Cap rents for key workers, says campaign group

Cap rents for key workers, says campaign group

0:02 AM, 22nd February 2024, About 9 months ago 26

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Key workers in London are struggling to afford the high rents in the city and a rent cap is needed, says one campaign group.

A report from Generation Rent highlights how much key workers are struggling as it calls for all metro mayors – including London’s Sadiq Khan – to be elected in England in May to control rents to help key staff.

The campaign group’s report analysed the median rent for a one-bedroom home in each of London’s 32 boroughs and compared it to the average income of 15 key and essential worker roles, such as teachers, nurses, carers, cleaners and bus drivers.

The findings show that none of the boroughs in inner London were affordable for any of the roles, and that only four roles – primary teachers, secondary teachers, community nurses, and painters and decorators – could afford to rent in any of the boroughs in Greater London.

‘Being driven out of our city because of soaring rents’

The group’s chief executive, Ben Twomey, said: “Just a few years ago we were clapping on our doorsteps every week for key workers. Now they risk being driven out of our city because of soaring rents.

“For communities to survive, local people must be able to stay healthy, receive an education, find a safe home to live in and purchase basic goods.

“But, if those working in vital jobs cannot afford to live in the area, everyone loses out.”

He added: “The current cost of renting crisis is devastating London’s communities.

“It is vital that England’s metro mayors have the power to slam the brakes on local rents and give our key workers the breathing space they need to live and work in their community.

“It is also vital that the mayor and the government build more affordable homes in the capital and increase how much social housing is available.”

Calculated the average percentage of income spent

Generation Rent says that a home is considered affordable if it costs 30% or less of your income and it has calculated the average percentage of income spent on rent for the 15 roles:

  • 106% for teaching assistants
  • 100% for kitchen assistants
  • 97% for cleaners and sales assistants
  • 91% for pharmacy assistants
  • 90% for receptionists
  • 86% for hairdressers
  • 82% for care workers
  • 76% for chefs
  • 66% for painters and decorators
  • 63% for bus drivers
  • 56% for community nurses
  • 49% for primary teachers
  • 46% for secondary teachers.

Average rent was more than the entire salary

The report also found that for the five lowest-paid jobs, there were four boroughs – the City of London, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, and Westminster – where the average rent was more than the entire salary.

Teaching assistants faced the most severe affordability issues, with the most affordable borough being Sutton, where they would still spend 62% of their income on rent, and the least affordable being Westminster, where they would need 145% of their income to cover the rent.

The report comes ahead of the London Mayor election in May, where Generation Rent is calling on the candidates to pledge to cap rents and boost the supply of social housing in the city.


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Debra

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11:29 AM, 22nd February 2024, About 9 months ago

If they can’t afford housing where they are needed then they should simply move to somewhere else that IS affordable and then the salaries in the unaffordable areas will have to be increased to attract them back.
It doesn’t make sense to cap expenses for workers that are needed rather than increase their pay.

Martin Thomas

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11:31 AM, 22nd February 2024, About 9 months ago

Why should PRS landlords suffers rent controls?
Build more social housing.

northern landlord

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11:33 AM, 22nd February 2024, About 9 months ago

Reply to the comment left by NewYorkie at 22/02/2024 - 10:48
I agree It won’t be the super-rich who get taxed their money is safely stashed away and it won’t be big corporations either as they just shift their profits to more beneficial tax regimes. Taxes will be increased for those deemed to be merely “well off” i.e. those that have worked hard to be a bit better off than average.

