Housing


Campaigners call for new definition of 'affordable' housing 19/07/2019 Many families living in the countryside could have their rents cut in half if the definition of 'affordable' housing were changed, according to campaigners.
Councils urged to bid for housing advisory scheme 18/07/2019 A programme offering expert advice on how local authorities can best tackle housing shortages in their areas has been launched for the third year in a row.
Permitted developments in danger of becoming ‘the new slum housing’ 16/07/2019 Half of local authorities in England think homes created using permitted development rights could threaten people’s health and wellbeing.
Harnessing the power of modular 15/07/2019 Adam Cunnington explains how local authorities can harness the power of modular to become a key player in helping to solve Britain’s housing crisis.
Universal Credit draining council resources 15/07/2019 Universal Credit (UC) is draining resources from councils, a new survey has found.
Council chiefs welcome move to ‘modernise’ housing inspection system 12/07/2019 Local government leaders have welcomed a move to review the system for inspecting private sector housing.
Say ‘no to ugliness’, commission tells planners 10/07/2019 Councils should 'say no to ugliness' in their planning decisions, according to a report commissioned by the Government.
Benefit freeze ‘fuelling’ homelessness 08/07/2019 The freeze on housing benefits is driving up homelessness in London, the capital’s boroughs have warned.
A licence to let 04/07/2019 With the government’s recent focus on regulating the private rented sector, Neil Merrick explores how councils are using licensing scheme to tackle rogue landlords.
Council chiefs call for devolution to rural communities after Brexit 04/07/2019 Local authority leaders have called on the Government to devolve more powers to rural areas in the event that Britain leaves the European Union.
Councils 'failing' to prosecute rogue letting agents 04/07/2019 The association representing landlords has accused local authorities of failing to prosecute rogue letting agents.
MPs call for modern construction methods to solve housing crisis 03/07/2019 The Government must encourage the use of modern construction methods to solve the housing crisis, MPs have warned.
District councils building more homes thanks to scrapping of HRA borrowing cap 02/07/2019 More homes are being built because of the Government lifting a cap on how much councils can spend, according to a new report.
Young people face ‘renting into retirement’, council chiefs warn 01/07/2019 Young people today are half as likely to get on the housing ladder than they were 20 years ago, local government leaders have revealed.
Whitehall’s 300,000 house building target ‘way off track’ 26/06/2019 The Government's target of delivering 300,000 new homes a year by the mid-2020s is in danger because of a 'lack of decisive action', MPs have warned.
PM calls for new housing design laws 26/06/2019 The Prime Minister yesterday called for new design laws to ensure high-quality homes in a speech dismissed by Labour as a ‘lame duck announcement’.
£146bn building programme needed to end housing crisis, experts say 26/06/2019 A ten-year building programme costing £146bn is needed to end the housing crisis, experts have claimed.
Councils build ‘highest number’ of houses since 1990 25/06/2019 Over 13,000 new houses were delivered by local authorities last year, town planners have calculated – the highest number since 1990.
Government announces £155m of loans to build housing 25/06/2019 Loans worth £155m have been announced to create 660 new homes in Wimbledon and Southampton.
Liverpool gets green light to build council houses 21/06/2019 The city which built the first council houses in Europe 150 years ago is set to construct homes again after the Government lifted its ban on new building.
Whitehall blasted for trying to solve homelessness ‘on a shoestring’ 20/06/2019 An assessment of the state of homelessness prevention has criticised Whitehall for trying to solve the homelessness crisis ‘on a shoestring’.
Grenfell Tower: Hundreds of high-rise buildings still have 'unsafe' cladding 14/06/2019 There are still 'huge challenges ahead' two years after the Grenfell Tower fire, according to the leader of the council where the disaster took place.
Malthouse announces £142m infrastructure investment 11/06/2019 Thousands of new homes will be built in two areas as a result of £142m investment in infrastructure, housing minister Kit Malthouse has announced.
Social housing tenants ‘failed’ by poor regulation 10/06/2019 Social housing tenants are being forced to report the same problem with their home multiple times, a housing charity has warned today.
Ministry considers launch of a new building safety regulator 07/06/2019 A consultation exercise has been launched on reforms of building regulations for high-rise residential blocks after the Grenfell Tower tragedy two years ago which killed 72 people.
