Mayoral candidates pledge to boost 'affordable' homes at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

Sadiq Khan and Shaun Bailey vowed to increase the numbers at an assembly held by community organisation London Citizens.

Both candidates were urged to commit to increasing the proportion of social rent and "affordable" homes to ensure there is a legacy of at least 50 per cent at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and Old Oak Common in west London.

Sadiq Khan is the Labour Party candidate in the London mayoral election. (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)

Mr Khan, who is Labour's candidate for mayor of London, said he could promise 50pc on applications after he was elected to the role in 2016.

"The problem is the number of applications given permission before I became mayor by Shaun's friend, Boris Johnson. A number of those are well below 50 per cent. They aren't even affordable," he said.

Shaun Bailey is the Conservative candidate for the London mayoral election. (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

Mr Bailey, who is the Conservative candidate, agreed to meet the commitment "wherever it is legally possible".

"It's not about profit, it's about building those houses for social rent and people to move on. We have to build across the piece," he said.

He added that creating a City Hall-controlled developer would help boost numbers beyond Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and Old Oak Common.

"This is the big problem London has faced for many years. The truth is simply not enough homes have been built since 2016. We were given huge figures, but those figures never materialised," Mr Bailey said.

On his house-building record, Mr Khan blamed his predecessor as mayor for failing to lay the foundations for building more social and "affordable" homes.

He said last year, construction of council homes was the highest since 1983.

Of the 44,200 homes built in the capital over the last three years, 7,000 are social rent, Mr Khan said.

A spokesperson for the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) said 33,000 homes would be built by 2036 in the area it covers as a planning authority.

The figure includes five new neighbourhoods which were given consent in 2012.

To date, 11,500 of those homes have been delivered, of which 2,615 are affordable (23pc).

When complete, Chobham Manor will be about 35pc affordable while East Wick and Sweetwater neighbourhoods will be about 34pc.

Stratford Waterfront, Pudding Mill and Rick Roberts Way will be 50pc affordable across the three sites.

Half of up to 200 homes around Hackney Wick will be affordable too, according to LLDC.

"In addition, the infrastructure to support these new communities will be in place with four new schools which are all now open, nurseries, health facilities, community centres, shops, employment workspace, open space and new local and improved connections," the spokesperson said.