Skip to main content
Work with the NEU
Londoners facing workforce crisis, high rents making region uninhabitable
An arial view of houses in West London

A PUBLIC-SECTOR workforce crisis is gripping London and the south as rising rents have made it uninhabitable for low-paid workers.

A report by consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) said there is an “urgent need” to build new affordable homes as stagnating public-sector pay has made it impossible for workers to keep up with the cost of housing.

The firm says rent should amount to less than 30 per cent of gross annual income to be considered affordable. 

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
Andy Burnham
Economy / 10 August 2026
10 August 2026
Burnham and Raynor
Rent controls / 3 August 2026
3 August 2026

CLAUDIA WEBBE argues that Burnham’s U-turn on tackling greedy landlords has let the country down 

‘NOT A GIMMICK’: Andy Burnham at the National Economic Council meeting at No 10 North in Heron House, central Manchester, July 24 2026
Features / 31 July 2026
31 July 2026

A sharp rise in public-sector investment is required to kick-start the economy, argues MICHAEL BURKE

A sign in a field by the M40 near Warwick, protesting the changes to inheritance tax (IHT) rules, November 2024
Landownership / 22 October 2025
22 October 2025

CAROL WILCOX argues for the proper implementation of the land value tax, which could see unused plots sold off and landlords priced out of landlordism, potentially resolving the housing and planning crises