People wait on average 5.2 years for social housing in Oxford, according to a homelessness charity called Crisis Skylight Oxford. Oxford City Council ranks fifth in the UK councils with the longest wait times, more than two years above the national average, and with over 3,400 people on the waiting list.
In the UK, the average wait time for council housing is 2.9 years. Greater London came top with a 6.6-year average waiting time. The city council’s allocation scheme for council housing is based on how much people need a new home, rather than how long they have been on the register. Crisis Skylight Oxford say that they have around 20 new people registering for support each week.
Oxford Council Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, Linda Smith, said that “in recent years the cost of living, record private rent rises and the delay in delivering a ‘no fault’ eviction ban, first promised in 2019, have fuelled a sharp rise in homelessness across the country. Oxford is no exception.
“Together with a longstanding affordability crisis, this means most people wait years for general needs council housing and there is no guarantee of a council home however long you spend on the list.”
She added that since the relaxation of government borrowing restrictions in 2018, the Council has built hundreds of new council homes and the current budget includes funding for a further 1,600 council homes in the next eight years.
“We know this won’t be enough to meet needs but as the only council in Oxfordshire building new council homes, we know every single one can make a life-changing difference.”
Director at Crisis Skylight Oxford, Kate Crocker, said: “No one should have to live without a secure roof over their heads. But this is the reality for so many in Oxford, exacerbated by the rising cost of living and lack of social housing in the area.”
She reported that many families spend prolonged periods in unsuitable, temporary accommodation, and that children are being “robbed of their childhoods” by celebrating birthdays in inadequate living conditions. She called on government ministers to commit to increased funding for social housing.
The data on waiting times was gathered in a Freedom of Information request sent to 387 UK councils by the Alan Boswell Group, unoccupied house insurance experts.
Councillor Linda Smith, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities told Cherwell: “We are doing what we can to ease Oxford’s housing crisis. Since the relaxation of government borrowing restrictions in 2018, we have built hundreds of new council homes. Our budget for 2025/26 includes funding for a further 1,600 council homes in the next eight years.
“We know this won’t be enough to meet need. But as the only council in Oxfordshire building new council homes, we know every single one can make a life-changing difference.”
