The Green Party candidate for Vauxhall and Camberwell has indicated she would push local authorities to demand 50 per cent social housing on new developments.
Catherine Dawkins, the Greens’ parliamentary hopeful, said regeneration schemes, like in Brixton Town Centre, have not put “communities are the centre of developments”.
Although affordable housing targets are set by local authorities, MPs can push for legislation that influences target-setting and put pressure on council decision-makers.
Affordable housing targets are currently 35 per cent for Southwark developments and 40 per cent in Lambeth.
Southwark News asked four candidates for Camberwell Green and Vauxhall how they would ensure regeneration serves local people, and what the minimum social housing requirement should be for new residential developments.
Catherine Dawkins – Green: ‘I’ll ensure at least 50 per cent social housing in new projects‘
“Existing communities must be protected and recent regeneration schemes across South London – from Elephant & Castle to Brixton – have shown that communities are not at the centre of developments.
“I’ll make sure regeneration helps the existing community by protecting local businesses, ensuring at least 50% social housing in new projects, and involving residents in planning.”
Florence Eshalomi – Labour: ‘Labour will build 150,000 social homes a year’
“Growing up on a council estate in Brixton, I believe it’s vital to prevent people that have lived here all their lives from being priced out of their own homes.
“Modernisation and regeneration can be forces for good, but they must be done with the input and investment of the community.
“Labour will oversee a new generation of genuinely affordable housing across the UK, building 150,000 social homes a year, 100,000 of which will be council housing.”
Aarti Joshi – Conservative: ‘40% affordable housing seems about right’
“I want to see a constituency and borough where everyone is able to live in good housing. There needs to be an expansion of all forms of housebuilding, as I believe that it is only through an increase in supply of housing that prices can begin to come down, and property can be affordable for all.
“The minimum affordable housing percentage that Labour-led Southwark council is currently operating of c40% of new developments seems about right but it is taking too long to give planning permissions and for developments to be built at all.”
Chris French – Liberal Democrat
Chris French was not available to be contacted when asked for his response to the question.
Mike King – Reform
Southwark News was unable to reach Mike King to get his responses to our General Election 2024 questions.
Other candidates standing:
Mike King – Reform UK
Andrew McRobbie – Social Democratic Party
Seat Analysis
The newly constituted Vauxhall and Camberwell Green is considered a Labour stronghold. Vauxhall, which makes up its bulk, has consistently voted Labour since 1929. In 2019, Labour’s Florence Eshalomi took 56.1 per cent of the vote share. Her nearest rival was Liberal Democrat Sarah Lewis who took 21.3 per cent. Newly added areas like Newington and Camberwell Green are also strong Labour areas.
Vauxhall is diverse ethnically, culturally and economically. Although the area has traditional working-class routes, major redevelopments in recent years have seen more affluent residents move into the area. There is also a very strong LGBTQ+ community. According to the most recent census, 10 per cent of residents identify as LGBTQ+. That is the third most in the UK, surpassed only by Brighton Pavillion and Brighton Kemptown.
The Constituency’s History
Vauxhall and Camberwell Green is a brand new constituency, created following the Boundary Commission’s recommendations. It is mainly made from the old Vauxhall constituency but Camberwell Green has been added on, having previously been part of Peckham and Camberwell. Newington has also joined having previously been a part of Bermondsey and Old Southwark. Areas like Clapham Common and Clapham High Street have meanwhile been taken away and added to the new Clapham and Brixton Hill constituency. The redrawing of boundary lines has been controversial, with some pointing out that Camberwell Green has few cultural or historical ties to Vauxhall.
Vauxhall has consistently voted in Labour MPs since 1929 except in 1931. A 1989 by-election saw Kate Hoey elected to the seat, which she held until 2019 before resigning from the party. Hoey proved to be a prominent, albeit controversial figure within the Labour Party. Her socially conservative views sometimes made her stand out among more progressive colleagues. She also campaigned to leave the EU despite strong support for remain among her constituents. She also spent much of her life in favour of a United Ireland although became more pro-union as her career progressed.
In 2019, Hoey announced she would not stand in at the next general election. Florence Eshalomi was elected in December 2019 in a bruising election for the party nationally which saw Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour secure just 202 seats. Eshalomi, formerly a Lambeth councillor and London Assembly member, is a lifelong Brixton resident who attended local state schools. In her maiden speech to the House of Commons, she said: “I never imagined that almost five years to the day, as I was literally pacing up and down the maternity ward, looking over the river, trying to coerce my daughter to come out, I would now be sat in this Parliament fighting for funding for our hard-working doctors and nurses.”
The 2019 election results
Party | Candidate | Votes | Vote Share (%) | Percentage +/- |
Labour | Florence Eshalomi | 31,165 | 56.1 | -1.2 |
Liberal Democrat | Sarah Lewis | 12,003 | 12.3 | +0.8 |
Conservative | Sarah Bool | 9.422 | 16.7 | -1.9 |
Green | Jacqueline Bond | 2,516 | 4.5 | +2.5 |
Brexit Party | Andrew McGuinness | 641 | 1.1 | NEW |
Independent | Salah Faissal | 136 | 0.2 | NEW |
What are the candidates’ key pledges?
Florence Eshalomi – Labour
- Deliver free breakfast clubs at every primary school in Vauxhall &Camberwell Green, to ease childcare costs for young families.
- Introduce a new network of youth hubs to tackle anti-social behaviour and reduce violent crime among young people.
- Support the building of genuinely affordable homes and strengthen the rights of renters in our area, including a complete ban on no-fault evictions.
Chris French – Liberal Democrat
- A fair deal for local tenants and leaseholders.
- Take on Thames Water over raw sewage dumped in the Thames. Clean up our local environment.
- Stand up for our local LGBTQ+ community.
Catherine Dawkins – Green
- Improve Public Transport: I pledge to enhance bus services, extend transport networks, and invest in cycling infrastructure to make commuting in Vauxhall and Camberwell Green easier, greener, and more sustainable.
- Promote Inclusive and Affordable Housing: I pledge to ensure that all new residential developments in the constituency include a minimum of 50% affordable housing, engaging local communities in the planning process to create inclusive, sustainable neighbourhoods.
- Environmental and social justice: I pledge that all policies – from housing to education – will be fair and just for the environment and for people. A clean, green future is the only way to truly deliver for local communities and protect the world we live in.
Aarti Joshi – Conservative
- Improve housing quality and availability.
- Tackle crime and antisocial behaviour.
- Better education and opportunities.