Sadiq Khan is urged to bring in lower subsidised rents for women in London because they usually earn less

• Cross-party report floated the idea of adjusting rent levels in City Hall housing  

Sadiq Khan has been urged to have lower rents for women in London because they earn less.

The idea was put forward by the cross-party London Assembly housing committee, which warned the gender pay gap is making the cost of living crisis even worse.

Its report pointed out that women need to spend 63 per cent of their earnings to afford the median private rent in the capital, compared to 49 per cent for men.

The committee suggested the mayor could tweak the rules on London Living Rent properties – homes funded by City Hall for households on incomes up to £60,000.

Those rents are usually based on a third of average local household incomes, adjusted for the number of bedrooms.

However, the group of assembly members floated basing some rent levels on women’s median incomes rather than overall median incomes.

Sadiq Khan has been urged to have lower rents for women in London because they earn less

The committee suggested Mr Khan (pictured) could tweak the rules on London Living Rent properties – homes funded by City Hall for households on incomes up to £60,000

‘The Mayor should review London Living Rent and consider changes to the rent setting policy to have regard to the gender pay gap, for example whether some rents could be set at women’s median incomes rather than general median incomes,’ the report, which was published last week, recommended.

The committee said they had heard from gender equality campaigners the Women’s Budget Group that ‘one way to take into account the gender wage gap would be to have tenancies targeted to women where affordable rent are set to local women’s wages rather than general average wages’. 

A spokeswoman for Mr Khan said: ‘The Mayor is proud to have delivered record-breaking numbers of affordable homes, including the highest level of council homebuilding since the 1970s.

‘He welcomes the committee’s work on this important subject and will be considering their recommendations.

‘Women have, on average, lower incomes than men and are more likely to experience homelessness, and they are more likely to need affordable housing, including the London Living Rent.

‘To support women in housing, the Mayor is funding specialist and supported housing, including refuges, and community led-housing. He is also funding services to help women facing homelessness after experiencing domestic abuse by implementing his Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation Strategy.’

The idea was put forward by the cross-party London Assembly housing committee, which warned the gender pay gap is making the cost of living crisis even worse

Source: Read Full Article