Boris Johnson, Bridget Jones generation and affordable housing in London

[spokette]

I read about this a few weeks ago. BJ basically wants to remove the quota on the number of affordable housing being built. No wonder property developers love him.

I think it is fair to say that social housing is also way down his list of priorities.

Does anybody really take him seriously?

On a separate issue, the concept of affordable housing is a joke imho. £150k for a two bed flat where you buy a 30% stake and pay the rest on rental is still expensive for many people on low income. They need decent, habitable dwellings with affordable rents.

Only £150k for a two bed flat? Where? My friend is on housing assn list for shared ownership and has been "offered" (ie, can find no other mug) a £300k one-bed of which she had to buy min 40% and a £270k one-bed in not particularly fantastic parts of London. The flat she really wants is in devpt at end of my road and lies empty because it is keyworker only but, of course, none of them earn minimum income requirement...

Re: Boris. It's not quite as bad as you make out. He is saying that putting carved in stone quotas in place is ridiculous and that these things should be negotiated within guidelines and, yes, I'm afraid that developers do walk away from some sites if they think there is going to be too big a social/affordable housing allocation so he may have a point. I do have a soft spot for Boris though as I used to work with him and think he is wonderful journalist - not sure I would vote for him though . Not sure about his crack at single mums either as he seems determined to impregnate most of those around him.

If you can get beyond the buffoonery that is BJ he talks a lot of sense. Can't see what the problem is with his pov personally. Plus if affordable housing is a joke, why do you have a problem with BJ possibly removing quotas in some areas?

" it is keyworker only but, of course, none of them earn minimum income requirement..."

Gawd, you couldn't make it up, could you?

The only thing that leapt out at me in that article was that he wants to preserve Victorian swimming baths..... that's something I suppose

The reason I said that affordable housing is a joke is because more often than not it cost more than £150k. I don't see how that is affordable for people on low incomes even with two salaries combined.

More social housing is what is required, especially in London,not overpriced shoebox luxury flats/houses. We need to encourage the building of more social housing because not everybody has the means to purchase their own home. TBH, I'm not sure that BJ has quite grasped that point.

BJ is entirely correct.

Social housing encourages poor people.

Poor people depress property prices.

Therefore, if you eliminate the poor people, house prices will rise forever, and everyone will be infinitly rich!

Cameron doesn't have a clue either; apparently he seems to think that everyone in Britain has a mortgage... muppet.

There was a thread on here not long ago in which a number of Mners really were rooting for this racist patrician buffoon for Mayor of London
Red Ken annoys me at times, but at least most of his policies are aimed at making London more affordable for its less affluent residents.
I sat in a meeting today with a lot of Borisalikes and had to listen to them bitching about the Mayor of London's Affordable Homes policy "impeding the free market" and "discouraging investment in London".

Why does every single person feel they have to own a house (or have the right to own a house)? What is wrong with renting? I really don't understand this national obsession with house ownership - especially if you can't afford the mortgage if interest rates rise by a quarter of a percent.

Kevlarhead - I think you'll find that Cameron is more in touch with the average Briton's situation that anyone in the Labour govt right now.

Because the rental laws in this country favour the landlord so you have very little security, I think.

Thanks to a number of property reforms though Callisto, renting is not the stable, predictable and egalitarian alternative in the UK that it is in many European countries. And a lot of affordable rented social housing was taken out of circulation by Right to Buy, implemented by the Conservatives.

callisto: I agree in part. but in the uk, the tenancy laws are quite shockingly stacked against the tennant (who can, for example, be evicted at any time with just 2 month´s notices under most contracts) and owning a home is the only way to have a reallt stable home.

but yes, some people are oddly obsessed with owning, and many are also prepared to make enormous sacrifcies just so they can have an extra room/conservatory/whatever.

You said it Kathy. Much, much more so in the last 25 years. Hmm, anything to do with Margaret Thatcher's government perhaps?

marina. great minds etc.

separately, can I just say that the idea of boris having any sort of power is quite scarey. it was bad enough when he got elected as an MP. but Ken has been in too long. let´s hope the LIb dems can pull something out of the bag.

You are all correct about the renting thing - I forget as I'm blessed with a very good landlord and a house for life if I need it.

You are all correct about the renting thing - I forget as I'm blessed with a very good landlord and a house for life if I need it.