Wednesday, 16 May 2012

Inside Housing
03/02/2012

View all stories from this issue.

  • Anger as government halts welfare bill changes

    03/02/2012

    The government has come under fire for seeking to use a parliamentary mechanism to prevent further attempts by the House of Lords to change the Welfare Reform Bill.

  • Contractor wins 8,000 home repairs deal

    08/02/2012

    A contractor has won a bid to provide responsive repairs to 8,000 homes in a £10 million deal.

  • Davey to take on green role as Huhne resigns

    03/02/2012

    Liberal Democrat MP Ed Davey is to become the coalition government’s new secretary of state for the environment, overseeing key initiatives such as the green deal.

  • Solar subsidy to be linked to PV panel costs

    09/02/2012

    The government will today move to shore up the future of the bruised solar sector by announcing an overhaul of the way renewable subsidies are paid.

  • £3bn funding package for London housing finalised

    07/02/2012

    The government has finalised a £3 billion funding package for housing and regeneration in London.

  • Accent Nene board

    08/02/2012

    Following the retirement of three long-serving board members, Peterborough-based housing association Accent Nene has recently appointed three new board members.

  • Adactus first to net HCA’s early payment

    03/02/2012

    A northern housing association has become the first to benefit from the Homes and Communities Agency’s pledge to offer early payments for early-start projects under its affordable homes programme.

  • Andy Roskell

    10/02/2012

    David Tolson Partnership has appointed Andy Roskell as a director.

  • Break the chain

    03/02/2012

    Helping prisoners to find a home on release can prevent them from reoffending.

  • Builder sought for 470 home regeneration scheme

    08/02/2012

    A developer is being sought for a 470 home scheme which forms part of a £1.5 billion regeneration project.

  • Builders appointed to £500m housing framework

    07/02/2012

    Builders have been appointed to a £500million, four-year construction framework involving more than 30 housing associations.

  • Building landlords get Edinburgh loan boost

    03/02/2012

    Edinburgh Council plans to kickstart mothballed housing developments across the city by borrowing money at cheap rates and loaning it to housing associations.

  • Carbon cut targets slashed for house builders

    03/02/2012

    The government has scaled back carbon reduction targets for house builders that will come into force ahead of the move to ‘zero carbon’ in 2016.

  • Chris Crook

    03/02/2012

    Chris Crook, managing director of Kingsgate Property Consultants, has taken over as chair of Orbit Homes.

  • CIH president attacks IDS over homeless slur

    03/02/2012

    The new president of the Chartered Institute of Housing has criticised the work and pensions secretary for creating confusion around the definition of homelessness, in his debut speech.

  • CIH report evaluates welfare reform impact

    08/02/2012

    Proposed welfare reforms present serious challenges for the south east while a benefit cap may not be enough to incentivise people to work, a new report claims.

  • Contractor chosen for £28m regeneration scheme

    01/03/2012

    A housing association has chosen a contractor to deliver a £28 million regeneration scheme which will deliver 205 homes.

  • Council awards contractor £56 million deal

    28/02/2012

    A contractor has won a £56 million deal to provide repairs and maintenance to 4,500 homes.

  • Council backs ALMO opposition to rent rise

    06/02/2012

    Newcastle Council has confirmed it is backing moves by its arm’s-length management organisation to oppose sharp rent increases for its tenants.

  • Council planning to freeze rent and service charges

    07/02/2012

    The largest council landlord in England is planning a freeze on rent and service charges until 2013.

  • Council to raise housing priority of armed forces

    10/02/2012

    A council has announced plans to give former members of the armed forces greater housing priority in recognition of their contribution to society.

  • Council workers strike over TUPE plans

    09/02/2012

    Council workers have gone on strike today over plans to move staff out of local authority employment.

  • Councils angry at regeneration funds claim

    03/02/2012

    Councils have hit back at claims that they misspent government money earmarked for regeneration schemes on major demolition projects.

  • Councils demand risk-free borrowing

    03/02/2012

    Councils are holding detailed talks with the Treasury in a bid to prevent them falling foul of movements in the money markets when they raid government coffers for loans next month.

  • Don’t be a Twit

    03/02/2012

    Housing organisations may not make for interesting tweets but their tenants certainly do, says Inside Housing’s anonymous columnist

  • Dr Graham Coupar

    08/02/2012

    Dr Graham Coupar has joined Tindall Davies LLP as a partner to head the asset management consultancy service.

  • Elizabeth Hussain

    03/02/2012

    Elizabeth Hussain has joined Boyes Turner as head of housing to lead its affordable housing team.

