Friday 3rd April 2026
Blog Page 1934

New Brookes housing threatens locals\’ quiet

Rachel Massey
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New Brookes housing threatens locals\’ quiet

Oxford City Council has approved plans for a 300-bed student complex to be built in Headington for Oxford Brookes students, despite fierce opposition from local residents.

The student accommodation will be built on the former Dorset House School site on London Road, in close proximity to retirement flats and a nursing home. When plans were announced, the council received numerous complaints regarding potential noise pollution in the area.

The chief concerns centred around a potential clash of lifestyles between the students and local residents. The residents of nearby retirement flats have an average age of 86. Fears were expressed that the process of building the three- and four-storey buildings and introduction of students to the area would disrupt the quiet for the elderly residents in the area.

Whilst in accordance with city planning regulations, students will not be allowed to park cars in the area. Residents have voiced discontent with students potentially parking in streets that do not enforce residents\’ parking permits. Concerns have also been aired of student cyclists posing a threat to the elderly residents.

Other complaints relate to the design of the buildings, which have been labelled \’overbearing\’ and \’an eyesore.\’

However, Brookes university regards the site as a good location for halls of residence as it is situated between Oxford Brookes and the Headington shops. Residents have been assured that wardens will be on site twenty four hours a day, to quell any drunken or rowdy behaviour and prevent sleepless nights for neighbours.

A spokesperson for Oxford City Council said, \”We consider all planning applications on their individual merits. We take in concerns and comments from residents through the consultation process.

\”In addition we assess proposals against our planning policies that we have to follow when granting or refusing planning permission. In this case the Council decided that there were important benefits in providing student flats to help reduce the number of students sharing in family housing and that the possible impacts on adjacent residents could be suitably controlled by using planning conditions.\”

The issues regarding the new halls of residence appear to confirm an increasing sense amongst local people and home-owners that Oxford is effectively becoming a \’student ghetto,\’ overrun by members of the city\’s two universities.

One Brookes student said, \”I can understand the concerns of locals with regards to a clash of lifestyles, as it is common knowledge that halls produce a lot of noise pollution, especially in contrast to a retirement home. It is important to note the necessity of a quiet and calm environment in respect to the well-being of members and staff at the retirement homes.\”

However she noted that, \”Oxford is home to one of the oldest universities in the word, therefore the city shall and always will be dictated by its student population\’s lifestyle and needs.\”

 

Ctrl+Alt+Donate

Adam Scott Taylor
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Ctrl+Alt+Donate

It seems as if one cannot escape charity, or charitable people. Whether it be immediate as a bucket-wielding individual trying to disrupt your power-walk on Cornmarket, or rather the evening news’ latest disaster report flashing up with a donation telephone number, it seems that the idea of charity is more prevalent in our lifestyles than we perhaps realise. For the majority of individuals that take little part in charitable activity, aside from the occasional donation, it is easy to overlook the quotidian presence that charitable organisations possess. This majority know when Red Nose Day is but are not prepared to stop for idealists on the street and may not think why FairTrade might be that few pence extra on the shelf. However, something that it is important to remember – whether we feel ourselves active in charity or not – is that more charity in our lifestyle is to be welcomed.

If this increased awareness of charity in the modern world is due to the efforts made on all levels from global organisations down to the most local and individual endeavours, then we must ask what same method does such a range of groups have access to that can effect this new presence? The answer is use of the internet. Even before a charity can think of using the internet for promoting awareness – which is the only real indicator of financial donations, for no-one will give without knowing to whom their money is going – the internet has become the primary method of setting up a charity.

The Charity Commission, a government body which registers and regulates charities in England and Wales, now has over 70% of charity registrations submitted online, and the trustees of existing charities can view and update their charity’s information, complete annual returns and upload annual accounts. Last year there was a 24% increase in take-up of the Commission’s online services, with over 75% of charities submitting their annual return or update via the website. As Christina Manicom of the Commission says, ‘Our online services make charities’ interaction with us quicker, easier and more convenient and as a result, many charities are now using these’. Oxfam has taken this principle and transferred it to their customers by the opening of a new online shop which lists 100,000 items available in their high street shops so that the potential for purchase is increased when the item is not region-specific.

