MPs warn Ukrainian refugees are being forced into B&Bs
24/05/2022 MPs have written to the Government to raise concerns about the Homes for Ukraine scheme in light of reports of Ukrainian refugees being forced into B&Bs. |
Landlords call for ‘property passports’
24/05/2022 The association representing landlords has called for new property passports to help landlords prove their homes are compliant. |
Gove criticises social housing landlord after ‘severe maladministration’ finding
24/05/2022 Michael Gove has criticised England's largest social housing landlord after an investigation found the housing body was guilty of ‘severe maladministration’. |
Government urged to invest over £2bn a year in energy efficiency measures
23/05/2022 The Government has been urged to commit to spending £2.3bn a year for the next decade on raising the energy efficiency standards of 2.3 million homes. |
Nine ways to create a good design code
23/05/2022 Jane Dann outlines the nine steps that local authorities can take to get a good code in place. |
Home Office rejects Grenfell inquiry safety recommendation
19/05/2022 Government has rejected a recommendation that would require owners of high-rise buildings to prepare emergency evacuation plans for disabled residents. |
New reporting system for housing repairs launched for council tenants
19/05/2022 City of Lincoln Council has launched a new digital service to make it more convenient for tenants to report their housing repair needs. |
Trust seeks £150m to acquire more homes to rent to councils
17/05/2022 Real estate investment trust Home REIT is looking to raise £150m to support its plans to acquire more homes to let out to charities and councils. |
Council pays family threatened with homelessness £6,000
13/05/2022 Bromley council has agreed to pay a family threatened with homelessness £6,000 after an investigation concluded that it did not do enough to help them. |
Council apologises after family forced to live on building site
13/05/2022 Croydon Council has apologised after a family was left to live on a building site for two years after the local authority failed to pay a grant on time. |
Levelling Up Bill to ‘empower local people’ published
12/05/2022 The Government has published the levelling up Bill which promises to transform struggling towns and support local leaders have more control of regeneration. |
Council considers buying 37 houses for homeless families
12/05/2022 Torbay Council is considering borrowing £10m to purchase 37 properties to help homeless families. |
Queen's Speech: Government plans to boost tenants rights
10/05/2022 Two separate housing bills in the Queen’s Speech set out the Government plans to tackle tenants rights improve the private rented sector. |
Council restarts development following nutrient neutrality analysis
10/05/2022 Havant Borough Council has been able to lift the block on housing development in the area following analysis into nutrient neutrality. |
Levelling up communities will not be possible without greater support for local authorities
09/05/2022 Gillian Charlesworth warns that unless local authorities are equipped with a clear strategic direction and sufficient resources, levelling up the country is unlikely to become reality. |
Over 18,000 affordable houses lost due to permitted development rights
09/05/2022 Council chiefs have called for an end to permitted development rights to ensure that all conversions contribute to the delivery of affordable homes. |
New Bill to put beauty at the heart of planning, says Gove
08/05/2022 The Queen’s Speech is set to include a new bill to revamp planning and kick start housebuilding, levelling up secretary Michael Gove has revealed. |
One in six private renters live in poor conditions
06/05/2022 More than one in six private renters in England were forced to accept poor conditions to find somewhere they could rent, housing charity says. |
Council builds affordable homes for ‘first time in a generation’
05/05/2022 South Hams District Council is building its own affordable homes for local people ‘for the first time in a generation’. |
MPs voice ‘concerns’ over lack of funding for Ukrainian refugees
04/05/2022 MPs have joined council leaders in calling on Government to provide councils with funding to support Ukrainian refugees arriving via the family visa scheme. |
'Nutrient neutrality' rules are delaying up to 100,000 new homes
04/05/2022 Up to 100,000 new homes are being delayed due to new regulations around 'nutrient neutrality', according to new research. |
Councils need support to protect refugees from exploitation, experts say
29/04/2022 The Government has been urged to take ‘urgent measures’ to support councils in their response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis in order to tackle exploitation. |
Oxford’s licensing scheme for private landlords approved
29/04/2022 All private rented homes in Oxford will need a licence from September as part of a new council scheme aimed at improving standards in the city’s rental sector. |
‘No fault evictions’ up nearly 40%
29/04/2022 Local authority leaders have called for an end to ‘no fault evictions’ as new figures reveal they are up 37% on pre-pandemic levels. |
Study to see if abandoned mines could be used to heat homes in Cornwall
28/04/2022 A study to determine if abandoned mines could be used to heat new homes will be undertaken in Cornwall. |
Government urged to ban no-fault evictions this year
