Ken Livingstone was in Tower Hamlets this morning to launch his housing policies which include a re-committment of his policy that 50% of all new housing in London should be affordable.
Conservative Mayoral Candidate Boris Johnson has said he will abolish the target, a promise the Mayor claims would “concentrate housing policy in high priced and luxury development – pricing housing out of the hands of ordinary Londoners.”
To back up his claims Mr Livingstone citied figures for Tory-controlled Boroughs Wandsworth which he says saw only 11 per cent of affordable housing built, Westminster (11 per cent), and Barnet (10 per cent).
Speaking at this morning’s event Mr Livingstone said he was “determined that the thousands of young people who cannot get on the property ladder will have the chance to own their own homes, unlike Boris Johnson whose policies would have the effect of concentrating housing in high priced and luxury development pricing housing out of the hands of ordinary Londoners.”
Other policies include working with pension funds and investors to encourage them to invest in additional private rented housing, developing a London wide register of accessible housing across London for disabled people and a promise to ensure a much larger proportion of new affordable homes for rent have 3 bedrooms or more.
