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Housing crisis is getting worse
The shortage of council housing in Oxford is reaching crisis point, with even the most needy being told they face a five-year wait for a home.
Some 670 families - the most vulnerable on the register - are currently housed in temporary accommodation by Oxford City Council.
But a report on the scale of the homelessness problem in the city has revealed for the first time the wait people face to get a house.
Oxford's homelessness problem is recognised as the worst outside inner-city London, affecting about 17 in every 1,000 families.
For anyone housed in temporary accommodation the waiting time for a council house in Oxford is 2 years (1-bed); 2 years (2-bed); 4 years (3-bed); and 5 years (5-bed).
Housing allocations are made on a points system, with those with young families, deemed vulnerable or with severe disabilities top of the list.
But the waiting times below do not take into account the remaining 4,500 people on the council's general waiting list.
They stand "no chance whatsoever" of being housed, according to one senior council official.
City councillor Patrick Murray, executive member for improving housing, who was once homeless himself, said: "We are doing what we can but the problem is going to get worse before its gets better.
"You either need an awful lot of money to buy a house in Oxford or be at such a level of need to get social housing - and there is a great big gap in the middle.
| "If you aspire to live in a council house you have no chance whatsoever.” | | City council community housing manager Graham Stratford |
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"For as long as I can remember people have said housing in Oxford is in crisis and it certainly is.
"To be blunt it's going to take an awful long time (for people to be housed). We need more houses. It's as simple as that."
Homelessness costs taxpayers in Oxford £4.5m a year.
There are 8,000 council and 4,000 housing association properties in Oxford, but the authority has a waiting list of more than 5,000, with about 450 properties becoming available each year.
City council community housing manager Graham Stratford said: "If you aspire to live in a council house you have no chance whatsoever.
"Unless circumstances change you will never be housed by this authority.
"The problem would have been much less if we had not sold half our stock (through the former Conservative Government's 'right to buy' policy).
"We had about 17,000 in 1979 - we have now got 8,000.
"The problem was we were not allowed to spend the receipts on building more houses.
"I have worked in social housing in Oxford for 13 years and the problem hasn't changed. We need more affordable homes."
Housing managers are starting to work with private landlords in an effort to reduce the number of families in temporary accommodation to 475 by 2010.
Oxford East MP Andrew Smith said: "Oxford faces a real housing crisis, which is why I keep banging on about how vital it is to build more new affordable housing on the edge of Oxford.
"Those who want to block building in the Green Belt are condemning others to temporary and substandard housing."
One person who knows all about waiting for a council house is Amanda West.
Mother-of-four Ms West, 37, who lives with her children and partner in a three-bedroom housing association property in Acacia Avenue, Blackbird Leys, has been waiting to move to a bigger property for more than eight years.
One of her children has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and space is tight.
She claimed to be at the top of the list when Oxford City Council and Cherwell Housing Trust joined forces and merged their registers, but has since slipped down the pecking order.
She said: "I do have sympathy for the thousands of people who don't have a council house.
"There are many people who have got to the top of their list and 'bang' they have their hopes built up only to have them dashed.
"I have been on the transfer list for eight years and was top of the list when Cherwell Housing Trust merged with Oxford City Council and was told the next (four-bedroom house) would be mine - and it wasn't.
"I have done everything properly and waited my time and still have my hopes dashed."
8:00am Monday 2nd April 2007
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CommentPosted by: N, Oxford on 7:35am Mon 2 Apr 07
Building is happening everywhere, by companies who charge extortionate prices, prices for wealthy people. It should be declared that affordable housing takes precedence, not keep on about building on the green belt. Leave the green belt out of this - we need it, is is vital for human and nature to have some quality spaces. What you need to do is stop people selling off bits of land for quite overpriced housing - if they sell, it must be to the council who can then give people homes. Or, let the council sort out all their empty houses - there are 1000's across Oxfordshire - but they never mention that when they moan do they?
Building is happening everywhere, by companies who charge extortionate prices, prices for wealthy people. It should be declared that affordable housing takes precedence, not keep on about building on the green belt. Leave the green belt out of this - we need it, is is vital for human and nature to have some quality spaces. What you need to do is stop people selling off bits of land for quite overpriced housing - if they sell, it must be to the council who can then give people homes. Or, let the council sort out all their empty houses - there are 1000's across Oxfordshire - but they never mention that when they moan do they?
