Greater London Authority Bill

I support the Bill rather than the amendments. As everyone now knows, there is a housing crisis in London. Affordable housing has become a bit of a joke for young people who seek to get on to the housing ladder. There is a shortage of affordable housing in London, which has enormous problems across the region, resulting in a situation in which the workers who support our public services cannot afford to live here. That really is not an acceptable situation. I am a Londoner, which is my main interest in the Bill, as, unlike a number of my colleagues, I have no experience of local government. That is not my area of expertise. I am interested in the governance of London as a long-term Londoner. As an example of what is happening on the London market, 20 years ago my husband and I purchased our West Hampstead flat for £40,000; a similar flat was on sale recently for £600,000. The difference in those prices is absolutely fantastic. It does not fill me with pride or joy; it fills me with horror. It simply means that people cannot afford to live in reasonable comfort in London. That simply will not do. The Bill will provide the authority for the Mayor to introduce a London-wide strategy. That is terribly important. The Mayor supports the provisions. Under the Bill he is required to consult local authorities and has no right to interfere with the powers that local authorities already have. It is simply a question of producing a London-wide strategy, and the funding will also be provided to go with that strategy. This is an important development, and I hope that it has the effect of providing, eventually, more affordable housing for the working population in London and making it affordable for young people starting out in life to have at least somewhere reasonable to be able to continue to live in London. I support the Bill.