27/04/2022 A charity has urged the Government to scrap no-fault evictions after finding a private renter is served one every seven seconds. |
Nottingham expected to bring housing back under direct control after probes
27/04/2022 Nottingham City Council is expected to bring its housing back under direct control after two independent probes found ‘underlying issues around governance and finance’. |
Ground rent charges to be banned from end of June
25/04/2022 Ground rent charges on new residential leases will be banned in England and Wales from 30 June 2022. |
Meeting new water consumption targets
25/04/2022 Dr Glyn Hyett explains how water re-use systems can help local authorities avoid floods and droughts, and make carbon footprint savings at the same time. |
Nearly 40% of electorate prioritising affordable housing in local elections
21/04/2022 Four in 10 Britons say affordable decent housing needs to be improved ahead of the local elections, a new poll reveals. |
Four in ten private renters 'held back by their housing'
21/04/2022 There has been renewed calls for more social homes after a charity found 40% of private renters are being held back in life by their housing. |
Councils lack capacity to protect private renters, MPs warn
13/04/2022 Local authorities do not have the capacity and capability to provide ‘appropriate and consistent protection for private renters’, MPs warn. |
Housing industry to pay £5bn to address building safety scandal
13/04/2022 Government today revealed an agreement that will see the housing industry contribute £5bn to ensure that the buildings developers have built are safe. |
City planning should be based on ‘health first principle’
05/04/2022 The UK’s planning system should be reformed to follow a ‘health first principle’, according to a new report. |
Councils to fund housing for homeless refugees
01/04/2022 Local authorities will have to pick up the bill for accommodating homeless Ukrainian refugees from their own budgets, a minister has said. |
Landlords call for ‘absurd’ housing benefit freeze to be lifted
01/04/2022 Landlords have called on the Government to unfreeze the Local Housing Allowance to cover the average rent. |
Data issues hampering councils' refugee response
30/03/2022 Councils are struggling to prepare for the arrival of refugees due to a lack of quality data, MPs have been told. |
Councils offered £75,000 grant to test digital housing services
30/03/2022 Councils are being invited to apply for grants of £75,000 to test out with older people which technology tools and digital housing services work best for them. |
Failing social housing providers to be ‘named and shamed’
29/03/2022 Providers of social housing who fail to deliver decent accommodation will be called out as part of reforms to drive up standards, Government announced today. |
Reaching net zero impossible without national planning policy changes
25/03/2022 Reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050 is impossible without urgent changes to national planning policy, countryside campaigners say. |
Councils need anti-hoarding teams, researchers say
21/03/2022 Local authority housing officers should be given better training or even specialist anti-hoarding teams to deal with hoarders, researchers say. |
Councils granted more powers and £20m for supported housing
18/03/2022 Councils in England are to be granted new powers to better manage local supported housing market and to crack down on rogue landlords, Government announced. |
Plans to level up Blackpool are unveiled
18/03/2022 Blackpool will receive a beefed-up inspection regime to tackle rogue landlords and a King’s Cross style regeneration programme under the Government's levelling up plans. |
Honouring the Ukrainian spirit
17/03/2022 The events in Ukraine have provided a timely reminder of how important our democracy is and how much we can lose. And, as Dr Jonathan Carr-West explains, councils have a vital role to play both immediately and further beyond back on home territory. |
Homes England recommits to joint venture to deliver 6,600 houses
17/03/2022 Homes England has recommitted to a joint venture that will deliver 6,600 homes and 2 million sq ft of innovation and commercial space over the next 10 years. |
Council calls for urgent meeting to end local plan deadlock
16/03/2022 Welwyn Hatfield BC has written to request an urgent meeting with the housing minister, Stuart Andrew, to discuss the council’s local plan deadlock. |
Campaigners call for new homes tax to be scrapped
15/03/2022 Scrapping the 3% levy on the purchase of homes to rent out would see almost 900,000 new private rented homes made available over the next ten years, according to new research. |
Cap parking provision at one space per property, charity says
14/03/2022 A charity has called for car parking provision at new housing developments to be capped at a maximum of one space per property. |
Heat pump strategy leaves ‘questions unanswered’
10/03/2022 The Government’s heat pump strategy leaves ‘many questions unanswered’, the Government's advisory Climate Change Committee (CCC) has said. |
Right to Buy policy has been a 'strategic failure' review warns
09/03/2022 The Right to Buy policy in England has become a 'strategic failure' that has exacerbated inequalities in society, a damning review has found. |
Swindon and Wiltshire councils to help deliver £5m home upgrades
09/03/2022 The South West Energy Hub will work with Swindon Borough Council and Wiltshire Council to deliver over £5m worth of home upgrades across Swindon and Wiltshire. |
