2019 promises to be a defining year for housebuilding in the UK. With no borrowing cap for housing, we will be expected to deliver more houses than ever. This comes at a time of unprecedented shortages, particularly of good quality council homes. The recent demand from a cross-party housing commission for three million new council homes to be built in the next 20 years is a call to arms for us all. The government, and our communities, will be looking to us to move quickly to deliver the houses people desperately need.

At Lambeth, we already have a large waiting list for council homes, and it's growing – an average of 60 to 80 households a week join the list. Our ‘Homes for Lambeth' (HfL) initiative – our wholly council-owned housing company – is dedicated to providing more, and better, homes for our community. In the last week, we've taken ownership of 70 new homes for council rent, to be managed by HfL at Lollard Street, and will be on site with nearly 200 more homes by the summer.