Latest news with #CityHallConservatives
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Khan's housing pledge in crisis as new starts fall below 350 for quarter
Sir Sadiq Khan's plans for thousands of affordable homes in London have been plunged into crisis after figures showed just a few hundred new properties got off the ground last quarter. On Tuesday, new figures from the Greater London Authority showed 347 affordable homes had started construction between April and June this year – significantly below the number that the Mayor of London needs to meet his ambitious housebuilding targets. Sir Sadiq is aiming to build up to 19,000 affordable homes by March 2026. He is facing a significant shortfall if the pace of new building starts recorded in April to June continues. Lord Bailey, the housing spokesman for the City Hall Conservatives, said the Mayor was 'clearly failing'. 'London's housing crisis becomes more severe with every passing day, putting an increasing burden on Londoners and London councils with rising rents and mortgages,' he said. 'Struggling Londoners need the Government to succeed in tackling this issue but Khan is clearly failing, and we all pay the price. How will he ever meet his own targets, let alone the targets his own Government has set him? He's the weakest link in this chain.' Of the 19,000 affordable homes targeted, work has begun on just 5,500 – leaving the scheme 13,500 homes short. The latest figures are a further embarrassment after Angela Rayner's Ministry of Housing recently cut the target by 22pc to between 17,800 and 19,000 homes. Around 12,300 homes need to be started within the next nine months if he is to hit his objective. The Mayor of London's office has blamed the previous Conservative government's 'horrendous legacy' for making it 'harder and more expensive' to build homes. A spokesman for the Mayor said: 'Sadiq has made tackling this crisis a priority since he took office, and despite these challenges the highest number of affordable homes for social rent in a decade were completed last year. 'The Mayor is taking the hard decisions to improve housing supply of all tenures. He is actively exploring releasing parts of London's green belt for development and is working closely with the Government to resolve issues like delays from the Building Safety Regulator.' The figures come amid wider concerns that Britain's housing market is stalling, driven by fears that Rachel Reeves will raise taxes this autumn. Matt Pullen, the chief executive of building materials supplier Marshalls, said speculation around the Budget is creating uncertainty in the industry and 'weighing on individuals ... and business confidence'. He pointed to growing reluctance from homeowners to spend their savings on renovation projects, as well as a lack of confidence among first-time buyers and employers. Housebuilder Bellway also called for more focus on stimulating demand with greater support for first-time buyers. It has reported a 14pc uplift in home completions during the year ending July 2025. However, it flagged softer trading conditions as a result of 'demand-side constraints' for first-time buyers and 'delays to planning decisions' while local authorities adapt to the Government's planning reforms. The Prime Minister has vowed that the autumn Budget will focus on improving living standards. However, Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, face warnings that they could be forced to increase taxes by as much as £50bn to plug a gap in the public coffers. A government spokesman said: 'We are delivering the biggest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation, and our landmark planning reforms will help to drive UK housebuilding to its highest level in over 40 years while growing the economy by £6.8bn. 'Thanks to measures taken at the Budget, there will also be an additional 130,000 transactions over the next five years by first-time buyers and others buying a primary residence.'
The Independent
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Notting Hill Carnival should be ticketed to avoid Hillsborough-scale disaster, Tories say
London's Notting Hill Carnival should become a ticketed event in order to avoid a deadly crowd crush on the scale of the Hillsborough disaster, politicians in the capital have claimed. A report by the City Hall Conservatives, the largest opposition party in the London Assembly, detailed mounting safety concerns at the carnival in West London, with the authors of the report suggesting the annual event should now be ticketed. Around 2 million people go to the Notting Hill Carnival, and it is policed by about 7,000 police officers. But over recent years it has become increasingly expensive to maintain safety, and the report suggests it is only by "chance" that a catastrophe on the scale of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, in which 97 people were killed in a crowd crush, has been avoided to date. According to the report, Sadiq Khan has increased City Hall's share of funding for Notting Hill Carnival by over 1,000% since he became mayor of London in 2016. The cost of policing the event in 2023 was £11.7m, but the report estimates the cost to the taxpayer will hit £16.5 million this year and total £80 million over the next five years. Meanwhile, total numbers of arrests have risen by 160% over the last 25 years. However the event has doubled in size during this period. The report concludes that the current event organisers "do not have the governance structure or the resources required" to organise an event on this scale, and it says "the occurrence of a major public safety disaster, such as a Hillsborough-style crush, has only been avoided by chance – not by effective organisation". Susan Hall, the leader of the City Hall Conservative group and author of the report said: "Notting Hill Carnival is a hugely important event and deserves to succeed – my report is designed to raise awareness of the serious safety issues the event faces in its current form, and put forward recommendations to give the event the security and stability it needs. "As my report shows, crime has increased substantially at the event since 2000, alongside a huge increase in the cost to the taxpayer. We must find another way – no other event would be allowed to continue like this. 'At a time when Londoners are facing cuts to essential and frontline policing services because of Sadiq Khan and this Labour government, the Met simply cannot afford to spend over £80 million policing Carnival over the next 5 years. A new permanent funding solution for Carnival would give the event the certainty it needs to run as successfully as possible.' The Independent has contacted organiser Notting Hill Carnival Ltd for comment. A spokesman for the organisation told The Times: 'Many of the points raised in this report have been addressed and actioned by NHCL and its strategic partners. An independent review commissioned by NHCL earlier this year has led to numerous changes this year and beyond.' A spokesperson for the Mayor of London told The Independent: 'The Notting Hill Carnival was born out of the Caribbean community in North Kensington and Notting Hill. It ultimately belongs to the community who decide where it is held and organise the event. 'The carnival is not organised by the Mayor, but he continues to work with partners to help ensure everyone can enjoy carnival safely and honour its cultural importance. 'Following an independent review of carnival, the Mayor stepped forward with partners to provide additional funding this year, however he believes that national funding will be needed to ensure the long-term safety and success of what is a nationally-significant event over the years ahead.'
