GETTING a council house in Oxford is as rare as hen’s teeth.

The city council still has a good stock — about 8,000 properties — but that is still woefully short of the number required to house all on its register.

Today, the number of individuals signed up and waiting for a council property stands at 5,000 — and growing.

What gets on people’s nerves is the number of apparently empty properties around Oxford, both private and council-owned.

People, understandably, think that if a property is standing idle, it could be put to better use by housing them.

However, things are not that simple.

The city council has made great strides in turning around its ‘void’ or vacant properties.

The lion’s share are now equipped to a very high specification.

But intervening to bring back into use vacant private properties has proved tougher.

Councils are equipped with powers to turn private homes into social housing, but in Oxford they have not been put to use. Yet.

With the city’s housing crisis at record levels, perhaps the time has come for council officials to use the powers at their disposal.

Why should perfectly serviceable homes stand empty?

When the city’s social housing waiting list stands at 5,000, every vacant space counts.