  • Exit strategy

    03/02/2012

    Tenants are wholly responsible for exercising break clauses, says Matthew Lake

  • Fed disappointed over ‘bedroom tax’ result

    01/03/2012

    The chief executive of the National Housing Federation has said it is ‘hugely disappointing’ that the government has succeeded in forcing its plans for a ‘bedroom tax’ through parliament.

  • Flint: ban benefit payments for substandard homes

    09/02/2012

    Private landlords whose homes do not meet minimum energy efficiency standards should be not be able to house tenants on housing benefit, the shadow energy secretary has argued.

  • Fresh concerns raised over stadium plans

    28/02/2012

    English Heritage has again raised concerns about a housing association’s plans to build on the site of a former iconic dog track.

  • Government advisor warns of benefit cap harm

    07/02/2012

    Plans to cap benefits at £26,000 could harm vulnerable families and needs to be rolled out carefully, a government adviser has warned.

  • Government attacked over views on housing

    09/02/2012

    The president of the Chartered Institute of Housing has criticised ministers for ‘pointed and inaccurate’ comments regarding the state of the housing market.

  • Greenhalgh and Randall to lead red tape cull

    09/02/2012

    A highly controversial council boss and a leading solicitor have been appointed to spearhead a government initiative to combat bureaucracy in housing.

  • Hostels under threat as council reviews funding

    06/02/2012

    A homelessness hostel in Leeds is to close after the council cut its funding as part of a move to increase the use of self-contained accommodation.

  • Housing associations in 1,500-home swap talks

    28/02/2012

    Two housing associations in the south west of England are negotiating a stock swap involving more than 1,500 homes.

  • Housing groups welcome Scottish allocations plan

    07/02/2012

    Plans to allow housing associations in Scotland to refuse tenancies for people with anti-social behaviour convictions have been welcomed by the sector.

  • If the cap fits

    03/02/2012

    Rising private sector rents are hitting ethnic minorities hard and the government must step in.

  • Inside Housing honoured at awards

    02/02/2012

    Inside Housing enjoyed double success at a top industry award ceremony last night.

  • Keep it local

    03/02/2012

    England’s housing minister Grant Shapps has gotten himself into something of a mess.

  • Landlord agrees £40m deal to help redevelopment

    07/02/2012

    A stock transfer housing association has agreed a £40 million package to help fund 522 new homes in South London.

  • Landlord fined for renting unsafe property

    08/02/2012

    A landlord who flouted fire safety rules while renting out an unlicensed home has been fined following an investigation by housing officers.

  • Landlords call for cash to prevent homelessness

    08/02/2012

    The government should make extra funding available to prevent people becoming homeless until the economy improves, a report by a group of housing associations has said.

  • Landlords to consider ASB when allocating homes

    06/02/2012

    Landlords in Scotland will be able to take into account anti-social behaviour when allocating tenancies under new plans outlined by the Scottish Government.

  • Local firms net Merseyside repairs contracts

    03/02/2012

    Fifteen Merseyside repairs and maintenance firms have secured contracts worth more than £43 million from a local provider.

  • Man accused of kidnap to appear in court in May

    08/02/2012

    A man accused of kidnapping a 10-year-old boy who was later found in a housing association flat will return to court in May.

  • Man due in court over alleged kidnapping

    07/02/2012

    A man is due to appear in court tomorrow accused of kidnapping a 10-year-old boy who was later found in a housing association flat.

  • Mike Pacitti

    08/02/2012

    House builder CALA Group has announced the appointment of Mike Pacitti as non-executive director.

  • MP seeks slice of £9bn EU regeneration fund

    08/02/2012

    Social landlords should pressure the government to spend some of the annual £9 billion which is allocated to European Union projects on regeneration in the UK instead.

  • MPs demand joined up approach to elderly care

    08/02/2012

    The government needs to integrate housing, social care and health work to stop older people being let down by fragmented care services, a group of MPs has said.

  • New CIH vice president warns on future

    03/02/2012

    The new vice-president of the Chartered Institute of Housing has pledged he will strive to help the housing sector adapt to the fast-changing environment.

  • New energy secretary urged to resolve FIT row

    06/02/2012

    Friends of the Earth has called on the newly installed energy secretary to step up and sort out ‘the mess’ over solar subsidies.

  • Newcastle vows to fight rent increases

    03/02/2012

    Newcastle Council is expected to launch a campaign to persuade the government to limit huge rent rises for tenants across the country.

