The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has hailed the “resurgence in council homebuilding” as new figures show more than 11,000 new City Hall-funded council homes have been started since 2018.

The latest statistics reveal that the mayor’s election manifesto pledge to start 10,000 by the end of this financial year has been exceeded, with 11,061 homes started since 2018.

According to City Hall, overall, council house building in London has hit the highest levels since the 1970s. The number of council homes started annually has increased six-fold since 2016, with only 774 started in the final year of the previous mayoralty.

Almost three-quarters (3,411) of the council homes started in London in 2020-21 received funding support from the mayor.

The level of homebuilding is set to continue, with the mayor’s new 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme. The majority of social rent homes allocated funding so far in the 2021-26 programme will be delivered by local authorities.

The mayor says he is also ensuring that all council homes built on his watch through the new Affordable Homes Programme meet leading environmental standards to help tackle the climate emergency, with tough net-zero carbon requirements and the incorporation of sustainable urban green spaces.

The mayor announced the latest figures on a visit to Maldon Street in Edmonton, where City Hall has invested £1.8m into Enfield’s project to build 22 new council homes, made up of 12 houses and ten flats.

Enfield is one of the mayor’s biggest council housebuilding partners, with an approved allocation of £69,959,000 to deliver 798 affordable homes. Enfield had the 3^rd highest number of affordable homes starts (798 homes) recorded by the GLA for any London borough in 20-21.

Since September 2018, Enfield has started 798 affordable homes with a total allocation of £67,474,000 through the mayor’s affordable housing programmes.

The mayor said: “I grew up on a council estate in south London so I know the vital role council housing plays by providing security for families.  That’s why I’ve reversed the years of declining council home building and we are once again seeing these vital homes return to every corner of our city.

“When I launched City Hall’s first ever investment programme dedicated to council housebuilding, in 2018, I promised Londoners that we’d get work started on 10,000 council homes, and I’m proud to say that this pledge has been delivered.

“We’re now seeing a resurgence in council homebuilding across London, with the highest number of homes being built since the 1970s, working with great local councils, like Enfield, which I’m visiting today.

“In London today, we’re not just building more council homes, we’re building better too. The new generation of council homes are some of the best that’s ever been built: modern, sustainable and fit for the twenty-first century. These new homes form a key part of building a better London for everyone – one that is greener, fairer and more prosperous for all.”