London developers to be allowed to reduce percentage of affordable homes

Housing secretary and capital's mayor draw up plans to boost housebuilding, but homelessness charities protest

Developers will be allowed to build lower numbers of affordable homes and claim higher subsidies to build them under plans being drawn up by the government to solve London's housebuilding crisis.

Steve Reed, the housing secretary, and Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, will announce the package within weeks, in what officials say will be a time-limited intervention designed to stall the sudden drop in new building in the capital.