Housing issues are one of the key concerns in the by-election triggered by the resignation of former Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer.
People living in Holborn and St Pancras will go to the polls on October 8. Across the constituency, residents have raised concerns about housing, including limited availability, rising rents and mortgage costs.
Housing availability
Severe shortages of available housing in Camden are fuelling growing frustration among long-term residents ahead of the upcoming by-election.
Somers Town resident Andy, 64, a retired gardener whose family has lived in the area for eight generations, said his relatives are struggling to find homes.
He said: “I’ve got six children and seven grandchildren. None of them could get a house in Camden. Not one of them.”
Andy expressed disillusionment with the Labour Party, indicating that he will look elsewhere on polling day.
He said: “I just think Labour is not what it was originally. Labour was for working people, and it’s not anymore.
“I probably will vote Reform, out of what’s left.”
Under the leadership of Camden Labour, the local authority reports building 1,700 new homes, with ongoing plans for additional affordable, high quality housing for local families, though the borough continues to face acute supply shortages and high demand.
Social housing
According to Camden’s 2026 State of the Borough Report, 8,380 households were on the social housing waiting list in March 2025 – a 9.5% increase on the previous year. Roughly two-thirds of the properties that do become available are studios or one-bedroom flats, leaving severe shortages for larger family properties.
Long-term resident Patsy, a 79-year-old retired library worker, said her main concern going into the by-election is the sale of council homes in Camden, warning it leaves fewer options for local families in need of affordable housing.
Speaking about the tenancy she shared with her late husband, Patsy said: “We never bought this, and I think when I’m dead, some other family who really needs it is going to have it.”
A lifelong Labour voter, Patsy is now considering supporting the Green Party and its leader and candidate in the by-election, Zack Polanski, because of the party’s environmental focus.
The Green Party has consistently opposed the ‘Right to Buy’ scheme that allows the sale of council homes to tenants.
Rising rents
Escalating private rents are also driving dissatisfaction among younger voters, including 23-year-old literature student Louis.
He said: “The cost of living and just cost of housing in London generally-it’s really out of control.
“Constantly trying to raise the rent, dealing with landlords that don’t really take care of their tenants, struggling to pay for rent and get food and everything else at the same time.”
Frustrated by the lack of visible progress under a Labour government, Louis says he favours Green Party policies.
He said: “It’s been hard to see real changes under a Labour government. People want to see tangible things they can actually notice in their lives.”
The average monthly private rent in Camden reached £2,819 in August 2026, according to official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), making it one of the most expensive boroughs in London, with local tenants paying double the national average.
Mortgage costs
Mortgage costs have been a considerable issue for residents like 53-year-old executive assistant Kathryn.
She said: “It’s hard to get on the property ladder because I’m on my own… even though I have a relatively good job, it’s expensive to get a mortgage when it’s just one person.
“There is no help for people that are by themselves.”
Kathryn does not intend to vote in the upcoming by-election, noting that the parties don’t offer anything different to address her situation as a single renter looking to get on the property ladder.
According to Camden’s 2026 State of the Borough Report, house prices in the borough are among the highest in the UK, increasing in 2025 to £876,065 on average.
Local issues
For former Constituency Labour Party (CLP) secretary Georgia, 65, housing is also the most pressing concern facing the area. But she believes the choice of candidate also matters, particularly when it comes to their understanding of the issues facing residents. She highlighted Labour candidate Councillor Sagal Abdi-Wali, the current Labour councillor for Camden.
She said: “I think Sagal Abdi-Wali is great… having worked in county council and in the CLP for a long time, she’s really embedded in the community with local issues.”
Georgia also commented on a Green Party leaflet delivered to residents and the prospect of having the party’s leader, Zack Polanski, as MP for Holborn and St Pancras.
She said: “The Greens have said in their leaflets that we don’t need another local backbench MP… I totally disagree.
“We’ve had a national leader for the last 10 years; it would be great to have a backbench MP consult with the community about local issues.”
Applications to register to vote in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election must reach the Electoral Registration Officer by midnight on Tuesday 22 September.
Applications can be made online: Register to vote.
Featured image credit: Caitlin Scully
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