Affordable Housing: Building Plans Cut By Two-Thirds For Second Programme

The number of homes built in London with funding from the Affordable Homes Programme is to drop by two thirds, mayor Sadiq Khan has announced. About 35,000 homes are planned by 2026, using £4bn of government funding - an average of £114,000 per house. The cost per house of the first programme, under which 116,000 homes were to be constructed, was £41,551. The Greater London Authority (GLA) Conservative group has accused the mayor of "failing Londoners". A spokesman for the mayor's office said Brexit and the cladding crisis had contributed to an increase in costs. Read more on the BBC website.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-56222957 

Number Of Affordable Home Starts In London Fell By 66% During Pandemic

The number of affordable homes started under programmes managed by the Greater London Authority (GLA) fell by 66% between April and September this year compared to 2019 figures. A total of 1,634 affordable homes were started in the capital in the first six months of 2020/21 as part of GLA-managed programmes, compared with 4,874 in the first six months of 2019/20. Of the 1,634 affordable homes started in the six months leading up to September, 782 (48%) were for shared ownership or London Living Rent, 727 (44%) were for social rent or London Affordable Rent and 125 (8%) were for another affordable rent tenure. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/number-of-affordable-homes-starts-in-london-fell-by-66-during-pandemic-68587?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=H60

Affordable Starts Hit Ten-Year High

Best figures for the first half of a financial year for grant-funded schemes since 2009/10. Homes England and the Greater London Authority in the first half of the financial year together funded the highest number of affordable housing starts in a decade, according to government figures. The data show that the two bodies – who administer the affordable housing programme in England – funded 17,184 affordable housing starts between April and September, up nearly 50% on the figure for the first half of 2018/19. This is the highest figure recorded for an April-September period in the data series, which started in 2009/10. Read more on Housing Today.

https://www.housingtoday.co.uk/news/affordable-starts-hit-ten-year-high/5103083.article

'Micro-Homes Could Solve' London's Housing Crisis

Living in micro-homes could "expand choice" for young professionals and help tackle London's housing crisis, a report has suggested. A neoliberal think tank is calling for the Greater London Authority (GLA) to scrap its rules on minimum floor space. The Adam Smith Institute said homes in the capital with less than 37 sq m of floor space could be an "affordable opportunity" for young people. But the GLA said "cramming people in" was not the answer to the problem. Micro-homes are defined by the British Property Federation as living spaces between 20 and 40 sq m, that are either self-contained or share some amenities. Read more on the BBC website.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-46938445

Affordable Housing: Construction – Parliamentary Written Answer

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November to Question 186185 on Affordable Housing, what proportion of the new affordable homes to be delivered by the Affordable Homes Programme will be for social rent.

James Brokenshire: The £9 billion Affordable Homes Programme will deliver at least 250,000 homes by March 2022. At least 12,500 of these will be for social rent outside of London. The Greater London Authority have the flexibility to deliver social rent in London.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2018-11-13/190775

Affordable Housing: Construction – Parliamentary Written Answer

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much in grant funding will be allocated to the building of affordable housing between 2016 and 2021.

James Brokenshire: The Affordable Homes Programme is £9.1 billion, with £700 million currently allocated to 2021/22. The £700 million in 2021/22 includes the £300 million allocated to the Greater London Authority at Spring Statement 2018 and an additional £400 million to cover the money allocated to fund cladding remediation, which the Prime Minister announced on 16 May. The extension of the programme responds to calls from the sector for longer term certainty on grant funding.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2018-05-23/147332

Lowest Number Of Grant-Funded Social Rented Homes Built On Record

Fewer homes for social rent were completed between April and September this year with grant funding than in any comparable period on record, according to statistics from the CLG. Figures on affordable housing funded by the Homes and Communities Agency and the Greater London Authority show that 199 homes were built for social rent in the period, slightly down from 241 in the same period last year.  The number of affordable housing completions funded by both bodies over the period in total increased slightly to 10,704, compared to 9,079 in the same period last year. This was driven by an increase in affordable rented housing and a significant increase in affordable home ownership. Download the figures from the HCA website.

Labour Vows To Double Number Of Homes For Homeless

Labour has pledged to try to greatly reduce the number of people sleeping rough by doubling the number of homes reserved for those who have been homeless, calling on the government to introduce this measure immediately. The scheme, announced by the shadow housing minister, John Healey, would see the charity-run Clearing House scheme to provide secure accommodation for former rough sleepers expanded and set up in new locations. Currently the charity St Mungo’s has 3,750 flats across London intended for people with a history of rough sleeping, operating the scheme on behalf of the Greater London Authority. Read more on Welfare Weekly.

New Chair Of HCA Appointed

Sir Edward Lister has been appointed the new chairman of the Homes and Communities Agency, Communities Secretary Greg Clark announced. Sir Edward joins with years of experience of the housing sector. For the last 5 years he has been London’s Deputy Mayor for policy and planning and chief of staff at the Greater London Authority (GLA). His wide-ranging role there included increasing public land disposals and developing new finance models to sustain long-term investment in the capital’s infrastructure.  Prior to joining the GLA, Sir Edward was Leader of Wandsworth council for 19 years. Read more on the HCA website.

Housing Estates: Regeneration – Parliamentary Written Answer

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what budgets and programmes have been established since 2014 to help the regeneration of council housing estates.  

Baroness Williams of Trafford: A total of £290 million of loan funding has been allocated by the Government to help the regeneration of local authority housing estates. The first tranche of this funding was announced jointly between the Greater London Authority and the Department for Communities and Local Government on 13 June 2014, and the second was announced by the my rt. hon. Friend, the Prime Minister on 11 January 2016.

Boris: Starter Homes Could Damage Shared Ownership

Boris Johnson is pleading with ministers to ensure requirements on councils to support Starter Homes do not damage his ambitious shared ownership targets. His intervention will deepen fears that large-scale government plans for Starter Homes risk smothering other low-cost housing options such as shared ownership. City Hall has “made representations” to government to ensure Starter Homes and shared ownership “work harmoniously”. The Greater London Authority (GLA) is concerned that potential quotas for Starter Homes would leave the mayor unable to fulfil his pledge to get 250,000 Londoners into shared ownership within the decade. Mr Johnson is now pushing for the power to set his own targets for Starter Homes in London. Read more on Inside Housing.

Tenants Face £70m Rent Rise As Social Housing Converted To 'Affordable' Homes

London’s poorest households have been hit by a £70m rent rise as housing associations quietly switch thousands of tenancies to higher rates to make up a shortfall in government funding. About 25,000 homes in the capital have been converted from “social” housing to “affordable” since 2012, according to latest figures from the Greater London authority, and thousands more are to follow in a policy that has sparked tenants’ rebellions. Social rents are typically half market rate, while so-called “affordable” tariffs are up to 80% of private rents, leading to complaints the definition of affordable is “Orwellian”. Read more on the Guardian website.

Borough Bids to Become Housing Zone

An innovative package to accelerate the borough’s house-building and help more families get a foot on the housing ladder has been unveiled by Haringey Council. The wide-ranging plans approved by the council’s Cabinet sets out how underused sites could be unlocked to create thousands of new homes – giving residents more choice of high-quality housing with a range of rent and ownership structures. Highlights include:

• A bid to the Greater London Authority for Tottenham Hale to become a housing zone, releasing up to £80million in funding to build up to 3,300 homes
• A new customer service centre at Tottenham Green creating 290 new homes and provision for existing market traders
• Further consultation with residents and traders, building on existing feedback on how to bring better homes, improved access to jobs and more open space

Read more on the Haringey Council website.