Sir – Keith Beckingham’s letter (Gazette, July 24) raised the question as to where the best job prospects exist in the area.

There seems to be little published on the subject.

During the 2011 National Census, much relevant data was collected for each town and parish.

This includes the number of residents in the age range 16 to 74 in employment and the number of enterprises in each location.

The ratio of the two for any given town is a good approximation to its job prospects.

The results (from best to worst with their relative prospects) are Cheltenham (1), Chipping Norton (0.97), Oxford (0.81), Witney (0.77), Swindon (0.64) and Carterton (0.48).

On this basis, Carterton clearly seems to be the worst location to build 700 new homes.

Common sense strongly suggests that they be built elsewhere.

Selwyn Shorrock, Carterton Road, Brize Norton