Wandsworth's housing record the worst in London

London's Labour Assembly members are warning that the Conservative Mayor, Boris Johnson, will not be able to deliver the 50,000 affordable homes London desperately needs.

Nicky Gavron, who was Deputy Mayor of London and before that chaired the London Planning Advisory Committee - someone with a massive amount of experience in planning in the capital said:

"The impact of the credit crunch on every aspect of the housing sector cannot be underestimated - yet the demand for housing, particularly affordable rented housing - has never been higher. Over a third of a million Londoners are waiting for affordable housing yet the Mayor's housing adviser has made it clear they will not impose any target for rented homes on London councils.

"Without political leadership and direction from the Mayor, the record of many London councils in office shows that they fail to deliver affordable housing for their residents. Wandsworth has almost 9,000 people waiting yet delivered just 20 new homes. This is their record and it is just pitiful. If anything the Mayor is giving boroughs like Wandsworth even less incentive to deliver.

"Of course we should be helping people get on the housing ladder and encourage low-income ownership schemes, but the stark fact is there are over 9,000 low-cost homes lying unsold and empty - the bulk of which are in London. Until the housing market stabilises and there are mortgages available, these homes will stay empty and unsold. At the same time, Londoners are crying out for low-cost homes for rent.

"The Mayor is kicking away the first rung of the ladder for the thousands of Londoners on housing waiting lists. These lists are only going to increase in the next few years."

I couldn't agree more with this - and it is telling that Wandsworth is being named and shamed as the worst provider of affordable homes for rent. Remember this devastating fact: in 1981 there were over 32,000 council homes for rent locally - today there are barely 16,000.