Affordable homes in the Mayor's draft housing strategy could mean paying up to 80 per cent of local rates, leaving Londoner's still struggling to afford their rent.
Sian Berry AM says:
The Mayor’s housing strategy and what he achieves is what he will be judged on at the end of four years, he has to get this right. Londoners cannot be let down by two successive Mayor’s on housing.
It’s very good news that the GLA will be actively buying land for publicly-led housing. [1]
I was also pleased to see the Mayor outline some support for community-led homes. They are a real opportunity for Londoners to get together to build their own homes while protecting their community from commercial developers.
London needs 16,000 new social rent homes every year [2] – but since Sadiq Khan took office not a single one has even been started under Mayoral schemes. The Mayor needs to roll up his sleeves and do more to speed things up.
Day-to-day affordability is all that matters to most Londoners, especially private renters like me. While some ‘build to rent’ landlords will need to make promises on rent increases as part of planning, the Mayor’s commitments to truly affordable rents have been watered down.
The definition of affordable rent is not restricted to the Mayor’s new London Living Rent leaving developers free to argue for the Government’s definition which is up to 80 per cent of market rates.
He has also stepped back from asking for the power to put in wider controls on rent rises. He should be asking for at least for the power to put modest controls on rises in rents. [3] This is done in many countries on a city level and is a very reasonable way to manage increasing costs.
London’s private renters are crying out for this as my survey showed last year. [4]
Notes to editors
[1] Mayor’s draft housing strategy, Sept 2017
https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/london_draft_housing_strategy.pdf
[2] GLA Strategic Housing Market Assessment
https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/planning/london-plan/london-plan-technical-and-research-reports
[3] Controls on rent rises and the lengths of tenancies were recommended by a majority report of the London Assembly Housing Committee in 2016, ‘At Home with Renting: Improving security for London’s private renters’, London Assembly Housing Committee, March 2016
https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/at_home_with_renting_march_2016.pdf
[4] ‘What are London’s renters thinking?’ Sian Berry AM, October 2016 https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/sian_berry_renter_survey_report_oct2016_final_1.pdf