Sir – In the current The Oxford Times your reporter comments that ‘the way is clear for local councils to decide on the number of houses in their area’, and quotes the Vale of White Horse District Council leader as saying: ‘We are reviewing the figures to make sure we are only building the houses that are needed.’ As I’m sure he is aware, there is widespread disquiet over both the existing new houses in Wantage and Grove, and the proposal to build many more.

There are also many rumours flying around about the proportion of ‘affordable’ housing being built (rising from 40 per cent to 80 per cent) and that some of these units are being given to people coming from as far away as Birmingham.

In order to have a reasoned debate, it is necessary to get the correct facts.

Might we please ask someone in authority (and I imagine it will be the Vale itself) to tell us: How many new houses/apartments (perhaps I mean ‘dwelling units’ for one family?) have been built in Wantage and Grove in the last three years how many of these are currently occupied what proportion of these are ‘affordable’ how many have been occupied by people coming from outside Wantage and Grove.

It would be nice if as well we are told what positive steps are being taken to improve the infrastructure, particularly schools.

Our existing schools are already having to build on temporary classrooms to cope with the rise in children numbers.

A school takes a long time to build from scratch; what progress for example has been made in preparing the new secondary school we were promised in Grove?

Dick Brown, Wantage