Housing Investment: Talking the Talk, but not Walking the Walk

Every year, Sadiq Khan distributes the largesse from Westminster to deliver on his promises to massively increase the housing stock in London. There was a time when Newham topped the bidding war for government money to support the building of new homes. Every year, if Newham wasn’t at the top it was second.

This reflected the dynamism of the old regime in bringing development into the borough and the efficiency of the council in actually making development happen.

This reflected the dynamism of the old regime in bringing development into the borough and the efficiency of the council in actually making development happen.

Those in the know suggest that money follows activity. Those boroughs with big plans get the big money. Those who just talk about having plans, get less.

As the funds have increased, it seems that Newham’s ability to use them has decreased. Neighbouring boroughs have clearly got their act together while Newham dawdles.

Barking and Dagenham are top of the list, followed by Enfield, Haringey, Southwark etc etc.

Now Newham is only middling. For all of her vaunted promises to build more social housing, the mayor seems able to manage roughly half that of neighbouring Barking and Dagenham. 

Looking around the major developments in Newham, it is difficult to find anything which was neither planned nor agreed under the old administration.

Having promised 1000 new council homes, it is not evident where these will come from, or perhaps Mayor Fiaz meant that she would be relying upon the developments agreed by the Wales regime to meet her promises to the electorate. 

A case of Talking the Talk, but not Walking the Walk?