David Cameron yesterday announced he will amend his flagship Housing Bill in an effort to meet concerns that it would cause a major loss of social housing in London.
Writing in the Standard, the prime minister said the government is accepting an amendment put down by Tory mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith to guarantee two “affordable homes” are built in London for each council house sold off under a new policy.
Goldsmith’s campaign team estimated the change would deliver an extra 10,000 affordable homes in London on top of some 50,000 announced yesterday in other government plans.
However, Downing Street said full details would become available only after talks with London local authorities.
It was not clear, for example, whether the new homes would be built in the same boroughs which had to sell properties. The Housing and Planning Bill aims to force boroughs to sell off thousands of high-value council houses to fund a new Right To Buy scheme for housing association tenants.
Critics, including London councils and mayor Boris Johnson, said most of the sales would be in the capital, resulting in a net loss of social housing.
Goldsmith said he was “delighted” that his amendment to the Bill, which comes back to the Commons today, was being accepted. “Far too many people who grew up in London or work in London are being priced out of their own city, and we need to use every available tool,” he said.
In separate announcements yesterday, ministers are to commission 13,000 homes on public land using similar powers to those that revived Docklands. It will see the government take over the preparation of disused land to speed up redevelopment on five sites, including Old Oak Common, north-west London.