The opposition group on Richmond Council has criticised the lack of development of affordable housing in a motion presented in a meeting held on 2 December.
This claim was backed by data from the Greater London Assembly, which revealed only 40 affordable homes have been completed in Richmond since March 2022, and zero so far this year.
The Green opposition has further claimed that the lack of development comes despite the council receiving several opportunities for such developments to take place, including at Twickenham Riverside, where a planning application for the site was recently rejected.
The opposition group has pushed for increased investment in ‘genuinely affordable homes,’ such as social rented housing, which provides residents in need with capped rent rates that are lower than market values.
Opposition Leader Cllr Andrée Frieze said: “When I questioned officers to find out if the council was following up on the GLA’s offer to create social rent homes on Twickenham Riverside from December 2024, the officer said: ‘I think discussions are taking place’.”
Two days after the annual Budget, Richmond Council published a press release concerning the owners of properties worth more than £2 million, which prompted opposition councillors to question where the council’s broader priorities lie.
In a motion urging the council to invest in more affordable homes, Richmond Council’s opposition stated that the affordable housing supply has dwindled year on year since 2018, according to data from the Greater London Assembly.
A spokesperson from Richmond Council has further labelled the above figures utilised by the Green Opposition as ‘a misrepresentation of what the agreed definition of genuinely affordable housing is,’ citing the Greater London Assembly’s definition as their point of reference.
This definition encompasses social rent, London Affordable Rent, and intermediate housing options, including London Living Rent and Shared Ownership.
Lead Member for Housing Cllr Chris Varley said: “As part of Richmond’s Foundations for a Fairer Borough strategy, we’re intensifying our efforts to make housing more accessible and genuinely affordable for our residents and key workers who keep our community running.”
The Lead Member for Housing has further claimed that there are over 350 planned completions of genuinely affordable homes across the next three years.
Opposition Leader Cllr Andrée Frieze said in response: “This council needs to be doing more than merely ‘thinking’ about social rent homes, it needs to be providing them, to put an end to residents being placed in temporary accommodation, often outside the borough, costing the Council nearly £10 million every year.”
As it stands, Richmond upon Thames is currently more expensive than the London average for housing rent, according to the Office for National Statistics.
The monthly average rent price in Richmond was approximately £2,224 per month in October 2025, marking a 7.4% increase from the previous year.
This rise was also higher than the average rise in London over the same year, which was approximately 4.3%.
Featured Image: Ajay Smith via South West Londoner
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