COUNCIL-OWNED land, such as car parks and employment land, should be used to build modular homes to accommodate rough sleepers, the Liberal Democrats have said.

The party will put a motion to Oxford City Council on Monday calling for land designated for car parks or employment growth to be given over to help the homeless crisis.

It will also ask the council to come up with options to support rough sleepers who have no connection to Oxford and do not meet the criteria for support.

Lib Dem leader Andrew Gant said a modular development in south east London - housing 24 previously homeless families - could be recreated in Oxford.

He said: "Across London, 16 councils are setting up not-for-profit housing companies - in Lewisham, with financial support from Sadiq Khan, 24 two-bed units each 77 sqm are being built.

"Oxford could make a financial case for using vacant council-owned land for modular units.

"While 77 sqm is not large, the modules are expertly designed and provide very decent accommodation - much better than a hostel bed, a police cell, a seat in A&E, a tent or a cardboard box."

Mr Gant said the estimated cost of supporting a rough sleeper for one year was more than £20,000 compared to just £1,400 when that person has accommodation.

He also cited an organisation called Social Bite, which had built modular housing on council-owned land in Scotland, as well as the Government-backed Housing First initiative to support rough sleepers in Manchester.

The motion, seconded by fellow party member Tom Landell Mill, a councillor for St Margaret's, also calls for measures to prevent homelessness in the first place, such as expanding a help-to-rent scheme, to be explored.

The city's Labour group is set to meet to discuss its formal response to the motion ahead of Monday's meeting.

Deputy leader and board member for housing, Linda Smith, said: "Rough sleeping is the visible tip of a much wider housing crisis, and Oxford City Council takes homelessness prevention extremely seriously.

"We have budgeted £1.8m this year to tackle rough sleeping and we have just won an extra £500,000 in government funding for another 64 beds and better support for rough sleepers this winter."

Three extra staff will also be added to the St Mungo's outreach team, which helped more than 300 people off Oxford's streets last year.

Ms Smith said her mission was to eradicate rough sleeping in Oxford and work was being carried out to provide better support in problem areas.

She said: "More than half of rough sleepers in Oxford during the 2017 street count had no connection to the city.

"We also know that three quarters of rough sleepers in Oxford have unmet mental health needs, which can make it harder to engage with services and to come inside - where they can get the support they need to help them off the streets for good."

She added that the council's partnership with Oxfordshire Community Foundation would look specifically at supporting those with no local connection and those not engaging.

The motion will be voted on at 5pm on Monday in Town Hall.