Labour MP Miatta Fahnbulleh has welcomed a landmark £6 billion investment in affordable housing for London, saying the funding will help put council housing “back at the heart of our housing system”.
The package forms part of Labour’s wider £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme and is intended to support a major increase in the supply of genuinely affordable homes across the capital, including homes for social rent.
Writing on X, Fahnbulleh said:
“A safe, secure home should never be a privilege.
“Council homes give families something fundamental: a secure place to live, put down roots and build a future.”
She added:
“Today’s landmark £6bn investment for London, as part of Labour’s £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme, is a major step towards putting council housing back at the heart of our housing system.”
Fahnbulleh said the investment marked a break with years of declining council housebuilding and would give more Londoners the security of a permanent home.
“After years of decline, we’re building again – and giving more Londoners the security of a home they can truly call their own,” she said.
The announcement was also welcomed by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who described the funding as a “landmark investment in the homes Londoners desperately need”.
The new funding comes amid severe housing pressures in the capital, where high private rents, long social housing waiting lists and large numbers of families in temporary accommodation have placed growing pressure on councils and residents.
Labour has made increasing the supply of social and affordable housing a central part of its housing agenda, alongside wider planning reforms and nearly £10 billion in funding for councils and housing associations nationally.
The Government’s approach is aimed not simply at increasing overall housing numbers, but at rebuilding the role of councils and housing associations as direct providers of affordable homes.
For Fahnbulleh, the political case is straightforward: access to a secure home should be treated as a basic foundation for family life rather than a privilege.
The £6 billion London allocation represents one of the largest elements of the wider national programme and is expected to play a major role in expanding council and social housing across the capital.
