Housing Ombudsman launches damp and mould investigation
14/04/2021 The Housing Ombudsman has launched an investigation after a review of data revealed a high rate of maladministration on cases involving damp and mould. |
Councils urged to make off-site affordable housing a higher priority
08/04/2021 A greater emphasis needs to be placed on delivering affordable housing through off-site allocations, a new report says. |
Majority of new homes classed as energy efficient, figures reveal
07/04/2021 The majority of new homes in England are in the most energy efficient bands, according to the latest official figures. |
Controversial planning laws threaten to do ‘more harm than good’
31/03/2021 New planning laws coming into force today will allow commercial premises to be converted into homes without requiring a full planning application. |
Government allocates £562m green improvement fund
23/03/2021 Over 50,000 social housing properties and low-income households will be upgraded with green improvements with the launch of a £562m Government fund. |
Private outdoor space for public housing: how much is enough?
23/03/2021 Recommendations for private outdoor space standards for public housing could help local authorities optimise those benefits for residents. Paul Miller reports. |
Councils to be given five years to spend Right to Buy receipts
22/03/2021 Councils will be given five years to spend receipts from Right to Buy sales as part of an overhaul of the key housing policy, local government secretary Robert Jenrick has announced. |
MPs call for action to improve care options for older people
22/03/2021 A cross-party group of MPs and Peers have called on the Government to take urgent action to improve housing and care options for older people. |
Council gives green light to £350m developments
18/03/2021 Southampton City Council has given the green light to two new developments that will see over 1000 homes built in the city. |
Homes England announces £83m to deliver 3,000 homes in Nottinghamshire
15/03/2021 An £83m package of funding has been agreed to accelerate the delivery of 3,000 homes at Fairham, a 606-acre mixed use development on the edge of Nottingham. |
Government extends eviction ban in England
11/03/2021 The extension on the current ban on evictions by bailiffs has been welcomed by a homelessness charity. |
Budget 2021: Stamp duty holiday extended and new mortgage guarantee scheme
03/03/2021 The chancellor has extended the stamp duty holiday and created a new mortgage guarantee scheme for people who can’t afford a big deposit to help boost the housing market in his Budget. |
Councils fear homelessness ‘tidal wave’
01/03/2021 Local authorities are braced for a surge in the number of homeless people as protections put in place for the COVID-19 pandemic are allowed to lapse. |
Pressure on Green Belt quadruples, warn campaigners
25/02/2021 More than a quarter of a million homes are proposed on greenfield land in advanced local plans, campaigners have warned. |
Homes England acquires Harrogate sites to build over 800 houses
23/02/2021 Homes England has acquired two development sites in Harrogate in a move that the national housing agency hopes will unlock land for over 800 new family homes. |
Homeless deaths rose by more than a third in past year, warn campaigners
22/02/2021 The number of homeless people who died last year increased by 37% despite the success of the Everyone In scheme, new research has revealed. |
Homes England invites councils to become strategic partners
22/02/2021 Local authorities have been invited to become strategic partners with Homes England to increase the delivery of affordable housing. |
Calls to use Budget to tackle 'rent debt crisis'
18/02/2021 The chancellor has been warned that homelessness will increase if he fails to tackle the rent debt crisis in the upcoming Budget. |
Think tank calls for a ‘street votes’ approach in the suburbs
17/02/2021 Local residents should be given the power to set their own local development rules at a street level, and share the wealth created by new housing, a think tank has proposed today. |
Social housing sector calls for guidance to meet sustainability targets
16/02/2021 Nine in 10 social housing construction professionals believe the sector is in urgent need of new Government guidelines if it is going to meet sustainability targets, a new survey has revealed. |
UK set for first hydrogen homes
16/02/2021 The UK’s first homes with appliances fuelled entirely by hydrogen will be built in Gateshead this April. |
SME builders given £250m boost to diversify housing market
16/02/2021 Small and medium-sized builders are now able to access construction loans of between £1m and £10m from a new fund, the Government’s housing delivery agency has announced. |
Pandemic pushes 450,000 families into housing debt, says report
16/02/2021 A further 450,000 families have fallen behind on their housing payments due to the impact of the pandemic, a think tank has warned today. |
Are local authorities fighting a losing battle on social tenant satisfaction?
