Scottish councils to receive £3.2bn housing grant
Right to Buy-back fund launched
Bill aimed at improving safety standards for high-rise buildings published
Welsh council to end property joint venture
Addressing the social and affordable housing crisis
The alarming rise in homelessness demands an immediate shift in how we approach the delivery of social and affordable housing in the UK, argues Guy Horne.
Boroughs call for ‘fit for purpose’ fire safety regime
15/06/2021 London boroughs marked the fourth anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire yesterday by calling on the Government to put in place a fire safety regime that is ‘fit for purpose’. |
Councils to set priorities for First Homes scheme
04/06/2021 Councils will be able to set a ‘local connection test’ to give priority to people such as key workers. |
Wolverhampton's i9 selected to house MHCLG's Midlands base
28/05/2021 Two floors of Wolverhampton’s new i9 office building will be home to the first ministerial department outside of London, it has been announced. |
Shared ownership reforms could lead to loss of affordable homes, providers warn
19/05/2021 Proposed reforms of the shared ownership regime may result in a loss of affordable homes due to the increased administration and costs for social housing providers and local authorities. |
Government consults on new £2bn developer tax
30/04/2021 The Government has launched a consultation into a new residential developer tax to help towards the cost of removing unsafe cladding. |
Pilot phase launched for government-backed 'value toolkit'
29/04/2021 The Construction Innovation Hub has launched the pilot phase for its 'Value Toolkit', designed to drive better social, environmental, and economic outcomes in the built environment. |
Schools to share £1.8bn for building repairs
27/04/2021 Funding to repair and maintain schools in England has increased by 20% this year to almost £1.8bn. |
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. |
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. |
Councils to receive £30m to boost provision of Changing Places toilets
04/03/2021 Councils in England will be able to bid for a share of £30m to install Changing Places toilets in existing buildings under new Government funding. |
Council plans England’s first sewage-powered heating scheme
26/02/2021 Plans to heat more than 2,000 homes using energy recovered from the sewage treatment process have been unveiled by Kingston Council. |
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. |
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. |
Over £5bn raised through sale of surplus public land
08/02/2021 The Government has exceeded its target of raising £5bn by 2020 through the sale of surplus public sector land by almost £200m. |
First 50 schools chosen for £1bn rebuilding programme
05/02/2021 The first 50 schools to receive £1bn funding under the Government's School Rebuilding Programme have been announced. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
Hundreds of local authority owned pools will stay closed
02/12/2020 Around 200 council-owned pools will remain closed following the second lockdown, new research has revealed. |
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. |
Derbyshire councils commit to fitting sprinklers in schools
11/11/2020 Derby City Council and Derbyshire County Council have both signed a Statement of Intent committing to fit sprinklers and the right fire safety measures in new and refurbished schools. |
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. |
Two-thirds of school rated ‘poor’ for fire protection measures
05/11/2020 Two-thirds of schools have ‘poor’ fire protection with 40 schools a month hit by fire last year, a new study has revealed. |
Mayor confirms relocation of City Hall
03/11/2020 The Greater London Authority will relocate to Royal Docks next year saving £61m over five years, the mayor has confirmed. |
London boroughs call for £115m to retrofit energy inefficient buildings
03/11/2020 Local authorities in London are calling on the Government to ‘secure London’s environmental and economic future’ by increasing funding for councils to retrofit energy inefficient buildings. |
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. |
Oldham Council buys shopping centre to 'kickstart' town centre recovery
20/10/2020 Oldham Council has bought the Spindles Town Square Shopping Centre to provide a catalyst for town centre recovery. |
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. |
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. |
Hancock announces £400m to remove dormitories from mental health facilities
12/10/2020 More than £400m will be committed over the next four years to remove dormitory accommodation from mental health facilities, the Government says. |
Government unveils £1bn funding to improve energy efficiency of public buildings
01/10/2020 Local authorities are being urged to apply for a share of £1bn to improve the energy efficiency of publicly owned buildings. |
Community ownership is key to revival of high street, says report
01/10/2020 Councils have been urged to help local communities take ownership of empty buildings in order to secure the future of Britain’s high streets. |
Corporate property generates £5m for Ashford BC
25/09/2020 Corporate property generated £5m for Ashford Borough Council in the past year, an annual review has revealed. |
Northampton BC buys M&S building for £1.45m
23/09/2020 Northampton Borough Council has bought a former Marks and Spencer building for £1.45m as part of an effort to transform the town centre. |
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. |
Funding boost to unlock surplus land for housing
10/09/2020 The Government has announced a £30m fund to help release surplus public sector land for new housing. |
Government commits extra investment to house prison leavers
08/09/2020 The Government has pledged that an extra 1,700 prison leavers will receive closer supervision under plans to extend the number of places in approved premises. |
Schools at double the risk of fire than other buildings, data shows
04/09/2020 School buildings are twice as likely to be in a blaze compared to other non-residential buildings, new research has found. |
Mayor of Liverpool quashes zip wire plan
03/09/2020 The mayor of Liverpool has intervened to stop a plan to build a zip wire that would have ended at Liverpool Central Library. |
Fast-tracked funding to improve school buildings
05/08/2020 The Government has fast-tracked £580m of funding to improve school buildings across England. |
Unsafe mental health wards are a 'disaster waiting to happen'
23/07/2020 Old and overcrowded mental health wards are putting patients at risk, new research has warned today. |
Changing Places toilets to be installed in every new public building
20/07/2020 Toilets for severely disabled people will be mandatory in all new public buildings from next year, the Government has confirmed. |
Selling off government car parks could deliver 110,000 new homes, study finds
15/07/2020 Public sector owned car parks have the potential to deliver more than 110,000 new homes while maintaining parking services, a new study has revealed. |
Planning changes to protect theatres and music venues
13/07/2020 New planning rules to protect theatres, concert halls and live music performance venues from being demolished or redeveloped will come into effect next week. |
Sunak outlines £3bn green investment package
08/07/2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced £1bn will be made available to improve the energy efficiency of public buildings, including schools and hospitals. |
Jenrick extends affordable homes scheme
06/07/2020 Councils will have a year longer to build affordable homes after construction stalled during the pandemic. |
Landlords urged to factor pandemics into future business plans
29/06/2020 Landlords must factor in the threat of future pandemics into long-term business planning, according to research carried out amongst social housing leaders. |
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.
