Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Lib Dems on the GLA

Caroline Pidgeon, Lib Dem GLA member reports:

At City Hall, we are leading the campaign to stop the Conservative Government’s plans to see affordable homes sold off. Both council and housing association homes would be lost under forced sales and right to buy plans.

Every housing association home sold in London will require a public subsidy of over £100,000 and the Institute of Fiscal Studies puts the national price tag at almost £12 billion pounds over the next five years. This is money that could instead be used to build new affordable homes.

To make matters even worse, London local authorities are to be forced to sell up to a third of their existing social housing properties as they become vacant to pay for this crazy plan, denying local residents access to much needed council homes.

Only two months ago the London Mayor highlighted that housing associations are private organisations and forcing through right to buy would involve massive subsidies.   Now he has become a loyal Tory MP his priority seems to be defending his Government’s unfunded aspirations.

I am determined that we must lead the campaign against this backwards step. London of all places needs more affordable housing. The Mayor’s number one housing priority should be delivering more affordable homes, not defending ill thought out plans from Conservative central office. You can see the motion that we proposed at City Hall here.