I WAS surprised to see Councillor Altaf Khan raising concerns about Northway Community Centre in a recent Oxford Mail piece.

Councillor Khan was trustee/deputy chairman of Northway Community Association in 2011/2012 when the partnership agreement between City Council, Greensquare and NCA was negotiated.

The peppercorn rent and ‘sinking fund’ of £12,000 per annum for the new community centre building was all agreed at that time and later ratified by the new trustees of NCA in 2013.

If Councillor Khan did not support that agreement in 2012 he should have said so at the time rather than try to make trouble now.

However, he typically sat on the fence (which local Lib Dems do) and waited to try to create a ‘spoiler’ now the building is going up.

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It seems odd that Councillor Khan decided to abandon Northway/Headington Hill ward after a couple of terms and went to a safer seat in 2012 when he knew he would lose to Labour’s new candidate (now councillor) in Headington Hill and Northway.

His achievement as councillor for Northway was particularly undistinguished.

Does anyone on Northway remember anything he did?

To now make comments about Northway matters which he could have influenced at the time is galling.

Today he has a reputation for opposing progressive Labour policies, such as the crackdown on Houses of Multiple Occupation landlords who exploit tenants by not carrying out health and safety work and being bad landlords, without declaring an obvious interest.

It would be better if he looked to his own patch and actions rather than try to go over issues on Northway that he himself could have influenced two years ago.

Oxford Mail:

  • The Northway Community Centre building

I wish Northway Community Association well and am excited by the prospect of a super new building and a new era for community life and relations on Northway.

NCA, working with Oxford City Council and Greensquare, can make a great success of the new Community Centre.

Roy Darke
City councillor for Headington Hill and Northway


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