Tag: social housing

  • The new draft London Plan erases the needs of more than half the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller population of the capital

    The new draft London Plan erases the needs of more than half the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller population of the capital

    We appreciate that London is in a housing crisis. The new London Plan will be an opportunity to address this crisis, and Londoners are now invited to give their views on how to make the best of this opportunity. But for some Londoners, there is a crisis-within-the-crisis. Many Gypsies, Roma and Travellers have been excluded from Sadiq Khan’s vision of a thriving, diverse London. We already know that our communities’ children are among the most likely to experience homelessness and environmental racism, nevertheless the latest London-wide assessment of accommodation needs drastically undercounts the needs of members of these ethnic groups. For us, is the London Plan an opportunity that has never really come up enough to even be missed, perhaps?

    A few of London’s local authorities, despite budgetary constraints, are addressing the homelessness and unsuitable housing issues that have disproportionately hit Gypsies, Roma and Travellers. Discrimination and inadequate accommodation, amongst many complex factors, have caused a mental health catastrophe and a socio-economic crisis in these often-overlooked communities. Finally, we are cautiously optimistic that in a few small patches of the capital – in Lewisham, Camden, Ealing, Enfield, and Islington – local plans are finally making space for Gypsies and Travellers. The London Plan could stitch the patches together into a beautiful quilt, if only it rose to the opportunity.

    For press inquiries, please contact: media@londongandt.org.uk, info@romasupportgroup.org.uk

    Representative organisations for Gypsies, Roma and Travellers beyond London have issued the following open letter to the Greater London Authority and particularly to the Mayor of London:

    The final report of the London Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessment (GTANA) 2025 was published on Friday 28 November 2025. It provides the evidential base for meeting housing needs of Romany Gypsies, European Roma, Irish and Scottish Travellers, and travelling showpeople for the next ten years. The quality of this evidence is relevant to all those who care about inclusive planning and housing, especially in the context of preparing the next London Plan.

    Community representatives and experts on the London GTANA 2025 “steering group” have raised serious concerns about the methodology and accuracy of the research since the GLA-funded project started in 2022. These are their main concerns:

    · The Census figures used for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller populations of London are known undercounts.

    · The identified housing need arising from overcrowding in Roma households does not reflect the most up-to-date information.

    · Most of Gypsies and Travellers’ cultural right and expressed preference to move out of standard housing and into communal sites is discounted.

    The consequence of these problems, the organisations maintain, is a reduced measure of housing need, compounding the crisis-within-the-housing-crisis that these socially excluded communities are facing.

    The Introduction chapter of the GTANA 2025 notes that “some individual members of the GTANA Steering Group do not necessarily endorse all aspects of the methodology or GTANA findings.” London Gypsies and Travellers, Roma Support Group, and Southwark Travellers Action Group have clarified that they are explicitly objecting to the methodology and the findings.

    Policy needs to be based on solid evidence to stand up to scrutiny. Community engagement needs to be meaningful to enhance trust in decision-makers’ ability to listen to marginalised voices. Evidence and engagement are pillars of good governance.

    As community-based, human rights, planning and housing organisations and professionals, we are in solidarity with our Gypsy, Roma and Traveller allies. We are asking you to act on their recommended corrections and requests.

    We ask the GLA to:

    · Heed community representatives and experts regarding the London GTANA 2025;

    · Deliver a London Plan that works for all Londoners without discrimination.

    We collectively stand for an inclusive vision of London which accommodates and celebrates its diversity. We remain hopeful that we can work together with our allies and the GLA to achieve this.

    Signed by

    Sarah Mann, CEO, Friends Families and Travellers

    Michael Edwards, Hon Prof, University College London Bartlett School of Planning

    Dr Simon Ruston, MRTPI

    Betty Billington, Chair, Kushti Bok

    London Renters Union (collective signature)

    Joseph Jones, London Federation of Tenants

    Bob Green OBE, Head of Operations at Tonic Housing

    Josie O’Driscoll, Chief Officer, GATE Herts

    Damian Le Bas, author

    Laura Vicinanza, Senior Policy and Stakeholder Engagement Manager, Inclusion London

    Richard James, Chief Executive Officer, YMCA St Paul’s Group

    Ellie Rogers, CEO, LeedsGATE

    Pamela Smith, Chair, National Bargee Travellers Association

    Nicu Ion, Roma Access Newcastle upon Tyne Association CIC

    Simona Lazar, Executive Director, Romani Union Voice

    Yvonne MacNamara, Chief Executive, Traveller Movement 

    Esther Stubbs, Acting Co-Chair, Advisory Council for the Education of Romanies and other Travellers

    Michael Ball, Coordinator, Just Space

  • launch of just space’s alternative london plan for a caring city

    launch of just space’s alternative london plan for a caring city

    This is the first account of the launch meeting. A full transcript is now available as well.

