Khan unveils plan for councils to buy 10,000 private homes

Reports suggest that money will be diverted from London’s existing £4bn Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) and Inside Housing has asked City Hall to clarify whether there will be any new money for the initiative.

Figures published earlier this month revealed that less than half of the homes started in London in the past eight years under the publicly funded AHP have been completed.

Mr Khan said that CHAP will allow boroughs to “move at pace to increase the number of council homes” and offer a “lifeline for thousands of Londoners who are facing high housing costs”. 

The initiative follow’s Mr Khan’s Right to Buy-back programme, which City Hall said has brought around 1,200 homes back into council ownership. The scheme, launched in 2021, saw councils buying back properties previously sold off under Right to Buy.

Under the CHAP, all homes must comply with the Decent Homes Standard and meet strict building safety standards, the mayor’s office said.

Homes will also need to be within boroughs’ boundaries to ensure residents can stay in their local communities.

Damien Egan, mayor of Lewisham, said: “Tackling the housing crisis is one of the biggest challenges facing councils in London.

“Alongside our existing council housebuilding programme in Lewisham and the success of the mayor of London’s Right to Buy-back scheme, this funding will help address the desperate need for more social housing and temporary accommodation in our borough.”