Affordable housebuilding in London has plummeted a staggering 88% over the past year, leaving Mayor Sadiq Khan under fire for failing to deliver on his promises to tackle the capital’s housing crisis.
City AM reports that according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), just 3,100 affordable homes were started between April 2023 and March 2024, a dramatic drop from 26,386 the previous year.
Shockingly, some boroughs, including Harrow and Bexley, managed to kick off just one affordable home each during the entire year.
Khan’s much-touted plan to build 35,000 affordable homes by 2026 using a £4.82bn government grant is now in tatters, with less than 10% of that target achieved. Former housing minister Lee Rowley slammed the mayor’s performance, branding it woefully inadequate for a city desperately needing new homes.
SHIFTING BLAME
In response, Khan has shifted blame to “Tory town halls” and what he calls 13 years of “government failure” on housing.
“The Conservatives nationally have scrapped housing targets, and Tory councils in London are failing to deliver,” Khan claimed earlier this year.
But critics say excuses won’t build homes.
FIX RED TAPE
BusinessLDN’s Jonathan Seager has highlighted the need to fix red tape around section 106 agreements, which leave many housing projects stuck in limbo.
Meanwhile, the government has promised a £5bn boost to housing, including £500m for affordable homes, alongside new planning reforms and skills training.
A Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson, says: “This shocking decline shows the crisis we’ve inherited.
“We’re stepping up to deliver the biggest social housing surge in decades and working closely with the Mayor to get homes built.”
