Access to Housing for the London’s Key Workers

Sem Moema AM moved and Elly Baker AM seconded the following motion:

“The ongoing housing crisis is creating challenges for London’s key workers, including London Ambulance and other NHS workers, to live within a reasonable distance of their workplace and the communities they serve. 

The NHS in London has the highest vacancy rate of any region and the health service is at risk of losing both stability and experience without urgent reform of the provision of key worker housing.

Despite commitments to improve access to key worker housing, London Ambulance Service (LAS) workers and many other frontline NHS workers face prolonged waiting lists, inadequate needs assessments by housing associations, and, in some cases, significant reductions in the number of homes available to them. 

We welcome the positive steps taken by the Mayor to provide intermediate housing for key workers, in particular through his commitment to building rent controlled, Key Worker Living Rent homes. Yet more needs to be done. 

The Assembly calls on the Mayor to:

• Use his role as Chair of the London Health Board to work with the NHS to encourage a minimum threshold is set for future developments on NHS-owned or formerly NHS-owned land to be reserved for NHS frontline staff working or living in the local area. 
• Prioritise the development of practical, genuinely affordable housing for LAS and other frontline NHS workers located within close proximity to workplaces.
• Engage with the LAS to encourage the development of a LAS Housing Strategy which considers how the services’ existing resources can support and enhance worker access to housing.
• Engage directly and meaningfully with recognised trade unions across the NHS to ensure intermediate housing policies genuinely reflect the needs of the NHS workforce.

Changes to planning laws by the previous government have worsened the situation across London. Therefore, we call on the London Estates Delivery Unit, before it closes next year, to publish full details of all NHS land sales where healthcare worker accommodation was either not mandated in the sale agreement or not delivered upon project completion.”

Following debate, and upon being put to a vote, the motion was agreed with 14 votes being cast in favour and 5 votes being cast against.