A LEADING homelessness charity yesterday told Oxford City Council it was not doing enough to solve the lack of affordable housing in the area.

The city council is only delivering 12 per cent of the social rented housing or low cost home ownership schemes for families, according to a report by Shelter.

Shelter’s Housing League Table ranks the city council 226th out of 323 in terms of its affordable housing provision.

Shelter’s chief executive Campbell Robb said: “With 3,790 households on the housing waiting list in Oxford, the council must work far harder to ensure more desperately needed affordable homes are provided, if it ever hopes to meet the housing needs of the local population.

“Independent experts commissioned by the council say 1,757 new affordable homes need to be built each year in Oxford, but an average of only 210 have been delivered in the last year, leaving a shortfall of 1,547 homes per year.

“The recession has created a difficult climate for house building, but these figures clearly show that Oxford council is struggling to provide enough affordable homes for those who need them.”

Mother-of-six Kerry Ashley-Morgan, 39, is one of many who has struggled with the problem.

She was on the council’s waiting list for about 10 years before she could swap her three-bedroomed house in Cuddeson Way, Blackbird Leys, for a four-bedroomed house on the estate, for her family of seven.

She said: “In October, we swapped a housing association property for a city council home.

“But I had to set up the swap myself after visiting the HomeSwapper website and if I hadn’t taken the initiative I’m sure we would still be on the waiting list.

“Thankfully, the city council was more than happy to agree to the swap going ahead.”

Shelter’s research found that 216 councils, including Oxford, are delivering less than half the number of homes they have identified as needed.

Vale of White Horse District Council was ranked 170th out of 323 councils in England, South Oxfordshire District Council was 169th, Cherwell 148th, and West Oxfordshire 86th.