A newsagents window with adverts for rooms to rent in Newham. Photograph: Martin Godwin/the Guardian
Kay Boycott of Shelter:
Londoners consistently rate the cost of housing as one of the most pressing issues facing the capital, even more than transport or crime. Yet although the mayoral candidates are talking about housing, none have put it centre stage, and it has consistently had a low profile at City Hall...Yet from May, the next mayor will have significant new powers over housing in the capital, handing the winning candidate a golden opportunity to fix London's housing and make a real difference to Londoners' lives.
As Boycott also writes, London's mayors have consistently fallen short of supplying the extra homes London needs for its fast-growing population. Meanwhile, property prices have soared, private sector rents have done the same and there are far too many rogue landlords. Throw into this mix the growing length of borough housing waiting lists and the impact of housing and other benefit changes, and the daunting scale of London's housing crisis becomes apparent.
Shelter has launched a Homes for London campaign, with a website that sets out its own proposals and will monitor the pledges of mayoral candidates. Ken Livingstone's commitment to create a London-wide lettings agency looks very similar to one of the Homes for London ideas, as does the "ethical lettings agency" proposal of Green Party candidate Jenny Jones.
However, none of of the candidates have yet published their full housing manifestos. Those that match most closely the Homes for London programme will be the ones most deserving of your votes.
The Guardian on London
London's housing crisis demands more than a mansion tax
Will Boris Bikes keep Johnson in saddle in London?
Brian Paddick: using private security firms will erode the tradition of policing by consent
Boris Johnson's deputy complained 'several times' about hacking inquiry
Boris Johnson defends deputy mayor over phone-hacking intervention
Brian Coleman, his "blackshirts" email and Jewish Barnet
Letters: the right place for a hub airport
London Underground workers offered £850 Olympic bonus
McCluskey clarifies Olympics "strike" call but warns of fight against cuts
Olympic Games risk going over budget as cost hits £11bn, say MPs
Olympics: police "have learned lessons of riots"
Theatres to offer cheap tickets to Olympic commuters
London 2012's Olympic Park: the unsung buildings in pictures
London Southend airport: flying under the radar
Let's hear it for the big, red northern bus
Thirty years of the Barbican centre in pictures
Marni and H&M collaboration creates a stir among fashion fans
How Gilbert & George stole the headlines and made art
London blogosphere
Breaking news!
There were violent scenes in Tuffet Way recently as riot police stormed an angry crowd early one morning. The Kidbrooke Kite managed to take these exclusive pictures.
The pictures are real. As for the rest? Read on.
Coming up
The highlight of next week's London Assembly public meetings will be mayor's question time on Wednesday morning, where Boris will be goaded about public transport in outer London and the capital's cost of living, and invited to tell the world how terrible it is that Ken Livingstone is supported by trade unions. Meanwhile at my London blog and Comment is Free the Guardian's epic crowdsourcing project to compile a manifesto for a model mayor will continue. Your good ideas will be very, very welcome. Thanks for reading.