Florence Eshalomi, Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee has written to Rt Hon Steve Reed OBE MP, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, on the Homes for London package announced with the Mayor of London on 23 October.
The cross-party Committee’s correspondence to the Secretary of State highlights a series of concerns about the effective reduction of London’s affordable housing target from 35% to 20%.
The letter asks the Secretary of State what modelling the Government has conducted to demonstrate their measures will increase the number of social and affordable homes delivered in London overall.
The correspondence also queries what assessment the Ministry has undertaken of the impact of these measures on the wider London economy, including housing for key workers.
Florence Eshalomi, Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee said: “We welcome the committed £39bn funding secured for the Affordable Homes Programme because we need more homes in London and across the country. This task will require the Government to pull all the levers at its disposal to accelerate house building and begin to get to grips with the housing crisis. In efforts to ramp up building, it’s crucial we ensure that homes are affordable and of high quality.
“The Secretary of State should set out how these Homes for London proposals will ultimately deliver more affordable homes. The Secretary of State should also spell out how the proposed claw-back mechanism will ensure developers are kept to their commitments to deliver more affordable homes, given the range of exemptions proposed.”
The Committee’s letter raises concerns about the proposed gain-share (or ‘clawback’ mechanism) to seek to recover a share of returns from developers should market conditions improve. It also queries proposed changes to relax Local Plan Guidance on requirements such as dual aspect windows and cycle storage.
