London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Apr 22, 2025

More than a million Londoners living in overcrowded homes, analysis reveals

More than a million Londoners living in overcrowded homes, analysis reveals

More than a million Londoners are living in overcrowded homes, over half of whom are children, analysis reveals.
Figures sourced by the National Housing Federation (NHF) have found that some 254,806 families in the capital are living in overcrowded accommodation.

Those families comprise 1,028,097 people, including 560,729 children - all of whom are living in homes which fail the Government’s so-called ‘bedroom standard’.

The standard is used to work out the number of bedrooms needed for a family to live with a comfortable amount of space and privacy, calculated according to the composition of the household in terms of age, sex and relationships.

It states that an adult couple should have their own bedroom, with the same applying to a single family member aged 16 and over. Two adolescents (aged 10-15) sharing a bedroom does not breach the standard, so long as those adolescents are of the same sex.

Across England, analysis by the NHF has found that some 3,409,216 people are living in households which fail to meet the standard, with London accounting for 30 per cent of those people - despite only comprising about 16 per cent of the population of England.

England-wide polling commissioned by the NHF, and conducted by Savanta, found that parents in 53 per cent of overcrowded homes worry their children are too embarrassed to bring friends home, and that in 48 per cent of overcrowded homes, children struggle to do their homework because of the lack of space.

Kate Henderson, the NHF’s chief executive said: "The cost of renting or buying a home in London is higher than any other part of the country and this means that for families on low incomes, social housing is most likely the only type of home they can afford to live in.

“A severe shortage of social homes means that low-income families in London are twice as likely to be overcrowded, as well as being at greater risk of living in poverty or becoming homeless.

“As a country, we are failing these families and these children and this must stop. We need an urgent, long term, national plan aimed at drastically increasing the number of affordable and social homes in London and across England."

A spokesperson at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: “It’s unacceptable for anyone to be living in an overcrowded home and councils have a duty to find people living in these conditions somewhere fit for purpose.

“To ease pressures, we are increasing the supply of affordable housing. Our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme will deliver thousands of affordable homes for both rent and to buy right across the country.”

A spokesperson for London mayor Sadiq Khan added: “Overcrowded housing is an urgent national issue that the Mayor is tackling with all the powers at his disposal.

“He is supporting councils to increase their social housing stock and reduce their reliance on temporary accommodation, as well as facilitating the development of larger homes. He is also delivering record-breaking levels of affordable homebuilding, including the highest level of council homebuilding since the 1970s.

“However, the Mayor and London boroughs can only do so much to tackle this problem without the right support from the Government. In particular, it is vital that ministers back London with the £4.9bn a year that the capital requires to deliver the affordable homes Londoners need.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
In God We Profit
Cultural Battles in the Vatican: The Candidates in the Battle for the Holy See and Pope Francis's Testament
Global Leaders Pay Tribute to Pope Francis Following His Death
Wild Chimpanzees Observed Bonding Over Alcoholic Fruit
US Federal Reserve Chair Issues Warning on Tariff Impact
UK Prison Officers Demand Electric Stun Guns Amid Safety Concerns
China, China, China!
Australian National Charged as Mercenary for Fighting in Ukraine
Israel Considers Limited Strikes on Iran's Nuclear Facilities Amid Diplomatic Efforts
Prince Andrew Joins Royal Family Attends Easter Sunday Service at Windsor Castle
Saudi Arabia Offers Max Verstappen Unprecedented Deal to Join Aston Martin
Global Pistachio Shortage Amid Rising Demand for 'Dubai Chocolate'
Trump is assembling a coalition of Western leaders aligned with the MAGA vision, strengthening a unified front for global change
IMF Predicts No Global Recession Amid Trade Tensions
Here’s a police officer with a brilliant gift for swift education
"Some complain that we put thousands in prison. In reality, we set millions free."
This is Vienna, Austria in 2025.
Boeing Jet Returns to US from China Amid Tariff War
Canadian Federal Election: Candidates' Positions on US-Canada Relations and Donald Trump
Resentencing Hearing for Menendez Brothers Who Killed Their Parents Delayed Amid Legal Disputes
Australian Woman Gives Birth To Stranger's Baby In IVF Mix-up
US Sets Deadline for Russia-Ukraine Peace Deal Brokerage
Italy Introduces 'Sex Rooms' in Prisons for Inmates
California Launches Legal Challenge Against Trump Administration's Tariffs
"Groundless": China Dismisses Zelensky's Claims It's Supplying Arms To Russia
UK Psytrance Festival Cancelled Amid Local Protests Over Noise Concerns
French Far-Right Writer Renaud Camus Denied Entry to UK
UK Police Force Updates Search Policy for Trans Individuals in Custody
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Meets with Donald Trump to Discuss EU-US Trade Tensions
Canada's Federal Party Leaders Engage in Final Debate Ahead of General Election
Ukraine and US Sign Outline of Minerals Deal
Fast Food Chain Refuses to Apologize for Online Comment About Katy Perry's Space Voyage
New York Attorney General Letitia James Faces Criminal Referral for Alleged Mortgage Fraud
Mark Cuban admits support for Trump executive order: ‘Gotta be honest’
US Senator Meets with Deported Immigrant in El Salvador Amid Custody Dispute
U.S. State Department Raises El Salvador’s Safety Ranking, Making It Safer Than France and Other European Nations
UK Government Assumes Control of British Steel's Scunthorpe Plant Amid Shutdown Threat
UK MP Wera Hobhouse Denied Entry to Hong Kong During Family Visit
Bangladesh Issues Arrest Warrant for UK MP Tulip Siddiq
China Urges United States to Cancel Tariffs Amid Escalating Trade Tensions
The Empire’s USD Pyramid Scheme Is Working Brilliantly—So Why ‘Fix’ It?
China Raises Tariffs on U.S. Goods to 125% Amid Escalating Trade Dispute
Elon Musk Reports $150 Billion in Projected Government Savings Amid Fraud Investigations
U.S. and Panama Finalize Defense Agreements Amid Canal Access and Chinese Influence Concerns
China Stands Firm Amidst Trade Disputes with the US: A Factual Analysis
U.S. Tariff Escalation Sparks Global Trade Tensions
Helicopter crashes in NYC with four people on board.
Australia Dismisses China's Suggestion to Collaborate Against US Tariffs
EU Postpones Response to US Tariffs
The Trump Administration is contemplating removing Chinese companies from U.S. stock exchanges.
×