THERE are fewer families in temporary accommodation across Oxford than there were last year, the city council has confirmed.

At the end of 2016 there were 114 households in temporary accommodation but at the end of September, when data was collected for a meeting on Monday, there were 100.

Landlord services manager Bill Graves said that was a big achievement for the local authority.

Mr Graves said: "120 is the target and we're below that. This is a big drop we have seen."

There are now fewer families with dependent children or expected babies living in temporary accommodation – but at the end of September there were still 89 of them living in homes which they would not be in for the long-term.

Overall, there has been a slight decrease in the number of children in temporary accommodation in Oxford – down from 165 on December 31, 2016 to 162 on September 30.

That number is compared to 97 on December 31, 2016 and 80 on March 31, 2017, and 80 again on June 30, 2017.

The number of single people in temporary accommodation has also decreased since December 31. There were 15 people accommodated by the city council, then 11 on March 31, 13 on June 30 and 11 at the end of September.

At a city council housing panel meeting on Monday, Lib Dem councillor for St Margaret's ward, Elizabeth Wade, said the figures were 'steady but not great'.

The city council also said the rent collection rates had reduced at the end of September in comparison to September 2016 – a collection rate of 94.41 per cent against 95.73 per cent. But it said its collection team had been hit by illness but were now back to its full complement.