The internet’s superiority in an administrative capacity has long been taken for granted by commercial business, and it seems that the charity sector is catching on fast. If the presence of charity has increased, it may well be that there is simply more charities; it is now easier for the inexperienced to found and sustain their organisation. Yet when 2.7m charities have viewed the Commission’s Register in a six-month period, the internet’s potential does not seem limited to administration. The internet provides the armchair donator with a greater involvement in the issues he wants to help with and hence he feels more vindicated in his action and more likely to donate in future; however, the donator ‘on the fence’, so to speak, is more likely to leap off onto the more generous side if online mediums are drawing him there. To visit the website of a large-scale organisation shows the extent of the influence that the internet possesses in being able to involve the public.

A section of the Save the Children website devoted to the Japan Earthquake Tsunami Relief immediately bombards the reader with interactive media: a ‘Crisis Report and Recovery Plan’ is available for download, promoted as an ‘exclusive executive briefing document’ in what first appears to be a bizarre secret agent-style approach, until one realises that this is all part of the charity’s attempts to personally involve the individual in the context. There is also the option to read a survivor’s story and a blog written by a member of the disaster and emergency relief team, to watch an interactive slideshow and video dispatches from affected areas, or listen in directly to conference calls from Save the Children staff who are responding to the emergency. At the bottom of the page, in the ‘Other Ways to Help’ section, is the almost ubiquitous social media option: ‘Post the following message for your friends on Facebook or Twitter: I just gave to Save the Children to help survivors of the terrible earthquake and tsunami in Japan. You can too!’ Finally, the subtly placed yet all-important hyperlink, framed in a red button, reading ‘Donate Now’.

Save the Children seem to have covered every sensory input available in their attempts to provide personal involvement, yet their is strong evidence that this approach works. Race Online 2012 is a campaign to extend internet use to every individual in the UK, and in their recent publication Survive and Thrive: A casebook of charity sustainability though technology the figures are emphatic. Race Online 2012 states that ‘Online fundraising raises around £10 for every £1 spent on direct costs. The average online donation is £30 compared to £15 for offline. When targeted, the average online donation is £54′, and this is important when ‘only 33% of charity websites accept online donations’. It may be argued that online donating is lazy, but it’s no more lazy than telephone donations and although financial sourcing will always be the obvious main goal of charity organisations, the term ‘charity’ is as much to do with appreciating the plight of another as it is about the steps taken to rectify. If it is ‘lazy’ to sit in a chair and give money, it is certainly not lazy to undergo this process of appreciation, and the internet is leading the way in helping the public understand why they are giving.

The old-fashioned will lament the new Oxfam online shop, labelling it a further destruction of face-to-face interaction in the same vein as social media. But small charities will always rely on physical presence, especially if there goal is not one reliant on growth. There will always be a village bake sale or sports teams bag-packing in supermarkets, even if they don’t tweet about it. The online shop would not function without the physical shop receiving and cataloguing donations. For large-scale charities like Oxfam, the internet brings better financial rewards, while they still manage to involve the donator. This is why the ‘Survive and Thrive’ report urges charities to ‘tell the powerful story of your work online to involve audiences – the deeper the relationships you build with them now, the stronger your networks for future fundraising or campaigning’.

