Oxford City Council criticised for sending homeless people to other cities
Some homeless people were moved to High Wycombe and Reading
A housing union has criticised Oxford City Council after it transpired that they were sending homeless people to other towns and cities like Reading and High Wycombe temporary accommodation.
A Freedom of Information request found that more than half the households in temporary accommodation in 2024/25 were placed outside Oxford.
While many of them were sent within Oxfordshire, an increasing number are being sent to other towns and cities outside the county, with 45 going to Wycombe and 34 being sent to Reading.
A spokesperson from the Oxford branch of ACORN the housing union said: “It is unacceptable that the state of housing supply in Oxford is so dire that residents are being moved to other towns and cities, often away from their friends, families and livelihoods.
“Oxford’s housing problem is not simply a case of too many people for not enough homes.
“Renters are being made vulnerable to homelessness by soaring rents and unscrupulous landlords whose behaviour goes unchecked by the council.
“Oxford City Council must take responsibility here in increasing the supply of good quality, affordable housing and using the full extent of their enforcement powers to improve and maintain the standard of housing in the city.”
They added that one of the members of the union was placed in council accommodation in Abingdon after being given a no-fault eviction notice, after she reported that her landlord had been harassing her.
Councillor Linda Smith, cabinet member for housing on the city council, said the demand for temporary accommodation meant the council was increasingly having to use budget hotels, some being far from Oxford.
She added that the council was “working hard to increase the number of properties we have available for temporary accommodation locally”.
ACORN previously launched a campaign urging the city council to take a ‘zero tolerance’ policy to help prevent revenge evictions for making complaints.