Government announcements
Bill Butler has been appointed by the Government as the first chair of the Local Audit Office.
The Government has made a response to the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee report on housing conditions in temporary accommodation.
Councils can issue fines of up to £7,000 from 22 June 2026, if landlords are found to have serious hazards in their rented properties.
Details have been published for the Government’s plan for capital investment to transform healthcare infrastructure over the next decade.
Vagrancy Act repealed
The Government repealed the Vagrancy Act on Monday 29 June 2026, ending nearly two centuries of legislation that has criminalised rough sleeping and begging. More details.
Social Housing Bill
The Social Housing Bill has passed through stages in the House of Lords, where the latest version is available, and will be considered next by MPs.
The Government published details of the Bill, updated to 15th June 2026, stating that “The Social Housing Bill will protect much-needed social housing stock, give affordable housing providers the clarity and confidence they need to build more social homes, and better protect tenants.”
Building the Homes London needs
Centre for London has published a long report with recommendations on how London’s housing crisis could be resolved.
The announcement of their report provides details of the background to London’s housing crisis and outlines their recommendations.
The document discusses the London housing crisis, framing it as a matter of supply and demand. It explores how well current housing needs are met and reviews the effectiveness of policies aimed at improving housing availability. Solutions proposed include expanding local authorities’ capacity to manage homes and addressing demand-side inefficiencies.
More social housing
The King’s Speech included proposed legislation to increase investment in social housing.
The Social Housing Bill was introduced into the House of Lords on 14th May. It is to protect much-needed social housing stock, give affordable housing providers the clarity and confidence they need to build more social homes, and better protect tenants.
The Minister Mathew Pennycook MP wrote to Council Leaders to explain the purpose of the Bill as here.
The progress in Parliament of the Bill can be seen here.
Ealing flats left empty
Three hundred luxury flats in the Friary Park development in Acton remain unoccupied. Sean Fletcher, a local resident, criticises in his latest video (below) the marketing of these flats to overseas investors rather than local families. He highlights the contrast with the 12,000 Ealing households in need of social housing. Multiple assessments deemed the Friary Park development “not viable” but Ealing Council’s planning committee approved plans.
The development was initially approved to include 45% affordable housing but subsequent applications expanded the number of flats and reduced commitment to affordable [more…]
Making Social Rent Homes viable
A paper setting out a framework for delivering affordable housing, with a specific focus on the Social Rent has been published by Homes for People We Need, an informal collective of organisations, experts and practitioners in the housing sector.
It aligns with broader discussions advocating for increased housing development across all tenures, recognising the urgency of addressing the housing crisis through structured, large-scale investment.
Low rental income makes substantial public subsidy unavoidable. Current spending on temporary accommodation of over £2.8 billion annually could be redirected into structured funding models, [more…]
![Garden Court [ Photo: Kew Society ]](https://i0.wp.com/www.londonforum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Garden-Court-Kew.jpg?resize=344%2C258&ssl=1)
Tenants facing eviction in LB Richmond
Residents of a block of flats in Kew, many of whom are elderly or vulnerable, are facing eviction after the owner sold the block to Westminster council which has said it needs the building to be empty in order to house the growing number of homeless people in its borough.
Richmond Leader Gareth Roberts wrote to Westminster council, accusing them of showing “disturbing disregard for residents’ well-being” and having responsibility for the “displacement of an entire community”.
The sources of this story are TheLondoner and member Kew Society
Cost-of-living crisis
In an article on the NLA website, Will Temple, Senior Associate Director at PRD, examines why economic growth alone will not resolve London’s cost-of-living crisis. Drawing on new analysis, he highlights the need to align housing and economic policy to improve living standards across the capital.
He gives many links in the article to other news and statistics to support his views.
Chief Planning Officer’s newsletter
A long newsletter by Chief Planner of MHCLG, Joanna Averley, was published to local authorities’ planning officers on 27th March 2026, covering:-
- Decision delegation,
- Emergency measures to support London housebuilding,
- Refundable deposit scheme for certain single-use drink containers,
- LPAs to set their own planning application fees,
- Government intervention if a LPA intends to refuse planning permission for a housing scheme of 150 dwellings or more,
- Regulations for new Local Plans to be submitted by 31 December 2026,
- The expedited appeals process,
- A Land Use Framework, and
- The Future Homes and Buildings Standards.
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Garden Annexe, Caravan, or Mobile Home?
Tim Catchpole of the Mortlake and East Sheen Society writes…
Our Society has had a recent experience which we would like to share with other London Forum members who may [more…]
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Member News
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Summer drinks party at Cowcross Street
📆 Mon 24th August | 18:30 - 20:30
🚩 77 Cowcross Street, EC1M 6EL (map)
The annual summer drinks party for London Forum’s paid-up members will be held at the Alan Baxter office building at Cowcross Street. Please do come along and join Trustees and committee members for drinks and nibbles on Monday 24 August from 6.30pm to 8.30pm and meet fellow activists from other member societies across London. This is a free event for a maximum of two people per society – please use the booking facility ( https://www.londonforum.org.uk/events/summer-drinks-party-at-cowcross-street-2026/#booking ) to secure your place(s). If the weather is kind we should be able to…
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Open Meeting - London Plan
📅 Mon 14th September | 18:30 - 20:30
🚩 The Gallery, Cowcross St (map)
Plans for housing in London - details TBA
Please save the date !