Sadiq Khan claims 140,000 new jobs have been created through City Hall’s affordable housing scheme

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, claims his delivery of affordable housing in the capital has boosted the number of skilled jobs in the construction sector.

City Hall analysis shows that 140,000 new jobs have been created in the construction sector and associated sectors such as housing management as a result of the resurgence of affordable house building by councils and housing associations over the last seven years.

Analysis by the GLA using the National Housing Federation’s local economic impact calculator suggests that each new home built is associated with 1.2 direct jobs, providing significant benefits to the London economy.

The Labour mayor is calling on the government to provide City Hall with the extra housing funding it needs of £2.2bn.

City Hall claims that with this funding it would deliver an additional 9,500 homes – and boost London’s economy by creating over 11,000 additional jobs.

Earlier this year in May, the mayor said London is building twice the number of council homes achieved by the rest of England combined.

In 2018, the mayor set a goal of building 10,000 new council homes by 2022, and then set a target of 20,000 new council homes by 2024.

He now claims to have reached that figure a year early with 23,000 council homes started across London over the last five years.

City Hall analysis says that 65,000 new council homes would be available in England if the rest of the country were building council housing at the same rate per head of population as London.

Mr Khan claims that only 4,325 council homes were started in the rest of England in 2021/22, declaring it a “national scandal”. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities says it does not recognise the number.

The deputy mayor for London, Joanne McCartney, visited Manor Road Quarter in Canning Town on Thursday, where she took part in a topping-out ceremony to mark the first phase of completion of the major development which is set to deliver 800 new homes, half of which will be affordable.

City Hall says Manor Road Quarter has created over 200 new jobs spanning construction, project management, and social value creation, including 36 new apprentices.

The first tenants at Manor Road Quarter are expected to move in March 2024.

The mayor of London said: “I’m extremely pleased that 140,000 new jobs have been created as a result of our record-breaking delivery of affordable homes in the capital.

“These latest figures show that investment in the delivery of new housing doesn’t just mean more high-quality and affordable homes for Londoners, it also means new jobs and career opportunities – and in turn, a sector strengthened by a better skilled workforce.

“However, this progress is being put at risk by a national housing slowdown, while ministers are asleep at the wheel. I urge the government to safeguard the progress we’ve made with a £2.2bn boost to investment in London to protect jobs and housing delivery in the capital.

“A renaissance in house building across the country is not only desperately needed, but would be a real turbo charge for the UK’s economy.”

The mayor of Newham, Rokhsana Fiaz OBE, said: “In response to the catastrophic housing crisis having a real human impact on Newham residents and Londoners; we are marshalling all our efforts in building homes that local people can afford.  That’s why with the help of mayor Sadiq Khan’s affordable homes programme we have delivered the highest number of affordable homes of any London borough in the past two consecutive years. That is providing hope for the nearly 37,000 people on our housing waiting list.

“Some 60% of the total number of England’s households in temporary accommodation live in the capital, with nearly 7,000 in Newham alone. That’s why I support Sadiq’s call for the government to give London £2.2 billion so that we can build much needed homes and create thousands of more jobs.”