Three years after its setup, the London Housing Panel (LHP) is to have its funding cut completely by the Greater London Authority, in March 2022.
Today the London Assembly urged the Mayor to reverse this decision and continue to support the LHP, which costs £30,000 a year to run.
Sian Berry AM, who proposed the motion said:
“Currently, the London Housing Panel ensures that voluntary and community sectors are given a voice on the Mayor’s Homes for Londoners Board. A board that is overwhelmingly made up of Developers, Local Authorities and Housing Associations.
“Without the Panel’s membership on that board, social tenants, rough sleepers, low-income Londoners and community-led housebuilders, among others, no longer have a say in what happens to them.
“Disbanding the only vehicle for the very people who actually have experience of these issues is both short-sighted and self-defeating. The Mayor should be amplifying these voices, not shutting them down.”
Andrew Boff AM, who seconded the motion said:
"The London Housing Panel was established with an important role in shaping London’s affordable housing policy.
Having already invested money and resources into the Panel, all of which is match funded, the Mayor should allow it to complete its work."
The full text of the motion is:
“This Assembly notes with disappointment that the Greater London Authority (GLA) has decided to cease funding the London Housing Panel (LHP) in March 2022.
This is less than three years from its launch, when it was set up through a partnership between the Mayor and Trust for London to provide the voluntary and community sector with a structured way of engaging with the GLA in relation to housing policy, and vice versa.
The Panel's objectives are:
- To ensure that the Mayor’s policies on housing reflect the needs of those Londoners who have been disadvantaged and/or are living vulnerably.
- To add weight to the Mayor’s work when it fits with the values and purpose of our work and the needs of our communities.
- To support and challenge the Mayor in thinking differently about the housing solutions and options that will most benefit those who are living in poverty.
- Where relevant, to make connections between housing and other related issues such as welfare reform, health and wellbeing, and the environment.
This Assembly is concerned that at this time of greater housing insecurity for so many Londoners, the work of the Panel is needed more than ever.
Given the central importance of housing and of retrofit as London battles the climate emergency and the post-coronavirus recovery, and the resources already invested, it is not sensible to scrap such a crucial initiative before it has had a chance to complete its work.
The funding required for the LHP is just £30,000 per annum which is match funded by Trust for London. We call on the Mayor reverse this decision and continue to support and fund the London Housing Panel.”
Notes to editors
- Watch the full webcast.
- The amended motion was agreed by 11 votes for.
- Sian Berry AM who proposed the motion, is available for interviews.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For media enquiries, please contact Funmi Olutoye on 07849 308 317. For out of hours media enquiries, call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the London Assembly duty press officer.