A PILOT scheme to house 10 refugee families in Oxford has been revealed.

Oxford City Council said the scheme would involve only private housing and that it would seek funding from the Government.

A spokesman said it had not yet had a response to its offer but that more discussions would take place over the coming weeks "to ensure there is no negative impact on any provision to refugees or vulnerable people already in the city".

The spokesman added: "The city council is continuing to work with the county council, district councils, volunteer, community and faith groups, on an Oxfordshire-wide response to accommodate refugees fleeing from the Syrian war."

And city council leader Bob Price, of Labour, added: "This pilot is an initial short-term solution to assess where we are with our plans and see if we are on the right track.

"We will continue to work with the county and district councils to develop a sustainable long-term plan.

"Further meetings are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks and we are confident of creating a process that will provide the right level of support to refugees coming to the city."

It comes after the Green group proposed a motion for a full council meeting for the city to take on at least 60 refugees.

Craig Simmons, Green group leader, called on the council to make available community halls and other buildings it owned.

Oxfordshire County Council leader Ian Hudspeth said: "Like everyone in Oxfordshire, I have been shocked and saddened by the images we have seen of refugees fleeing brutal regimes such as Syria, where civil war is raging.

"After the Prime Minister announced that Britain would need to accept more refugees from Syria, the county council has been talking to partner agencies to see what we can do together. I have now held two meetings of councils, health and other local agencies to consider our response. We have written to the SE Strategic Partnership for Migration for the Home Office, seeking a scoping meeting at the earliest opportunity."

He added: "From a county council perspective, our priority is safeguarding children and providing support to families in need. We currently have around 80 unaccompanied asylum seeker children and young people – more than double the number we had last year. Clearly the Prime Minster is right when he says helping orphaned and vulnerable children is the priority.

"The children’s services team is in the process of making sure we can respond to more arriving in the county. It is both our legal and moral duty to make sure that refugee children are looked after and kept safe, and the county council will always meet those duties.

"I fully support the government’s stance on the refugee crisis – we need an urgent humanitarian response, while keeping in mind the need for long-term solutions that reduce incentives for people to leave their country. We need to help people in danger, but avoid doing anything that encourages more people to make the dangerous journey towards Europe.

"I know there are many strong and active community and faith groups, as well as many individuals, in Oxfordshire who also may want to be part of the county-wide response. If you would like to help, there are several groups registering volunteers and offers help – please do get in touch with them."