Dozens of cyclists, the density of trendy bars and crossover organic shops are not mistaken: located just north of the City, Hackney is one of those London districts now largely "gentrified". There are still large social housing complexes there, but the south, Hoxton, and the neighborhood around De Beauvoir Road were colonized by high-income families.
It was precisely along De Beauvoir Road, in an old library converted into a cultural center, that on Tuesday 3 March, Sadiq Khan chose to launch his re-election campaign for mayor of London – the poll takes place on 7 May. Labor politician, mayor of the British capital since 2016, wants to lead it on the theme of housing. With crime on the rise, the near absence of affordable housing is one of Londoners' top concerns.
Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London: "I want to make these elections a referendum on the regulation of rents"
Swearing that when he took office, he found "The pipeline" social housing starts "Empty", because Boris Johnson (his predecessor at the town hall) would have "Preferred to favor the construction of luxury residences", Sadiq Khan made a shock proposal: "I want to make these elections a referendum on the regulation of rents. "
The idea is not new to the Labor camp: it was still on their campaign program for the December 2019 general election, which suggested indexing rent increases to inflation. But successive Conservative governments have so far opposed it, considering that the total liberalization of the sector in the 1980s (the Housing Act of 1988) should not be called into question.
Mr. Johnson, on the other hand, proposed the repeal of clause 21 of the Housing Act, authorizing a lessor to terminate a lease without justification, beyond a period guaranteed in the rental contract (generally one year ). A particularly harsh provision for tenants, risking being homeless overnight. However, for the time being, the government is still consulting, no bill has yet been introduced in the House of Commons.
Rents have climbed 30% since 2010
No one denies the depth of the London housing crisis. The megalopolis (nearly 9 million inhabitants) remains one of the most expensive in the world. The demography has a lot to do with it – between 2006 and 2016, the population grew by 17%, recalls the London School of Economics (LSE), in its study A Sustainable Increase in London’s Housing of 2018. Real estate speculation did the rest. London has 2.4 million tenants in the private sector, spending an average of 43% of their income on rent. In the case of 20-29 year olds, 53% of their salary goes there, according to a PwC study.
