Housing has become a defining policy issue in the London Mayoral election, and the candidates have just 1 week left to convince Londoners that they are the best person to solve the capital’s housing crisis. Each of the big four candidates (Labour, Green, Lib Dem and Conservative) have laid out their plans for London’s housing market in their Mayoral manifestos, but there was a noticeable omission in Zac Goldsmith’s Housing Manifesto, which leaves many unanswered questions for London’s 1.2 million disabled residents.
As part of their broader campaign to improve accessible housing practices, TheHouseShop.com challenged each of the 4 main candidates to lay out their housing plans for London’s 1.2m disabled residents. Crucially, Sadiq Khan, Caroline Pidgeon, Sian Berry and Zac Goldsmith were all asked if they would maintain Boris Johnson’s London Plan policies which ensure that all new developments are built to Lifetime Homes standard and that a minimum 10 per cent of all new homes are fully wheelchair accessible.
After announcing their intention to maintain the policies during their interviews with TheHouseShop.com, the Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green candidates have now confirmed their pledges with specific mention of the Lifetime Homes and wheelchair access requirements in their manifestos – a significant milestone for accessible property campaigners.
Caroline Pidgeon states on page 71 of her 2016 Manifesto for London that:
“We will maintain the current London Plan commitment that all new homes are built to the Lifetime Homes standard with 10 per cent built to wheelchair housing standards.”
Sadiq Khan states in his Homes for Londoners Manifesto that he will:
“Retain in the London Plan targets for all new homes to meet Lifetime Homes standards and 10 per cent of new homes to be wheelchair accessible.”
Finally, Sian Berry confirms her commitment to the London Plan policies in her London Green Party Manifesto when she states that she will:
“Make sure the new London Plan includes affordable homes for people at all stages of their lives, including Lifetime Homes so older people can stay in their homes as their needs change and making 10 per cent of new homes are wheelchair accessible.”
Zac Goldsmith’s promise of a response on his accessible housing policy has yet to materialise, and Zac is now the only candidate out of the big four to fail to offer his solution to the problem.
In fact, Mr Goldsmith’s entire Housing Manifesto fails to mention accessibility or the housing needs of London’s disabled residents at all. Zac does announce his intention to amend London Plan policies on a number of points throughout his manifesto and comments that “the collective impact of many of these small and well-intentioned rules is that London is seeing less of the homes that Londoners actually want to live in”.
However, there is no clear answer on whether or not these amendments would include the removal of the Lifetime Homes standard and wheelchair access requirements – leaving a big unanswered question for over a million of Mr Goldsmith’s potential voters.
Author of TheHouseShop.com’s accessible housing report and accessible property campaigner, Franki Chaffin-Edwards, challenges Zac to match his rival candidates and clarify his position on this crucial issue:
“If Mr Goldsmith believes that the London Plan policies are unsustainable or inefficient, then he should say so publicly and allow voters to understand his position. However, his failure to address this crucial issue throughout his campaign leaves a big unanswered question for the 14 per cent of Londoners who identify themselves as disabled. This is an excellent opportunity for Mr Goldsmith to address 1.2m potential voters and reassure them of his commitment to create a housing market that truly works for everyone in our society.”
“With Sadiq, Caroline and Sian having already laid out their position, it will be fascinating to find out more about Zac’s approach to the accessible housing market, as this could be a deciding factor in the Mayoral election for many disabled voters.”