London's teachers and families need genuinely affordable homes

In preparation for speaking at the Policy Forum for London Seminar on 'Policy Priorities for Housing in London' this week, I have produced a short presentation setting out why urgent action is needed to tackle London's housing crisis.

The key points are:

• London's housing crisis is putting our school success at risk - teachers are being priced out of London
• 30% of Outer London's secondary schools already have temporary vacancies - when more teachers are needed
• Median house prices in Inner London are EIGHTEEN times higher than a teacher's starting salary
• More of London's young teachers are living with their parents than are buying a property
• An Outer London teacher's starting salary only leaves them £63 a week to live on after paying a median rent
• Most young teachers live in the private rented sector - but many face cramped, stressful and insecure conditions
• Long working days mean teachers can't move too far away from their workplaces to find cheaper housing
• So 60% of London's young teachers say they will be leaving the capital - most blame London's housing costs
• In some London boroughs, two-thirds of teachers are now under 40 - older teachers are leaving London
• London needs urgent action to provide genuinely affordable homes. The NUT calls for rent controls and investment for councils to build homes.

I have pasted the slides below and uploaded the presentation for discussions on housing in NUT Division and School meetings. The facts speak for themselves: