The annual London Assembly Affordable
Housing Monitor, published today,
shows the scale of London's housing need continues to far
outstrip supply.
The report, compiled by the London Assembly Research
Unit, examines the Mayor's progress in delivering
affordable homes and highlights the continued gap between housing
delivery and housing need across the capital.
The Mayor's Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) 2021-26 delivered
14,335 affordable housing starts by March 2026, which fell short
of the revised target of between 17,800 and 19,000 homes. Nearly
four in five homes started under the programme were for social
rent[2]. The Government has since agreed to extend the
deadline for starts by up to six months on a case-by-case basis.
In 2024-25, London's affordable housing stock increased by a net
8,184 homes. The Greater London Authority's (GLA) latest
assessment estimates the capital needs 45,500 new affordable
homes every year over the next decade to meet demand.
More than 43,000 affordable homes that have been started across
the Mayor's two affordable homes programmes are still awaiting
completion. That includes over 32,000 homes from the 2016-23
programme and almost 12,000 from the 2021-26 programme.
Key findings of the report include:
-
The revised affordable housing starts target has been
missed for 2021-26 (14,335 starts against a target
of 17,800-19,000).
-
London continues to deliver only a fraction of the
affordable homes estimated to be needed each year
(8,184 net affordable homes added in 2024-25, compared with
estimated annual need of 45,500 homes).
-
Thousands of affordable homes remain in the pipeline
but are yet to be completed (11,728 homes under
the 2021-26 programme and 32,081 homes under the 2016-23
programme).
-
Social rent accounted for nearly four in five
affordable homes started under the latest
programme(79 per cent; 11,383 homes).
-
Council home starts increased in 2025-26 after
a weak previous year (3,865 starts, up from 1,328 in
2024-25).
-
Housing waiting lists remain high, with more
than 340,000 households seeking social housing across
London (341,421 households on waiting lists in
March 2025).
AM, Chairman of
the Housing Committee said:
"Affordable housing delivery is still falling far short of
what London needs.
"Even after targets were revised downwards, they were not
met. That reflects the severe challenges facing housebuilding in
London, but it also raises important questions about what must
change if future programmes are to succeed.
Notes for editors:
-
AM, Chairman of the Housing Committee, is
available for interview.
-
Social rent includes London Affordable Rent benchmarked at
Social rent values.
- Read the full report Affordable Housing Monitor
2026 | London City Hall