Smaller charities use the internet to promote awareness, as well as receiving donations, so that the internet side of an organisation forms a parallel to their ‘fieldwork’: two environments to engage with, twice the potential for reward. In Oxford, Daniel Lowe believes that ‘the internet is incredibly helpful to RAG’. As OUSU Vice President (Charities and Community), Lowe understands that RAG’s ‘most effective publicity is through emails and social networking’, and in such an interconnected entity as a collegiate university any publicising of an event via social media gains more exposure than it otherwise would. This is the exponential benefit of friends of friends. ‘Nevertheless, the best thing we get out of the internet’, says Lowe, ‘is online fundraising through sites like JustGiving and Bemycharity. Our big sponsorship events like LOST and Rag Bungee raise thousands of

pounds online and I believe more people sponsor their friends and relatives because they can now do it with just a click rather than having to find their chequebook.’

Race Online 2012 would seem to agree with Lowe: ‘Justgiving.com has let more than 11 million people to raise £770 million for more than 8,000 UK registered charities since its launch in 2000′. Visiting RAG’s brand new website, one immediately notices a box in the top right corner displaying the total raised so far this year, highlighting that a monetary total is an impressive indicator of success that can easily be described to others. Yet although charity work in Oxford achieves much unrelated to financial aid, RAG’s identity as a fundraising organisation can sometimes divert attention from that more general sense of charity, of the help and appreciation which many people give without money being involved. It is not to say that RAG’s work is not entirely admirable, but the Oxford example serves to illustrate that as the internet makes more and more money for charitable organisations, it is a welcome relief that it also provides a wider involvement with cause. Even if Save the Children are slightly zealous with their online interaction, they are still promoting a 21st century love of the neighbour.

Cyclists buck trend

Camilla Turner
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Cyclists buck trend

Cyclists across Oxfordshire have welcomed the news that speed cameras in the county were today turned back on, eight months after being switched off.

Funding was withdrawn for 72 cameras and 89 mobile sites last August, following a huge reduction in the council’s road safety grant from the government.

Police said since then, although overall trend was for serious and slight injuries to go up, cyclists had bucked the trend, with their accidents actually going down.

Data released by Thames Valley police has revealed that in the six months after cameras were switched off, two cyclists were seriously injured and another 15 were slightly injured at fixed camera sites. During the corresponding period for 2009-10 when the cameras were switched on, there were five seriously injured cyclists, 16 slightly injured and no fatalities.

Across the whole of Oxfordshire there were also fewer accidents involving cyclists this year, despite the dormant speed cameras. While cameras were turned off, there was one cyclist fatality, 27 serious injuries and 92 slight casualties. The year before, there was one cyclist fatality, 22 seriously injured, and 109 slightly injured.

It’s not yet clear why cyclist injuries fell, while injuries and fatalities overall went up. Richard Owen, operations manager at the Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership, says the figures are so small they are subject to random fluctuation. But cyclist groups are still pleased that cars will be less likely to speed, with the cameras switched back on.

Jacob Haddad, a first year Engineer at Wadham and a member of the University Cycle Club, commented, “Whilst drivers slowing down in general would make the roads safer for all users, cyclists included, I am not sure that speed cameras do much by themselves. They can even create collisions as drivers slam on the breaks when approaching a camera. The fact tha

t there were more serious injuries with the cameras switched on does not surprise me.

“What’s really needed to make cycling safer are bike-friendly junctions, better road surfaces and cycle training highlighting HGV blind spots which are the cause of most cyclist fatalities. I’m surprised to hear that the switch-off is a cost saving measure, as I would have assumed the cameras are a great source of revenue. The more bikes on the road, the safer they’ll be.”

Christopher Peck, policy co-ordinator at CTC, the national cyclists’ organisation, said he was delighted that the Thames Valley police had “come to their senses”.

“It was very interesting that speed went up as soon as the cameras were turned off.”

“There are very high levels of cycling in Oxfordshire, particularly in Oxford. Therefore it is very important to really push very hard on road safety when it comes to drivers who are the main source of cyclist casualty.”

A spokesperson for Oxfordshire council said in a statement: “The council very much welcomes this positive approach to financing the operation of speed cameras. The county council did not delight in withdrawing funding for speed cameras last year, but took this decision to protect other service areas.

“We recognise the role that speed cameras have to play in road safety for all road users including cyclists.”

