In response to the news that over 12,500 affordable homes were started by City Hall between April and December 2019, now on course for a third consecutive record-breaking year, Labour’s London Assembly Housing Spokesperson, Unmesh Desai AM, said:
“These figures show that with the right political will, we can slowly begin to turn the tide on the housing crisis. This is vital for all those Londoners trapped in temporary accommodation, stuck on housing waiting lists, or grappling with unaffordable rents in the private sector.
“Whilst City Hall is delivering record numbers of genuinely affordable homes and kickstarting a new generation of council homes, its ambition to go further is being held back by the Government’s failure to grapple with its own failed legacy on housing.
“Finally putting an end to polices such as the Right to Buy and Permitted Development would be a positive start.
“After 2011, we saw yearly funding for social and affordable housing in London cut by a staggering 90%. Whilst the Mayor has made progress by striking an improved deal with Ministers, the Government continues to short change Londoners and grossly underfund City Hall’s efforts to meet affordable housing demand by a factor of seven. It’s time to level-up housing in the capital with the rest of the country”.
ENDS
Notes to editors
- Unmesh Desai AM has now replaced Tom Copley AM as Labour's London Assembly Housing Spokesperson. This comes after Tom Copley AM's appointment as Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development.
- Unmesh Desai AM is the London Assembly Member for City and East (including Barking and Dagenham, Newham, Tower Hamlets and the City of London).