Southwark Council’s leader has called on the Government to let local authorities build more affordable homes, while giving evidence at the Communities and Local Government Committee.
Appearing before the Committee last week as part of a panel of local government representatives, Cllr Peter John highlighted the challenges the council faces in delivering 11,000 council homes over 30 years while funding is cut.
Cllr John said: “National changes to the funding of homebuilding mean that local authorities face significant financial challenges and rely increasingly on private sector partnerships to deliver new homes.
“In Southwark we have successfully used these partnerships to deliver new affordable homes, but local authorities face a real challenge in ensuring developers build the right kind of housing to meet local need.
“Changes to national housing legislation and uncertainty over Government policies are making this even more difficult.”
Anood Al-Samerai, leader of the Southwark Lib Dems, said: “Southwark should concentrate on getting its own house in order rather than just grandstanding in Parliament.”