 

Ex-Iranian President’s son faces University investigation

Ralph Turner
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Ex-Iranian President’s son faces University investigation

The son of the former President of Iran is being investigated by the university following a complaint which alleges that his doctoral thesis proposal had been written by someone else.

Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani, the son of Akbar Rafsanjani, who was Iran\’s President between 1989 and 1997, began a five year DPhil course on the Iranian constitution at the faculty of Oriental Studies in October.

A complaint from a leading academic concerned that the university\’s high academic standards had been ignored when admitting Hashemi has triggered a full investigation led by Sir Peter North QC, a former Vice-Chancellor of the university.

If the allegations are substantiated and it is proven that Hashemi did not write his own thesis proposal he may be asked to leave. 

Kaveh Moussavi, an Associate Research Fellow at the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, told Cherwell that he believed Hashemi had broken the university’s rules in making his application.

According to Moussavi, Hashemi\’s English is not of the required standard to study in the UK but he was given special dispensation by the Oriental Institute. Moussavi also claims that Hashemi does not live within the required 12.5 mile radius of Carfax as stipulated by the university, but currently resides in Dubai.

Moussavi further alleges that Hashemi’s ‘proposal was written by a graduate student of the same faculty who was paid to do this.’

Moussavi continued, \’To the lasting credit of Oxford University they have immediately appointed a leading counsel in Sir Peter North QC to conduct the investigation. I have every confidence that there will be a thorough investigation, and I have no doubt as to where it will lead.’

When contacted by Cherwell Hashemi said,’ [I] categorically deny these allegations.’

He continued, \’My proposal was studied and accepted regardless of my family ties. I do not believe being the son of ex-president has made any difference to my acceptance [at Oxford].\’

The ten week investigation will involve two academics that read and approved a first synopsis of Hashemi\’s thesis proposal in January 2010. Dr Homa Katouzian, an expert in modern Iranian history, strenuously denied that he was influenced by Hashemi\’s background in recommending his proposal.

\’I did not know that Mr Hashemi was Mr Rafsanjani\’s son when I assessed his application, but it would not have made an iota of difference to my academic judgment even if I had known this. The application was a good one and I recommended it to the Graduate Admissions Committee.\’

Katouzian also criticised those making allegations about Hashemi. He believed that \’They should come clean and name the persons they have in mind or they would be guilty of deliberately harming the reputation of our colleagues and students.\’

The University Press Office confirmed that the allegations were received before Christmas and have resulted in a thorough investigation which is ongoing.

Hashemi has declined to comment at length about the allegations levelled against him and is quoted as having directed further enquiries to the University Press Office.

The investigation has come to light amid scrutiny in many UK universities about their links with ruling families and governments in the Middle East. Sir Howard Davies recently stood down as director of the London School of Economics after concerns were raised over apparent closeness to Colonel Gadaffi\’s Libyan regime. It is expected that Oxford will be wary of similar controversy connected to this case.

Review: The Strokes – \’Angles\’

Patrick E Scott
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Review: The Strokes – \’Angles\’

It\’s not that Angles is a bad album – far from it. But after such an anticipatory wait it doesn\’t quite feel as though The Strokes have risen back to the pinnacle that they achieved with their debut. This wouldn\’t be such a problem had it not been for their two year break in between this album and their last. Their hiatus came at what was, to all intents and purposes, a good time for the band. After touring their third and possibly their worst album, First Impressions on Earth, a break to refresh their musical palates was probably just what the doctor ordered.

Each of the five members of The Strokes have, in the interval, embarked upon side projects: Albert Hammond Jr has released two solo albums; drummer Fabrizio Maretti formed the band Little Joy; bassist Nikolai Fraiture formed Nickel Eye; Nick Valensi hired out his services to numerous musicians including Maretti and Regina Spektor; and Julian Casablancas released his own solo album, Phrazes for the Young, in late 2009. After having acquired all this new and diverse musical experience, a new Strokes album was an exciting prospect. With each member now far more experienced in crafting music, the writing and recording process for Angles promised to be a far more collaborative process than their previous three LPs which were almost exclusively written by Casablancas. 

