The report on future housing needs in Oxford makes grim reading.

We have always known that the city has a severe shortage of homes, but if anything, the position is worse than feared.

The Housing Requirement Survey suggests that Oxford needs 1,700 new homes a year to meet demand.

The present target of 380 is woefully below what is required.

City council leader Alex Hollingsworth has warned of a crisis that could "eventually lock hard-working families out of Oxford".

The report spells out how far Oxford has fallen behind other cities.

The city council is encouraging the development of brownfield sites, and insisting that low-cost homes feature prominently in all new schemes.

Those are steps in the right direction. But it is clear that a figure of 1,700 homes a year will never be reached without drastic action, from the Government down.

Concentrating extra homes in the county towns will add to commuter problems.

The alternative will inevitably put pressure on the sacred Green Belt, particularly the controversial site south of Oxford off Grenoble Road.

Only one thing is certain about the debate on future housing in Oxfordshire -- it is set to run and run.