The Government has vowed to bring forward legislation to give Homes England a bigger role in London’s housing supply.
Photo: Hiran Perera
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UK could gain powers in London due to government intervention #UKhousing
The Government has vowed to introduce legislation to give Homes England a bigger role in London’s housing supply #UKhousing
As part of the plans, legal restrictions on Homes England working in the capital will be removed. Inside the housing I understand.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, currently oversees the city’s housing supply, including the Affordable Housing Program (AHP), but the Greater London Authority (GLA) has delegated some responsibilities to Homes England. ing.
Currently, Homes England can only carry out functions in Greater London on behalf of the Mayor.
However, it is understood that the Department for Housing and Communities Level Up (DLUHC) now wants the housing agency to take on a “wider role” in delivering the government’s housing and regeneration “ambitions” in the capital. has been done.
“This law is designed to ensure that the government can develop effective policies, and it provides the greatest opportunity to do so,” said one official. .
Details were not disclosed, but DLUHC said it would legislate “as Congress’s time allows.”
The news comes amid a bitter row between Mr Khan and Housing Secretary Michael Gove over housing delivery rates in London.
Earlier this week, a DLUHC-commissioned review of the Mayor’s London Plan concluded that the plan aims to “frustrate, rather than encourage, the supply of new homes”. Mr Gove’s letter to Mr Khan said housing supply had been “consistently poor”.
Mr Khan denounced the review as a “stunt”.
Responding to the Government’s latest plans, a spokesperson for the Mayor said: “Mr Sadiq’s track record in London is unequivocal. He has successfully achieved targets for the government’s major affordable housing program and boosted the construction of council housing, which has not yet been achieved anywhere else in the country.” This is twice the level for all regions combined.
“GLA is already working closely with Homes England, which benefits Londoners, and we will continue to do so as we advocate for the obvious benefits of devolution in housing provision.”
Meanwhile, DLUHC has also announced £50m of funding to support housing estate regeneration projects in London.
DLUHC says the funding will be available over the next two years for “existing property regeneration schemes supported by local communities.”
It is understood that details of how housing associations and housing councils will access the funding will be announced “in due course”. No further details about the plan were disclosed.
Property regeneration has been controversial in the capital, with 161 sites reported to have been bulldozed in the past 25 years.
Critics have called the so-called housing estate revitalization “social cleansing” because new developments have in some cases reduced the number of public rental housing units.
A London Assembly committee report published last week said demolishing housing estates should also be discouraged for environmental reasons.
As part of other moves to increase housing in London, DLUHC has announced that it will invest £4 million to set up the Euston Housing Delivery Group to explore opportunities for regeneration in the area.
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