Ruby Barenberg

When Baroness Alexandra Freeman became Principal of Hertford College last month, she did not initially realise she was the first woman to hold the role. It was a detail that, she says, came as a surprise, given that Hertford had begun admitting women in 1974, amongst the earliest of the formerly all-male colleges to do so. The significance of this fact has emerged gradually since.

New designs for buildings in Oxford Science Park were revealed last month, drafted by Foster + Partners and funded by the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT). The designs are part of The Daubeny Project, which involves the construction of three new buildings with "enhanced lab infrastructure designed to support cutting-edge research", including over 70% of space on each floor available for laboratories.

The Oxfordshire County Council's new budget includes increasing council tax by 4.99%, addressing a £5.4 million shortfall for 2026/27. By 2028/29, funding to Oxford will decrease by £24.1 million as the government plans to redistribute funding to more deprived areas of the country. The 2026/7 budget was approved on 10 February and allocates a total of £700 million.