"Sadiq Khan should be livid: career civil servants misled him about affordable housing development in London. He went on to say that the GLA's claim that 25,658 affordable homes had begun construction in the year to April 2023 and that 116,000 affordable homes had started during Sir Sadiq Khan's tenure as mayor of London were not true. He claimed the GLA had counted housing starts prematurely, and due to rising interest rates, more expensive construction materials and viability issues, a number of those starts never commenced construction."
"A journalist told me the embellishment was deliberate and co-ordinated, that in Q1 [of] 2023 the GLA contacted developers, housing associations and local authorities, encouraging them to dig a trench' and register as many housing starts as possible. I have spoken to a number of senior development directors; the journalist is 100% correct. At one site, false hoarding was put up for a visit: Sadiq Khan arrived for a photo, and once he left, the hoarding was taken down."
Deputy mayor denied claims that civil servants embellished housing figures after being challenged at a committee meeting. Tim Craine, a director at property market research firm Molior, alleged that civil servants misled the mayor about affordable housing development and that the GLA had counted housing starts prematurely. Craine cited figures of 25,658 affordable homes begun in the year to April 2023 and 116,000 started during the mayor's tenure, and linked some non-starts to rising interest rates, higher material costs and viability issues. Assembly members Neil Garratt and Lord Bailey asked the GLA chief officer to investigate in November, but the request was denied.
Read at www.standard.co.uk
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