Green Assembly Member and working Peer Jenny Jones has produced a video for the BBC’s Daily Politics to highlight the scandal of land given over to private golf courses despite a housing crisis in the capital and school fields being tarmacked to provide accomodation.
Speaking in the video, Jenny revealed: “In the South-East of Croydon there is more land given over to golf courses than to housing.” The London Assembly member was also invited onto the show to debate the issue with golf-loving Conservative MP Cheryl Gillan.
According to Sports England, golf is played by only 2% of Londoners on at least a monthly basis. In England as a whole, only 0.68% in those who classed themselves as “non-white” play golf at least once a month. Men are approximately 7 times as likely as women to play, whilst those who are most affluent are around twice as likely to play compared to those who are less well off.*
Meanwhile, new figures show that rough sleeping in the capital is now double the level it was when Boris Johnson became Mayor, with three in ten sleeping for more than one night on the streets.
Johnson promised in his 2008 and 2012 manifestos to ensure that nobody spent a second night out, effectively ending rough sleeping.
Speaking on the BBC programme, Jenny said that she would rather see some of the land currently given over to golf courses – which cover 1% of the UK – used to build homes to combat the housing crisis. She also argued that developing golf courses could limit the building of homes on school playing fields.
In addition to building more social housing in the capital, Greens in the Assembly have pushed for rental caps to ensure that Londoners are not priced out of their homes.
Green Assembly Member Darren Johnson added: “This is a preventable tragedy. The Mayor needs to lobby for stronger protections for private tenants and against cuts to benefits and public services if he wants to finally deliver his manifesto promise to end rough sleeping in the capital.”
*In comparison, 38% of those who classed themselves as “non-white” say they play sport at least once a week. The ratio of men to women playing sport on a weekly basis is approximately 4:3 and of the most affluent to middle or low affluence is approximately 4:3.