Five things you need to know for today

CAMPAIGNERS have called for urgent safety measures on the A34 following a horrific crash that killed a mother and three children.

Motorists and politicians repeated demands for lower speed limits and better provisions for lorries on the county's major trunk road, following the tragic deaths of a family as they headed home from a camping holiday.

Tracy Houghton, her sons Ethan, 13, and Josh, 11, and her partner's 11-year-old daughter Amiee Goldsmith, were named yesterday as the victims of an eight-vehicle crash at East Ilsley, close to the Oxfordshire border at Chilton, on Wednesday evening.

2. Fire crews tackled a fire at an Oxford University building in Walton Street yesterday

Firefighters dealt with a fire at a academic building in Walton Street this afternoon.

Four fire engines attended the scene and smoke was seen billowing out of Oxford University's Clarendon Press Institute, between the junctions for Beaumont Street and Little Clarendon Street.

About 20 firefighters tackled the flames. 

It is understood the blaze started in an office on the second floor of the Clarendon Institute.

Eyewitnesses said the fire service arrived promptly after the alarm was raised.

3. A new mother has called for a U-turn on plans to cut maternity services at the Horton Hospital

A new mum has called on an NHS trust not to force pregnant women in north Oxfordshire to take long, risky journeys to get the healthcare they need.

Sophie Hammond tore a major blood vessel giving birth birth to daughter Clementine last September and was saved by teams at the Horton General Hospital.

Now the 30-year-old from Bodicote has demanded Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust not to let the Horton's maternity unit become 'midwife-led'.

Current proposals put forward by the trust would see no specialists based at the hospital, meaning anyone living in the north of the county experiencing pregnancy complications would have to go to Oxford, South Northamptonshire or even Warwick.

4. The former Temple Cowley Pools site is being prepared for demolition

The demolition of Oxford's former Temple Cowley Pools has moved a step closer with workmen removing items which can be reused.

Developer Catalyst Housing, which wants to build 48 homes on the site, said it had started "soft-stripping" the building in Temple Road to remove recyclable materials.

Oxford City Council agreed to sell the site for £3.5m in December 2014, despite a long-running fight by campaigners to keep the pools open.

Catalyst Housing spokesman Martin Ball said: "After conducting the necessary legal surveys relating to the protection of birds and bats, we have begun to soft-strip the on-site building."

5. An Oxfordshire education chief has backed calls for more support to be given to those with special educational needs

A teaching union's calls for more support for young people with special educational needs have been backed by Oxfordshire's education chief.

The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) said 83 per cent of education staff in England believed pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) were not getting the help they needed.

ATL said new criteria introduced in September 2014 meant many pupils with SEND were no longer eligible for funding.

Oxfordshire County Council cabinet member for education Melinda Tilley said: "We do not get enough funding in this county for all our kids, especially not for SEND kids."