Housing shortfall calls for public-private collaboration

Responding to publication of this year’s Affordable Housing Monitor, which shows that 90% of new housing starts targeted under the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme in London will need to happen over the next two years, Stephanie Pollitt, Programme Director for Housing at BusinessLDN, said:

“The capital’s housing crisis is a huge challenge for Londoners as well as businesses trying to recruit and retain staff. One of the key barriers to affordable housing delivery is an inability among housing associations to purchase new homes delivered through Section 106 agreements due to constrained finances. We’ve worked with our members to propose short-term, pragmatic interventions to get shovels in the ground, including developers providing direct financial support for local authority housebuilding programmes. With high build and borrowing costs, it is imperative that government at all levels works with the private sector to deliver the homes the capital needs.”