Telegraph
04-07-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Khan ‘dodges questions' about London because he was cooking lunch
Sir Sadiq Khan has been accused of dodging questions about London to attend a lunch promoting his tour of Africa. The London Mayor missed a meeting about his attempt to pedestrianise Oxford Street, choosing instead to visit a Nigerian restaurant. As the London Assembly voted not to block his proposals, Sir Sadiq was helping to cook traditional dishes at The Flygerians in Peckham, south London. It comes ahead of his five-day tour of Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa later this month. But during the London Assembly debate, Susan Hall, the leader of the City Hall Conservatives, criticised Sir Sadiq's no-show. Ms Hall said: 'Apparently, the Mayor is at a Nigerian restaurant. I hope is enjoying his Jollof pot. He is far more interested in Lagos than he is in John Lewis.' When asked why he would not be able to answer questions earlier on Thursday, Sir Sadiq replied: 'I suspect I'm busy with other things.' Sir Sadiq will become the first Mayor of London to lead a trade delegation to Africa after details of his wish to visit emerged last year. Speaking after the launch event, he vowed to 'bang the drum for further investment' and 'strengthen the cultural ties' with the three nations. 'Londoners of African heritage have played, and continue to play, a huge role in making London the greatest city in the world,' he said. 'It was great to be at The Flygerians today speaking with business owners and seeing first-hand the impact they make here in the capital, building a better London for everyone.' Sir Sadiq wants to ban vehicles from a stretch of road between Oxford Circus and Marble Arch. He previously attempted to pedestrianise the same part of Oxford Street, the UK's most famous high street, in 2018. However, he was blocked from doing so by Westminster city council when it was under Tory control. Whether his newest proposals succeed will depend on whether Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, allows him to establish a new mayoral development corporation. The body would have extensive planning powers of its own and could be created as soon as early 2026. Accused of 'arrogance' Sir Sadiq has insisted part-pedestrianisation is what the majority of Londoners would want, pointing to a YouGov survey last year showing almost two in three (63 per cent) were in favour. But he has been accused of 'arrogance' by Tory councillors over the scheme. Many local residents and businesses are also opposed on the grounds that it would only create gridlock elsewhere in central London. Westminster city council said it was working with Sir Sadiq on his newest pedestrianisation drive to 'ensure that the voices of residents and businesses are heard'. In the London Assembly this week, there was a cross-party call to build 'world-class' public toilets on Oxford Street as part of the mooted scheme.
