Latest news with #Londoners'
Metro
3 days ago
- Business
- Metro
'The system is at a breaking point' Inside London's housing crisis
London's chronic housing crisis remains a hot topic after the resignation of the homelessness minister, Rushanara Ali. The MP resigned on Thursday after being accused of being a 'hypocrite' for raising the rent at her property by £700. Ali was accused of getting rid of four tenants in her townhouse in Bow, east London, before relisting the property for more money shortly after. Her office insisted the house was relisted for rent only after no buyer was found, and that the tenants were not evicted, but were given the option to stay while the property was up on the market. The previous tenants paid £3,300 for the home, and the rent was upped to £4,000 when it was relisted, the i Paper reported. The rent rise highlights the endemic issues plaguing people in London – unaffordable rents, lack of houses, homelessness, and damp and mould. Here is a roundup of what is going on with housing in London. Millions of people are renting from private landlords in the capital – around 2.7 million. And it is not a cheap affair as 37.9% of Londoners' income goes towards rent, figures from HomeLet show. It can be difficult to even find a rented home as properties are being snatched within minutes of adverts going up, with homes often going to those able to pay several months' worth of rent upfront which can decimate savings and lead to debt. People face a toxic cocktail of rising rents and fewer available homes, causing people to move out of London in droves. Only around 5% of privately rented homes in London are considered affordable for people in receipt of a housing benefit, according to Trust for London. Leaving London has become a dream for many young people trapped in expensive city living, but the exact number of people escaping is difficult to nail down. Outmigration from London reached 5.7% last year, according to analysis from real estate company Hamptons, which is still lower than the 8.2% peak in 2022, when almost 250,000 people are estimated to have left the capital. While the coronavirus pandemic saw a momentary fall in rent prices, the average rent in the capital has crept back up. Across the UK, nearly half of renters – around 1.7 million – are just one paycheque away from being homeless. Housing experts have warned that the crisis in London is spiralling out of control. The cost-of-living crisis has meant that many, especially those on low incomes or working in precarious jobs, have not been able to make ends meet, the charity Crisis has said. Latest figures from the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) reveal that 4,392 people slept rough in London between April and June this year – a 4% increase on the previous year. Rick Henderson, the chief executive of Homeless Link charity, which works directly with people experiencing homelessness, told Metro: 'It is appalling that so many lives are being destroyed by being pushed into rough sleeping, in London and across the country. This data is yet more proof that too many people are being trapped on the streets and that the current support system is at breaking point.' Thousands more people are also hidden homeless – instead of sleeping on the streets, they are living in temporary accommodation, hostels, sofa surfing or in overcrowded conditions, often out of sight. The Rushanara Ali story sparked thousands of reactions from Metro readers, with many calling her to be sacked or to resign, which Ali did so on Thursday. Liba Kaucky said it was 'quite right too' of her to resign, saying that the rent increase was 'an outrageous thing to do.' Christine Browne commented on the increased rent: 'I live in Bow, it's not worth that rent I can tell you that for nothing.' Jan Oons said: 'Maybe politicians should not be receiving any income other than their parliamentary wage to avoid any conflict of interests?' Stephen Locking said: 'Broken housing industry.' Stephen Wilde commented: 'We've the same problem Ireland, sitting politicians shouldn't be allowed be landlords. Conflict of interest in making big decisions will always be an issue.' Mike Dixon defended the MP, saying she 'wanted to sell the property with vacant possession: fair enough.' 'After not selling she has put it back out for rental. Perhaps she did not increase the rent of previous tenants and now was charging market rate.' Mark Coleman said: 'Nothing she did was illegal.' Rob Kavanagh said: 'She gave them four months notice and there's been no overreach of ministerial powers, nothing to see here. Leave the woman alone.' Sara Jane said: 'Well, reading the article she didn't make them homeless, they rented for a fixed term and were offered to stay longer which they declined. Whilst I don't think people like her are in the right job sounds like she didn't do anything wrong. Should private landlords exist, well, if they didn't and you can't afford a mortgage and can't get a council house, where else are you going to live other than the streets? It's a difficult one. The real issues are holiday homes not houses that are rented out.' Susan Marmon said: 'It's also that young renters or first time renters need guarantors that earn over £35,000 per year AND have at least 2 months rent available in cash! In some places it's even more! No wonder there's such a housing crisis.' London Councils, the group representing boroughs, estimated that over 183,000 Londoners, including 90,000 children, live in temporary hostels arranged by their council. The group warned that London councils are forecast to spend more than £900 million on homelessness services in 2024/25 – a £330 million overspend. London has as many a 12,500 hidden homeless people each night, the Greater London Authority estimates. Hidden homelessness is thought to disproportionately affect women and young people aged 16 to 25. Young LGBTQ+ people are at particular risk, with almost 136,000 people aged 16-24 homeless in 2022/23. Nearly a quarter of them are LGBTQ+, according to akt. