The latest research by London lettings and estate agent, Benham and Reeves, has revealed which London councils have put in the best house building performance when it comes to the delivery of local authority funded and housing association homes as a proportion of all homes built.
Benham and Reeves analysed dwellings data for both private enterprise and social housing completions, revealing which councils delivered the highest level of new homes as a percentage of total new homes completed across each borough.
The research shows that across London as a whole, 3,440 homes were delivered by local authorities and the housing association in the last year (2021/22) – a 3% improvement on the previous year (2020/21). In the same year, 14,720 new homes were delivered via the private sector, a 13% drop on the previous year.
Of the total 18,160 new homes delivered across London last year, social housing accounted for 19%, again resulting in a 3% increase on the previous year.
Best performing boroughs
When it comes to the boroughs delivering the highest level of social housing, Harrow tops the table. 67% of all new dwellings completed in the borough last year came via local authority and the housing association.
Hackney also saw more than half of all new homes delivered (57%) come via the social housing sector, with Barking and Dagenham (49%), Ealing (46%), Westminster (45%), Brent (45%), Hillingdon (42%), Havering (40%), Redbridge (25%) and Hounslow (22%) also ranking within the top 10.
Brent has also seen the biggest increase in the level of social housing delivered in the last year. In 2020/21, the borough saw no homes completed via the local authority or housing associations versus 230 new homes coming via the private sector.
In 2021/21, 140 new homes were built by the housing association and local authority, with a further 170 delivered by private enterprise. As a result, social housing accounted for 45% of all homes built in 2021/22 and also marked a 45% increase on the previous year.
Hackney has also seen a sharp uplift, with the proportion of new homes attributed to social housing increasing by 44% in the last year to 57% in total, with Harrow also seeing one of the largest increases (+43%).
Worst performing boroughs
No less than eight areas of London saw no social housing built last year – Camden, Lambeth, Islington, Merton, Richmond, Kingston, Kensington and Chelsea and the City of London.
Richmond, Kingston, Kensington and Chelsea and the City of London also saw no social housing delivered the previous year either.
A further 10 boroughs have also seen an annual decline in the level of social housing delivered, with a total of 16 boroughs also seeing a reduction in social housing as a proportion of all homes built.
Director of Benham and Reeves, Marc von Grundherr, commented:
“The delivery of social housing is a hot topic and it plays a vital role in ensuring we have enough homes to support an ever increasing population, particularly for those who would otherwise struggle to tackle the high cost of renting or owning their own home.
So it’s positive to see that both the level of social housing being built and this total as a proportion of all homes delivered across London has increased over the last year.
However, this has largely been driven by a handful of boroughs, with the rest seeing a decline in social housing delivery, or in the worst cases, none built whatsoever.”
Location
2020-2021
2021-2022
Change
LA and housing association dwellings completed 2020-21
Total dwellings completed
Social as % of total
LA and housing association dwellings completed 2021-22
Total dwellings completed
Social as % of total
Annual change in social housing delivery (%)
Annual change in social housing delivery as a proportion of all homes built(%)
London
3,330
20,330
16.4%
3,440
18160
18.9%
3.3%
2.6%
Harrow
110
460
23.9%
160
240
66.7%
45.5%
42.8%
Hackney
70
530
13.2%
380
670
56.7%
442.9%
43.5%
Barking and Dagenham
430
760
56.6%
210
430
48.8%
-51.2%
-7.7%
Ealing
170
740
23.0%
450
970
46.4%
164.7%
23.4%
Westminster
100
120
83.3%
100
220
45.5%
0.0%
-37.9%
Brent
0
230
0.0%
140
310
45.2%
Increase
45.2%
Hillingdon
140
720
19.4%
240
570
42.1%
71.4%
22.7%
Havering
260
530
49.1%
190
480
39.6%
-26.9%
-9.5%
Redbridge
170
630
27.0%
30
120
25.0%
-82.4%
-2.0%
Hounslow
210
740
28.4%
110
490
22.4%
-47.6%
-5.9%
Waltham Forest
100
960
10.4%
130
600
21.7%
30.0%
11.3%
Enfield
230
400
57.5%
80
390
20.5%
-65.2%
-37.0%
Bromley
20
180
11.1%
70
350
20.0%
250.0%
8.9%
Barnet
70
840
8.3%
100
610
16.4%
42.9%
8.1%
Bexley
80
400
20.0%
40
250
16.0%
-50.0%
-4.0%
Newham
260
1,500
17.3%
200
1310
15.3%
-23.1%
-2.1%
Southwark
10
2,000
0.5%
200
1360
14.7%
1900.0%
14.2%
Hammersmith and Fulham
20
680
2.9%
70
540
13.0%
250.0%
10.0%
Tower Hamlets
190
2,870
6.6%
290
2480
11.7%
52.6%
5.1%
Lewisham
30
590
5.1%
60
570
10.5%
100.0%
5.4%
Sutton
40
270
14.8%
10
120
8.3%
-75.0%
-6.5%
Greenwich
30
340
8.8%
70
860
8.1%
133.3%
-0.7%
Haringey
10
230
4.3%
40
840
4.8%
300.0%
0.4%
Wandsworth
180
780
23.1%
50
1090
4.6%
-72.2%
-18.5%
Croydon
50
1,250
4.0%
20
1170
1.7%
-60.0%
-2.3%
Merton
140
290
48.3%
0
740
0.0%
-100.0%
-48.3%
Islington
100
330
30.3%
0
80
0.0%
-100.0%
-30.3%
Lambeth
100
600
16.7%
0
90
0.0%
-100.0%
-16.7%
Camden
20
140
14.3%
0
40
0.0%
-100.0%
-14.3%
Kensington and Chelsea
0
100
0.0%
0
40
0.0%
N/A
0.0%
Kingston upon Thames
0
90
0.0%
0
110
0.0%
N/A
0.0%
Richmond upon Thames
0
60
0.0%
0
20
0.0%
N/A
0.0%
City of London
0
0
0
0
N/A
Private, local authority and housing associtation dweelings completions sourced from Gov – Live tables on housing supply
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About the Author
Established in 1958, Benham and Reeves is one of London’s oldest, independently owned property lettings and sales agents. With specialism in residential sales, corporate lettings and property management in prime areas of London, the company operates from 19 prominently located branches and 11 international offices.