The standard of the music on the album is generally quite high, but Angles never really achieves that immediate energy and memorable quality which characterised the 2002 sensation, Is This It?. My main gripe with the album is Julian Casablancas\’ lyrics which, although delivered in the same powerful drawl, are often incredibly difficult to discern. A case in point is Two Kinds of Happiness which would possess the most soaring chorus on the album were it not for Casablanca\’s vocal delivery which makes the words almost impossible to make out. This, in turn, makes it impossible to sing along to the infectious melody. 

The problem is that the five year hiatus was meant to put the band back on the road to good health, whereas in reality it has done no such thing. Reports from the studio portray a fragmented and often difficult recording process in which Casablancas recorded his vocals away from the rest of the band and Albert Hammond Jr struggled with a drug problem that resulted in rehab. It is little wonder, then, that Angles, although worthy of some credit, wasn\’t the great album that was promised. However, with news that the band will begin work on a new album this month, there is a general feeling that The Strokes recognise that they can do better and that they are eager to do so. We can only hope that they manage to bring together their undeniably outstanding musical talents and produce the album we\’re all waiting for.

Radiohead Remixed

Remi Graves
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Radiohead Remixed

In a bid to fight off the ‘ahh it’s been three weeks into vac and I’ve done no work’ blues, I’ve buried myself in musical entertainment and have trawled the web for tunes to turn my frown upside down. Now we all know how great Radiohead are, but I was interested to see what other musicians could do using their music as a mere foundation. So hold tight as we take a trip into the Radiohead underworld where djs from all over the world have morphed their music to create totally different soundscapes.

One of my favourite songs from In Rainbows, Reckoner has been remixed by one of my favourite DJs at the moment: Nosaj Thing, and he’s cooked us up a real treat. Starting off with jittery drums and sustained synths, one could easily think it was just another of Nosaj’s own gems. It’s only when Thom’s voice comes soaring over the silence that we recognise the Radiohead lineage, and the song comes into its own. If you’re bored of Radiohead or haven’t heard of Nosaj Thing then this track will initiate your love of both. You’ll be surprised how quickly it reaches the top of your ‘Most Played’. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKOQNN3eYUk

I’m not sure whether this track fits under the title of ‘cover’ or ‘remix’ but either way Nina Karlsson pushes all the right buttons with her version of Nude, using her subtle vibrato vocals to strip the song of all excess, leaving nothing but the sweet sound of piano and human to caress our ear drums. Even though some of the song’s intensity and melancholic guitar is lost, Nina manages to retell the story in a new voice. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa_-GSpqDg8

If you’ve had enough of wallowing in your own self pity then this is the song to get you crunking around in your chosen work (procrastination) space. Amplive has stuck to traditional remix guidelines and cut and pasted Weird Fishes transforming it into a thumping hip hop-esque concoction. Repetition plays a central role in this track but somehow hearing snippets of Yorke’s voice over and over doesn’t get boring, especially at 3.20 where the song starts sounding a lot like Session from Linkin Park’s Meteora (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xeu-zpcwdaM).

You can listen to Amplive’s remix here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaVOkhgqMyE.

Any more In Rainbows remixes and you’d start thinking I’ve never listened to anything else, so here’s one from OK Computer and I’m warning you, it’s mainly for laughs. The subtly named Jadiohead have slipped some thuggery into Radiohead’s track with  Dirt of Your Android. Even though there’s something so, so wrong about mixing Radiohead and JayZ in the same bowl, the energy in this song is just so right. It will quickly become your number one guilty pleasure, replacing TMF’s video mashups in no time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk54ZeHlPRk

Whilst you’re at it, hit up his website http://www.maxtannone.com/projects/jaydiohead/ and have a ball listening to all the other mash ups!

