Mayoral hopeful, Tessa Jowell, outlines her plans for London’s housing crisis

Tessa Jowell, the former MP who’s one of eight people hoping to be Labour’s candidate to be London Mayor, has set out her plans for the city’s housing crisis.

In a speech to housing experts, developers and councillors, Jowell will explain that if she was Mayor she would create a programme to ensure people living in London have access to a decent home, at a price they can afford. She would also give “real help” for first time buyers, by making rent-to-buy at the centre of her strategy.

She will say that “we can’t turn on the supply overnight” by prioritising the building of rent to buy properties, “we can build homes where every payment goes towards owning your own home, without the need for an upfront deposit.”

The former minister also laid out six strategic goals she would pursue: 1) build homes Londoners need, 2) build the workforce to do these jobs, 3) help buyers, 4) ensure fairness for people renting, 5) deal with empty homes, 6) build communities, not just homes.

Jowell will also explain that she understands the severity of the housing situation in the capital:

“The reality facing Londoners aspiring to a home is nothing short of a major crisis.

“When Londoners do the right thing – study hard, work hard, save hard and still can’t find a home – that’s a crisis.

“When Londoners dedicating their careers to others – as nurses, teachers, council workers – face mammoth commutes because they can’t afford to live anywhere near the people they are paid to serve – that’s a crisis.

“When Londoners whose families have lived here for generations, despair at their kids moving away because they are priced out of the city that is home, that is a crisis.

“And when Londoners who keep this great city going as cleaners, as hotel workers, as bar staff, are forced to turn to food banks because their rent leaves them nothing for food, that is absolutely a crisis.

“The crisis is bad for Londoners, but it is also a grave threat to London itself. Unchecked, the homes crisis risks triggering an economic crisis, with talented staff being priced out of the capital. With 100,000 new Londoners joining our city every year this a dynamic crisis that intensifies with every day we let slip by.

“We cannot take our economic success for granted – without action on homes, London’s economy is at serious risk. A city which cannot retain its talented workers cannot retain its status as a great city.” 

This comes as other mayoral candidate Sadiq Khan outlines his plans for housing. This is also a key area most of the other mayoral candidates – in particular Diane Abbott, David Lammy, Gareth Thomas and Christian Wolmar  -have addressed.