Thousands of council homes have been lost in London over the last year, new figures have revealed. According to data obtained by 24Housing, the capital’s social housing stock declined by 3,620 between 2016 and 2017.
However, figures also showed that councils across London have stepped up spending on temporary accommodation, with some spending millions of pounds.
Commenting on the figures, chair of the London Assembly Housing Committee Sian Berry said London mayor Sadiq Khan should be “embarrassed”.
She stated that, during his tenure, the capital has seen a net decline in social housing, which means he must “work harder to preserve the council homes we have by preventing demolitions”.
Mr Khan was also urged to speed up the release of land and funding, so local authorities and communities can build more much-needed housing.
Ms Berry added that the capital is in desperate need of more council homes, as too many families who are entitled to social housing have been “waiting for years, struggling to get by on low wages and paying exorbitant private rents”.
For further information on any of the points raised in this article please contact Andrew Murray in our Social Housing Team.