Stop ignoring growing affordable housing crisis - Doocey

12.00.00am GMT Sun 5th Jan 2003

Liberal Democrat campaigner Dee Doocey has called on Tony Arbour, Leader of Richmond Council and the London Assembly Member for South West London, to become much more active in meeting the Mayor of London's affordable housing targets.

The Mayor, Ken Livingstone has asked all councils in London to try and ensure that 35% of all new housing built in the capital is available for the lower paid and key workers living in London. Affordable housing is designed to meet the needs of households whose incomes are not sufficient to allow them access to decent and appropriate housing

Research by the Liberal Democrats at the London Assembly has shown that there needs to be built 25,700 dwellings per year in the London area to keep up with the demand and ensure that key workers like the police, medical workers and teachers can afford to live and work in London Boroughs.

Councillor Arbour has been a particular critic of the Mayor's policy, and has vowed to fight this new provision both at local and regional level, despite offers of co-operation in achieving the target set for the Borough by the Mayor and the previous Liberal Democrat administration.

Dee Doocey said:

"We cannot go on ignoring this growing housing crisis. Any person who is in regular contact with our local schools, medical facilities and public transport operators knows about the recruitment crisis that exists, because people in these jobs simply can't afford to live near where they work. What we need to do is find imaginative ways of accommodating these key service workers, without damaging our environment. What we simply cannot to is bury our heads in the sand and hope the problem will go away!"