Shocking home truths: New poll shows voters ‘crying out for housing and homeless help’ in London

With housing the second-most important issue to Londoners, leading Mayoral candidate Brian Rose pledges 50,000 homes while criticising rival’s “broken promises”

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, April 29, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- London’s chronic housing crisis has been branded a “moral stain on the city and the incumbent mayor” in the wake of new polling ahead of the May 2nd elections.

And it’s not only the lack of affordable housing for families and workers that is an issue: the city’s growing problem with homelessness is also a major priority for Londoners.

Voters were asked to rate ten major policy areas in order of importance, ranging from crime, transport, environment and health to discrimination, culture, employment and free school meals.

Crime is the No.1 priority for almost a third of people (32% of respondents) but housing is a clear second, with 13.3% saying it is the most important issue. A further 10% list homelessness as their top issue, placing it fourth in the list of priorities just below job creation on 11.5%.

The research was carried out by leading pollsters Survation, on behalf of the London Real Party, whose founder Brian Rose is the leading independent candidate in the Mayoral race.

He said: ‘The lack of housing in London is an economic brake on the city and a shameful moral stain on the politicians who have failed to address this problem.

‘In particular, Sadiq Khan should be held to account. Way back in 2016, his manifesto stated that his “single biggest priority” would be building “thousands more homes every year”.

‘By 2021, he’d started to boast about smashing records – but the truth was that Khan had started barely half of the homes he had promised to deliver, and had completed only 16,700. All this from a man who had insisted London needed 50,000 more homes every year.

‘Fast-forward to 2024 and now his big promise is scaled back to 40,000 more council homes by the end of the decade. The lack of ambition is jaw-dropping; in comparison, my manifesto includes a promise to build 50,000 affordable modular homes by Christmas on TfL land.

‘Khan would be a fantastic Mayor if promises kept us warm and building sites gave us shelter. But they don’t, he won’t keep those promises and, unless there is a huge shake-up at City Hall, London’s housing crisis is going to get worse.’

Indeed, the shortage of housing shows no signs of abating, and much of the affordable housing which is in use does not meet 21st-century standards.

Only weeks ago, international charity Human Rights Watch published a damning report on British housing, citing examples of children sleeping in London flats with holes in the walls, and teenagers contracting pneumonia because their homes were in such disrepair.

Separate research shows that, by the middle of last year, one in 50 Londoners was homeless in temporary accommodation – equivalent to one child in every classroom.

And rough sleeping has recently hit an all-time high, with more than 4,000 people sleeping on the capital’s streets.

Construction of desperately-needed affordable housing ,which saw only 7,363 affordable homes started in 2022/23, has cratered, and in the current year it is estimated that figure will drop by 76% to just 1,769.

The desperate state of the affordable housing sector is reflected in London voters’ priorities.

According to the new Survation figures, calculating what Londoners’ top three priorities are (as opposed to just their top priority) shows that homelessness is the second-most important issue (being a top-three topic for 40% of respondents), behind crime (55 per cent) but ahead of employment and housing (both 39%).

Brian Rose said: ‘Voters are crying out for help when it comes to housing issues, be that private-sector, affordable or accommodation for those without a permanent home.

‘And let’s not kid ourselves: they have been crying out for help for a great many years, only to be let down again and again by their political leaders.

‘Their inability to deal with bureaucracy, coupled with their unwillingness to take on vested interests, has created a void of despair, which is sucking more and more Londoners in.

‘Our capital is in dire need of fresh new leadership, with a fresh new approach. My plans to utilise modular construction technology, build on TfL land within walking distance of transport hubs, and set up a new business-focussed partnership to help fund my plans can deliver real change to London’s broken housing sector – and 50,000 extra homes this year.'

Howard Bowden
Longstem Limited
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