Oxfordshire weekly round-up: 1 January - 6 January 2024

The former Top Gear presenter wrote in his Sunday Times column he would make a lot from selling his farm but he enjoyed owning it

A story about Jeremy Clarkson's plans for Diddly Squat Farm was among our most read this week in Oxfordshire.

A variety of local issues were featured on the BBC News website, BBC Radio Oxford and South Today.

We have picked five stories to keep you up to date.

Woman, 87, dies after car crashes into fallen tree

The woman died in the crash on the B4526 near Crays Pond

An 87-year-old woman died when the car she was driving hit a tree which fell during Storm Henk.

The crash on the B4526 near Crays Pond in Oxfordshire happened at about 17:25 GMT on Tuesday.

The force referred itself to the police watchdog as it had received a report about the fallen tree about 90 minutes before the crash.

Mothers record 'typical day' parenting their children

Three women made video diaries, documenting how they cope with limited support while bringing up children with special educational needs (SEND).

Olivia from Didcot, Leeanne from Southampton and Alicia from Winchester in Hampshire said they were being impacted by a system struggling with demand.

It comes after research by the BBC in 2023 found half of state-funded schools in England for SEND children were oversubscribed.

Council's funding gap grows by £2.1m

Dan Levy, the authority's member for finance, said a provisional plan to give councils an extra 6.5% of funding was "smoke and mirrors"

A council said it needed to find another £2.1m following the government's annual allocation of money to local authorities in England for the next financial year.

Oxfordshire County Council had already announced a £9.1m shortfall in November - but that has now grown to £11.2m.

A spokesperson for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) said it had announced a £64bn funding package for councils but added local authorities were "ultimately responsible for their own finances".

Jeremy Clarkson plans new barn for Diddly Squat Farm

The district council has previously rejected development proposals at the farm, including one for a 70-space car park

Jeremy Clarkson has cited "urgent need" in his latest planning application for development at his Diddly Squat Farm.

He wants a new 36m-long (118ft) agricultural building for storing crops at the site in Chipping Norton Road, near Chadlington.

The TV presenter has been involved in previous planning disputes with West Oxfordshire District Council in a bid to expand his facility, which features in the Amazon Prime Video show Clarkson's Farm.

Railway line gets £500k for new station plans

The Cowley Branch Line is currently only used by freight going to and from the BMW Mini Plant and has been closed to passengers since 1963

A railway has been given £500,000 to help design two new stations.

The money from Oxford City Council will pay for design work for two Cowley Branch Line stations at Littlemore and Blackbird Leys.

The proposed railway line will run through the Oxford Science Park and Oxford Business Park, connecting to Oxford Parkway and Oxford Station.