One in five households face ‘grave’ housing affordability problems 06/06/2019 A new way of measuring the cost of housing shows one in five households in England are currently in 'unaffordable' accommodation, according to its authors.
Auditors urges planning services to improve capacity and resilience 06/06/2019 Planning services in Wales are struggling against funding cuts and a lack of resources, according to the official auditor.
‘Postcode lottery’ for accessible homes 05/06/2019 Less than a quarter of homes built outside London by 2030 will be suitable for older and disabled people, housing experts have warned.
Councils to publish deals done with developers 05/06/2019 Councils will be required to publish how much funding they are receiving from developers under new rules announced by the Government.
Labour considers abolishing council tax for renters 04/06/2019 Labour Party is considering proposals to replace council tax with a ‘progressive property tax’, which would be payable by property owners rather than tenants.
Inquiry launched into long-term delivery of affordable housing 31/05/2019 An inquiry into the government's ability to deliver social and affordable rented housing has been launched by MPs today.
Nearly 2,000 abuse victims a year struggle to access ‘safe’ council housing 30/05/2019 Around 1,960 people fleeing domestic abuse each year are put at risk of homelessness because they are not eligible for ‘safe, secure housing’, study shows.
‘Permitted development’ undermines local planning, council chiefs say 28/05/2019 Local authority leaders have criticised the Government’s decision to allow homeowners and businesses to extend their properties without going through local planning departments.
Consumer standards obligations on housing stock-owning councils 24/05/2019 Fiona MacGregor, the chief executive of the Regulator of Social Housing, considers the consumer standards obligations on councils that own housing stock.
Fire safety in high-rise buildings to be reformed in Wales 21/05/2019 The Welsh Government has announced it will reform the system regulating fire safety in high-rise buildings.
Firefighters blast Government for ‘complacency’ after the Grenfell fire 21/05/2019 The Government has done nothing to ‘adequately prepare’ fire and rescue services for another Grenfell-type fire, a firefighter union has warned.
Greater Exeter to build 20,000 new homes in garden scheme 16/05/2019 The Government has announced its support for a garden scheme which will see tens of thousands of new homes built in Devon.
Substandard wall insulation found in Northern Ireland's social housing 16/05/2019 Nearly two-thirds of cavity wall insulation in Northern Ireland’s social housing stock fails to comply with current standards, new research has revealed.
Councils sell more than 200 sites to community led housing groups 16/05/2019 A third of councils in England are supporting community led housing development in a bid to tackle the housing shortage, new research has revealed.
Most councils warn benefit freeze will make more people homeless 15/05/2019 Nine out of 10 councils believe the housing benefit freeze will push more people into homelessness, a new survey has revealed.
Housing policy putting young women at risk, study warns 14/05/2019 Young women are being forced into unsafe housing due to the government’s housing benefit policy, a new study has concluded.
How councils can improve support for independent living 14/05/2019 Paul Smith outlines his five top tips on how councils can improve the outcomes for disabled people living in their area.
Pledge to end 'postcode lottery' for domestic abuse victims 13/05/2019 Councils will be legally required to provide safe housing for survivors of domestic abuse under new measures announced today.
London council budgets slashed 17% over last decade 13/05/2019 London’s local authority budgets have dropped by nearly a fifth – or 17% – per head over the last eight years, a new study has revealed.
Malthouse launches £8.5m to support neighbourhood plans 13/05/2019 Minister of state for housing Kit Malthouse launched a multi-million pound fund at the weekend to help voluntary groups deliver thousands of discounted homes.
Deal signed to deliver 3,000 new homes in Nottinghamshire 09/05/2019 Rushcliffe Borough Council has welcomed a new deal that will see thousands of new homes delivered in Nottinghamshire.
UK needs £1bn a year to combat flood threat 09/05/2019 A long-term strategy to ensure infrastructure is resilient to flooding and coastal change by 2050 has been unveiled today by the Environment Agency.
Housing benefits should be ‘at least’ 30% of market rates, London Councils says 09/05/2019 London boroughs have called on Whitehall to lift the Local Housing Allowance to at least 30% of local market rates for private sector accommodation to help ease the pressure on councils.
Council accreditation scheme ‘discriminatory’, landlords say 09/05/2019 A landlord accreditation scheme in Oxford is ‘discriminatory and unlawful’, a landlord association has claimed.