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has vowed to end rough sleeping in the capital by 2030. With £17 million from the government, he plans to refurbish 500 empty homes and launch a homelessness hubs to offer support to new rough sleepers. Meanwhile, the government has said it is taking urgent action to end homelessness after inheriting 'a serious housing crisis' from its predecessor. It is pumping £1 billion for councils' homelessness services across the country, with London boroughs given a funding uplift of £78 million. While Ali's spokesperson has insisted that the tenants were not evicted but were told their tenancy would not continue beyond the fixed-term, this is generally called a 'no fault eviction.' Mairi MacRae, the director of campaigns and policy at Shelter, said: 'Labour made a cast-iron manifesto commitment to 'immediately' ban no-fault evictions when they came to power. It beggars belief that after months of dither and delay, the government's own Homelessness Minister has profited from the underhand tactics the Renters' Rights Bill is meant to outlaw. 'This story serves as a damning reminder that the cards are fundamentally stacked against renters. Unscrupulous landlords cannot be allowed to continue the practice of 'fire and rehire' evictions, where they slap renters with a Section 21 only to hike up the rent a few months later and relet the property at a higher price. 'The government has the power to prevent this, and renters cannot wait any longer for meaningful change. It must make good on its manifesto commitment by passing the Renters' Rights Bill as soon as possible and name an implementation date so renters have certainty on when no-fault evictions will finally be relegated to the history books.' It means landlords do not need to prove that the tenants have done anything wrong to end a lease at its fixed-term end date by giving two months' notice to the occupants. Officially, it is known as a Section 21 notice. The Renters' Rights Bill, which will become law next year, is set to reform this by abolishing no-fault evictions. However, landlords' representatives have warned that the plans to scrap the Section 21 rule has caused many landlords to race to get possession of properties before the abolition, which could reduce the number of homes available to rent. While tenants in London might have a roof over their heads, it doesn't guarantee quality. Around 1.1 million private rented homes in the UK didn't meet the decent homes standard in 2022/23, according to the official English Housing Survey. This includes hazards like damp, mould and excessive cold. London housing activist Kwajo Tweneboa has been campaigning over standard homes plaguing tenants living in social housing after his own experience of living in 'slum conditions' with his dad who had cancer. Kwajo said he started posting on social media about the mould and damp-riddled conditions because 'I was angry to find out people were dying in their homes – from asthma, skin conditions and other illnesses related to damp, mould and disrepair,' he told the Guardian. He told New Statesman: 'It's hard to even describe some of the conditions I've seen people living in and subjected to. I've been in homes where I've had to cover my shoes with Sainsbury's bags before I went in because they were absolutely flooded with raw sewage… [I've seen] cockroaches, mice, ceilings collapsing, leaks… the list could go on. It's endless.' More and more private landlords have sold up and exited the sector, with analysis by Trust for London showing 45,000 rental homes were lost between 2021 and 2023. Ben Beadle, the chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, said: 'Private renters across London are facing the brunt of the housing crisis. The shortage of homes to rent is a one-way street toward higher rents and even less choice for tenants. 'London needs more of all types of housing, and that has to include homes for private rent. It's high time for policies that support investment in the homes renters desperately need.' There is also a lack of new homes, which the government has pledged to fix with 1.5 million new homes built in England by the next general election. London alone needs around 88,000 new homes over the next decade to meet demand, according to the City Hall. The Mayor said on Tuesday that work has started to build over 8,000 new homes, thanks to his land fund, five years ahead of the schedule. Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary, Angela Rayner, said: 'We're facing a housing crisis which has stopped our young people from achieving the dream of homeownership, especially in London where there is a real demand to build the affordable homes we need. More Trending 'That's why we welcome the Mayor of London pushing ahead to build these homes, and we will continue to work hand-in-hand with him to deliver on our stretching target of 1.5 million homes through our Plan for Change.' The London skyline is changing rapidly with brand-new high-rise developments being built left, right and centre. However, many of the apartments will be out of reach for many people despite the London Plan mandating that 35% of all new housing developments have to be affordable. The affordability rule has been criticised for not being genuinely affordable. Shelter said that in 42% of local authorities in England, the 'so-called affordable rent is in fact unaffordable.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: What I Own: We paid £125,000 for our London houseboat — we charge our lodger £1,200 a month MORE: Banksy London Map shows where to see street artist's best graffiti MORE: The Minister for Homelessness' gaffe has proved MPs should never be landlords
Daily Mirror
