Over 200,000 households in London are overcrowded - Doocey

6.00.00pm GMT Thu 20th Mar 2008

The number of London families living in overcrowded homes has risen to 210,000 since 2001 according to figures obtained by London Liberal Democrats.

Families are being forced to live in cramped conditions, with 20,000 households described as being 'severely overcrowded'. This information comes as the Mayor admits that there are 83,580 vacant homes in London.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat London Assembly member, Dee Doocey said:

"The Mayor has let down over 200,000 families living in cramped and difficult conditions. Very little is being done to provide decent housing for larger families. It is unrealistic to provide so few houses with more than two bedrooms.

"We should be concentrating on bringing empty homes back into use to help combat London's housing shortage. Last year, only 3% of vacant homes were brought back into use for families to live in.

"Local authorities need to work with the Mayor to build accommodation that reflects the needs of the Capital. London's housing plan should not just be about hitting targets but about achieving real results for Londoners."

ENDS

Notes to Editors

1. The information was obtained from written answers at Mayor's Question Time on 12 March 2008:

Overcrowding (1)

Question No: 594 / 2008

Dee Doocey

What is the latest estimate for the number of families currently living in overcrowded and severely overcrowded conditions in London?

The 2005/06 Survey of English Housing reports 212,000 overcrowded households in London, of which 20,000 are severely overcrowded.

According to the 2001 Census: 150,000 families live in overcrowded accommodation and 61,000 live in severely overcrowded households.

Family Homes

Question No: 596 / 2008

Dee Doocey

Given that only 11% of the net conventional homes delivered in London in 2006/07 had three bedrooms and another 5% had four bedrooms or more and, similarly poor, in the social rented housing sector only 17 per cent had two bedrooms and 8 per cent had four bedrooms, do you think the target in your Housing Strategy that 42% of new social rented homes and, by 2010/11, 16% of new intermediate homes, should have three bedrooms or more is achievable?

The target in my draft Housing Strategy requires public sector investors to deliver the appropriate percentage of three bedroomed and larger homes from their respective 2008 -2011 investment programmes. Not all of these homes will be completed in 2008-11, but I am confident that these targets will be met when these homes are delivered. The targets have been drawn up with and agreed by all of London's public sector investors.

2. Information obtained from written answers at Mayor's Question time on 20 February 2008.

Housing Delivery (5)

Question No: 377/2008

Dee Doocey <http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/members/dooceyd.jsp>

Given that less than 3% of London's 91,000 empty homes were brought back into use in 2006/7 how confident are you of meeting the aspiration in your Housing Strategy that empty homes should account for no more than 2.5% of London's housing, and privately owned long term empty homes should account for no more than 1% of private properties over all by 2016?

Answer by Ken Livingstone

I am confident of meeting this target. The Government's figures show that 83,580 homes were empty in April 2007, a reduction of over 3,600 homes or 4% on the previous year's figure of 87,220. This figure is just 2.57% of London's total housing stock so if current trends continue we can expect to meet the 2.5% target next year or the year after that. The current figure for long-term private empty homes is 1.12%, down from 1.2% in 2006, and indicating that this target should also be met in the near future, ahead of the 2016 deadline set in my draft Housing Strategy.

3. London Plan targets:

· 30,050 new homes a year.

· 15,025 (50%) to be affordable; of those:

· 10,517 (70%) to be social rented housing

· 4,507 (30%) to be intermediate homes

What was actually delivered:

· In 2006/7 a total of 31,430 net new homes were delivered in London, (+1,380)

· 9,209 (34%) new homes were affordable; (-5,816) of those:

· 4,420 (48%) were social rented housing; (-6,097)

· 4,789 (52%) were intermediate homes; (+282)