Now if those didn’t put a smile on your face, perhaps this week’s playlist can. I’ve been suffering from a bout of nostalgia so am offering up all those 90s/00s hits that we all miss! Don’t fight it guys, enjoy.

RemiX 2

Out of Oxford – 4. The Washington DC Marathon

Lauri Saksa
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Out of Oxford – 4. The Washington DC Marathon

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Doxbridge does Dublin

Olek Hola-Peryer
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Doxbridge does Dublin

Many of you may not be familiar with the term ‘Doxbridge’. If you throw it into Google Maps, the result is a charming street named Foxbridge in Swindon, just next to the Four Star Cleaning Services (why they didn’t call it Five Star baffles me). However, it is in fact a yearly sports trip to Dublin, featuring the finest collegiate athletes that Durham, Oxford, and Cambridge have to offer. Many of you are right to enquire why Durham were invited. I too scoffed when I found out that they only have a 19th century history. However, this was just a minor shock considering the earth shattering news that Colleges from York and Dublin were also invited. This caused much disquiet among the group and rumours of a boycott similar to the 2009 boycott of England’s Cricket Tour to Zimbabwe abounded. However, we bit the bullet and the tour went ahead.

But what is Doxbridge? It consists of four days: two days spent travelling, two days spent playing sport. This also consists of three nights out in the historic city of Dublin, a labyrinthine complex which is nigh impossible to navigate at three in the morning and after the odd Guinness (which as far as this reporter could tell tasted no different to the Guinness in England). There is a plethora of sports to choose from, including football, rugby, netball, hockey, lacrosse and others. Truly, for any who love sport, this is the World Cup, the Olympics and Fresher’s Week rolled into one.

Despite constant – and slightly annoying – reminders via apparel that we must “tour harder” and that we were having “the time of our lives”, Doxbridge was a thoroughly enjoyable trip. Two days of gruelling sport, played to a relatively high standard, with the exception of Jesus College, who seemed altogether fazed by the notion that sport would be played on the trip. After suffering numerous defeats on the first day they opted for a trip to Seaworld on the second. However, when I overheard one of them in the toilets of a club, cheering up a melancholic Paddy with a surprisingly interesting fish fact, I could sea that they truly had a whale of a time.

Back to the sport. Despite a disappointing lack of professional scouts many of the games throughout all disciplines were hard-fought and entertaining. Focusing on football, as the most well-attended sport and the only one I saw, I can tell you that after a highly competitive first day, many teams still had the chance to win what was dubbed by the rep as a ‘winnable’ tournament. However, by the second day, injury and hangovers had taken their toll and teams were forced to try out rather unorthodox tactics, including the 2-3-5 formation of the the 1930s and the New College captain’s innovative notion of only defending space, even with the opposing striker clean through on goal. Vanbrugh College of York eventually ran out as winners after a scrappy final which featured a striker with the worst chat since Episode 2 of Shark Tales (4.06 minutes in).

So looking back. Was Doxbridge full of the “first-class sport and legendary craic” that was promised. About the former, I would have to disagree, judging by the mental and physical fitness of many of the rugby players I saw. About the latter, having looked up the definition, I would most definitely agree. A fine holiday in the eyes of many, mixed with some great nights out. And whilst I doubt anyone merited a blues call-up based on their performances, much ‘mad tekkers’ was seen across the board. 

Singin’ The Sky Blues

Aleks Klosok
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Singin’ The Sky Blues

Everybody likes a trip to the fairground now and again – what with all the excitement, unpredictability and the odd fright here and there. Well, if you’re on the lookout, then Coventry City’s very own fairground, the Ricoh Arena, may just be the hottest ticket in town. Tipped at the beginning of the season for mid-table mediocrity, the Sky Blues Roller Coaster has been – having reached the dizzy heights of the Npower Championship play-off places in November – plummeting towards the depths of Npower Football League One and shows no signs of slowing down. With Aidy Boothroyd as the latest manager to leave the club, financial concerns aplenty and constant shuffling in the boardroom, the question is, ‘who will have the last laugh?’

