OXFORD City Council cannot, though, shrug off responsibility for its policy that ships off families needing housing to Birmingham.

Birmingham, quite rightly, points out with some justification it has its own people to house.

Say what you will about the second city, it was not built as a convenient dumping ground to sort out the infrastructure woes of other areas.

Yes this city has issues that are contributing to a chronic shortage of decent affordable housing.

But there needs to be a proper solution and not a view of: Out of sight, out of mind.