Shadow Housing Minister visits Camden

Shadow Housing Minister John Healey visited Camden to see how the Council is helping to tackle London’s housing crisis.

Leader of the Council Sarah Hayward gave Mr Healey a tour of Maiden Lane – one of the flagship development sites in our Community Investment programme – which is delivering over 1,000 genuinely affordable council homes for the residents of Camden.

The tour also gave the Leader an opportunity to discuss the Government’s Housing and Planning Bill proposals.

Camden is concerned that the changes will negatively impact council tenants, private renters and people trying to get on the property ladder.

Leader of the Council Sarah Hayward said: “London is facing an unprecedented housing crisis. Rather than offering solutions, we are deeply concerned that the Government’s Housing and Planning Bill will make the situation worse. This Bill will have a huge affect on our diverse communities, something we have always fostered and been proud of in Camden. Families who have lived in London for years could be faced with rising rents and drastically fewer housing choices.”

Some of the proposed changes in the Bill include:

• limiting council tenancies to 2-5 years
• increasing council rents potentially up to ‘market’ rates for households with a combined income of over £40,000
• the introduction of a Government levy that could see us having to sell off hundreds of council homes to fund it.

Find out more about the Housing and Planning Bill and come and have your say at our event on Thursday 11 February.

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