Since its founding in 1883, Coventry City has been a club known to experience many eventful highs and lows. Having spent over a decade languishing in the lower leagues of English football, namely the old Division Four and Three, the club’s meteoric rise to the top began in earnest in the 1960s under the management of former manager-turned-club-legend and famous BBC Sport Presenter, Jimmy Hill. Hill guided the club to two promotions in the mid to late 1960s and the club experienced European football for the very first and only time in the 1970-1971 season. The club was innovative off the pitch with the previous stadium, Highfield Road, becoming the country’s first all-seater stadium in 1981, only for terraces to be reinstated two years later. The pinnacle came in 1987 with the club’s first mayor piece of silverware – the FA Cup. The Sky Blues victory over Tottenham Hotspur, which included striker Cyrille Regis, is still regarded to this day by many neutrals as one of the most enthralling finals in recent years for sheer footballing technique alone. Steady progress in the league continued into the 1990s as the club took its place in the FA Premier League.

For almost a decade, the team held its own in the FA Premier League. The club constantly achieved middle to lower table status – often flirting with relegation. Their luck eventually ran out in 2001, condemning the club to Championship football and thus ending the club’s remarkable 34-year association with the top flight. However, whatever patience was garnered in the FA Premier League has simply dissolved since then. Since the turn of the millennium, the club have gone through eight different permanent managers. Such a shuffling of the managerial pack has consequently led to a sustained period of stagnation in the now Npower Championship with only former Coventry City player, Micky Adams, coming close to achieving promotion back in the 2005-2006 season. In some ways, the most significant action in recent years has come off the pitch, on the development side of things. Having opened up The Alan Higgs Centre (Club Football Academy) in 2004, a year later the club relocated from Highfield Road to the modern 32,000 capacity Ricoh Arena Stadium. However, the most important development came in 2007 when the club was saved at the eleventh hour from administration by SISU and ex-chairman, Ray Ranson. Plans of investment in the team have since proved false with little change emerging in the intervening three-and-a-half-years – something which has taken its toll on the club this season.

Ignored amidst the talk of contenders for promotion in pre-season, Coventry City under manager Aidy Boothroyd defied all expectations by starting this season off very strongly. Conditions for Boothroyd were akin to those he experienced at Watford, whom he guided to the Promised Land in 2006: a small squad, a limited budget and ‘small’ expectations. Nonetheless, by November, having playing 14 games and having just beaten Sheffield United, the club occupied the lofty position of 4th place. Since then though, a combination of injuries and a dramatic loss of form, has seen the club slide down the table, picking up just one win in 16. The terrible run, akin to that endured by his predecessor, Chris Coleman, along with disgruntlement from the fans with regards to the team’s playing style and a reported loss of the dressing room, cost Boothroyd his job. This made him the 36th manager to be sacked this season, and lowering his overall win percentage to 31% – just 2% better than the Welshman’s. In a remarkable last two weeks, the club have parted company with both manager and chairman and having been hit with a transfer embargo, the club’s short term future is still far from certain. Sitting in a perilous 20th position, the club are far from safe and with a defeat in their last game away to bottom of the table Preston North End, the threat of relegation looms ever larger for the Coventry City faithful.

