This note has been prepared following the Matter 4 hearing on Westminster’s City Plan 2019-2040 on 1st October 2020. It illustrates through a series of case studies how a lack of sufficient affordable housing available to meet the needs of the CAZ can have implications for the operation of the strategic functions of the CAZ. This is owing to key workers and those in service industries who are essential to keeping these functions ticking over being paid salaries which do not support market housing within the city and/or being required working unsociable hours (e.g. given the late night / tourist/ visitor economy concentration) leading to issues in commuting long distances and how these issues combined could impact on the commercial growth projected for the CAZ over the Plan period. In recent years certain sectors have experienced serious and growing challenges in recruiting and retaining staff which could mean that London is less well-equipped to deal with future crises. Research commissioned by the Mayor in 20181 found that: “London has a higher rate of young teachers leaving the profession than other large cities and the rest of England. It also has a steady outflow of teachers in their thirties and forties to teach elsewhere. The most important factor driving low teacher retention in London is higher housing costs.”

What is CAZ?

CAZ stands for Clean Air Zones. The UK has introduced CAZ to combat emissions caused by polluting vehicles and improve air quality. The zone could be applied to a single street or an area of a city. Vehicles that do not comply with the emissions standard are found using number plate cameras.