Sian Berry AM, Chair of the Housing Committee, said:
“The London Assembly Housing Committee welcomes the Chancellor’s decision to lift the borrowing cap on local authorities. The committee has called for this change for years, to stimulate investment in council housing.
Our 2013 report ‘Right to Build: What’s Stopping Councils from Building more Housing?’ found that lifting the cap would allow the boroughs to take a more strategic approach to their housing businesses and drive greater efficiencies through their operations.
It was clear that in a severe housing shortage, placing artificial caps on council borrowing to build homes was harming efforts to help people find lower cost homes. We urge the government to apply these new rules to all London councils so that they and the Mayor can get on helping to solve the housing crisis."
Notes to editors
- Right to Build: What’s Stopping Councils from Building more Housing?
- Sian Berry AM, Chair of the Housing Committee, is available for interviews. Please see contact details below.
- 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 Sonia Labboun on 020 7983 5769. For out of hours media enquiries, call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the London Assembly duty press officer. Non-media enquiries should be directed to the Public Liaison Unit on 020 7983 4100.