Council offers £5,000 grants to help residents ‘step on’ housing ladder
08/03/2022 South Hams DC has launched a new pilot scheme to help local people get on the housing ladder and boost the number of homes available at an affordable rent. |
Review launched to assess shortfall in housing-with-care options
08/03/2022 A review to assess the level of unmet need for housing-with-care for older people in the UK has been launched. |
Council refers itself to the housing regulator
02/03/2022 East Suffolk Council has referred itself to the Regulator of Social Housing following issues with rent payments and health and safety data records. |
Proposal for councils to impose 'health test' on new developments
01/03/2022 Councils should impose a new ‘health test’ on major developments to ensure they promote healthier living in the area, a researcher has proposed. |
Funding allocated to develop derelict brownfield sites
25/02/2022 Three regions will share £30m funding to regenerate brownfield sites and create 2,500 new homes, the Government has announced. |
Rough sleeping figures fall by nearly 10%
24/02/2022 A charity calls for a ‘roadmap out of homelessness’ as Government figures released today reveal that the number of people sleeping rough has decreased by 9%. |
Plans to decarbonise housing at risk due to lack of funding
24/02/2022 A lack of clear Government strategies and insufficient financial incentives are undermining progress on decarbonisation in housing sector, housing body warns. |
Homelessness levels could rise by a third by 2024, research warns
22/02/2022 The number of homeless people in England could increase by a third by 2024, new research has warned today. |
First wave of £67m Home Upgrade Grant awarded to 22 local authorities
22/02/2022 Local authorities will be allocated £67m to help reduce the fuel bills of 4,300 low-income households. |
Edinburgh seeks new powers to control short term lets
18/02/2022 The City of Edinburgh Council is looking to become a short term let (STL) control area. |
Khan calls for bigger fines to punish rogue landlords
17/02/2022 The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has called for bigger fines to be issued to rogue landlords as part of a move to protect the capital’s renters. |
Landlords urged to put forward homes for Afghan families
15/02/2022 A new housing portal to match councils with private landlords who have suitable properties to house Afghan families has been relaunched by the Government. |
Developers to be forced to pay for removal of unsafe cladding
15/02/2022 Developers and product manufacturers in the building sector will be forced to pay for the removal of unsafe cladding, the Government says. |
UK needs nearly 230,000 private rented homes per year to meet demand
14/02/2022 The UK needs nearly 230,000 new private rented homes a year to meet government housing targets, according to new research. |
Councils secure £174m funding for 'move on' homes for rough sleepers
11/02/2022 Councils in England have received a £174m funding boost to deliver 2,900 homes for rough sleepers. |
Councils urged to improve record-keeping of private housing complaints
10/02/2022 Councils have been urged to properly record complaints about the private rented sector after campaigners found over half are failing to accurately do so. |
Government announced £179m funding to upgrade social homes
08/02/2022 The first recipients of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund have been announced, which will see 20,000 properties across England receive energy efficiency upgrades. |
New greenfield developments encouraging congestion, report argues
08/02/2022 New housing developments on greenfield land are locking local communities into car dependency, a report has argued. |
Approval for 4,000 homes in new Cambridgeshire town
03/02/2022 Planning approval and funding has been granted for the next phase of the largest new town since Milton Keynes. |
Wolverhampton and Sheffield will be first to benefit from levelling up plans
31/01/2022 The Government has announced Wolverhampton and Sheffield will be the first two places to benefit from its new regeneration programme. |
Nearly 400 households a day facing homelessness
28/01/2022 More than 36,000 households became homeless in the three months after the ban on evictions ended in England, according to new data. |
All Scottish councils to set up short-term lets licensing schemes
20/01/2022 New legislation will require all local authorities in Scotland to set up licensing schemes for all short-term let properties. |
Social housing staff training review confirmed
18/01/2022 The Government today confirmed a review of the training of social housing staff after receiving thousands of complaints in the wake of the Grenfell tragedy. |
Support from Effective Energy Group for Local Authorities to Deliver £430m Sustainable Warmth Funded Energy Efficiency Projects
18/01/2022 Effective Energy Group is now offering its support to the 40 Local Authorities who have received a share of the £430m to deliver their projects on the ground by surveying properties and installing measures. |
Human rights group warns of ‘uninhabitable’ temporary accommodation
18/01/2022 Children in London growing up in ‘uninhabitable’ temporary accommodation due to Government-imposed austerity and the housing crisis, human rights group warns. |
Successful applicants of latest Housing Advisers Programme announced
