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A local politician today warned that central London councils risked being run “only by people with trust funds”, after resigning because she cannot afford to live in her area.

Maeve McCormack, 30, stepped down as a Labour councillor representing the Gospel Oak ward of Camden because rising house prices mean she cannot afford to buy in the area.

People who do not live, work, or own property in a local authority area cannot stand for election.

Ms McCormack warned that there was an issue across inner-London boroughs of politicians being forced out because of the housing crisis and resulting rising rents and house prices.

“I’m aware of three of four councillors in Camden alone and there are other boroughs where this is a growing issue too,” she said, adding: “There is a risk of local politicians being increasingly unrepresentative.

“We can’t just have people who are retired or with trust funds making decisions for our communities.”

A Conservative Camden councillor, Tom Currie, announced last month that he would not stand in next year’s local elections, citing one reason as the need “to find a home that’s a bit more affordable than central London”.

Ms McCormack, a PR consultant, earns more than £40,000 a year but could not afford to buy a flat in Camden where she has lived for the past eight years where the average property price is more than £1 million.

Her basic allowance as a councillor was £9,751.

She was elected in 2014.

She said: “Councillors are just elected residents, they’re not a different species of human being, so they just go through the same thing as anyone else.”

London Councils, the body representing local authorities in the capital, would not comment specifically on the issue of councillors being priced out of their communities.

However, it did refer to previous statements supporting more affordability of housing in London.

A spokeswoman said: “London Councils has maintained a one-size-fits-all approach will not work — and that we must see a variety of homes, of a range of tenures built to offer housing solutions for all Londoners.”