London is nearly 4,000 affordable homes short of its government-set target with just three months left in the programme, but Mayor Sadiq Khan insists the goal will still be met. New figures show the capital needs a record 3,772 housing starts in a single quarter to hit the target, a feat never achieved before.
Current progress and the gap
The government set the Mayor of London a target of 19,120 starts for the 2021-2026 Affordable Homes Programme (AHP), with the deadline extended from March to September. City Hall managed 1,013 affordable starts between April and June this year, more than treble the number in the same period in 2025. This brings the total starts over the current AHP to 15,348, including 9,147 in 2025/26 alone.
However, with only July, August, and September left to report, the Greater London Authority (GLA) will need to carry out a record 3,772 starts in a single quarter to reach the government target. The shortfall stands at 3,772 homes, a significant gap that would require an unprecedented surge in construction activity.
Mayor's response and attributed reasons
A City Hall source said they are "confident of meeting [the target] despite a perfect storm of economic conditions." The Mayor of London has blamed external conditions for the lack of affordable homes being built in the capital, particularly high interest rates, construction costs, and delays caused by the Building Safety Regulator (BSR).
Sadiq Khan said: "Tackling London’s housing crisis has been one of my top priorities. We are doing all we can at City Hall, working with London boroughs, housing associations, developers and others to deliver more homes of all tenures. Today’s figures show a tripling of affordable housing starts for the 2021-2026 programme, including a sizeable increase in council housebuilding, compared to the same quarter last year. It’s clear that our programmes are delivering the affordable homes Londoners so desperately need, with a huge 367 per cent rise in completions."
He added: "Along with others, I’ve been warning for some time that the impact of Brexit, the pandemic, high interest rates and the economic shocks caused by global instability mean that we are amid the most difficult period for housebuilding since the global financial crash. Despite this perfect storm, we are making important progress building social and affordable homes as we continue to build a better, fairer, more affordable London for everyone."
Criticism from opposition
However, critics have accused Sir Sadiq Khan of deflecting from his own failures on the matter during his time in office. Conservative Assembly Member Lord Bailey told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the figures were "bitterly disappointing." He said: "A small rise from previously disastrous numbers cannot disguise almost a decade of failure to deliver the homes London desperately needs. I genuinely want the Mayor to succeed, because every home built means a London family given greater security and hope. But we cannot escape the facts: after nearly ten years in office, Lord Khan has repeatedly failed to meet his own housing targets, and Londoners are paying the price. The housing crisis is too serious for anyone to celebrate failure simply because it has become slightly less bad. London deserves better."
Benali Hamdache, a Green Party London Assembly Member, added: "The number of families trapped in temporary accommodation continues to grow and instead of congratulating himself, the Mayor needs to be doing far more to turn the tide. Our city desperately needs a new direction housing, one that puts building social homes ahead of private developments."
Background and next steps
Ministers set City Hall an original target of starting between 23,900 and 27,200 affordable homes over the course of the 2021-2026 AHP. This was reduced to a range between 17,800 and 19,120 in 2025 after a deal was struck between the GLA and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). The two bodies also agreed a housebuilding stimulus package implemented earlier this year which included a reduction in the number of affordable homes developers had to construct in order to be fast-tracked.
MHCLG were contacted for comment. The final three months will determine whether the target is met, with City Hall expressing confidence despite the significant shortfall.
