The London Housing Panel, which was set up in May 2019 to enable tenants and community and voluntary sector (CVS) groups to engage with the Mayor of London about his housing policies, is already under threat of closure.  Sadiq Khan has said he will cease its funding in March 2022.

The Panel came about through lobbying by London Tenants Federation (LTF) from 2017 and is currently funded by Sadiq Khan in partnership with Trust for London.

It comprises a diverse range of tenant and CVS groups that are involved in housing issues impacting on the most vulnerable communities in the capital. Its priorities, objectives and list of members can be found on the Trust for London website.

We feel that at this time of greater housing need and insecurity for so many low-income Londoners, which have increased or been more prominently highlighted during the Covid-19 pandemic, the work of the Panel is needed more than ever.

The £30k a year funding provided by the Mayor of London’s office last year is surely just a tiny fraction of his revenue budget.

LTF, along with other Panel members are now urging the Mayor, the Deputy Mayor for Housing and the London Assembly Housing Committee to do all they can to keep the Panel going.  Read our letter to them here.