Housing associations working to solve London’s housing crisis

The average Londoner needs a 266 per cent pay rise to buy a home
ALAMY

In pubs, offices and gyms across the capital, there is only one topic of conversation that can truly rival the well-worn cliché of weather chat: the housing crisis. With house prices soaring to 16 times the average salary last year, renting is increasingly unaffordable and buying a dream home nigh on impossible. That’s why housing associations have launched 100,000 Affordable Homes for London - everyone talks about the housing crisis, but this campaign is about helping the next mayor find solutions.

Housing associations built 40,000 London homes over the last mayoralty, and have a track record of delivering the homes that Londoners need. They want to deliver 100,000 new affordable homes over the next mayoralty – a huge boost for the capital’s housing supply. With the next mayor’s support they could raise £7 of private money for every £1 of public money, providing excellent value for taxpayers and with priority access to public land so that they could get the homes London needs built sooner.

Both the leading mayoral candidates have recently announced plans to tackle the housing crisis, bringing hope that the next mayoral team will see a renewed determination to solve the problem. Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith recently announced plans to appoint an “architecture czar” if elected, to help fulfil his pledge to build 50,000 extra homes a year , and has suggested that housing associations should have the ability to set their own rents to help raise finances. Labour’s Sadiq Khan has also set a target for 50 per cent of new homes in London to be genuinely affordable, promising that first-time buyers and local tenants will be first in line , and aims to enable housing associations to build.

The 100,000 Affordable Homes for London campaign will work with whoever wins to provide practical solutions to help get started on building the new homes right away. From helping people get on the property ladder with shared ownership, to regenerating areas for the local community, housing associations want to make sure that the people who make London great are able to stay in the city – and for that to happen, new homes need to be built.

“A secure and affordable home should be available to everyone,” says David Orr, chief executive of the National Housing Federation. “Living in London doesn’t have to mean living in cramped, overpriced, insecure accommodation. If the next mayor works with us, we can go a long way towards solving the housing crisis.”

Find out how you can support the campaign by visiting www.housing.org.uk/100kLondonHomes

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