Not Lush

Not a comment on all the shops which have moved to the Westgate (Oxford shopping centre which has just been hugely expanded and reopened). Actually a more serious comment on a problem not unique to Oxford. A friend of mine uses the word 'lush' as I would the word 'great'. This scene is not lush by any definition of the word. Someone's possessions in a shop doorway. And it's far from the only spot in Oxford city centre like this every night.

Oxford is a beautiful city, and the reputation is one of education, culture, and all things fine and lovely. But this is a city with its own problems, just like everywhere else. One of the biggest problems is housing. Oxford has some of the worst rough sleeping stats outside London, and the council have been very sensitive with threats to fine people up to £2500 for leaving their belongings in shop doorways like this. You can imagine how popular that idea was.

Some stats from Oxford City Council's Housing Service Performance Report 2016-2017:
The median rent for a 2-bed property is £1,150 per month1, but the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is only £834 per month. For a 3-bed property the median rent is £1,425 per month1, but the LHA is only £997 per month.
In 2016/17 there were 20 new affordable homes completed – all of them Housing Association shared ownership homes. In 2017/18 the council are expecting 74 affordable homes to be completed, of which 55 will be rented properties and 19 will be shared ownership.
In March 2017, there were 3455 households on the housing register.