THE £215m Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal has been officially agreed today.

Housing minister Dominic Raab joined council leaders and other critical members in Upper Heyford, near Bicester, to sign the deal.

It was first announced by Chancellor Philip Hammond in the Budget last November and has been backed by all district councils and the county council’s cabinet over recent months.

As part of it, the councils will be given £215m to help the building of 100,000 homes across the county by 2031.

Of that, £150m will be spent on infrastructure supporting the homes, while £60m will support new affordable housing. Another £5m will be spent to provide greater planning capacity in district councils.

Mr Raab said: “I am delighted to be in Oxfordshire today to see first hand our new funding will help deliver 100,000 homes for the county, not only helping address Oxfordshire’s housing challenges but also providing the kind of transport infrastructure such as roads, bridges and roundabouts, which new homes needs.”