Mayor’s affordable housing delivery fails to meet Londoners’ needs, report reveals
The report from the London Assembly Housing Committee showed 64% of homes under the current programme had not even started as of September 2025.
A report from the London Assembly Housing Committee found delivery of affordable homes in London is not keeping up with need.
Rising costs, lack of funding and not enough focus on the types of homes needed have slowed things down.
The research showed 64% of homes under the current programme had not even started as of September 2025, less than a year before the programme is set to finish in March 2026.
Family-sized homes for social rent and accessible homes for Deaf and Disabled Londoners are in short supply.
Many families are stuck in overcrowded or unsuitable housing.
The research also found little progress on sites for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities and growing pressure on supported housing providers.
The committee said funding needs to be targeted better.
It recommended increasing grant rates and setting clear targets for family-sized and accessible homes in the next programme running from 2026 to 2036, so funding matches what Londoners need most.
Other recommendations included more support for councils to buy existing homes for social rent to increase supply quickly, better monitoring of homes for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, and securing long-term funding for supported housing with revenue funding as well as capital investment.
Zoë Garbett, chair of the London Assembly Housing Committee, said: “London’s housing crisis is hitting families and disabled Londoners hardest, yet the homes they need most are the ones least likely to be built.
“The report highlights that delivery has slowed sharply since 2023, at the same time as demand for genuinely affordable housing continues to rise.
“Evidence to the Committee showed that rising construction costs, high land prices, increased borrowing costs and new building safety requirements have all reduced the capacity of councils and housing associations to bring forward new homes.”
Garbett added: “Without changes to how funding is allocated, the report warns that delivery under the next Affordable Homes Programme risks falling further behind.”
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