    Over 50 Just Space members from communities across London attended the launch of our alternative plan on Tues 14th April, which has taken nine months of focused meetings and re-writing to emerge as a collective vision for a Caring City. We were joined by Peter Apps, contributing editor of Inside Housing and acclaimed author of ‘Homesick’ and ‘Show Me the Bodies: How we let Grenfell Happen’

    This is an edited version of the speech and discussion held with Peter Apps on the launch of Just Space alternative London plan – thanks to Peter and all who joined us

    What we are launching is the result of collective work — community groups, campaigners, researchers and residents coming together, sharing knowledge, and coordinating across the networks you all belong to. This alternative London Plan shows what becomes possible when communities take the lead and set out a strategic vision for the city we want.

    We are at a moment of real transition in London’s housing system. The development model that has shaped the city for the last decade — driven by domestic and international investment — is breaking down. Housing delivery has collapsed, and there is clear anxiety in government because the old model no longer works, even on its own terms. Yet instead of accepting this, there are attempts to shock the same failing system back to life. We need to be honest: that approach has failed. New ideas are urgently needed.

    The private rented sector has reshaped London — how people live, how communities form, and what it means to have any stability. Section 21 evictions have pushed rents up and pushed people out. That system is now faltering too, but what replaces it could be even more extractive, as we’ve seen with the rapid expansion of short‑term letting platforms. Without intervention, the pressures on renters will intensify.

    We are also in a period of political change. New parties and independent candidates are gaining ground across London. They may win councils, but they will still inherit authorities with limited resources and limited powers. Without a clear alternative vision, they will face the same constraints that have shaped London for years.

    At the same time, we are seeing the re‑emergence of far‑right narratives around housing — particularly around who is “allowed” to live in council homes. Real frustration about housing shortages is being channelled into division and racialised blame. This makes it even more important to set out clear explanations of what has gone wrong and to identify the real structural drivers of the crisis. There are powerful interests shaping London’s housing system, and they are rarely named.

    Housing has always been a challenge in London, but since the pandemic every indicator has worsened. Homelessness and long‑term temporary accommodation have risen sharply. Councils are now spending extraordinary sums — millions of pounds every day — simply to keep people housed. The current trajectory is unsustainable. The status quo cannot continue.

    And the pressures ahead are significant. Climate change will reshape London: hotter summers, flood risk along the Thames, clay soils that crack, and a built environment full of glass buildings that overheat. These are not abstract risks — they are already affecting people’s homes and health. We need planning that responds to these realities.

    This is also a moment to challenge the dominant economic story that has shaped housing policy for decades. One example is the so‑called vacancy‑chain effect — the idea that building any home, at any price, will eventually “filter down” through a chain of moves until homelessness is solved. This belief remains influential among most economists and policy advisers, even though it ignores spatial realities, second homes, investment properties, and speculative demand. It treats housing as a commodity first and a human need second. And it has been used to justify policies that have deepened the crisis rather than solved it.

    Meanwhile, the housing lobby — developers, mortgage lenders, estate agents — remains extremely powerful. Their interests are often treated as economic common sense, while community‑led alternatives are dismissed as unrealistic. But other cities show that different systems are possible. In places like Zurich, housing cooperatives are embedded directly into local plans. Non‑speculative housing is mainstream, not marginal.

    London’s viability system has long been used to argue that developments cannot afford affordable housing, even when they are profitable. Now, with rising construction costs and fragile supply chains, viability is failing again. Even with reduced affordable housing requirements, the numbers do not work. We need a model that is not driven solely by profit.

    So the question is: what do we do next? This alternative plan is not just a document; it is a tool for organising. There are several concrete steps we can take together:

    1. A London‑wide meeting in late May

    We should set a date — ideally late May, after the 7th May local elections — for a London‑wide gathering. The aim would be to bring newly elected councillors together with community groups and planning officers from the GLA, to build understanding and momentum around this alternative plan. In the last we were able to organise events at the City Hall — with community groups leading sessions on different themes and where members of the Mayor’s team were able to engage with the ideas proposed. A large, open, city‑wide event would help bring these proposals into the mainstream of London planning.

    2. Parliamentary engagement

    There is scope to work with the All‑Party Parliamentary Group on Housing, alongside organisations such as Shelter and Defend Council Housing. There is research from a few years ago on the state of council housing that could be revisited and linked to this plan. This would help bring the issues raised here into national discussion.

    3. European networks

    We are part of a wider European coalition on housing, including partners in cities like Bologna. Sharing this plan through that network strengthens the case for non‑speculative, community‑led housing models across Europe.

    4. International advocacy

    The document can be shared with the UN Special Rapporteur on Housing in Geneva, accompanied by a cover letter. A statement timed for the London elections would help highlight the international relevance of London’s housing challenges.

    Planning is often invisible — even to many people working within it. That invisibility allows the system to be shaped without public scrutiny. With new councillors arriving after May 7th, we have an opportunity to change that. We can hold local discussions, help them understand planning in London, and support them to use the powers they have. Power is lost when it isn’t exercised. Too many decisions are made by a small group, with others simply following. We need to break that pattern.

    New councillors will need to understand planning. Communities need to be connected to decision‑makers. And together we need to build a different future for London.

    This alternative plan is a step toward that future.

    Download a copy of the new Alternative Plan for a Caring City here: https://justspace.org.uk/caringcity/

    Daniel Fitzpatrick, UCL

    A later version of this report is here and that will be the place where onward links and discussions are placed.18 April 2026