THE cost of living in Oxford has long been the subject of ridicule, as we regularly top the charts as the 'least affordable place in the country'.

However it almost seems to have turned to farce when a young lady who wants to live in our city is raising funds to live in a van instead of a house.

That is not to say Chloe Jacobs is farcical in herself: on the contrary, this is a woman who has shown great initiative in a very difficult situation, and when life handed her lemons she has definitely chosen to make lemonade.

Indeed, we applaud her resourcefulness and defiance – exactly the qualities that a young person needs when starting out in the world.

However she shouldn't have to: we should not be living in a city where the cost of simply renting a flat in order to study at the university is so prohibitive that living a kind-of nomadic existence is seen as the preferable option.

What we need is truly affordable decent housing for more people.

Oxford City Council is working on tackling the problem as we speak – we hope that the university and its colleges are a useful and willing partner in this mission.