Whitehall launches £200m fund to replace unsafe cladding 09/05/2019 The Government has launched a £200m fund to help remove and replace unsafe cladding on privately owned high-rise buildings after campaigners raise awareness of the issue.
Burnham urges Whitehall to declare ‘homelessness emergency’ 08/05/2019 The Mayor of Greater Manchester has called on the Government to declare a ‘homelessness emergency’.
New housing should meet 10 safety principles, planners say 03/05/2019 Planners have called for new legislation that would help tackle concerns over poor-quality housing.
Councils should ‘invest to save’ by supporting local regeneration schemes 02/05/2019 Local authorities should support community-based neighbourhood regeneration approaches to help bring empty homes back into use.
Research finds 'legal aid deserts' across the country 29/04/2019 More than half of councils in England and Wales have no housing legal aid providers in their area, research has revealed.
Council to push ahead with £2m scheme to renovate ‘dilapidated’ flats 25/04/2019 Great Yarmouth council is to go ahead with a scheme to buy up dilapidated flats and bed sits and renovate them for sale or rent.
Unjust enrichment? 23/04/2019 Housing authorities should take care when relying upon valuations that will feed into section 125 notices, says Amy Rogers, of the disputes team at Cripps.
London council signs a £44.6m partnership to build new homes 17/04/2019 Croydon Council has signed up to a multi-million pound partnership with Legal & General in order to deliver over 160 new homes.
Modular homes to be developed for homeless families in London 16/04/2019 Temporary modular homes are to be developed for homeless families in the capital following a £11m investment by mayor Sadiq Khan.
Unfair evictions to be banned under new proposals 15/04/2019 The Government has outlined plans to abolish short notice and unfair evictions for private renters in England.
New guidance for enforcement officers faced with rogue landlords 09/04/2019 The housing minister has announced that two new guidance documents are now available to help local authorities crack down on rogue landlords.
ALMOs unable to replace 31% of Right to Buy sales in 2018 05/04/2019 Local authority housing companies were unable to replace 31% of properties sold under Right to Buy, a new survey has revealed.
Homeownership schemes failing ‘less well off’ 04/04/2019 The Government’s homeownership schemes are failing those on low and middle incomes, according to a provider of affordable rent to buy homes.
Housing experts call for more regulation on Airbnb-style lets 04/04/2019 The Chartered Institute of Housing has called for regulation of Airbnb-style short-term lets to prevent the loss of private rented homes.
Taunton Deane to build 230 new homes 29/03/2019 Councillors in Taunton Deane yesterday approved plans to build up to 230 new homes.
‘Suspend’ costly Right to Buy scheme, housing body says 29/03/2019 Right to Buy is ‘reducing’ the number of affordable homes available at a time when homelessness is on the rise, warns Chartered Institute of Housing.
Half of British babies born in rented accommodation 29/03/2019 More babies are being born to parents living in insecure private sector rented accommodation, new research shows.
Councils failing to use powers for rent repayment orders, landords warns 28/03/2019 Councils are failing to use new powers to force bad landlords to pay back rent, the Residential Landlords Association (RLA) have warned.
Bankrolling empty properties 28/03/2019 Danny Curran says the Government is sitting on hundreds of empty dwellings while leaving local councils with the bill of maintenance.
Council gives plan to deliver nearly 20,000 homes the go-ahead 27/03/2019 A 20-year plan to deliver homes, jobs, transport infrastructure and community facilities for Warrington has been given the thumbs-up.
Funding for five new garden towns 26/03/2019 Five new garden towns will receive a share of £3.7m to provide up to 64,000 new homes.
Airspace development - the way up for affordable housing? 26/03/2019 Deborah Rowntree explores how airspace development can revolutionise affordable housing.
Councils 'struggling to cope' with Homelessness Reduction Act 25/03/2019 A year after the Government took radical steps to reduce homelessness councils are warning they lack the resources to cope with a rising tide of people needing somewhere to live.
A million homes could be built on brownfield land 25/03/2019 More than a million new homes could be built on brownfield land, according to new research by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE).
Whitehall lends partnership over £7m for Birmingham development 21/03/2019 The Government has agreed to a £7.45m loan in order to kick start the development of a brownfield site in Birmingham city centre.
Basildon secures £30m housing funding boost 19/03/2019 More than 760 new homes are set to be built in Basildon following a £30m funding boost from the Government's housing agency.
