"Absolutely" a rental crisis in London, according to campaign group

We have been told that there is a rental crisis in London, with new research suggesting that a range of key workers are getting "locked out" of renting in the capital.

Research by campaign group Generation Rent suggests that some workers would have to pay all their income and in some cases even more - to cover the rent of the average one-bedroom home in Inner London.

For example, teaching assistants would have to pay 106% of their average proportion of income on rent in Inner London - with cleaners having to pay 97%.

"This is utterly devastating for the people whose lives and communities are in London."

Tilly Smith is from Generation Rent, and was behind the research. Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio, Tilly said that "Just a few years ago we were clapping on our doorsteps every week for key workers. Now they risk being driven out of our cities because of soaring rents. This is utterly devastating for the people whose lives and communities are in London.

"There is absolutely a housing and a rental crisis in London. People are being priced out of their local communities, being forced to pay overwhelming prices just to keep rooves over their heads. Having to endure poor, mould written conditions in dangerous houses and flats. If that's not a crisis I don't know what is."

The Royal College of Nursing, a trade union representing nurses, have also responded to the report. In a statement, they said:

“The analysis reinforces what our members have been telling us for years. They simply cannot afford to live and work in London anymore and this is adding to the nurse staffing crisis London is currently experiencing.

"In our last cost of living survey our members overwhelmingly told us that high accommodation costs were the single biggest reason forcing them to leave London.

RCN London has been ringing the alarm bells for years, but the capital’s politicians are not listening. To keep nursing staff in London and to keep patients safe, the capital's politicians need to increase the supply of genuinely affordable housing for nursing staff or risk seeing a further depletion of the city’s nursing workforce.”

A Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities spokesperson said:

“We are investing billions of pounds into building new affordable homes in London which has helped deliver over 147,400 homes since 2010.

“We know there is more to do and that is why we are working with the Greater London Authority to accelerate housing delivery. Our long-term plan for housing will go even further to build the homes that Londoners want and need.”