'I don't want London to be playground of the rich - so I'm building homes'

15 May 2023 , 05:00

529     0

Sadiq Khan says London is making big strides forward in housebuilding

For many, the housing situation in our capital city has been grim for decades. There’s no sugar-coating it - it’s a crisis which has been a major brake on growth, a barrier to Londoners fulfilling their potential and a source of huge worry, anxiety and even misery.

However, there is some good news. Thanks to decisions we have taken and investments we have made, London is now building again - at scale.

Today, I can announce that London has exceeded the target, set by Government, of starting 116,000 new genuinely affordable homes, including a record-breaking 25,000 in the last year alone. Achieving this hasn’t been easy. It’s meant working with local councils, housing associations and developers more closely than ever before to deliver and I’m incredibly grateful for their efforts.

We have had to weather a series of unprecedented challenges, such as Brexit creating huge labour and material shortages, the fallout from the pandemic, economic mismanagement by the Government and rocketing inflation that’s sent the cost of construction soaring. Yet despite these fierce headwinds - and despite so many people saying we couldn’t do it - we persevered and delivered on a promise to Londoners.

London is building twice as many council homes as the rest of England (PA)

This is the difference political leadership and determination can make. Rather than prioritising luxury penthouses for overseas investors, we have chosen to focus on building the genuinely affordable homes Londoners need. These include homes based on social rent levels for Londoners on low incomes - council homes, London Living Rent homes – helping those on average incomes save for a deposit to buy their first home - and London Shared Ownership Homes.

Teachers, civil servants and train drivers walk out in biggest strike in decade

We have also started a new golden era of council homebuilding in London. When I took office, my predecessor left a pipeline of just three social rented homes! By contrast, last year City Hall started work on more than 10,000 new council homes, with more then 23,000 started since I first became Mayor. Not only does this mean we are now building more council homes in London than at any time since the 1970s, but we are leading the way nationally, with London starting more than double the number of council houses the whole of the rest of the country did in the year prior. I not only see this as a success for the capital but a damning indictment of the Government’s housing record nationally.

As Mayor, I don’t want London to become a playground for the rich. I’m determined to build a London for everyone. However, I’m acutely aware that despite all the progress we’re making, not all Londoners will feel the benefits right away.

Sadiq Khan says London will be able to build even more new houses if Keir Starmer gets into No10 (Getty Images)

I’ve always been honest with Londoners – that the housing crisis was decades in the making and it will take time to fix. It will be a marathon, not a sprint. And the fact demand for housing still outstrips supply is one of the reasons I’ll continue to stand up for renters, insisting that the Government give me the powers to freeze rents.

Of course, we still have a long way to go. But by hitting our affordable housing target, we’ve shown that it is possible to make big strides forward.

Another cause for optimism is that we are likely to have a new Government in place next year. We have got London building again from City Hall – beating housing targets that few thought were possible to meet. So just imagine what could be achieved with a Labour Mayor working hand-in-hand with a new Labour Government.

I believe this represents the best chance in a generation to end the housing crisis in London once and for all. It’s there for the taking and it would empower us to continue building a better London for everyone – a city that is fairer, greener, safer and more prosperous for all.

* Follow Mirror Politics on Snapchat, Tiktok, Twitter and Facebook.

Sadiq Khan