NO INFORMATION can be given out about potential housing sites that might be used for hundreds of thousands of new homes, the Government has said.

It wants to build one million new homes between Oxford and Cambridge before 2050.

About 100,000 homes are currently included in Oxfordshire councils' Local Plans until the mid-2030s – but many more housing sites would be needed in the county to meet the Government's target.

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The Ministry of Housing (MHCLG) said all information returned by councils about potential housing sites ‘relates to the formulation and development of policy’ and is currently secret.

It was replying to a freedom of information request that it returned two and a half months late.

Last year, Oxfordshire councils were told they had just weeks to come up with ideas for sites to accommodate the new homes.

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But just days after that, they were told they did not need to rush their proposals, it can be revealed.

On July 26, Kit Malthouse, a housing minister, told authorities operating between Oxford and Cambridge that the Government wanted housing ideas by the middle of September.

But just four days after Mr Malthouse's letter, an email from Rachel Fisher, the deputy director for regeneration and infrastructure at MHCLG, said September 14 was not a 'hard deadline' as had initially been indicated.