Fewer than 6,000 affordable homes in London

The number of affordable homes built in London last year slumped by two thirds to below 6,000, official figures reveal today.

They show just 5,790 affordable homes were completed in 2015/16, compared with 18,230 the previous year, despite the capital being in the grip of a housing crisis.

The figure for 2014/15 was a record high but the following year was a record low and around half the average since 1991/92 of just over 11,850, raising questions over building strategy.

Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “These figures show affordable housing delivery was at a near standstill last year and are a stark reminder of just how much work there is to do to turn this around.

Fixing London’s housing crisis won’t happen overnight — it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

However, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, the former mayor, defended his record at City Hall. A source close to him said: “Over 100,000 affordable homes were built during the mayor’s eight years — a record.”

The source added: “These figures (2015/16) represent the first year of a new investment round, which will always average a lower number.”

Big falls in the number of affordable homes completed were seen in Brent (1,330 in 2014/15 to 210 in 2015/16), Tower Hamlets (1,230 to 360) and Southwark (1,160 to 340).

Peter John, leader of Southwark council, said: “Southwark provides a huge amount of affordable housing to our residents, and we are increasing that number every year as we work towards delivering 11,000 new council homes by 2043, around 300 of which will be completed in the next year.”

Anne Baxendale, from housing charity Shelter, said the city was “crying out for more affordable homes” and added: “It’s completely unacceptable that the lowest number on record were delivered in the last year.”