Agenda item

To consider motions on the following:

·  Building more affordable homes in Southwark

·  Transport improvements.

RESOLVED:

Building more affordable homes in Southwark

That the motion referred from council assembly as a recommendation to cabinet, set out below be agreed:

That council assembly:

1.  Notes the escalating housing crisis in London and Southwark and the desperate need for more genuinely affordable housing for residents.

2.  Further notes the negative impact that policies in the Conservative government’s Housing and Planning Bill will have on the construction of new affordable homes and access to existing affordable housing.  These policies include:

·  Extending the right to buy to housing association tenants.

·  Requiring councils to sell vacant high-value properties to fund the extended right to buy policy.

·  Introducing a ‘Pay to Stay’ scheme, where households with an income over £40,000 pay a higher rent to stay in their council or housing association home.

·  Forcing local authorities to reduce tenants’ rents by £1 a week and thereby reducing the council’s housing budget by £62.5m.

·  Extending the definition of ‘affordable housing’ to Starter Homes and requiring councils to promote them.

·  A reduction in the annual benefit cap for families to £23,000 in London making private rented housing even more unaffordable.

3.  Acknowledges the steps the administration is taking in Southwark to solve the housing crisis, including building 11,000 new council homes over thirty years, the first 1,500 of which will be delivered by the end of 2018.

4.  Condemns the previous Conservative/Liberal Democrat government for cutting the affordable housing grant by 70%, making it more difficult for councils to build much-needed affordable homes.

5.  Believes that the scale of the housing crisis requires additional help from the Mayor of London to build new social rented housing in Southwark and other boroughs.

6.  Calls on the cabinet to support plans for the future Mayor of London to:

·  support councils and housing associations to build homes for social rent

·  support councils to enforce clear, new rules to maximise the affordable housing in new developments

·  support Londoners struggling to rent private by providing Homes for London Living Rent and improving Londoners’ experience of private renting by enabling London councils to strengthen renters’ rights over tenancy lengths, rent rises, and the quality of accommodation

·  provide homes to buy for Londoners, including for first-time buyers, by building new homes on land owned by the Mayor and tying in long-term planning for new and affordable homes with new transport infrastructure, including the Bakerloo Line extension.

Transport improvements

That the motion referred from council assembly as a recommendation to cabinet, set out below be noted.  Additionally, the recent motion agreed at council assembly on 13 July 2016 condemning Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) for failing to provide an adequate and reliable service for passengers, believing that the government should strip GTR of its franchise and allow Transport for London to run the service also be noted.

1.  That council assembly realises how essential good public transport is for residents in Southwark to carry out their day to day lives.

2.  That council assembly recognises that transport fares are one of the biggest costs many households in the borough face.

3.  That council assembly also is aware of the significant transport problems on trains across south east London, including overcrowding at London Bridge, Peckham Rye and Canada Water Stations, proposed ticket office closures, and unacceptable delays, cancellations and lack of capacity on the Govia Thameslink's Catford loop  affecting passengers at Nunhead, Peckham Rye, Denmark Hill, and Elephant and Castle and reiterates its call for Transport for London (TfL) to run all rail services in south east London in order to have a properly integrated transport system.

4.  That council assembly acknowledges this administration’s commitment to prioritising sustainable journeys, including walking and cycling, to help minimise the environmental impact of transport and make this borough a safer, cleaner and healthier place to live and work.

5.  That council assembly believes that our city needs a Mayor who will stand up for Londoners and deliver affordable, reliable public transport, and therefore welcomes London Mayoral candidate Sadiq Khan’s commitments to:

·  Freeze all TfL Underground, Docklands Light Railway and Overground and travelcard fares for four years, freeze bus fares following a first-year cut in fares, and introduce a one-hour bus ticket;

·  Push TfL to take on more London commuter rail services so that responsibility for all transport within London lies with the Mayor;

·  Ensure that London councils are given a central role in planning London’s transport infrastructure;

·  Champion new measures to encourage cycling and walking and prioritise 'Quiet Ways' to broaden London’s safe cycle network, completing the roll out of the existing town centre cycling improvement plans; and make it easier and safer for our residents to cycle around the borough.