The issue of how and why Oxford City Council charges residents to be released from covenants is an important one.

The city council is a public body which ought to be acting in a more transparent way than just picking a figure out of thin air and demanding it be paid.

We have attempted to find out exactly how these figures were worked out, but without much success. To its credit, the city council has changed its policy, but more information is never a bad thing.

Residents would be better served if the city council spelled out exactly how it will be reaching a decision on what to charge in the future.