London City Hall hits council housing target

Sadiq Khan has hailed the resurgence in council homebuilding as new figures show that more than 11,000 new City Hall-funded council homes have been started since 2018.

The Mayor of London made an election manifesto pledge to start 10,000 by the end of this financial year, a promise that has now been surpassed.

As of 21 March, 11,061 City Hall-funded homes have been started since 2018. Overall, council house building in London has hit the highest levels since the 1970s, reversing years of decline. The number of council homes started annually has increased six-fold since 2016, with only 774 started in the final year of the previous Mayoralty.

An ongoing commitment to unlocking funds for council homebuilding has helped ambitious councils grow their capacity and expertise to deliver at scale for the first time in a generation. Almost three-quarters (3,411) of the council homes started in London in 2020-21 received funding support from the Mayor of London.

On top of this, the level of homebuilding is set to continue, with the Sadiq Khan’s new 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme. The majority of social rent homes allocated funding so far in the 2021-26 programme will be delivered by local authorities.

Khan said: “I grew up on a council estate in south London so I know the vital role council housing plays by providing security for families. That’s why I’ve reversed the years of declining council home building and we are once again seeing these vital homes return to every corner of our city.

“When I launched City Hall’s first ever investment programme dedicated to council housebuilding, in 2018, I promised Londoners that we’d get work started on 10,000 council homes, and I’m proud to say that this pledge has been delivered. We’re now seeing a resurgence in council homebuilding across London, with the highest number of homes being built since the 1970s, working with great local councils, like Enfield, which I’m visiting today.

“In London today, we’re not just building more council homes, we’re building better too. The new generation of council homes are some of the best that’s ever been built: modern, sustainable and fit for the twenty-first century. These new homes form a key part of building a better London for everyone – one that is greener, fairer and more prosperous for all.”