Leathermarket JMB set up an Affordable Housing Group in 2011 to bring local residents who have the passion and commitment to make things happen together with the housing experts who could tell us how we can get things moving.

The Group organised a questionnaire of Leathermarket residents in February 2012, which got 169 responses. This came  four big conclusions were:

•  94% think there should be more genuinely affordable social housing in the JMB area
•  85% expressed support for social housing being built on unused or under used land on their estate
•  77% think that staying in the JMB area is important. 38% are involved in local community groups
•  93% cannot afford a rent above £200 per week or the maximum amount that housing benefit will pay

Much of the housing on the Leathermarket JMB estates isn’t council-rent housing any more

• 28% of homes on the JMB estates have been sold through right to buy
• 50% of these are now rented out by their owners to private tenants, such as students

It also found a number of key facts about the financial and family circumstances of Leathermarket JMB tenants

• 99% of households have a housing income of less than £30,000
• 55% are registered for re-housing with the Council
• 10% describe themselves as in housing need, but not registered with the Council
• 70% of homes say they are overcrowded – compared with an average of 35% across Southwark as a whole
• 56% do not have any money for a deposit if they wish to buy a property
• 85% would not have the money for a deposit if they wish to rent privately