<p><span>The mayor of London Sadiq Khan has warned that rising material prices and labour shortages are hampering housebuilding in the capital, citing the “double impact” of the pandemic and Brexit.</span></p> <p><span>According to government data, the cost of construction materials including steel, timber and concrete for all types of work increased </span>23% in the UK in 2021. The Greater London Authority said this rise was roughly equal to the increase seen during the previous 12 years in total.</p> <p>The mayor, repeating a previous call for the government to provide additional grant funding for affordable housing in London, pointed to schemes including from his own housing programmes that were being “severely impacted” by escalating material prices. </p> <p>These include a scheme in south east London which has seen costs increasing 45% based on tender prices and a south London borough reporting cost inflation “spiking” up to 17%.</p> <p>Earlier this month, the mayor called for the government to introduce a Coronavirus Recovery Visa to deal with labour shortages, including in construction. <span>He said the visa should allow </span><span>workers</span><span> at least 12 months to work in the UK. </span><span>And it should </span><span>accommodate those working on a self-employed basis, which is often the case with …