Wednesday 18 May 2016

LCCI responds to Sadiq's claim Boris has left the housing "cupboard bare"

In response to the claims of new Mayor Sadiq Khan that his predecessor has not delivered on solving the housing crisis, London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has challenged him to free up more land to build on and be remembered as the mayor who helped overcome this problem.

Sean McKee, Director of Policy and Public Affairs, said: "The new Mayor's statement about the scale of the housing crisis in London is no surprise to businesses that have been enduring the impacts of undersupply including challenges around employee productivity and staff retention.

If Sadiq wants to distinguish himself as the Mayor that fixed the London housing crisis he must move to free-up more land to build and empower more builders to construct those homes.

To get the most out of London's finite land, our new Mayor should seek an honest review of the status of poor quality land within the greenbelt to determine whether it can be better used to house London's workers.

Sadiq is right that the London Land Commission must be more than simply a register, collating what land is where is only one step, examining how to get those parcels of land developed with pace is the challenge.

LCCI has long called for smaller builders to be given the opportunity to make a contribution to the capital's housing market however they face many barriers. Sadiq could establish a Small Developers Panel to explore how to enable smaller players to get building on the numerous small plots of land across our capital."

ENDS

Media contact
Katharine McGee
T: +44 (0)20 7203 1897
M: +44 (0)7827 241528
E: kmcgee@londonchamber.co.uk

NOTES TO EDITOR

1. LCCI is the capital's most representative business organisation with members ranging in size from multi-national companies to SMEs through to sole traders.
2. LCCI Director of Policy and Public Affairs, Sean McKee, are available for further comment and interview.
3. 'Towards a Greater London' can be found here: