Sian Berry told the Mayor he has ‘a lot of catching up to do’ after revealing today that no new council homes funded by the Mayor have started on site since he took office 16 months ago. [1]
The Mayor also admitted to Sian that it could be two or three years into his Mayoralty before any of his new council homes will break ground. [2]
The figure of zero homes to date is largely down to the previous Mayor’s policies but Sian says there are many things the Mayor could do to speed things up. She has also asked for a year-by-year delivery schedule to hold the Mayor to account on this in future.
Sian Berry says:
It was clear from the answers to my questions today that Londoners will have to wait years before the Mayor’s new council houses are available for them to live in.
The Mayor needs to roll up his sleeves and do more to speed things up. During the election campaign we both agreed that Londoners desperately need more council homes, with rents rising and homelessness going through the roof.
London can’t afford to be failed by a second successive Mayor on this – three years without a single brick being laid on their new council homes is far too long.
Only nine councils have secured Mayoral grants for new homes, the Mayor needs to do more to help councils find land and more funding. At the moment most of his money is going to housing associations.[3]
Notes to editors
[1] Housing Monitoring Report, London Assembly Housing Committee, https://www.london.gov.uk/moderngov/documents/b15781/Supplementary%20Agenda%20Tuesday%2004-Jul-2017%2010.00%20Housing%20Committee.pdf?T=9
[2] Video of Sian’s exchange with the Mayor, today https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6dMJfr655I
[3] Mayor’s press release on funding allocations for new homes
https://www.london.gov.uk/press-releases/mayoral/record-17bn-deal-for-new-homes