Act on crowded housing, MPs urged

Mr Johnson launched the campaign with charity Shelter

London Mayor Boris Johnson has urged MPs to show children living in overcrowded homes the same concern as they have shown battery chickens.

More than 270 MPs have signed a parliamentary motion calling for better living conditions for chickens.

The mayor and homeless charity Shelter have now asked the government to rewrite definitions of overcrowding, which they say was promised in 2004.

About 330,000 children in London live in overcrowded homes, the charity says.

Current legislation passed in 1935 means a family of four living in a one-bedroom flat are not classed as being in overcrowded accommodation, Shelter said.

'Thorny issue'

"I applaud the concern of MPs for the welfare of the mighty chicken but I say it's about time we did the same for the thousands of children in London who are currently living in unfit, cramped conditions and give this legislation a 21st Century makeover," Mr Johnson said.

He added that he intended to improve the family housing available in London.

"We're investing over £1bn a year to increase the number of family-size, affordable homes in the capital and rewriting the design guide to make sure our homes are fit for more than just hobbits," he said.

Mr Johnson's housing adviser Richard Blakeway promised to tackle the "thorny issue" of under-occupancy where one person, often elderly, lives in a house which is much too big for their needs.

Shelter's director of policy and campaigns, Kay Boycott, said the number of children living in overcrowded homes has gone up 10% in two years.

"People cannot afford to move to larger homes when they have children," she said.

"The legal standard for accommodation needs to be rewritten by government."

"Living in confined conditions has a devastating effect on family life, especially children's safety, health and education," she adesd.