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We’ve hit 75% of our affordable homes target, says Mayor
Katharine Barney9 Feb 2009
Three quarters of Boris Johnson's affordable housing target has already been agreed, it was announced today.
The Mayor has pledged to deliver 50,000 affordable homes by 2011 rather than continue with the policy of setting a 50 per cent target for new developments.
So far, a provisional agreement has been reached with 14 London boroughs to deliver more than 16,750 homes. The remaining 19 boroughs have identified a further 20,500 affordable homes.
However, there are still 12,750 which have not been agreed. Of the 14 boroughs to agree new affordable housing with the Mayor, seven are Conservative run, three are Labour run, three are no overall control and one is Lib-Dem run.
One problem is believed to be Labour-run Newham council which believes it has been asked to provide too many homes — almost 6,000 by 2011, the largest number assigned to any borough.
Newham mayor Sir Robin Wales said council officers were meeting this month with GLA officials to negotiate a “realistic and deliverable target based on the current economic climate”.
City Hall will shortly begin discussions with the 14 boroughs which have agreed provisional targets over measures to give local communities more influence over housing in their area.
Mr Johnson said: “I am delighted to report that, together with councils across London, we have already identified where 37,000 new affordable homes will be delivered, which is over three quarters of my ambitious affordable housing target. This is extremely encouraging news for Londoners who are looking for their first step on the housing ladder and a much-needed boost for the construction industry.
“In the past City Hall issued diktats and centrally produced targets, regardless of local circumstances. We have taken a completely fresh approach and based our discussions with the boroughs on the individual circumstances in each area rather than treating every local authority the same. I firmly believe that the boroughs must take a lead on local decisions over the type of housing that is delivered in their area.”
The Mayor's director of housing, Richard Blakeway, said: “The provisional agreements we have made represent an increase of almost 10,000 homes on previous targets negotiated between the Government and London boroughs.”
Reader views (4)
@Mark Lee
Don't inner boroughs require more affordable housing simply because they are more expensive!
Have you compared the price of houses and rents between comparable zone 2 and zone 3 areas? The difference is huge!
Don't usually like defending Boris, but that decision at least makes sense.
- Dan, East London, 10/02/2009 07:51
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Lets count the target being reached when there are families in said homes.
ps why aren't the london boroughs doing like Liverpool and other councils and buying new builds from desperate builders whose developments are now stalled/mothballed and using it for social housing.
Sorry forgot - we need to prop important developers up as well and heaven forbid we should let the poor live in nice places.
- Jc, se1, 09/02/2009 23:17
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Sorry but who cares?! The people who still have jobs who have to pay for this thanks to tax can not even get to their jobs. We should prioritize here in the UK. Really.
- Steveo, London, 09/02/2009 21:31
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So let's read between the lines here:
75% of the affordable homes target has not been built.
75% of the affordable homes target is not under construction.
75% of the affordable homes target is not in planning documents submitted to local councils.
What this announcement is saying is that Boris has agreed the allocation of 75% of the quotas. That's a very different kettle of fish, and just because a borough has agreed to a quota doesn't mean that it will get built, especially by 2011 (only 34 months left...).
Tower Hamlets are quite right to object to their proposed quota; the quotas have had a disproportionate bias to low income inner city boroughs, who are being asked to provide a much greater proportion of affordable homes than those in the affluent outer boroughs. Aside from the ghettoisation that this approach risks, why should inner city boroughs face a greater burden than the outer boroughs?
- Mark Lee, Vauxhall, 09/02/2009 15:26
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