15/02/2021 John Doyle explains why registered providers of social housing face an upwards battle to comply with the new Charter for Social Housing Residents. |
Ban on bailiff evictions in England extended by six weeks
15/02/2021 A ban on bailiff evictions has been extended until the end of March to protect renters during the current lockdown restrictions. |
Planning inspector backs council over affordable housing decision
05/02/2021 Trafford Council was right to refuse permission for a new development that had no affordable housing, a planning inspector has ruled. |
Pandemic puts ‘highly ambitious’ housing targets at risk
03/02/2021 The impact of COVID-19 has left the Government falling short of its target to build one million new homes over the whole of the parliament, a think tank has warned. |
Councils urged to create local design code under new rules
01/02/2021 Councils will be required to create their own local design code to ensure all new housing developments meet local standards of quality and design. |
The provision of employment space
01/02/2021 In a climate of negligible employment land release where are the unemployment to find employment? Andy Jansons reports. |
Government launches £30m fire alarm fund
01/02/2021 Residents living in high-rise buildings with unsafe cladding can now get financial support from the Government to help them buy fire alarms. |
17 councils secure funding from Housing Advisers’ Programme
29/01/2021 The Local Government Association (LGA) has announced the 17 councils that have successfully applied to its Housing Advisers Programme. |
Homelessness figures highlight 'gross shortage' of social homes, warns charity
28/01/2021 Councils were only able to help a fifth of households at risk of homelessness to stay in their existing home, a charity has warned today. |
Report highlights furniture poverty in social housing
22/01/2021 Only 2% of social rented properties are let as furnished or partly furnished, compared to 29% of private rented properties, new research has shown. |
All social high-rise buildings take action on dangerous cladding
22/01/2021 All social housing towers have had unsafe cladding removed - or have work underway - government figures have revealed. |
New homes will need to reduce emissions by at least 75% by 2025
20/01/2021 All new buildings will have to meet tough new energy efficiency standards under plans published by the Government. |
New regulator established to ensure building materials are ‘fit for purpose’
20/01/2021 The Government has announced the establishment of a national regulator which aims to ensure materials used to build homes will be made safer. |
Councils urged to update their Local Plans
20/01/2021 A small number of councils are failing to keep their Local Plans up-to-date, the housing minister has warned. |
‘Right to Regenerate’ to free up public land, Jenrick says
18/01/2021 The public will be able to convert vacant plots of land and derelict buildings into new homes or community spaces under ‘Right to Regenerate’ proposals. |
Councils warned not to adopt allocations criteria that disadvantage domestic abuse victims
14/01/2021 The ombudsman has reminded councils to consider the exceptional circumstances of people fleeing domestic abuse when assessing their housing needs. |
Nearly 130,000 children in temporary accommodation during lockdown
13/01/2021 Around 450 primary schools’ worth of homeless children are spending lockdown in temporary accommodation amid a chronic shortage of affordable housing, council chiefs have warned. |
Report finds data problems in Brownfield Land Registers
12/01/2021 More than 348,000 homes could be built on unregistered brownfield land, an investigation has revealed. |
Ban on evictions extended in Scotland
08/01/2021 The temporary ban on evictions orders has been extended until the end of March in Scotland. |
Government urged to bring back Everyone In programme
07/01/2021 The Government has been urged to ensure all rough sleepers are housed during the third national lockdown. |
Council housing waiting lists could double due to COVID-19
22/12/2020 Local authority housing waiting lists could nearly double as a result of COVID-19, council chiefs have warned. |
West Midlands Combined Authority wins £51m to transform brownfield sites
21/12/2020 The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has won £51m to transform derelict industrial sites into new communities. |
Charity warns a quarter of a million people trapped in temporary accommodation
17/12/2020 Over a quarter of a million people in England have been living in temporary accommodation throughout the pandemic, a homelessness charity has warned today. |
Jenrick announces revised plan for housing algorithum
16/12/2020 The Government has announced a raft of new measures in an attempt to provide much-needed homes in urban areas and on brownfield sites. |
Local authorities need greater clarity and commitment from government to make our homes greener
16/12/2020 Mike Thornton argues local authorities cannot be successful in reducing carbon emissions in their areas without the backing of a clear national policy framework. |
Developers yet to apply for planning permission for over a million homes, councils find
11/12/2020 Developers have failed to seek planning permission for more than a million homes on land earmarked for development by councils, according to new research. |
London council rejects ‘cruel’ new immigration rules
10/12/2020 Lewisham Council has hit out at ‘draconian’ new immigration rules that make sleeping rough a legal ground to cancel or refuse permission to stay in the UK. |
