All Talk and No Action?
Figures show Labour Council has not yet made firm plans for affordable housing
When it took over at Hammersmith Town Hall last May, the
Labour indicated a new direction in affordable housing - but over a year later, it is yet to make firm plans.
Figures reveal the Labour council, despite years criticising the housing policy of the previous Conservative administration, still have not planned more affordable homes in Hammersmith and Fulham.
According to the Department for Communities and Local Government, since 2010 there have been 62,730 affordable homes built across London – an average of 1,900 per borough. However, Hammersmith and Fulham have overseen just 1,070 over the same period.
It appears that this trend is set to continue: the Greater London Authority indicate that there are just 56 affordable homes planned in Hammersmith and Fulham. This is in spite of rapid population growth in the borough, rising by 25,000 over the past 15 years, that has placed upward pressure on property prices.
Against the backdrop of these figures, and following their election in May last year, the Labour administration announced a review of housing projects in the borough, concerned at the lack of affordable homes being planned. A target of 40% of additional homes on large-scale developments (over ten properties) has been set, though this depends on local context.
In opposition Labour were vehemently opposed to Conservative housing policy, such as their controversial practice of selling empty council homes on the open market. New council leader Stephen Cowan said: " There was a genuine sense that what the Conservatives were doing was ignorant and prejudiced against people who live in council housing."
In their recently-published housing strategy, available here the council have declared a new direction for affordable housing, with ‘ambitious’ plans for new units both within and outside regeneration areas.
However, the Conservatives had planned for around 2,500 to be built by 2022, and even after a year in governance the Labour administration are yet to make any commitments beyond consultations. This is despite stating: "We are convinced that to achieve the radical scale of our ambition, we need to adopt radical solutions."
A council spokesman said that in recent years Hammersmith and Fulham had been ‘overachieving’, and were ‘aggressive’ in their pursuit of affordable houses. He cited that for the first time in four years there were no families with children temporarily located in bed and breakfasts, while contract renegotiations with developers have seen £50m returned to taxpayers.
Much rests upon council policy, given that it is both the largest landlord and landowner in the borough. The overall picture remains one of uncertainty for residents in a borough with the fourth highest house prices in the country.
Max Daniels
