OXFORD's neighbours must allow it to expand if they want the city to remain an economic success, the Shadow Minister for Housing has warned.

Labour's John Healey MP said Cherwell and South Oxfordshire district councils had "a duty" to consider large new housing developments that have been called for by Oxford City Council to help tackle the chronic shortage of housing.

The proposals for thousands of homes north and south of the city are controversial because they would be built on protected Green Belt land.

But speaking to the Oxford Mail, Mr Healey said demand for housing in Oxford was high enough to warrant a review of Green Belt boundaries.

He said: "You have some of the most extreme pressures on housing in the country and the government's policies are doing very little to help.

"If they [Cherwell and South Oxfordshire] are proud of Oxford and want it to be successful, then they have to do their bit with Oxford City Council to see the sort of extension that will give the city a long-term future.

"When you ask BMW, Oxford University and any other employer in Oxford at the moment they will tell you that housing is no longer just a personal problem, it is becoming a business problem.

"If workers cannot afford to rent or buy here, then it is harder for them to work here.

"These decisions have to be taken locally, but I am behind the city council and its proposals."

The city council has for years wanted to build 4,000 homes on land south of Grenoble Road, near the Kassam Stadium, but has been blocked by South Oxfordshire District Council (SODC).

It is also lobbying Cherwell District Council to allow a minimum of 3,500 homes to be built between Oxford and Kidlington.

These so-called 'urban extensions' have been suggested because they would be close to the city and its transport links, which planning bosses hope would lead to fewer people using cars to get to work and so less congestion on the roads.

But John Cotton, leader of SODC, said he did not accept the arguments for "bolting on" large developments for the city and called for Oxford do build more homes within its own boundaries.

His comments come after a report published in 2014 said that up to 32,000 more homes would be needed in the city by 2031. A report by the city council says there is space for only 10,000, however.

Mr Cotton said: "There is space in Oxford for something like 16,000 houses and there is nothing to stop the city council from building those.

"When that happens and if there is still pressure, we would be happy to have further conversations.

"But I think it is a mistake to focus economic growth on Oxford, we need to move away from the notion that the jobs must all be in the city."