18/01/2022 The 30 successful applicants chosen to receive help to overcome housing challenges in their local areas have been announced. |
Gove closes tax loophole on second homes
14/01/2022 A loophole that allows second home owners to avoid paying council tax by falsely claiming their properties are holidays lets will be closed under new measures. |
Short term holiday rentals ‘crippling’ rural communities, warns charity
13/01/2022 There has been a 1,000% increase in the number of homes listed for short term lets in the past six years, a charity has warned today. |
Improving the lives of UK social housing residents
12/01/2022 A new report has revealed UK social housing residents want to feel a greater sense of community and improved safety, finds Doug Sarney. |
New proposals to update 'broken' leasehold system
12/01/2022 New proposals to make it cheaper and easier for leaseholders in England and Wales to buy the freeholds of their buildings have been announced by the Government. |
Council found guilty of ‘maladministration’ over leaky roof complaint
11/01/2022 The London Borough of Ealing has said it is reviewing its working practices after the Housing Ombudsman found that it was guilty of ‘severe maladministration’. |
Fund planners to solve housing crisis - Lords
07/01/2022 Peers have said council planning departments must be better resourced to prevent an ‘emerging crisis’. |
London sees highest number of council homes built since 1970s
16/12/2021 London has seen the highest number of new council homes built since the 1970s, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has announced. |
Over a million children in need of social housing, research finds
15/12/2021 Nearly two million children in England are living in overcrowded, unaffordable or unsuitable homes, new research has revealed. |
Districts warn of rise in housing waiting lists as landlords sell properties
10/12/2021 More than three-quarters of district councils have reported an increase in landlords selling up properties or converting their properties into Airbnb’s. |
One in every 206 people are homeless, charity warns
09/12/2021 One in every 206 people in England are without a home, new research from a homelessness charity has revealed. |
Council to in-source housing services
09/12/2021 Haringey Council has announced it is in-sourcing housing services after a consultation saw residents back the change. |
Counties call for strategic planning model
08/12/2021 County councils are facing 'excessive' pressures on their infrastructure due to housing development, according to a new report. |
Wider housing options would stop older people fleeing urban areas, report argues
06/12/2021 More should be done to slow the flow of older people from urban areas to rural and coastal communities, a think tank has argued. |
Government allocates £11m to develop brownfield sites
30/11/2021 The Government has allocated £11m to help local authorities develop brownfield land into good quality housing. |
Councils secure funding to secure private homes for homeless people
30/11/2021 Councils in Wales will receive £30m funding over the next five years to help use private housing to prevent homelessness. |
Taking action on condensation and mould
30/11/2021 Condensation and mould can be a recurring problem that social housing landlords can find difficult to deal with, but to comply with the Homes Act it is essential landlords tackle it effectively when it occurs in their properties. Tom Wodcke explains. |
Drive to decarbonise homes must ‘urgently move up the political agenda’
29/11/2021 The majority of MPs questioned in a recent YouGov survey do not believe Government policy goes far enough when it comes to the installation of renewable heating technologies for homes. |
Welsh government to crack down on second homes
24/11/2021 The Welsh government is to launch a pilot scheme to tackle the negative impact that second home ownership can have on local communities, particularly in Welsh speaking areas. |
Transfer scheme for asylum children made mandatory
23/11/2021 Councils will have to take in asylum-seeking children as the national transfer scheme is made mandatory. |
Section 21 evictions drop by over 50%
22/11/2021 The number of repossession cases in the courts involving landlords using ‘no explanation’ notices has decreased over past two years, Government data reveals. |
Gove warned of climate change floods risk
22/11/2021 Local government secretary Michael Gove was today urged to align UK housing policy with climate change. |
Charity criticises 12% decrease in construction of social homes
19/11/2021 A charity has blasted the Government after it was revealed that only one social home was built for every 195 households stuck on housing waiting lists. |
Cornwall Council to debate £300m plan for tackling housing crisis
19/11/2021 Councillors in Cornwall are set to discuss a £300m plan for tackling the housing crisis in the county. |
Shell is helping power the journey towards a circular paving industry with Shell Bitumen LT R, a new product for roads that uses plastics destined for landfill as part of the additives to make the bitumen.
Effective Energy Group is now offering its support to the 40 Local Authorities who have received a share of the £430m to deliver their projects on the ground by surveying properties and installing measures.
Dougie Belmore explains how one of the main interfaces between you and Bacs is about to change.