MPs savage abandoned £192m housing scheme
08/12/2020 A £192m affordable housing programme that failed to deliver any homes has been labelled ‘deplorable’ by the Public Accounts Committee. |
Ex-service personnel face ‘significant housing difficulties’
08/12/2020 Some ex-service personnel still face housing difficulties despite a decade of improvements when it comes to housing outcomes for people leaving the armed forces. |
Council leader slams plans for asylum seeker site in village
08/12/2020 The leader of Test Valley Borough Council has started a petition calling on the Government to rethink plans to house 500 asylum seekers on the edge of Barton Stacey village. |
Multi-million funding boost to Disabled Facilities Grant
04/12/2020 Councils will be given an extra £68m to help thousands of disabled people make adaptations to their homes. |
London boroughs accused of ‘optimism bias’ on housing targets
04/12/2020 London could face a 86,000 shortfall of new homes over the next decade due to 'over optimistic projections', new research has argued. |
Future affordable housing must deliver big on space
25/11/2020 Local authorities are under pressure to deliver more affordable housing but while the focus is largely on quantity, this shouldn’t come at the expense of quality, writes Jonathan Pearson. |
Councils have 'serious concerns' over protecting rough sleepers this winter
24/11/2020 Some councils will face the 'difficult choice' of leaving people to sleep rough or placing them in unsafe accommodation this winter, a new report has warned. |
Ombudsman tells council to review its housing allocations policy
19/11/2020 East Lindsay District Council agreed to review its housing allocations policy to ensure it meets its equality duties following investigation by the Ombudsman. |
Charity calls for new standards for accessible housing
18/11/2020 A charity for elderly people is calling for national building standards to be raised to be ‘accessible and adaptable’ as a minimum baseline as a new survey reveals there is a shortage of accessible housing. |
PM publishes ten point plan for 'green industrial revolution'
18/11/2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson has published his ten point plan for creating a 'green industrial revolution' for 250,000 new jobs. |
Social housing tenants get stronger voice under new reforms
17/11/2020 Social housing tenants will be able to complain more effectively under new measures published by the Government. |
Council housing waiting lists set to double next year, report warns
16/11/2020 Council housing waiting lists are set to double to two million households next year due to the impact of the pandemic, a new report has warned. |
Councils invited to bid for £20,000 to tackle pandemic-related housing issues
12/11/2020 Local authorities have been invited to bid for extra support to help them tackle the impact of COVID-19 on the housing crisis. |
Planning reforms could be a ‘set-back’ for affordable homes, survey warns
11/11/2020 The majority of social landlords (85%) have warned the Government’s planning reforms will lead to less social and affordable housing, according to the results of a new survey. |
Council housing 'revolution' would create a quarter of a million new jobs, says report
06/11/2020 A 'radical' new approach to council housing would create 250,000 jobs and end the housing crisis, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has argued. |
Thousands of social homes to be decarbonised in Wales
06/11/2020 The Welsh Government has committed £10m to upgrade the energy efficiency of at least 1,000 existing social homes. |
How dementia care villages could support urban regeneration
05/11/2020 Can care providers and local authorities come together to revitalise run-down communities and create a more sustainable and caring future, ask Ian Holme and Simon Lewington. |
Crisis call for return of Everyone In
04/11/2020 The chief executive of homelessness charity Crisis has called for ring-fenced funding for councils to provide COVID-safe accommodation for anyone at risk of rough sleeping. |
Homes England funding rule undermines ‘levelling-up agenda’
02/11/2020 A disproportionate amount of Government funding for housing is being given to the UK’s most affluent areas, a property consultancy firm has calculated. |
Councils urged to approve more self-build homes
30/10/2020 Councils should grant enough planning permission to meet local demand for self-build, the Government has said today. |
Funding allocated for thousands of new homes for rough sleepers
29/10/2020 More than 3,300 new long-term homes for rough sleepers will be delivered by the end of March 2021, the Government has pledged. |
Rural homelessness doubles in past two years, campaigners warn
28/10/2020 Homelessness in rural areas has more than doubled since 2018, new research from campaigners has warned. |
Charity blasts cost of 'shoddy and expensive' temporary accommodation
23/10/2020 Councils in England spent £1.2bn on providing temporary accommodation for homeless households in 2019/20, figures have revealed. |
London council fines two rogue landlords £110,500
22/10/2020 Islington Council has fined two landlords £110,500 for providing dangerous and sub-standard housing. |
Housing-with-care is 'critically low', report warns
22/10/2020 The UK has an ‘acute’ lack of housing-with-care for older people, a report has warned. |
Capacity for 1.3 million homes on brownfield land, campaigners reveal