  • On the merger trail

    03/02/2012

    The trend is growing for bigger housing associations to gobble up smaller landlords by merging. But does bigger always mean better? Carl Brown reports.

  • On the right track?

    06/02/2012

    Why do the boards of smaller housing associations appear to be less effective, asks Mike Wilkins

  • Peter Carr

    08/02/2012

    Linden Homes, the housing division of Galliford Try, has announced the appointment of Peter Carr as company solicitor.

  • Public housing boosts annual construction output

    10/02/2012

    Public housing construction output was at its highest level in 2011 since 1980, according to the latest figures.

  • Regulator plans to axe landlords' right to appeal

    03/02/2012

    The social housing regulator is planning to scrap landlords’ right to appeal against its most serious decisions - forcing any challenges to the High Court.

  • Repossessions at lowest level since 2007

    09/02/2012

    Home repossessions are at their lowest level since 2007, according to data published today.

  • Residents create artworks for £10m redevelopment

    07/02/2012

    A housing association has decorated the hoardings around a proposed development with art created by residents while it waits for a planning decision.

  • Right to buy likely to fail says report

    02/02/2012

    The government’s attempt to re-ignite right to buy sales by increasing the discounts available to tenants will fail to deliver the promise of one for one replacements, according to a property analyst.

  • Ringing the changes

    06/02/2012

    Opened last year, Orbit Heart of England’s Sampson Close development in Bell Green is one of the first schemes in the area to meet Passivhaus standards. Here the various partners explain why they are taking this high energy efficiency approach to house building.

  • Robocop security camera activated by 'mistake'

    06/02/2012

    A talking ‘robocop’ security camera telling tenants a communal garden is a restricted area was activated by mistake, a London council has said.

  • Root of all evil

    05/02/2012

    Is there evidence that board members perform better if they are paid? Steve Gough, board member at Magma Housing Association and Magna Group, and housing lecturer, is still to be convinced.

  • Sales and completions boost for house builder

    07/02/2012

    Bellway has reported an increase in sales and a higher proportion of private completions.

  • Sanctuary creates non-profit offshoot

    03/02/2012

    England’s largest housing group has registered a new non-profit company to allow it to build more housing by avoiding restrictive clauses in existing loan agreements.

  • Scots councils fear homeless backlash

    03/02/2012

    Councils in Scotland fear they will face legal challenges next year if they fail to house everyone who approaches them as homeless.

  • Scottish government urged to rethink housing cuts

    08/02/2012

    The Scottish Government will debate spending plans for 2012/13 in Holyrood today.

  • SFHA calls for release of public land

    06/02/2012

    Public bodies in Scotland should give land to housing associations to help increase the availability of affordable homes, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations has said.

  • Sheila Tolley

    10/02/2012

    The First Ark Group, which includes housing association Knowsley Housing Trust, has appointed Sheila Tolley as its new executive director of customers and communities.

  • Size doesn’t matter

    03/02/2012

    Efficiency is key to getting through the years ahead, regardless of scale.

  • Spurs in bid to drop affordable housing quota

    07/02/2012

    A Premier League football team which is hoping to build a new stadium and redevelop surrounding areas could be allowed to drop all affordable housing from the scheme.

  • Steering the right course

    03/02/2012

    Housing organisations are experiencing change at a rate of knots. Here, Simon Brandon analyses the results of a new governance survey to find out how their leaders are coping

  • Tenants respond to resident engagement rewards

    06/02/2012

    Rewarding tenants who participate in resident involvement schemes results in a greater level of engagement, according to research.

  • Union claims right to buy reform is a ‘shoddy scam’

    03/02/2012

    Construction union Ucatt has described the government’s plans to reform right to buy as a ‘shoddy scam’ in its response to a consultation on the proposals.

  • Volunteers to get new skills with contractor deal

    07/02/2012

    A training programme has been set up to provide users of a supported living scheme with new skills to find work and live independently.

  • Vulnerable protestors supported into housing

    28/02/2012

    A homelessness charity helped six vulnerable people into temporary accommodation this morning after they were ejected from a protest camp outside St Paul’s Cathedral.

  • Watchdog shuts down sale and rent back market

    03/02/2012

    The Financial Services Authority has shut down the market for businesses that buy homes from struggling homeowners and then rent them back to them.

  • Window of opportunity

    03/02/2012

    Last month’s court ruling means landlords may have a few weeks to claim the pre-cut feed-in tariff rate, says Rob Beiley, partner at Trowers & Hamlins