05-08-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Rio Ferdinand makes thoughts clear on Arsenal star – 'The best talent since Wayne Rooney'
Rio Ferdinand had numerous battles with Arsenal throughout his career, but the Manchester United legend has become excited by one talent at the Gunners Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand believes Arsenal's teenage sensation Max Dowman is the most exciting English talent since Wayne Rooney. Dowman, despite not even being old enough to sit his GCSEs, has been exciting Premier League fans this pre-season. In a summer featuring the arrivals of stars like Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke and others, the player Arsenal fans may be most excited by is a 15-year-old in their academy system. Dowman was included on the north Londoners' pre-season tour of Asia, where he may have presumed he was only there for the experience. But Mikel Arteta deployed him in their friendlies against AC Milan, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur, where he immediately made an impression. Dowman, who was born in 2009, has already impressed Declan Rice and Arteta with his mature displays. Ferdinand, who won his fourth Premier League title the year Dowman was born, has been so captivated by the teen, he thinks he is just as exciting as a young Rooney was. Speaking on Rio Ferdinand Presents, the ex-England captain said: "Dowman excites me on another level. This kid is different." When co-host Joel Beya told Ferdinand, who already sang Dowman's praises last month, that some people are calling the teenager the best talent England has produced since Rooney, he instantly replied: "Yes. I am saying the same thing.' After Beya suggested Ferdinand should take it easy with such a comparison, he hit back: "What? Have you seen him? They're different. This kid is not Rooney. "Just let me put it out there, he is not Rooney. He is not built. He hasn't got a hairy chest. He hasn't got a beard at the age of 16. Rooney was a man. A man-child.' Rooney was responsible for perhaps the most spectacular breakthrough in Premier League history when he made his Everton debut at the age of 16. He came off the bench against Arsenal and crashed home a strike from 30 yards, which smashed off the underside of the crossbar on its way into the net in 2003. He went on to become United and England's highest-ever goalscorer, until Harry Kane broke the latter record in an away clash against Italy in 2023. While Ferdinand has compared the breakouts of Rooney and Dowman, he did insist they are different types of players. He added: "The thing with Wayne Rooney is that he had guile, but he came on with brute force. He was like, 'You're going to know about me because I'm going to force it down your throat.' "This kid is more subtle, more technical. All he is going to do is have people on ice skates, slipping and sliding everywhere. Very rarely do you see a player actually get near him and touch him. "He is that elusive. He's a player who will excite you, get you off your seat. You'll be going, 'Have you seen that?' He's making defenders into memes.' Dowman is yet to make his full, competitive senior debut for the Gunners, but he appears to have a great chance this season. Arteta has a record of promoting youngsters, having made Ethan Nwaneri the youngest player in Premier League history when he brought him on during a 3-0 victory at Brentford in 2022, aged just 15 years and 181 days old. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Evening Standard
29-07-2025
- Politics
- Evening Standard
Sadiq Khan vs Donald Trump: The ongoing feud after the US president calls the Mayor of London a 'nasty person'
He said: 'This is a man who also tried to exploit Londoners' fears following a horrific terrorist attack on our city, amplified the tweets of a British far-right racist group, denounced as fake news the robust scientific evidence warning of the dangers of climate change, and is now trying to interfere shamelessly in the Conservative party leadership race by backing Boris Johnson because he believes it would enable him to gain an ally in Number 10 for his divisive agenda.
Evening Standard
23-07-2025
- Business
- Evening Standard
Rush-hour speeds near Blackwall Tunnel 'trebled to 30mph after Silvertown tunnel opened'
TfL described the Silvertown tunnel as a 'huge success for Londoners' and said there had been more than 20,000 daily trips on the three bus routes – the SL4 Superloop, the SL4, the 129 and the 108 - that use the tunnels and which are free to use until next April.
The Irish Sun
16-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Ethan Nwaneri, 18, agrees bumper new Arsenal contract in huge boost for Arteta amid Chelsea transfer interest
ETHAN NWANERI is set to sign a bumper new deal with Arsenal, it's been claimed. The midfielder's current contract with the Gunners is set to expire next summer. 1 Ethan Nwaneri is set to sign a new deal with Arsenal Credit: GETTY There were fears the teenager could leave the Emirates on a free transfer as talks over a new deal had yet to bear fruit. But according to The BBC, the 18-year-old is on the verge of inking a new deal with the north Londoners. The Beeb claims both parties have agreed terms over a new four-year deal for the midfielder. Nwaneri will receive a massive pay rise as a result of his new contract. His current deal sees him earn a cool £10,000 a week. But he's now on course to be one of the highest-paid teenagers in the world. News of Nwaneri's imminent signing of a new deal will be music to the ears of the Emirates faithful. The north Londoners' Prem rivals Chelsea were keen on signing the teenager. Most read in Football Arsenal, however, were relaxed about the Blues' interest in the midfielder and remained confident he'd pen a new dea. THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY.. The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video . Like us on Facebook at
