London Councils has today set out eight simple policy tests to ensure that any future government housing reforms will benefit all the capital's communities.

The tests are outlined in the document 'Rethinking Housing', launched to influence the government's housing reform green paper, which is expected later this year.

The document spells out the challenges facing London's housing market. London remains the least affordable region in the UK with 1.6 million households on social housing waiting lists.

But it also points the way forward to begin developing solutions to these challenges.

As well as the eight policy tests, Rethinking Housing sets out six key reforms that the next government housing green paper should address, including:

• More freedom and flexibilities for local authorities
• More effective cross agency working
• More targeted help for those who are workless and homeless
• Better use of the private rented sector
• Better support for owner occupation
• More opportunities to house homeless households.