The London mayoral election takes place on 5 May 2016 and Londoners are encouraged to vote for the Mayor of London and the 25 members of the London Assembly.
With high demand for and low supply of property in the capital it’s no surprise that housing has been a key talking point this election. The candidates have covered it extensively in their manifestos and today we’re taking a closer look at what each of the key Mayoral contenders are promising.
Sadiq Khan, Labour
- A dedicated team at City Hall to fast-track the building of affordable homes to rent and buy
- Target of 50% of all new homes in London to be affordable, with ‘first dibs’ to first-time buyers and local tenants
- Stop homes in new developments being sold off-plan to overseas investors
- Minimum of 80,000 new homes a year
- A London living rent, with rent based on a third of average local income, not market rates
- A London-wide not-for-profit lettings agency
- Landlord licensing schemes
Read more: Sadiq Khan manifesto - http://www.sadiq.london/a_manifesto_for_all_londoners
Zac Goldsmith, Conservative
- Double home building to 50,000 a year by 2020
- Ensure development is in keeping with the local area
- Give Londoners first chance to buy new homes built in London
- Ensure a significant proportion of new homes are only for rent and not for sale
- Help Londoners buy off-plan with a new ‘Mayor’s Mortgage’
- Strengthen London Rental Standard so that three year tenancies are offered as standard and estate agent fees are lower
- Look to expand No First Night Out to tackle homelessness
Read more: Zac Goldsmith manifesto - https://backzac2016.com/manifesto
Caroline Pidgeon, Liberal Democrats
- 200,000 new homes over the four-year Mayoral term. 50,000 council homes to rent and 150,000 for sale or for private rent including rent-to-buy for first time buyers
- ‘Living rent’ standard with a goal that Londoners should pay no more than one third of their take-home pay on rent
- Benchmark guideline that half of housing in new developments should be affordable for majority of Londoners
- Local community groups to have the right to bid for public sector land or buildings left unused or unoccupied for more than two years
- Aim to bring 20,000 empty and underused properties back into use as housing
- Selective licensing of all privately rented housing
- General leasehold reform to protect people in flats from unscrupulous freeholders
Read more: Caroline Pidgeon manifesto - http://www.londonlibdems.org.uk/plan
Sian Berry, Green Party
- 50,000 new homes each year through a combination of new-build and redeveloping empty properties, including 16,000 social rented homes and 10,000 low-cost rented and ownership homes
- London Renters Union to support renters and create a Londonwide landlord register
- Produce a usable definition of London affordable housing
- ‘Housing first’ approach to end rough sleeping and places for at least 2,000 former rough sleepers and people moving on from hostels in housing plans
- Anonymous hotline for renters to report discrimination
- Produce an annual London figure for a ‘Student Living Rent’ and ensure university halls of residence are available to offer a percentage of rooms at that rate or lower
Read more: Sian Berry manifesto - http://www.sianberry.london/the-power-of-good-ideas/manifesto-for-london/
