Samuel Kasumu is running to be the next Conservative Mayor of London. He is an award-winning social entrepreneur, commentator, and strategist. Samuel was Boris Johnson’s Special Advisor on the Civil Society and Communities. His work included leading the cross-government vaccine deployment.
In September, I announced on Conservative Home that I was putting myself forward as the next Conservative candidate for Mayor of London. Though I am a former Number 10 advisor, I recognise that I am an unknown quantity and an outsider candidate. Today, I want to give some greater context about who I am and what I stand for.
Housing policy is an area of key importance to me and many of my fellow Tories. The Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher was able to give people a chance to own their own homes. This is a legacy that, as a Party, we should be proud of and look to protect.
I can relate to the experiences of many Londoners. Growing up in social housing and not having the Bank of Mum and Dad to help with a deposit, I know what those young Londoners, commonly named generation rent, are going through. Many of my peers are trapped in a spiral of having to pay increasingly high rents whilst trying to save for a deposit for a home.
Over the years, the Conservatives have not been able to maintain the Thatcherite home ownership principle in a sustainable way. Even though Help to Buy, first launched under David Cameron, supported many professionals struggling for a deposit, the supply-side challenges have meant that house prices have continued to spiral.
According to the data released by SpareRoom.co.uk, there is a record high of 106,000 people searching for rooms in London on the popular flat-sharing platform. The trouble is there’s a record low of only 15,000 rooms available. The squeeze represents one of the constraints holding back the UK economy. Demand is driving up prices, whilst the cost-of-living crisis has made it even more difficult for people to save a substantial deposit for a home.
Therefore, I’m afraid to say I stand against Theresa Villiers’ amendments to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill to abolish housing targets. We don’t need to scrap house-building targets; we need better planning from the Mayor of London and more accountability from the Boroughs on how they meet the targets.
The main mantra for my Mayoral campaign will be ‘Build. Build. Build’. The plan that I have formulated includes reopening the London Plan for house-building on day one of my Mayoralty – to get the capital closer to meeting its Objectively Assessed Need (OAN). London needs at least 66,000 new homes a year, whilst the current mayor’s plan only sets a target of 52,000 – a target he is failing to meet.
I am pledging to explore leveraging private capital through a new London Housebuilding Bond to turbocharge construction on land owned by the Mayor and Transport for London. A significant percentage of these homes will be made available for affordable rent, allowing more young people to save for a deposit. I will promote and establish community land trusts in every London borough, so local people can take ownership of what is built in their area. Enhanced design guides will also help to preserve the character of different parts of London. Together we will achieve more.
My Mayoralty will introduce the publishing of annual house-building league tables for London boroughs. Councils in the bottom quartile will be asked to attend a public hearing where they will have to explain their poor results.
I will work with the government to explore the possibility of compulsory purchase orders for land owned by foreign nationals and large construction firms that are not progressing with house building on the land they own in the capital. I know developers face their own challenges, but larger building firms have enjoyed a sustainable period of increased shareholder value. It’s time to encourage and compel them to do more.
The Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher was able to give people a chance to own their own homes. With Theresa Villiers’ proposals, the Tories are in danger of turning our back on Thatcher’s legacy and our Party’s homeownership principles. It is vital for our future that we continue efforts to get more homes built. I will publish my full housing plan if adopted as the Tory candidate.