Ealing Liberal Democrats have raised concerns that Labour-run Ealing Council may not be able to hit the planned 4,000 new homes it says it is aiming to deliver by May 2026.
The Lib Dems says its previous target of 2,000 new genuinely affordable homes was only eventually met when the Council extended its timescale to achieve the target.
At a recent Ealing Council Scrutiny Committee meeting, Liberal Democrat Leader of the Opposition, Councillor Gary Malcolm, asked a number of questions on how housing targets were set.
In answers, a Council officer said that they initially assessed what was possible but extra was added by the Council cabinet member for Good Growth, Councillor Shital Manro, so it became 4,000 genuinely affordable housing. The officers also highlighted the problems of rising building costs.
Councillor Malcolm said: “Liberal Democrats say that the evidence is clear that given the Council missed its target last time and that it set a target this time which was higher than the figure the Council officers said was reasonable there is a great risk that the target for genuinely affordable housing will not be met.”
He added: “On top of that we have seen the cost of building houses rise, the cost of borrowing also rising as house prices fall, it appears to be a recipe for not being realistic about what will be achieved. Liberal Democrats want to see genuinely affordable housing in suitable locations which are of a high quality, built to last.”
