Responding to the Mayor of London’s announcement that Newham will receive funding to help deliver 1,000 new council homes, Local London Assembly Housing Spokesperson, Unmesh Desai AM, said:
“This is a fantastic deal that will secure desperately needed council homes for people in Newham.
“Despite warm words from the Government about council housing, they have not matched that with necessary actions, such as removing the cap on council borrowing for house-building. When it comes to addressing the ever-burgeoning demand for housing in London it is Sadiq that is leading the way.
“Sadly, housebuilding programmes led by councils have been severely restricted by Government rules and funding cuts, so the £1.67bn pot of funding that the Mayor has secured will provide a much-needed significant boost to the number of homes they can contribute.
“When stringent action is needed now to tackle the housing crisis, I urge the Government to join the Mayor in giving local authorities as much support as possible to really get building again.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
Notes
- The Mayor will use £1.67bn funds he secured from the Government in the spring statement to support councils to boost council home building. Further information about the Mayor’s programme can be found here;
- Unmesh Desai AM is the London Assembly Member for City and East London.