21/10/2020 There is enough brownfield land to deliver 1.3 million new homes, new analysis has revealed. |
Government launches £3m supported housing pilot
20/10/2020 The Government has announced that £3m will go to fund pilots in five areas aimed at improving the quality, enforcement, oversight and value for money in supported housing. |
Keep all options on the table to decarbonise heat
20/10/2020 Daniel Burton argues that councils will need to consider the latest technology-driven solutions to deliver low-carbon heating at scale. |
Calls to invest £900m in ‘transitional supported housing’
15/10/2020 The Government has been urged to invest £900m to ensure the UK’s most ‘invisible’ vulnerable people have access to supported housing by a think tank. |
Housebuilders call to raise threshold for affordable homes
15/10/2020 Raising the affordable homes threshold would help boost smaller developments, the National Federation of Builders (NFB) has argued. |
Council set to take housing services back in-house
15/10/2020 Kirklees Council is set to approve plans to bring the management and maintenance of its housing stock back in-house next week. |
Sector calls for new task force on housing with care
15/10/2020 The retirement community sector has united to urge the Government to set up a task force on housing with care in order to ‘level up’ for older people. |
Councils secure £10m to help homeless people this winter
13/10/2020 Councils will receive a new £10m Cold Weather Fund to help rough sleepers stay safe this winter. |
The impacts of planning reform on employment land
08/10/2020 Where will the recent and proposed reforms to the planning system take us? Stuart Hardisty reports. |
Warning that homeless people will die this winter without action
08/10/2020 The Government has been urged to provide self contained accommodation for homeless people this winter to protect them from coronavirus by charities and health bodies. |
Planning reforms risk delivery of affordable homes, council chiefs warn
07/10/2020 Communities could have missed out on 30,000 affordable homes in the past five years if proposed Government planning reforms were in place, local leaders warn. |
Social home shortage fuelling housing crisis, charity warns
06/10/2020 A ‘disastrous’ lack of social homes has caused a housing emergency in England, a charity has warned today. |
Kent councils take back control of housing stock
05/10/2020 Four councils in East Kent have taken back control of housing management services. |
Black people three times more likely to experience homelessness, figures reveal
02/10/2020 Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups are being disproportionately impacted by homelessness, new figures have revealed. |
Jenrick: Permitted Development Right homes must meet space standards
01/10/2020 All new homes in England delivered through any Permitted Development Right (PDR) must meet space standards, the housing secretary Robert Jenrick yesterday announced. |
The pressure of procurement
30/09/2020 Local authorities may be missing out on the chance to extract maximum value for their new-build housing projects, according to Tim Young. |
Local authorities can build back better with housing association joint ventures
28/09/2020 Olwen Brown outlines the five factors that support the long-term success of joint ventures. |
Tens of thousands of homes built after ‘bypassing’ planning system
23/09/2020 The Government’s approach to regulating the quality of new homes is ‘broken’, campaigners say as a new study argues that tens of thousands of homes have legally avoided the planning system. |
Calls for £1.3bn fund to buy-up private housing for social rent
23/09/2020 A £1.3bn National Housing Conversion Fund would create 42,500 new affordable homes and 9,300 new jobs, according to a new report. |
Cold and damp homes putting millions more at risk of COVID-19, report warns
22/09/2020 Millions of people living in cold and damp homes could be more at risk of contracting coronavirus this winter, a new report has warned. |
Study promotes ‘systemic change’ within the private rented sector
22/09/2020 A new study outlining measures that can be adopted to make the private rented sector (PRS) more secure for people from a diverse range of backgrounds has been launched. |
Modular housing a 'game-changer' for housing and jobs, experts claim
22/09/2020 Modular housing is a ‘game changer’ and could deliver 75,000 homes a year, a report from experts has claimed. |
Labour calls for extension of evictions ban to ‘avoid homelessness crisis’
18/09/2020 The Labour Party have called on the Government to extend the evictions ban due to end on Sunday to avoid a homelessness crisis this winter. |
Manchester CC launches consultation on 270 home regeneration proposal
18/09/2020 Manchester City Council has launched a consultation on a regeneration plan that will see 270 new homes built in Collyhurst. |
Councils warn of 'housebuilding fiasco'
15/09/2020 New government housing targets will lead to a north-south divide in England, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned. |
This issue of Public Property examines how how flexible workspaces can lead the way in regeneration for local authorities, Why local authority intervention is key to successful urban regeneration schemes and if the Government’s challenge of embracing beauty is an opportunity for communities.
The March issue also takes a closer look at Blackburn with Darwen Council's first digital health hub to help people gain control over health and care services.
