latest headlines: County councillors back single authority plan

    Andrew Humphrey
    BBC Local Live

    This morning's top stories in Oxfordshire:

    • Politicians at Oxfordshire County Council have hit back at plans to abolish the authority, claiming one council for the whole of the county would be most efficient
    • A leisure centre in Banbury is to undergo a £1.2m upgrade, including a new gym, dance studio, cafe and library
    • Blenheim Palace has the greatest collection of ancient oak trees anywhere in Europe, according to new research by experts at Kew Gardens

  8. Welcome to Oxfordshire Live

    Andrew Humphrey
    BBC Local Live

    Good morning and welcome to Oxfordshire Live this Thursday morning.

    I'll be bringing you all the latest news, sport, travel and weather from across the county.

    You can get in touch throughout the day and tell us what you're up to via email, Facebook or Twitter.