FOR years Oxford has done its best to provide support for refugees and asylum seekers who find themselves hounded out of their homelands by war, famine and other natural disasters.

Some of these families, encouraged by such a warm welcome, have managed to settle in this multi-cultural city and their children are now getting good exam results in the local schools.

But the squeeze on affordable housing means the city council can no longer afford to be so magnanimous and a large number of families are being relocated elsewhere.

Birmingham is not such a bad place, but it must be devastating for the Morad family from Syria, forced to flee war-torn Aleppo, to be passed from pillar to post.

Rocketing property prices, a large student population, and the shortage of affordable housing in Oxford inevitably pushes up rents, so the need for more homes to be built will continue.

So too will the argument about how much of Oxford’s Green Belt should be built on.

Hundreds of families from Oxford itself will be desperate to move up the city council’s waiting list for accommodation, but the harsh reality is that some of them will never be allocated the homes they want.

It’s a shame that Oxford can no longer offer a safe haven for families like the Morads from Syria.

It’s no consolation, but they are far from alone in their hour of need.

More homes need be built in Oxford, but the crucial question is where.