West End Letters: Low-cost housing | Nicky Gavron AM | London Assembly

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West End Extra - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published: 28 November 2008

Low-cost housing out of reach for many people

• I DON'T wish to question the value of Boris Johnson’s admirable aim of helping more middle-income Londoners onto the housing ladder.
However, with over a third of a million London households on waiting lists for affordable social housing and three-quarters of a million living in overcrowded conditions, plus the credit crunch, it would seem he is somewhat missing the point.
Intermediate (low-cost home ownership) housing is simply still out of the reach of a huge number of the least well off Londoners, who are in dire need of quality, affordable homes to rent, in particular family-sized units. The Mayor of London’s housing strategy will do little to help these people, essentially condemning them to further years in unsuitable housing.
While, of course, we should be helping people onto the housing ladder, thousands of Londoners are crying out for high quality, low-cost homes to rent and over the next few years the waiting lists are only going to get longer. His commitment to home ownership at the expense of affordable renting is the wrong policy, especially in the current market conditions.
He has £5billion of government money to help Londoners in housing need. He needs to get his priorities right.
Nicky Gavron AM
London-wide Labour Assembly Member

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, West End Extra, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@westendextra.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Wednesday. The editor regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published, although names and addresses can be withheld.
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Letters may be edited for reasons of space.

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