Newham bids to deliver pledge for 1000 homes at social rent

At tonight's Newham Council Cabinet meeting, it was agreed to support an ambitious bid to the GLA for grants to deliver up to 1000 homes to be built for our residents at social (council) rents.

This was a key part of the newly elected Newham Labour Mayor, Rokhsana Fiaz's, manifesto commitment. 

We are also looking at building other homes at social rent outside GLA grant.

The Council will be consulting on changing our planning policy to have a minimum 50% of all future developments at social rent as well.

I must admit to being a bit of a sour puss at the meeting by reminding everyone that it was fantastic that we are aiming to build 1,000 homes at social rent but we do have 27,000 households in Newham on our waiting list (probably a vast underestimate of those in real housing need).

It will be great for those we are able to house but we have to manage expectations.

We will only be able to house all of our people in need when we have a Government in power that will commit to housing all people in safe, secure, social rent & low cost owner occupier homes.

This government will also (most importantly) have to give us the subsidy needed to deliver this.

Without some sort of subsidy you will not get any sort of affordable homes in high cost areas.

Someone has to make up the gap between the cost of building a home and a social rent.