Responding the Government’s Housing White Paper, Ben Rogers, Director at Centre for London said:

“The government wants to create a ‘society that works for everyone’, but this White Paper does not herald the new direction in housing policy that is needed to achieve this vision.

“Local government needs resources to be able to invest in its planning and regeneration departments, in order to develop comprehensive masterplans, secure investment partners and win the public over to new development.

“In London, the public sector needs to be able to build more affordable homes both for vulnerable families and low and middle earners, reducing the city’s giant housing benefit bill in the process.  

“Government may say that it does not have funds to allow the public sector to lead on development. But a fundamental reform of tax and borrowing regime would change that.

“It would allow the capital – and other UK cities – to design a tax system that tackled under occupation, discouraged property speculation and most importantly, unlocked capital investment in infrastructure and development.”