Tessa Jowell promises new “intelligent client” to tackle London housing crisis

Front runner to be Labour candidate for London Mayor underlines need to tackle capital’s increasing housing shortage with new ODA style “world class” Homes for London Agency. 

Antony Oliver
01 July 2015

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The greatest challenge facing the capital is the shortage of decent affordable homes, Labour Mayoral hopeful and former Olympic minister Tessa Jowell said this week.

The lack of housing in the capital was, she said, one of the “key risks” facing the city as it attempts to cope with a surge in population which could see numbers in the capital grow from 8.7M to over 10M in less than 20 years.

Need to "bring together a world class technical team to support the work of the boroughs [in delivering the capital’s vital. housing needs].” Tessa Jowell

Speaking at the BASE London event Jowell called for a specialised and highly skilled “intelligent client” within the Greater London Authority to drive forward the capital housing policy and help to build more of the vitally needed affordable social housing stock.

“I would set up a world class Homes for London Agency within the Grater London Authority [to tackle the issue],” she said contrasting the steady decline in people being able to buy their own homes and the drastic fall in housing being built for the social rental sector, with the “exponential” increase in numbers needing to rent in the capital.

“The analogy is with the Olympic Delivery Authority that did such a good job delivering the 2012 Olympic Games venues for London by creating an intelligent client,” she added. “To bring together a world class technical team to support the work of the boroughs [in delivering the capital’s vital. housing needs].”

Former Olympics minister Jowell is the leading candidate battling to win the party’s nomination as official candidate in next May’s Mayoral election.

Solving London’s housing shortage was, she emphasised, challenging but very possible give the right drivers. 

“I am brave about casting a big vision and taking the big decisions that London needs and I hope to have a role in leading London along that path.”

"There is land available to do this and there is capacity to create the urgency. we just need to assemble the skills to make it happen,” she said. 

The capital also had to continue its ongoing programme to create and update infrastructure to support London’s growth and promised that as Mayor timely decision would flow to enable projects to progress.

“Infrastructure investment needs to have confidence that decisions will be taken,” she said. 

“Then the activity will follow,” she added. “I am brave about casting a big vision and taking the big decisions that London needs and I hope to have a role in leading London along that path.”