The Oxfordshire Green Party have become the latest to speak out against the proposed expansion of the new Zero Emission Zone in Oxford’s City Centre next year.  They have branded it as ‘greenwashing’ whilst others have criticised it as a new money-raising scheme in the middle of the cost-of-living crisis.

A pilot version of the scheme has been in operation since its launch in February and covers a small number of streets in the very centre of the city.  Polluting vehicles are currently charged £10 a day to use these areas with some eligible for a discount and others a complete exemption.  

The small pilot area has meant that so far most have been unaffected but this is set to change by the end of the year when the zone expands dramatically to cover the ‘wider city centre’.  The maximum charge for petrol vehicles will also rise to £20.

Critics of the plan have highlighted that fully electric vehicles are currently out of the price range of the vast majority of consumers and argued that the plan disproportionately affects those already struggling with rising inflation and living costs.

The spokesperson for the Oxfordshire Green Party said: “The ZEZ is not a zero-emission zone but a congestion charge zone with discounts for low emission vehicles and other vehicle classes.”  He went on to say that it has “little consequences for air quality” and that, “charging for access to the ZEZ is regressive, impacting on the poorest most whilst giving those with money the freedom to drive huge, polluting vehicles.  All visiting vehicles should be treated equally regardless of the ability to pay.”

The programme has been developed by Labour since they took control of the local government but was first proposed by the Conservatives in 2015.  Labour says: “We are learning from the ZEZ pilot ahead of the extension and will continue talking with and listening to businesses and citizens about the things we need to consider as part of the expansion.”

In contrast, the Conservatives are now opposed to the plan they originally proposed, stating, “To impose ZEZs at this time when we’re trying to recover from Covid and a cost-of-living crisis, reflects the fact we don’t have the leaders that Oxford deserves.”

The Liberal Democrats support the eventual roll-out of the plan but with some changes and after wider consultation.

The councillor Sajjad Malik stated: “The expanded ZEZ will make Oxford’s cost of living crisis even worse.  The ZEZ should only expand when electric cars and vans are affordable to everyone.  At present, electric vehicles are only affordable to the privileged few.

“This should be called a congestion zone rather than a Zero Emission Zone, because zero means no pollution or no vehicle.  With this scheme, as long as you pay, you can drive any polluted vehicle.  It’s a money-making excise in the name of environment.”

Image Credit: David Iliff/ CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

New research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) suggests that the reputation of the university a student attends could matter less than the grade of their final degree. In other words, a first-class degree from a less prestigious university could lead to better earnings than a lower grade from a more competitive one. The IFS suggests that students should focus less on how prestigious their university is and more upon their final grades.

The report finds that degree class has a huge impact upon future salaries. Generally, across all institutions, “earning differences between those graduating with different degree classes are large.” Higher degree classes offer significantly higher earning potential. A first-class degree compared to a 2:1 offers a 4% average pay increase for women and a 7% premium for men. A 2:2 instead of a 2:1 leads to a 7% decrease in earnings for women and 11% reduction for men.

Ben Waltmann, a co-author of the report, states, “many graduates who get a 2:2 from a highly selective university might have got a higher-paying job had they attended a slightly less selective university and got a 2:1.”

Degree class matters more than, or as much as, institutional reputation when looking at future earning potential. The gap in earnings between a 2:1 and a 2:2 is much more significant than the “inconsequential” difference between a first and a 2:1, Jack Britton reports. Research from 2013 shows that five years after graduation a 2:1 would earn a student (pre-tax) around £38,000 less than a 2:2.

The study also reveals these consequences in future salaries of a 2:1 compared to a 2:2 are greater at more selective universities. Those who achieve (regardless of gender) a 2:2 from the most selective institutions earn on average 20% less at age 30 than those with a 2:1. This compares to an average 6% salary decrease for women, and an 8% reduction for men, when comparing the same degrees at the least selective universities.

However, the rewards of improved degree classes do vary across subjects. A first class degree over a 2:1 offers significantly improved earning potential for subjects such as economics, law, business, computing, and pharmacology. Generally, within these subjects, degree class matters far more when related to future earnings. Those studying law or economics face a 15% decrease in earnings when achieving a 2:2 compared to a 2:1, whilst those who study education or English see “no significant difference” in earnings when comparing these degree classes, according to the report.

The statistics analysed also reveal large gender differences in the benefits of a first class degree on future earnings at the most selective universities. Whilst this top grade offers nearly no future pay benefit compared to a 2:1 for women, it offers an average 14% salary increase for men. This statistic reveals that high-achieving women have lower future earning potential than their male counterparts.

The report also finds a general long-term trend of universities awarding more students higher degree classes each year. The percentage of people who achieved first class degrees trebled in 2015 compared to 1999.

