London must have more powers to tackle housing crisis

The Mayor of London has warned that City Hall and London’s boroughs are fighting to solve the capital’s housing crisis with one arm tied behind their back, and says it is now vital that the Government grants London greater powers and resources to help meet Londons’ housing needs.

Research conducted for the upcoming London Housing strategy reveals how the crisis has intensified and is severely affecting Londoners.

These are just some of the facts:

• Since 2010 average private rents in London have risen more than five times as fast as average earnings
• In 2016, the gap in house prices between London and the rest of the country reached the widest ever recorded
• More than a quarter of Londoners now live in poverty once housing costs are taken into account

The Mayor wants the Government to give London greater control over its own resources so that more can be done, including:

• Investing more in new homes and infrastructure
• Bringing forward more land for more homes more quickly (like the land that will now provide 330 affordable homes in Blackhorse Road)
• Freeing up councils and housing associations to build more

Find out more about what the Mayor is doing to boost affordable housing in London

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