Tenants vulnerable to 'revenge evictions', campaigners warn 18/03/2019 A campaign group has called for a reform of eviction laws to provide tenants with protection against unscrupulous landlords.
Nearly all councils to build new homes after scrapping of borrowing cap 14/03/2019 Local government leaders have called on Whitehall to help them resume their ‘historic role’ as major house builders after decades of depleting council stock.
Spring Statement 2019: Chancellor pledges three-year spending review 13/03/2019 Chancellor Philip Hammond has pledged a ‘full three-year spending review’ for local government before the summer recess.
Harrogate to launch housing company 07/03/2019 Harrogate BC’s housing company will be up and running next month.
Report warns of 'inextricable link' between homes and warehousing 05/03/2019 Local planners should take into account their role in the national logistics network when they are expanding their housing stock, a new report says.
Councils to share £19.5m to unlock private housing for most vulnerable 01/03/2019 Councils are to share nearly £20m to help people at risk of homelessness to move into the private rented sector.
Liverpool development set to be ‘game-changer’, mayor says 28/02/2019 A plan for up to 1,500 new homes to be built at a prime waterfront spot in Liverpool is set to go ahead.
Council spending on tackling ‘criminal landlords’ down a quarter 28/02/2019 The amount councils spend on tackling landlords who break the law has been cut by a quarter in recent years, according to the latest analysis.
Poor, urban areas see majority of homeless deaths 26/02/2019 Welfare cuts and a lack of social housing are driving the homelessness crisis which has resulted in hundreds of deaths, particularly in poor, urban areas.
Britain faces ‘accessible housing crisis’, charity warns 25/02/2019 An elderly persons charity has warned that Britain is on the verge of an ‘accessible housing crisis’ due to planning policy failures.
Counties hit by housing ‘affordability crisis’ 21/02/2019 County council leaders have warned that the ‘affordability crisis’ has hit shires as figures reveal that rural house prices are now 10 times higher than average annual earnings.
Malthouse announces £6m boost for community-led housing 18/02/2019 The Government has announced a multi-million pound funding boost for community groups looking to build affordable housing in their areas.
Think tank calls for devolution of transport funding 18/02/2019 The devolution of transport funding will enable councils to invest on a strategic basis and help match up transport with new developments, a new report says.
Loss of social homes has added billions to housing benefits bill, councils warn 15/02/2019 The housing benefit bill could have been reduced by billions if 100,000 social homes had been built over the past two decades, council leaders have said today.
Brokenshire announces £250m of housing deals 14/02/2019 Communities secretary James Brokenshire has evoked the 'spirit of Britain's post-war push' to publicise the Government's housebuilding programme.
Whitehall announces £9m boost for garden communities 13/02/2019 The Government has today announced a £9m cash injection to help speed up the building of garden towns and villages across the country.
Housing crisis forces millennials to move back in with parents 08/02/2019 Young adults are increasingly moving back in with their parents due, in part, to the the national housing shortage, research suggests.
Councils urged to give lifeline to those affected by the benefit cap 08/02/2019 The majority of councils have failed to spend all their funding to help people affected by the benefit cap, new research has revealed.
More than 165,000 social homes lost in six years 06/02/2019 More than 165,000 of the most affordable rented homes have been lost across England in the last six years, new research has revealed.
125 years and the issues remain the same 01/02/2019 Spending time poring over issues of The MJ from the past 125 years it is remarkable how much things change and yet they remain the same, says Heather Jameson.
Majority supports new housing but only on brownfield sites, survey finds 01/02/2019 New research shows that the majority of people support the building of new homes but oppose developments being located on green field sites.
Thousands of community-led homes ‘at risk’ due to cuts 31/01/2019 An estimated 3,500 community-led homes are at risk due to the Government’s decision to close a multi-million pound housing fund.
Funding deal agreed to build homes on London's rooftops 31/01/2019 The Government has backed a project to build rooftop properties in London on the top of existing buildings.
Council underestimates value of housing stock by £86m 31/01/2019 Northampton Borough Council underestimated the value of its housing stock by more than £86m, according to a delayed audit report.
Developer announces plans to build 800 homes in Yorkshire 25/01/2019 Plans for 800 new homes in the East Riding of Yorkshire on a site as big as 50 football pitches have taken a step forward.

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