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No matter how many times I see the statistics, the scale of London's housing crisis continues to horrify. One in 50 Londoners are homeless and living in temporary accommodation. On average each London classroom contains at least one homeless child. At least 336,000 households are on waiting lists for social housing in the capital. Vast numbers are in the private rented sector and struggling to afford eye-watering rents. Even for those Londoners in socially rented homes, too many have been left for too long in poor-quality or dangerous housing conditions.Years of austerity, deregulation, and over-reliance on the private sector have brought about a housing emergency in the capital. But London's local Green leaders are taking action to turn the situation around.Since the elections in May, which resulted in Green-led administrations at six London boroughs, we have placed housing as a top priority. In Hackney, we are speeding up housing repairs and cracking down on rogue landlords by recruiting more enforcement officers. Where boroughs have the power to act, we are doing so. However, the key policy decisions driving the housing crisis are made far away from our town halls. Too much power remains in a national political system, centralised and distant from local communities. Often it feels like we are tasked with clearing up the mess caused by government policy while being denied the tools and resources to do so. Green boroughs in the capital are therefore using our collective voice to stand up for our residents and push for the changes we need at a wider level. We will work alongside each other and on a cross-party basis with other boroughs whenever there is an opportunity to get better results for Londoners. This is already securing results. Hackney, Lewisham and Tower Hamlets, launched a legal challenge in June – supported by all Green-led boroughs – objecting to the Mayor of London's planned cut to the affordable housing quota from 35% to 20%. Consequently, in July a partial U-turn was announced. The 20% rate will be scrapped in 2028 and each borough given individual quotas, with Hackney's returning to 35%. We want local authorities empowered to end the Right to Buy so that we can protect our stock of council-owned homes. More than this, we need investment in building new council housing at mass scale. The government must back up its rhetoric with serious funding – much more than we have seen so far. But this still isn't anywhere near enough. The chronic shortage of affordable housing and astronomical rents in the capital are the fundamental cause of our homelessness pressures. London cannot give in to the demands of private developers and water down its commitment to the affordable homes our communities are crying out for.Using rent controls to end the exploitation of private tenants is crucial. On average London's 2.7 million private renters spend 40% of their wages on rent. Average private rent in London has skyrocketed by over 30% in just four years. Landlords' rent hikes mean our residents have less money to spend in the local economy or save for the future. The relentless squeeze on their finances means many on low incomes are at growing risk of homelessness and the dreams of owning a home are unachievable. Green leaders refuse to stand aside. Rather than leave tenants vulnerable to market forces, we are calling for devolved power so that we can cap rent prices and ensure fairness. Reversing the decades-long decline of council housing is also key. We want local authorities empowered to end the Right to Buy so that we can protect our stock of council-owned homes. More than this, we need investment in building new council housing at mass scale. The government must back up its rhetoric with serious funding – much more than we have seen so far. The housing crisis is distinctly connected to the climate crisis. It is vital that we tackle both together. This is why Green boroughs are also focused on boosting energy efficiency and make homes more resilient to extreme weather. This summer has highlighted our need to protect Londoners not only from cold but severe heat, and many homes in London are not fit for purpose. Better homes can be created for individual residents through refurbishing and retrofitting housing stock, which reduces carbon emissions. Increased government funding for retrofit work is essential and would bring major benefits – including lowering fuel poverty, creating new jobs, and enabling faster progress towards climate goals.Solving the housing crisis is key to social and environmental justice in the capital. The challenges are enormous, but Green leaders see no option but to fight for the needs of our residents. Zoë Garbett is Mayor of Hackney and Green Party Vice Chair of London Councils ‘London's Green Wave', London Councils' event at Green Party conference, will take place at 12:30-13:15 on Saturday 3 October 2026 at The Grand Hotel, Brighton

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HOUSING

Solving the housing crisis is key to social and environmental justice in London

By Zoë Garbett | 30 September 2026

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