Daily Mail
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE What a bloomin' liberty! Sadiq Khan is ridiculed for handing out 12,000 wildflower seeds to commuters - after saying London's Green Belt should be built on
Sir Sadiq Khan has been ridiculed for handing out wildflower seeds to commuters just weeks after announcing that London 's Green Belt should be built on. Part of his plans for Climate Action Week he launched a new Green Roots Fund to invest £12million into neighbourhoods so make them 'greener, healthier and more climate resilient'. In the video posted to X Sir Sadiq can be seen chatting to commuters and helping hand out 12,000 free seed packets, as he says: 'The benefits of nature should be for everyone and we are committed to making this a reality for everyone.' However, his comments have now been slammed by the deputy leader of the City Hall Conservatives Emma Best who labeled the move 'astonishingly hypocritical' as just weeks ago he was 'sending in the bulldozers' to London's green belt. Speaking to MailOnline, Ms Best said: 'This is astonishing hypocrisy from the Mayor and greenwashing of the highest order. 'With one hand he is commanding bulldozers to demolish a country park and with the other he is handing out flower seeds as though that balances his actions. 'Sadiq Khan says the 'benefits of nature should be for all Londoners' but clearly that excludes those whose parks and green spaces he intends to build on.' In May the Mayor used a speech to argue that brownfield site alone cannot meet the capital's needs. He suggested 'low-quality' green belt should be released to developers with conditions such as providing affordable homes and transport links. Up to now Sir Sadiq has argued against permitting the use of such land before previously-developed brownfield options have been exhausted. However, the Labour government has set a tough wider goal of building 1.5million homes over this Parliament. London has a new target of adding 88,000 new homes a year, but the city's current plan is delivering only around 40,000 a year. Meanwhile, rents in the capital rose 11.5 per cent last year and councils are spending £4million a day on temporary accommodation amid increasing homelessness. Sir Sadiq has now launched a consultation on the next version of the London Plan, which will set out his vision for development in the capital over the next two decades. City Hall has already begun a review of green belt land in line with the Government's policy of building more on low-quality parts of the green belt, so-called 'grey belt' land. However, other possibilities will now be explored for securing enough land to meet London's housing needs. Sir Sadiq speaking at the event in May said 'the truth is we're still far from fixing housing'. 'The green belt can often be low-quality land, poorly maintained and not really enjoyed by Londoners. Only around 13 per cent is made up of parks and areas that the public can access,' he said. 'So given the quality of parts of London's green belt and the extent of the housing crisis, I believe the current position is wrong, out-of-date and simply unsustainable. 'Development on carefully chosen parts of the green belt – done in the right way – would allow us to unlock hundreds of thousands of new homes. This would not only go a long way to ending the housing crisis but provide a huge boost to our economy.'
Daily Mail
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Sadiq Khan will make 12,000-mile round trip to Brazil to host climate change conference - after Paris trip this week and jaunt to Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa in the summer
Eco warrior Sadiq Khan is set to make a 12,000-mile round trip to Brazil to host a climate change conference - and will total five international trips within a matter of months. The London mayor is set to make a trip to Rio in November for the 2025 C40 World Mayors Summit, due to take place at COP 30. He is co-chair of C40, a network of almost 100 city mayors from across the world trying to reduce global warming and halve emissions by 2030. Sir Sadiq has already made more than 20 foreign trips in the nine years that he's been mayor since 2016 - including a trip to Paris last week to meet other mayors from the group. He is also due to visit Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa this summer after announcing last December that he would become the first London Mayor to lead a trade delegation to Africa. The cost of the Brazil trip is being paid for by former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg's charity, Bloomberg Philanthropies, which also contributed funding to the eco organisation. But Thomas Turrell, environment spokesman for the City Hall Conservatives, criticised Sir Sadiq's jet-setting jollies. He said: 'Assembly business here in London will be delayed and clogged up as the mayor chooses his international soirees over the job Londoners elected him to do. 'The contempt this man has for the London Assembly, and for the voters who put him there, should be enough to make him think long and hard whilst he waits to land somewhere else overseas.' Mr Turrell pointed out Sir Sadiq hypocrisy as he 'lectures' the public, about the 'evils' of emissions while taking extravagant long-haul flights. And Tory assembly member Neil Garratt told The Standard: 'Nothing says climate leadership like burning thousands of gallons of jet fuel to give a speech about reducing emissions. Yet here in London, Khan's own climate change plan lies in tatters.' A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: 'The Mayor will attend the C40 World Mayors Summit to lead critical conversations on the direct action that London and other major global cities can take to help tackle the climate crisis while creating millions of new green jobs. 'The Mayor reduces flights wherever possible, but as there's no reasonable alternative for this journey, the maximum amount of Sustainable Aviation fuel (SAF) will be contributed for his flight to reduce emissions. 'His travel and all other costs of attending the summit will be paid by C40 and not with taxpayers' money.' The globe-trotter has also visited India, Pakistan, the USA, Canada, and mainland Europe in his time as mayor. Last year he travelled to the Vatican to meet the late Pope Francis. Since February 2024, he has attended the opening of the Paris Olympics and visited New York - his fourth trip to the US as Mayor. Meanwhile his predecessor Boris Johnson made 37 international visits (34 by plane) over two terms. Last night the mayor jollied at the Serpentine Summer Party in Kensington Gardens, where he was joined by Mr Bloomberg and A-listers Kate Blanchet and Lily Allen. The move comes as City Hall and Bloomberg Philanthropies announced yesterday a £2.8million expansion of the Breathe London scheme of installing air quality monitors across the city to assess pollution levels. Sir Sadiq said: 'The C40 World Mayors Summit in Rio de Janeiro will be a defining moment for city-led climate leadership on the road to COP30. 'Cities are already delivering practical, urgent solutions to the climate crisis: cutting emissions, creating green jobs and improving the lives of our residents. 'In this pivotal year, I'm proud to convene a summit that will champion city leadership and send a clear message: that in the face of growing climate denial and delay, mayors are stepping up.' Mr Bloomberg, the UN special envoy on climate ambition, said: 'The C40 World Mayors Summit in Rio will spotlight the progress cities are making and help ensure their voices are heard at COP30.'
