YOU report on a shortfall of social housing in Oxford (Oxford Mail, March 19).

In fact, Oxford is better off than the English average. It has been reported that 21 per cent of households in Oxford are in social rented housing, compared with 19 per cent in England as a whole (source: Oxford City Council’s Oxford Profile).

The problem of social housing in Oxford is one of managing unrealistic expectations.

People who pay for private rented accommodation, and owner-occupiers, move elsewhere if they cannot afford to live in Oxford. More and more people who work in the city live outside it, with inevitable increases in commuting by car, traffic jams, unproductive time spent travelling, and problems caused by severe limitations on workplace parking.

Oxford also, of course, has major needs for housing its large student population.

A striking characteristic of Oxford’s housing tenure is its shortfall of homes for owner-occupation. At the 2001 census, 69 per cent of households in England were in owner-occupation but the figure for Oxford was only 55 per cent.

The situation in Oxford is likely to be worse now, as ever more housing has been split up for multiple occupation.

A proper debate is needed about housing policies that emphasise the housing needs of people who work or study in the city.

Dr Michael Goldacre,Oxford