MILLIONS of pounds of council money will be spent on affordable housing thanks to an unprecedented public petition.

West Oxfordshire District Council and Cottsway Housing Association have teamed up in a £10m scheme that will see 48 homes built in the next three years.

It comes after a petition launched by Witney resident Luci Ashbourne last year, which called on the council to invest some of its usable reserves into ‘genuinely affordable’ housing.

The petition was the first ever in West Oxfordshire to pass the threshold of 750 signatures that triggers a council debate, with almost 900 people adding their names.

After it was submitted earlier this year, the document went to the Finance and Management Overview and Scrutiny Committee in April, and with a few minor amendments progressed to the committee’s work programme.

The petition called for £12m to be spent on housing but a figure of £10m was recommended, which was approved at cabinet earlier this month and passed at full council on Wednesday.

West Oxfordshire is one of the wealthiest districts in the UK but many people struggle to afford accommodation, with the number of people on social housing waiting lists doubling between 2015 and 2017.

Ms Ashbourne said she was pleased to be able to help the most vulnerable residents and influence one of the most pressing issues in the district.

She said: "There was a perception that spending public money on affordable housing would be frowned upon, that somehow it was better to keep the money in the bank rather than spend it.

"I wasn’t prepared to sign up to that: this is our money and we deserve better.

"This petition enabled West Oxfordshire residents to use their voice and show that this is exactly what our community is crying out for."

The location of the 48 houses is unconfirmed, but 32 will be affordable rent and 16 will be shared ownership.