More than one Londoner each day to find a home thanks to City Hall Scheme

More than one Londoner each day to find a home thanks to City Hall Scheme – Sem Moema AM

Council homes for 318 people have been created in 298 days thanks to the Mayor of London’s Council Homes Acquisition Programme.

Across London, 206 new homes with a total of 318 bedrooms have been purchased by councils with funding from City Hall since the scheme’s launch on 17th November 2023.

The homes have been created across four boroughs, with Hillingdon, Lewisham, Southwark and Westminster increasing their council housing stock through the initiative.

The Council Homes Acquisition programme funds councils to buy homes and convert them into social rented housing or temporary accommodation, aiming to enable councils to buy 10,000 homes over a decade. The scheme follows on from the successful Right to Buy-back programme run by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, which saw more than 1,500 homes turned into council housing.

Assembly Member Moema has welcomed the scheme, saying it will help reduce councils’ reliance on temporary accommodation, which sees councils in London spending £90 million every month. Across the capital 175,000 Londoners are homeless and living in temporary accommodation – including 85,000 children.

The scheme complements the Mayor’s Affordable Housing Programme, which will build at least 23,900 homes, including at least 14,340 homes for social rent to help house low-income Londoners.

 Sem Moema, London Assembly Labour spokesperson for Housing, said:

“Every day sees another Londoner able to find a home thanks to the Mayor’s Council Homes Acquisition Programme – something that will provide a lifeline to the tenants of these homes.

 “I cannot emphasise enough how important council housing is. Without it, boroughs will continue to spend millions on temporary accommodation, and vulnerable Londoners may see even more problems as a result of having nowhere stable to live.

“These numbers are just the beginning. I look forward to seeing 10,000 homes added to London’s council housing stock, providing for our most vulnerable residents.”

ENDS

Notes:

• Sem Moema AM is London Assembly Labour spokesperson for Housing and Planning.
• Figures for the number of homes being provided through the Council Homes Acquisition Programme are below. They have been taken from MQ 2024/1455, assuming that each home will house one person per bedroom.