‘We need to build many more new homes of all sizes and tenures’

• THE presence of so many empty second homes and short-term lets in our borough offends me, when both my residents, and even I can only dream of owning one home to live in.

This offence is compounded by seeing figures from Generation Rent indicate that for the first time more people were made homeless than were approved mortgages, which is a shocking indictment of our country.

I am glad that having only just been given the legal power to do so that Camden Council are now levying tax on second homes empty for more than two years, which will, of course, incentivise people to either stop sitting on much-needed space, and if not will make sure that the people of Camden benefit.

However, empty second homes are only a partial contributor to the housing crisis and arguably some people prefer to focus on this aspect in order to avoid addressing the elephant in the room, which is that this crisis is fundamentally due to undersupply of all homes in London, empty or full, social or private.

We therefore need to build many more new homes of all sizes and tenures; the crisis affects people of all incomes and backgrounds.

Camden Council has time and again shown that it is committed to taking all possible actions to address this crisis. We have delivered or are currently delivering over 1,900 new social rented, specialist or intermediate rented homes through our own scheme alone (including 44 much-needed social rent family homes currently under construction in my own ward).

It would be a smoother path to delivering new homes if the other parties (particularly those that see themselves as progressive) would match their rhetorical concern with action, instead of trying to eke out short-term political advantage by opposing perfectly decent housing schemes.

The housing crisis requires action, not just outrage.

CLLR EDMUND FRONDIGOUN
Labour, St Pancras & Somers Town ward