Selective universities award on average more of the top two degree classes each year than less selective institutions. However it is still harder to obtain these higher-class degrees from more competitive universities. 

Image Credit: Steve Cadman/ CC BY-SA 2.0

The future of the historic Mitre, one of Oxford’s oldest and dearest establishments, remains unclear despite calls for Marston’s to reveal its plans. The much-loved pub, which was shut by Lincoln College in 2019 so that a multi-million pound development of student accommodation on the floors above could take place, has never reopened despite the refurbishments concluding in 2021.

When contacted by Cherwell, the bursar of Lincoln College, Alex Spain, suggested that responsibility for the pub’s future now lay with the brewery Marston’s, which currently owns the lease. However, he also said to The Oxford Mail (OM) that he is “optimistic that the Mitre will be open again very soon”.

It seems as though Marston’s is not so hopeful. Earlier this month, a spokesman for Marston’s told The OM, “we do not have any specific plans at this stage are currently reviewing options.”

This vague and inconclusive response has left locals in the dark and the future of the Mitre in doubt. In March, Dave Richardson of Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) told the OM that the chain’s inaction was leaving an “eyesore in the heart of the city” which was becoming “increasingly dilapidated”.

Further complaints have been made in connection to Marston’s relationship with major pub group Carlsberg, which people have argued have the funds to invest in a pub so central to Oxford locals.

Calls have also been made for Lincoln college to seek a new partnership with another company.

The pub can stake a claim to be Oxford’s oldest, tracing its roots back to the 13^th century, when several houses on the corner of the High and Turl Street were converted into an inn.

According to the Lincoln College website, students have called the site home since 1969, when the college first took over the upstairs accommodation.

Renovation work began in 2018 and was concluded last year, at the cost of £16 million. As well as being regular student accommodation, the College have opened the site for public stays outside of term-time, beginning this July, promising accommodation that combines “modern comfort with the charm and character of 17^th century Oxford.”

The future seems bright for the upper floors of the Mitre pub, then. Not so for the old tavern itself, whose future remains unknown. For now, a hole remains both right in the centre of the city and the hearts of many a local.

Image credit: Robin Sones/ CC-BY-SA/2.0

Kai Pischke, a third-year computer scientist at Somerville, and Janey Little, a first-year PPE student at Lady Margaret Hall, are both running as Liberal Democrats in the upcoming Oxford city council elections. Little, the current president of the Oxford University Liberal Democrats is running in the Holywell Ward, while Pischke, the former OULD president, and current general committee member, is seeking election in Carfax and Jericho. 

Personal experience as well as general disappointment with the political status quo have motivated the candidates to run. For Pischke, it was hearing about small issues like the reintroduction of greyhound racing or re-opening former pedestrian roads to traffic, that pushed him to seek election. Drawing on an experience in climate activism as part of the “Green Lib Dems” subgroup, he hopes to lessen Oxford’s environmental impact as a city and a university. Little also has experience in Lib Dem politics as a Young Liberals Policy officer and Lib Dem Women Youth officer.

Pischke emphasised that the local Lib Dems are not solely moderates, nor one-sided, but campaigners who “have a very ambitious program”. Running on a manifesto focused on transport, housing and the environment, they advertise themselves as a local party of concrete actions and plans. This includes promoting cyclist and pedestrian safety, maintaining Oxford’s Green Belt and biodiversity and supporting modern construction methods and standards in new developments. A cabinet post dedicated to the climate emergency and significantly reducing car traffic in the city centre have also been proposed.

Councillors oversee a variety of municipal services including some aspects of transport, housing and social care. There is also a history in Oxford of councillors interacting with the university and colleges. Some have denounced Oriel’s Rhodes statue or supported the Climate League of Oxford and Cambridge campaign in the past. Pischke and Little state that despite these actions, students often face feelings of powerlessness and difficulty enacting change. At times, local politics seem disconnected and overlooked. But, as Pischke says the city council does indeed have “an important role to play”. He hopes to liaise with JCRs, MCRs, the SU and other student groups on important student issues, notably climate change.

Little and Pischke have focused in particular on improving mental health services, cycling provision and help for vulnerable populations like the homeless in their campaigning. Their “unique perspective” as students is one that Pischke feels needs to be shared, especially in a ward dominated by students and young people, like the one in which he is running. There is some precedent for undergraduate students serving in local politics, as the role is technically a part-time job. A student was elected to Sheffield city council in 2012, while a Shropshire teenager became a councillor in 2018 shortly before beginning university. However, the average age of councillors in England is 59.4 years old according to a 2018 census.

Council elections will take place on May 5th. UK students can vote in both Oxford and their home area if properly registered.

Image credit: Oxford University Liberal Democrats Facebook page