London mayor builds just 71 affordable homes in quarter

Tories accuse Sadiq Khan of failing to meet scale of challenge

- MILLIE COOKE

Sadiq Khan oversaw the completion of just 71 new affordable homes in London during the last economic quarter, falling hundreds short of his own target.

The mayor's Affordable Homes Programme 2021-26 (AHP) also only started work on a further 150 properties between April and June, according to new figures released by the Greater London Authority (GLA). The AHP, funded with £4bn of government money and managed by City Hall, was originally meant to deliver 35,000 dwellings across the capital between 2021 and 2026. But the target was cut last year to between 23,900 and 27,200. This amounts to a target of around 1,100 per quarter to hit the lower limit.

Affordable homes are those sold or let through various public and private schemes at 20 per cent below local market value to help individuals who live in the area but may struggle to afford open market prices. In London, the mayor has prioritised homes for social rent, London Living Rent, and shared ownership, which will typically be available at a deeper discount to market prices than 20 per cent.

The Tories have written to housing secretary Angela Rayner, demanding she put the GLA under "special measures", saying the number of affordable homes being built in the capital is "unacceptably low".