Commenting on the new data on London’s Affordable Homes Programme homestarts, our CEO, Antonia Jennings, said:

“London’s housing crisis is deep rooted and complex. Ambition and high targets to boost affordable housing is crucial – but wider reform of our housing market is critical to tackling the crisis.

The reality is there’s no single cause of London’s housing crisis – and therefore no single policy lever which can fix it.

On the supply side, London remains one of the most expensive, time-consuming and uncertain places to build. Even with welcome planning reforms and emergency interventions in London, many developers continue to question the financial viability of schemes in the capital.

At the same time, the organisations that have historically delivered social housing at scale – local authorities and housing associations – are under severe financial strain. Councils are grappling with unprecedented pressures from adult social care and temporary accommodation costs, leaving little headroom for large-scale development. Housing associations, meanwhile, are rightly prioritising the safety, quality and decency of existing homes, limiting their ability to expand supply at pace.

We have seen a series of significant steps forwards in tackling the housing crisis – a 10-year rent settlement for social landlords, rent convergence and a second consultation on planning reform. But there’s been more than a decade of underinvestment and falling home starts. It will take time for these reforms to start to restore capacity and confidence in the system, and they will not succeed without additional policy change.

“Build baby build” is only part of the solution. Home starts is an important metric, but it cannot be the only way to measure successful housing policy in the capital. London faces a distribution challenge: overcrowding the in private rented sector sits alongside significant under-occupation in owner-occupied homes. If we’re serious about delivering a better housing experience for Londoners, we must address both supply and how we use existing stock.”