Frank Jennings

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11:53 AM, 22nd February 2024, About 9 months ago

Reply to the comment left by NewYorkie at 22/02/2024 - 10:48
Well yes, that as well. Seems there are a few Elephants in the room! Taxing the very super rich is easy! If they go elsewhere, let them after taxing them of course!
It's a fallacy to think that we can't tax the super rich, because they might leave the country. Their material assets can't be moved out of the UK. How do you move land? How do you move property? They can move their money out of the country, but they have done that already! They have moved their work force to india etc. for cheaper labour costs. The UK has been hollowed out by the mega rich. The only way to get it all back is by taxing the super rich, which means taxing the mega companies more, because its via mega companies that the super rich avoid being taxed in the first place.
So how will that pan out in the economy? Well it would crash, in a big way. Or you could say it would be reset in a big way. However, afterwards the people of this country would, given enough time and given a real democracy, and given the chance to rebuild, would be able to build a better, fairer future for their children.
I don't claim to have all the answers. That is for a better govenment, and better system to be built, to find the answers. At the moment we have the super rich clowns playing with our lives and breaking us with
policies we never wanted, nor voted for. It all has to change, and it will, given enough time. It has to, as we cant go one like this. The other Elephant in the room is the "City of London" that is a country inside a country. They have their own laws, police and control vast amounts of finances. It a means of skirting around UK laws and taxes and they are in a very rich exclusive club, and you and I are not in it.

northern landlord

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12:11 PM, 22nd February 2024, About 9 months ago

Reply to the comment left by Frank Jennings at 22/02/2024 - 11:53
We are straying off subject here. It really comes down to who actually runs the Country. It seems like Government is merely a puppet for big business and other vested interests. Look how long Liz Truss lasted when she “upset the markets”. As the late comedian Bill Hicks said about political candidates “the puppet on the right shares my beliefs, the puppet on the left is more to my liking. Hey...there's one guy holding up both! That’s why nothing really changes, Governments come and go but the real control lies elsewhere and stays the same. Whoever you vote for you are voting for the status quo, some people say they don’t vote “because they are all the same and nothing changes” who is to say that they are wrong?

NewYorkie

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12:21 PM, 22nd February 2024, About 9 months ago

Reply to the comment left by northern landlord at 22/02/2024 - 12:11
It doesn't make a difference if you don't vote, because all that happens is a lower turnout, and the same people get elected, albeit by fewer people. Far better to make your views known, and vote for someone who may make a difference, even if others say it will be a wasted vote.

A wasted vote, is a vote for more of what you don't want. Leopards and spots!

Unless the Tories can pull a massive rabbit out of the hat in the next few months, and I don't mean simply giving us back some of the extra taxes we've been paying, I will be voting Reform UK, because that's what the UK needs. And if Farage throws his hat back in the ring, I believe red wall seats could go Reform UK.

Michael Booth

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14:40 PM, 22nd February 2024, About 9 months ago

The usual rant from the charity , haven't got a clue how to fix the severe shortage of properties to rent so bash the prs , we have this in Scotland and guess what ,yes you have guessed it INCREASED RENTS AND MASS SHORTAGES OF HOUSES FOR RENT WHAT DONT YOU PEOPLE NOT UNDERSTAND, only inane peole do the same thing over and over and expect a different result.

Michael Booth

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15:16 PM, 22nd February 2024, About 9 months ago

Reply to the comment left by Frank Jennings at 22/02/2024 - 11:53
Typical socialist point of view , the richest 10%pay a larger proportion of tax overall , l am old enough to know when we had let's hit the rich policies even harder we had a massive exedose of wealth leave the country, and guess what the normal low hanging fruit was left to pickup the slack yes the working person. liebor under Wilson the perpetrator l recall.

NewYorkie

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15:34 PM, 22nd February 2024, About 9 months ago

Reply to the comment left by Michael Booth at 22/02/2024 - 15:16
I suspect, once Starmer has his feet under the No10 table, all the Labour numpties [most of the front bench] will be kicked out, including Rayner. This will spark an uprising, but most will toe the line because they are now in government. My worry is, where will all the competent ones come from, when very few will have a business background.

Michael Booth

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16:13 PM, 22nd February 2024, About 9 months ago

Reply to the comment left by NewYorkie at 22/02/2024 - 15:34Well time will tell he put raynor in to passify the left , l have been in the prsfor 25 years l for one will sell up and get out just sold 1 paid the cgt which was ridiculous ,but hey ho ya have to pay to leave.

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