Posted by: e, oxfordshire on 11:44am Mon 2 Apr 07
A lack of social housing within the oxfordshire area is forcing people out of the area. House prices are also on par with some of the most expencive areas of london, so how are local people being helped to stay within their comunity? Either with a big help from their parents or by staying in small unsuitable accomadation. How many new flats have been built near to you recently? and is the price of them over the £200000 mark?
A lack of social housing within the oxfordshire area is forcing people out of the area. House prices are also on par with some of the most expencive areas of london, so how are local people being helped to stay within their comunity? Either with a big help from their parents or by staying in small unsuitable accomadation. How many new flats have been built near to you recently? and is the price of them over the £200000 mark?
Posted by: stefan sieluzycki, Wootton on 6:48pm Mon 2 Apr 07
Again another example of a large family calling the shots, whilst those who are more considerate with the size of their families are bulldozed aside by the never ending demands of those demands from those who should consider themselves lucky to have a house at all.
Why does somebody need a 4 bed house with 4 children, they should double up where necessary.THey should cut their cloth to their means.
Again another example of a large family calling the shots, whilst those who are more considerate with the size of their families are bulldozed aside by the never ending demands of those demands from those who should consider themselves lucky to have a house at all.
Why does somebody need a 4 bed house with 4 children, they should double up where necessary.THey should cut their cloth to their means.
Posted by: HomerJay, Oxford on 6:53pm Mon 2 Apr 07
PLEASE let her move, we will have a whip round if it will help. I am sure the local council tip must have room for the scutty cow.
PLEASE let her move, we will have a whip round if it will help. I am sure the local council tip must have room for the scutty cow.
Posted by: Peter, here on 6:56pm Mon 2 Apr 07
Lying cow. One of her kids is a baby and the other can only just be eight. So she has wanted a four bedroom house when she only had two kids, stop breeding......
Lying cow. One of her kids is a baby and the other can only just be eight. So she has wanted a four bedroom house when she only had two kids, stop breeding......
Posted by: Nicholas Newman, Oxfordprospect.co.uk on 6:58pm Mon 2 Apr 07
Its time to blame the CPRE - its all their fault - preventing decent housing being built to meet Oxford's desperate and proven housing need.
Developers are forced to build expensive housing because people with an anti development agenda like the CPRE are dead against new homes are built in the countryside.
Its time we relaxed the planning laws, so that a lot more land became available on the market. Land prices would fall, which would result in a fall in house prices.
So if you want plenty of affordable housing. Its time to build on Oxford's Green Belt.
Its time to blame the CPRE - its all their fault - preventing decent housing being built to meet Oxford's desperate and proven housing need.
Developers are forced to build expensive housing because people with an anti development agenda like the CPRE are dead against new homes are built in the countryside.
Its time we relaxed the planning laws, so that a lot more land became available on the market. Land prices would fall, which would result in a fall in house prices.
So if you want plenty of affordable housing. Its time to build on Oxford's Green Belt.
Posted by: Jon, UK on 12:11am Tue 3 Apr 07
Oxford East MP Andrew Smith said:
"Those who want to block building in the Green Belt are condemning others to temporary and substandard housing."
And I say, politicians like him are to blame for the housing crisis by allowing and actively encouraging non sustainable mass migration into the UK over the last 30 years.
THAT IS WHO SHOULD BE BLAMED, not people who want to protect the countryside.
Oxford East MP Andrew Smith said:
"Those who want to block building in the Green Belt are condemning others to temporary and substandard housing."
And I say, politicians like him are to blame for the housing crisis by allowing and actively encouraging non sustainable mass migration into the UK over the last 30 years.
THAT IS WHO SHOULD BE BLAMED, not people who want to protect the countryside.
Posted by: Ann G., Oxford on 4:27pm Tue 3 Apr 07
Mass immigration is the real cause of this and it's going to get much worse.
If only we had a party with the guts to sort it out.
Mass immigration is the real cause of this and it's going to get much worse.
If only we had a party with the guts to sort it out.
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