Relegation battles have, in recent seasons, become the norm for Coventry City. Last season, the Sky Blues finished 19th and a repeat of that performance looks on the cards. With just eight games to go I would argue not one of the teams currently occupying the three relegation places can be discounted from survival – that including Preston North End, who despite being eight points from safety, have undergone a resurgence under manager Phil Brown. Whilst Coventry City have a seven point cushion, they have a tricky end to the season which includes games away at Portsmouth, Middlesbrough and Norwich as well as a home fixture against promotion chasing Reading. Ironically, their next game on Saturday is at home to Watford – not only Boothroyd’s former employers but the team which ended Coleman’s time at the Ricoh Arena. It is not inconceivable that the Sky Blues could still be sucked into the relegation fight. They will have to rely upon their two dependables to drag them out of danger: goalkeeper Keiren Westwood and striker Marlon King. The uncompromising Republic of Ireland international, Westwood, has caught the attention of a number of clubs with his performances and looks set to leave the Ricoh Arena with his contract set to expire in the summer whilst striker Marlon King, who has replicated some of the excellent form shown during his successful promotion campaign with Watford under Boothroyd, remains a man in demand. Service up to King from the midfield as well as a watertight defence should seal the Sky Blues position in the Npower Championship for at least another year.

The obvious short term goal for the club is to remain in the league, under caretakers Scott Harrison and Andy Thorn. If their safety is guaranteed then steps will be made to look for a long term replacement for Boothroyd. Ex-West Bromwich Albion manager Roberto di Matteo and former Newcastle United manager Chris Hughton are thought to be amongst the favourites for the job, whilst former star Dion Dublin is also in the frame. From the boardroom perspective, a greater deal of clarity as to SISU’s short and long term strategy is needed as well as a greater level of communication with the supporters who have been left disillusioned by the direction in which the club has been heading in recent years. Indeed, vice-chairman John Clarke OBE remains the only true Sky Blues fan left on the board. Nonetheless, recent developments have seen Ken Dulieu take over from Ranson as chairman as well as SISU investing a further £8,000,000 into the club to spare it from administration, although more money will be needed in the future. Furthermore, the Ricoh Arena has been chosen as the Midlands football venue for next year’s Olympic Games ahead of rivals Birmingham City, Leicester City and Derby County. Whilst the club has been saved in the short-term, it is the long-term future of the club which remains of a greater concern to the supporters.

Alienation of old shareholders and supporters, a lack of investment, and a constant shuffling of the managerial pack has led Coventry City to occupy an all too familiar lowly league position. The team, with a stable infrastructure in place behind the scenes, lacks the necessary blend of physicality and technique that many of the top clubs in the Npower Championship currently have in abundance. Furthermore, the Sky Blues need to make the Ricoh Arena, a stadium which they don’t even own, a fortress and, in the process, entice those loyal yet disillusioned supporters back to the club. Anything less and the Sky Blues dream may just turn into a nightmare.

Gove scraps EMA bursary scheme

Hannah Grosskopf
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Gove scraps EMA bursary scheme

The government will withdraw almost £400 million of support to students by installing a new bursary scheme in place of Labour’s Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA), according to proposals for the next academic year.

Home Secretary Michael Gove announced on Monday that the new scheme will guarantee regular payments amounting to £1,200 a year to approximately 12,000 16-19 year olds who are currently in care, have just left care or whose parents are on income support.

Whereas the original EMA scheme had allocated £560 million, the incumbent government’s plans will only allocate £180 million directly to students.

The remaining funds will be given to schools which will then have the responsibility of handing out financial support to students that they feel have what Gove described as “genuine financial barriers” to staying in education.

According to NUS Vice President Shane Chowen “Those who will receive automatic payments represent a tiny percentage of those eligible for EMA.

“The majority of this reduced support fund will be available only on a discretionary basis, which means hundreds of thousands of young people will be applying to sixth forms and colleges not knowing what support they will receive.

At a time when youth unemployment is so high those looking towards further education will be worried that they will be unable to make up the shortfall in funds through part-time work.

Dan Tomlinson, a first-year Univ student who received EMA at school, said, “The coalition’s new policy is still lacking in detail. I’m worried for people just like me in Year 11 who may feel they won’t be able to afford sixth form or college.”

Members of the ‘Save EMA’ campaign commented, “If Michael Gove thinks that he deserves credit after giving 70p extra a week to 12,000 of the poorest students while at the same time taking away £30 a week [from] many of their classmates whose finances are marginally better, then he really is delusional.”

 

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