Oxford City Council has confirmed that more than 4,000 families are now on the Housing Register waiting for social housing. This underlines the urgent need for more genuinely affordable homes.
The latest figures show 4,068 applicants are registered for social housing in Oxford, as demand continues to far exceed the supply of available homes. Around half the need is for one-bedroom homes (2,035) while two and three beds amount to 1,761 which is 43% of applications. The authority receives an average of 160 new applications a month.
Oxford’s housing crisis
The figure comes amid wider housing pressures, with Oxford’s high housing costs making it increasingly difficult for residents to find a secure, affordable place to live.
Centre for Cities’ Cities Outlook 2026 report placed Oxford top amongst the UK’s least affordable cities. ( Cities-Outlook-2026.pdf )
ONS figures show that average private rents in Oxford reached £1,963 a month in August 2026. At £23,556 a year, this is equivalent to around 55% of the median gross annual earnings of full-time workers living in Oxford, underlining the challenge many residents face in finding an affordable home.
More than 500 households at risk of homelessness were placed in temporary accommodation during 2025/26. A further 996 households were given additional preference on the register due to overcrowding.
Oxford City Council’s work
The council has a four-year programme to provide 1,632 affordable homes, including 1,072 for social rent.
The council has created a housing company, OX Place, to build the homes. Current developments include proposals at Sandy Lane (331 homes), Northfield (51 homes) and Bertie Place (31 homes).
Alongside this, the council is working with private developers and housing associations to bring forward additional affordable homes, including in Blackbird Leys and at Oxford North.
However, due to Oxford’s tight administrative boundaries, the floodplain and the Green Belt, Oxford has run out of large housing development sites.
The council has argued that the way to tackle the housing crisis for future generations is to release a small part of the Green Belt around the city for development, under a proposed Greater Oxford Council.
This approach would enable 40,000 homes – including 16,000 social and affordable homes – to be built within Greater Oxford by 2040.
Comment
“If there was any doubt that Oxford is in the midst of a housing crisis, the fact that over 4,000 people are now on our Housing Register is a stark reminder. Behind every application is a person or family who needs a safe, secure place to call home in a city where the private rental sector is amongst the most expensive in the country.
“We’re urgently building new homes across Oxford, working with partners and have even set up our own development company OX Place to ensure social housing remains a key priority. However, with usable land in shorter and shorter supply in the city, we are utilising every inch, demolishing empty garages, building on former landfills and converting brownfield sites to homes.
“We are making progress. Just last week I was at Chestnut Tower in Blackbird Leys watching 61 households from our housing register move into new homes for social rent. . This is just one of many similar developments we are leading across the city. But as this daunting figure shows, more needs to be done.
“Ultimately, Oxford Needs Homes, and the only way to build enough of them is to give the city more land to develop. A Greater Oxford Council offers the best chance for the city to tackle this housing crisis and to cut our housing waiting list to zero.”
- Councillor Linda Smith, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities
