Sir – Oxford needs to grow by quite a lot in size to inject some vitality into the local economy.

At the moment it is stagnant.

More houses means more people, therefore more money going into the area.

This will never happen, however, because the university rules Oxford and always has done.

I would suggest that one answer to Oxford’s problem would be for it to become a metropolitan borough, extending the city authority to include places including Eynsham, Wheatley, Kennington and Yarnton, leaving green spaces within some of the total area.

Just so you know, we shopped in Reading the other day, a great place for ‘ordinary’ people, with cheap parking and more shops and a nice friendly atmosphere.

We also go to Banbury, visiting both places on a regular basis.

We have not been into Oxford for nearly a year now. It is just too snobby and expensive for us.

P Harris, Eynsham