Why are we building new council housing in Islington?

Written by James Kempton on Fri 13th Jul 2007

Why are we building new council housing in Islington?

This year Islington will start building new council houses for the first time in a generation. Tackling the housing crisis is a priority for me and my colleagues in the Liberal Democrats. And it is good to see that we now have a Prime Minister who also wants to put the crisis in affordable housing at the top of the political agenda too. No-one would deny the housing crisis in the capital. Even people on well above average earnings struggle to buy a home in Islington. And like many boroughs, thousands of families are on the housing waiting list, with many more living in cramped and over-crowded properties. As the second most densely populated borough in London, and one of the smallest, the challenges of a rapidly rising population are huge.

Islington has 3,000 more affordable homes than it had in 2000. And in the last two years there have been three affordable homes built in Islington for every one built in our neighbouring boroughs. Many of these are shared ownership or for key workers because these help people get their first step on the housing ladder in an increasingly difficult housing market. But even building all these new homes is not enough. So I think it is time we stopped complaining about the problems and actually did something about it. That is why we have decided to stop fussing about the draconian restrictions that successive Governments put in place to stop councils from building new houses. We have earmarked millions of pounds for brand new council houses and Cllr Terry Stacy, my lead member for housing who is a tenant himself will be leading the house building programme we so desperately need.

As the Tribune rightly pointed out last week, new council housing is 'a step in the right direction'. We are only too aware that for every family that will benefit from one of the new homes we plan to build, unfortunately many more will still find themselves on the waiting list. New council homes are an important new development, but they are not the only thing we are doing to solve the housing problem. To relieve over-crowding, we are putting money into extensions and conversions, and creating proper-sized family homes from properties that were previously converted into flats. And at the same time we are improving housing estates around the borough, like the Market Estate and the Packington, where residents have asked us to return 1960's housing blocks to a traditional street layout. This offers more homes, as well as being a much better living environment for families. We've housed hundreds of born and bred Islington youngsters as part of our New Generations scheme, keeping families close to each other - vital for any strong community.

But it's not just about the number of units we create - people's standard of living is vital too. We're also on course to bring all our properties up to the Decent Homes standard by 2010, with new kitchens and bathrooms for those who need them. Islington is celebrating another housing landmark this week, as the council moved the last adults out of Bed and Breakfast accommodation, meeting this Government's target on homelessness years ahead of the deadline. We are the first council in the country to achieve this target.

It is great to be such a popular place to live but even if we could find even more money, it is probably true to say that Islington lacks the physical space to build enough homes for everyone who wants to live here. Some readers will be aware of Islington Council's dispute with the Mayor of London over the housing targets he has set for our borough. Let me be clear - we do not disagree with building more affordable housing in Islington. Both he and the Council are in strong agreement that at least half the properties in every new development must be affordable housing. Where we disagree is in relation to his over the top targets for new private and affordable homes.

It is a real challenge for us to know just how many more homes can be squeezed into our small borough without destroying the very character that makes Islington such a special place. In my view the Mayor of London's latest target of over 1100 extra homes every year, is a step too far. It is a higher target than Camden and Hackney, both of which have more space than us. I don't think this is right. I have been listening to Islington and local people have told me that although they want see some more housing, they think it is important to protect the quality of life in Islington. Just last week I was pleased to hear that South Planning Committee rejected an application for a 39-storey tower block in Old Street. I don't think building skyscrapers is the answer to getting families off the waiting list. That's why we are continuing to fight the demands of the Mayor of London to build even denser housing in Islington.

I'm not pretending that we can solve the borough's housing crisis overnight. But by building new council houses for the first time in a generation, we are taking a brave and important step in tackling the housing crisis that brings so much misery to so many lives in Islington.