GLA-backed affordable housing starts triple

Affordable housing starts delivered through mayoral programmes  in London have more than tripled.

There were 1,070 starts in the first quarter of 2026/27, an increase of 208% from the 347 recorded in the same quarter the year prior.

Completions were up 76% from 876 to 1,545.

The vast majority of the starts in both years were delivered through the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) programme. By contrast, the majority of completions came from the 2016-23 AHP.

While the majority of starts in the first three months of the previous year were council houses, the proportion dropped to about two-in-five in the latest figures.

By April 2026, the GLA had started 14,335 homes across its entire 2021-2026 programme, which had a target of building 19,120 homes.

The GLA said it was confident of achieving the 4,785 starts required to meet that target by 30 September.

Commenting on the figures, mayor of London Sadiq Khan, said: “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.”