Housing White Paper: could Starter Homes be genuinely affordable?
As the publication date for the government’s Housing White Paper approaches, we and groups across the the housing world are hoping for an announcement that will signal a ‘whole new mindset’, as the Secretary of State has promised.
One item that will be included is confirmation of how the government’s long-running Starter Homes policy will work – and the detail will tell us how far it will go towards slowing the affordability crisis for first-time buyers. This is the government’s flagship policy that was pitched as “turning Generation Rent into Generation Buy”.
London Housing – a new opportunity to push for greater security
Delayed from August, this week saw the publication of the London Mayor’s draft housing strategy, which is now open for consultation for three months.
Covering all housing policy from leasehold reform to tackling street homelessness, the strategy also has a specific section devoted to the private rented sector. With a quarter of London’s children in the private rented sector, and millions of renters living in poverty, we all know how urgently action is needed.
We’ll be coming back to parts of the strategy in the coming weeks, but here we just focus on the main headlines for renters.
The strategy builds on the Mayor’s manifest commitment and previous public statements, and although the Mayor lacks the powers to fundamentally transform London’s PRS, there are nonetheless some steps forward and potential to go further.