Letter to the Mayor on student accommodation

• London has 366,605 students, of whom 67,000 are international - bringing over £5.9 billion to London’s economy in 2011/12.
• Average student rents in London were £157.48 per week in 2012-13, a rise of 26 per cent from £125.34 in 2009-10.
• 57 per cent of all new student accommodation is in just four central London boroughs - unsustainable both in terms of rental prices and availability of land.

In a letter to the Mayor of London, the cross-party London Assembly Housing Committee, calls for the Mayor to give a helping hand to ordinary families facing daunting accommodation costs for studying in the capital.

The Committee warns that the type of student accommodation being built is too focused on catering for an affluent market - and not enough on building accommodation affordable for ordinary students.

The Committee urges the Mayor of London to take action, so families can afford to send their children to London universities.

The letter also recommends that as the number of students living in outer London increases, Transport for London (TfL) could make fares for students cheaper.