Housing charity calls for next Mayor of London to establish housing agency

"Unless something is done to fix London’s housing, we’re going to see a growing exodus of people, many of them families, who have simply given up hope of ever finding a stable and affordable place to live in the capital," said Shelter’s chief executive, Campbell Robb. "We need the next Mayor to give London’s housing the same leadership and profile that we see for transport. This means bringing together a complex web of budgets and departments into a simple, public-focused agency that can drive the change we need."

Shelter is launching a new campaign under the banner 'Homes for London'. It hopes to ensure the delivery of a minimum of 33,400 new homes in London each year and will lobby for the establishment of a 'London Lettings Service' and a 'Rogue Landlord Prosecution Team'.

The Mayor of London will become directly responsible for strategic housing, regeneration and economic development in the capital from 1 April 2012, under provisions contained in the Localism Act.

The Act did away with the legal restriction on the Mayor to spend money on housing, whilst removing the Homes and Communities Agency's power in the capital. The Act also abolished the London Development Agency (LDA) and transferred its regeneration functions to the Greater London Authority (GLA).

The 2012 London mayoral election will be held on 3 May and Shelter's Homes for London campaign has said it will put pressure on all candidates to create Homes for London.