Crime & Safety
Oxfordshire County Council to move out of County Hall
The move is part of the council’s wider plans to improve office space across the county and support more flexible ways of working.
Midland House in Botley has been chosen as a temporary base while longer-term changes take place, including plans to turn County Hall into a hotel and open a new, permanent office at Speedwell House in spring 2028.
Dan Levy, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for finance, property and transformation, said: “We are looking forward in coming times to seeing Speedwell House taking shape as a new net zero office in 2028 as well as watching County Hall change and then thrive in its new guise as a hotel.
“The sale of County Hall is providing the funding for the renewal of Speedwell House.”
He said the closure of County Hall is expected in late 2026, with the nearby Midland House, located on West Way, offering ‘practical, well-equipped’ office space.
Mr Levy said: “Our existing offices throughout the county will provide bases for our teams and these will now be supplemented by the excellent and ideally located Midland House.
“These are solid plans from which our officers can continue to provide excellent services to the people of Oxfordshire.”
Midland House’s transport links, including proximity to Seacourt Park and Ride, contributed to its selection as a temporary office location.
Contracts for the sale of County Hall were exchanged in late 2025, with L&G commissioning developers Reef Origin for the site’s redevelopment.
Abbey Meadows Outdoor Pool, in Abingdon, failed to reopen as temperatures soared to 30C over the bank holiday weekend.
The Radcliffe Meteorological Station in Oxford said it was “a record breaking day” with a provisional May maximum of 33.4C, 2.8C above the previous 1944 record.
In a statement on Wednesday morning, a spokesperson for the outdoor pool said: “We are delighted to announce that we plan to open Abbey Meadows in mid-June, on a dynamic programme subject to weather conditions, as trialled in 2025.
“Whilst this faced its challenges last year, and with costs continuing to grow, we are doing all we can to ensure that we maximise the potential of this fantastic facility.
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“The contract we have to operate Abbey Meadows is for the summer school holidays only and we are continuing to seek additional funding to help the pool open earlier.
“More details will follow in the coming weeks so please keep your eyes on our social media.”
Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL), which operates the pool under the brand Better UK, said it had planned to reopen on July 18.
“We schedule reopening to coincide with the beginning of the school summer holidays, when we know the pool will be busy,” it said in a statement.
“However, if the current warm weather continues, we are exploring the option of opening early, in mid-June this year.
“This would be the minimum turnaround time, to get the pool, cleaned, operational and fully staffed.”
The plash pad and kiosk at the pool opened last weekend.
Thames Valley Police today, Wednesday, May 27, announced that missing 16-year-old Jacob and missing girl Jessica, have both been found.
It comes after two separate appeals were shared yesterday asking the public to help find the missing individuals.
READ MORE: Oxford: Road closed due to major police incident on A40
Jessica was last seen in Bicester and was believed to be in the Banbury area, while Jacob was said to be missing from Abingdon.
The force thanked those who had shared the appeals in an effort to assist the search and locate the missing teenagers.
Police asked anyone who had shared the pictures of the missing people to now remove them, to restore their privacy.
The collission took place on Marjoram Way, at the turning into Sage Drive, in Didcot on Saturday, May 23, just before 8.10pm.
A man in his 30s was riding an e-bike at the turning when he was involved in a crash with a white Nissan Juke car.
The e-bike rider suffered a ‘serious head injury’ and remains in hospital.
The driver of the Nissan was not injured in the collision, and police say no arrests have been made.
READ MORE: Oxford: Road closed due to major police incident on A40
Thames Valley Police is appealing for witnesses to the serious injury collision to come forward.
Investigating officer police constable Tim Cameron, of the joint operations roads policing unit, said: “We are appealing to anyone who witnessed this collision to please come forward.
“We would also ask motorists who were in the area at the time to check any dash-cam footage, as it may have captured information that could assist our investigation.”
Anyone with information or footage should call 101 or make a report online, quoting reference 43260256894.
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