If you live in London you definitely know that housing is one of the hot topics and property is one key business and investment. The prices jumped more than 20% for the last two years. Although government is trying to introduce various programs, like help-to-buy scheme, in order to make housing more affordable, the prices still remain high and tend to grow. Below map introduces the range of monthly rent according to various locations within London.
Source: sceneofreason.com
Keeping all this in mind, it is vital to maintain a solid discussion and to create an influence social impact reflection to policy-makers in order to tackle housing issue. Uprise London is one organisation, A CIC, that specialises in affordable housing and in developing truly affordable homes for Londoners, utilising a commercial social impact development model to fund homes for social use. Uprise London in association with OpenBusinessCouncil and IntelligentHQ are holding a housing summit to discuss the London Housing crisis, and how property developers, investors, industry experts can come with an agenda for tackling this problem. In the Summit the four main mayoral candidates will also present for seven minutes their strategy and views on Affordable Homes. This is the item highest on all Londoners’ minds but a topic that affects all businesses and investors. With unstable tenancies and crushing rent increases, how can London function without a secure plan for housing infrastructure? There is a recognized crisis in affordable housing across London. Politicians of every hue are talking about their policies but they aren’t talking about how funding these policies works, who benefits and how they will implement their grand designs.
This Summit represents over a million Londoners and it’s time for our views to be counted and acted upon. Social housing stock is being depleted and young people can’t even access the first rung of the property ladder. Something needs to be done to increase the stock of affordable homes to rent or to buy for Londoners who live and work here and invest their lives in making this a capital city. Uprise, an ethical affordable housing developer thinks it’s time to stop talking and time to take action. Over half a day, Uprise London and OpenBusinessCouncil and IntelligentHQ brings together key stakeholders, citizens, policymakers, think-tanks, action people and all who care and want to participate in creating a London Affordable Homes Plan for the future mayor. This plan will be presented to the next Mayor to help solve this housing crisis and inputted into his/her Plan for London. There are four workshops to participate in and to help form future policy at this summit:
- London Affordable Housing – The Policy Landscape– The Good and their Great Ideas
- London Affordable Housing – The Political Landscape, What Needs to Happen
- London Affordable Housing – The Investment Landscape, Who Pays and Why
- London Affordable Housing – The Industry, What Can Be Done to Lift Us from Housing Scarcity
From March 2014 – 2015
only 6,592 affordable homes were built, which is only 28% of all new housing. Increasing homelessness, mental health issues for young people, transient communities, no ability to plan for their future, families are being pushed out of London. Make your voice and views heard and take advantage of the early bird offer with leading London thinkers, policy makers and stakeholders. The Stats:
- 1.4 million households – more than three million people – on council housing waiting lists.
- 61,970 households are in temporary accommodation – a 21% increase compared with 2010.
- Among which, 90,450 children are living in temporary accommodation
- Average London property costs £503,431, 14 times of a Londoner’s average earnings of £35,238 a year.
- 1/2 private renting housing benefit claimants in London are working, compared to 1/3 in the rest of England.
- Londoners have to save £179,248 for their deposit on an average London property costing £503,431, where average earnings are £35,238 a year. A Londoner’s average rent bill is £1,500. Home ownership is being reduced to an unachievable aspiration.
- The Housing Benefit bill for London reached £6bn in 2015.
- Housing benefit claims in London peaked in 2013 at 850,000 and fell to 820,000 in 2015. The social rented sector accounted for 560,000 claims and the private rented sector 270,000.
- In London, renters are having to find £3,735 by way of a deposit and estate agent fees before moving into new accommodation
- In the year up to April 2014, 42,870 affordable homes were built in England, lowest amount built in any year since 2004/5.
Uprise London is an ethical affordable housing developer. It uses its profits to fund affordable (60% BMV rent) housing and training for women and children who have suffered domestic violence and need post refuge accommodation. Uprise operates a transparent procurement chain, is a Living Wage Employer and a registered CiC (community Interest Company. Uprise Policy Forum is a policy platform to develop best practice and practical solutions for entrenched social problems.
http://Londonaffordablehousing.org
Open Business Council is a 360 degrees hub supporting business, SMEs and startups in an open and transparent way. We believe in the power of openness and collaboration as core success factors for the future of doing business. Our goal is to inspire openness and help companies and organisations to become more competitive and successful by transforming into an (more) Open Business and supporting them in their needs.
http://www.openbusinesscouncil.org/about/
