Thursday, 09 February 2012

Inside Housing
09/07/2010

View all stories from this issue.

  • A great deal to be done

    09/07/2010

    The seemingly interminable process of dismantling the reviled English council housing finance system reached a significant milestone this week as the consultation closed on the previous government’s proposals to reform the housing revenue account.

  • Assembly government aims for 55% emission cut

    14/07/2010

    The Welsh Assembly Government aims to use new building regulation powers to reduce carbon emissions from new homes by 55 per cent from 2006 levels by 2013.

  • Barratt makes £85m as completions fall

    14/07/2010

    Barratt Developments expects to make an £85 million profit this year despite a 14 per cent decrease in the number of completions.

  • Built to last

    13/07/2010

    Last week saw the annual Housing Design Awards take place in London. Here we profile the overall winner, and list those featured in each category.

  • CIH qualifications clearly demarcated

    09/07/2010

    In response to his letter (Inside Housing, 18 June), can I reassure Gary Hall that everyone (including employers) will still be able to distinguish academically qualified members of the Chartered Institute of Housing from those members without qualifications - the former will be called ‘chartered members’ - a term more widely understood by employers than our current ‘corporate’ grade - while the latter will be called ‘members’.

  • CLG saving £12 million for pathfinders

    09/07/2010

    The government has confirmed that it is safeguarding more than £12 million of growth funding for pathfinders.

  • East Lothian lends landlord £25 million

    09/07/2010

    The Scottish Government has given permission for a housing association to access up to £25 million borrowed by a council from the Treasury.

  • Economic fears hit buyer enquiries

    13/07/2010

    The number of people enquiring about buying a home has fallen for only the second time since October 2008, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

  • Expertise is vital when tackling ASB

    09/07/2010

    Can I pick out some of the points raised by the anonymous housing officer’s latest column (Inside Housing, 18 June)?

  • FHM to build £6.25m hostel

    09/07/2010

    Frank Haslam Milan has landed a £6.25 million contract to redevelop a homeless centre in Birmingham.

  • Fire destroys four floors of tower block

    13/07/2010

    A fire has destroyed the top four storeys of a council-owned block of flats in Kingston, as terrified residents were taken to safety.

  • Fire-ravaged tower Lakanal House will be reopened

    09/07/2010

    A south London tower block in which six people died in a fire a year ago will be brought back into use.

  • Future of eco-towns in doubt as funding is halved

    09/07/2010

    The government has halved the funding available for eco-towns, Inside Housing has learnt.

  • Governance changes opposed by Scottish institute members

    09/07/2010

    Scottish members of the Chartered Institute of Housing hope a rejected amendment to the proposed overhaul of its governance structure will be re-considered.

  • Government axes national tenant body

    15/07/2010

    The body set up to give social housing tenants a bigger say on the national stage is to be scrapped as part of the government’s ‘bonfire of the quangos’.

  • Halifax finds house prices continue to fall

    09/07/2010

    House prices continued to fall in June, according to the Halifax house price index.

  • Have your say on cash cuts

    09/07/2010

    Housing providers are being asked to reveal their thoughts on how they expect public spending cuts to affect their delivery of housing, regeneration and asset management.

  • HCA launches empty homes debate

    13/07/2010

    The Homes and Communities Agency has launched an online debate about bringing empty homes back into use.

  • HCA scraps flagship building schemes

    14/07/2010

    The Homes and Communities Agency has confirmed that two of its key house building programmes will effectively be scrapped.

  • High-density housing has hidden costs

    14/07/2010

    High-density housing can be more expensive for social landlords and tenants than more generously proportioned homes, a report has found.

  • Homes shortage forces farmers from countryside

    13/07/2010

    Farmers fear being priced out of the countryside by a shortage of rural homes, according to a poll.

  • Housing benefit crucial to combat poverty

    15/07/2010

    Helping low-income families with housing costs has a larger impact on their welfare than any other type of support, according to a study.

  • Housing benefit cuts will damage communities

    09/07/2010

    Since George Osborne first proposed cutting housing benefit in his emergency Budget speech, there has been huge concern across the country about the devastating implications of the cuts.

  • Inside Housing campaigns against benefit cut plans

    09/07/2010

    Inside Housing today launches a campaign to persuade the government to drop plans for housing benefit reform that could force thousands of people out of their homes.

  • Inspectorate critical of housing society

    15/07/2010

    Severn Vale Housing Society is not supporting its tenants or providing value for money, according to a highly critical report.

  • Kier sees cash balance double

    12/07/2010

    Kier Group has reported a record net cash balance of £170 million for the year to 30 June, almost double the figure for the same period the previous year.

  • Landlords spend £50 per home on ASB

    14/07/2010

    Social landlords are spending more than £50 a year per property tackling anti-social behaviour, a study has found.

  • Lifesavers

    09/07/2010

    A year on from explaining its pioneering role in mortgage rescue, Bromley Council shows what more can be done to help struggling homeowners. David Gibson reports

  • Linking rent to pay has merit, says CIH

    16/07/2010

    The idea of increasing social housing rents as tenants’ earnings rise should be considered as part of a major overhaul of the allocations system, the Chartered Institute of Housing has said.

  • Livingstone places housing centre stage

    12/07/2010

    Ken Livingstone has pledged to put housing at the centre of his campaign to become mayor of London.

  • Loan sharks double risk of eviction

    12/07/2010

    The number of families in danger of eviction can double when a loan shark operates in an area, a specialist team has warned.

  • Look to the future

    09/07/2010

    Last summer Neil Hadden took the hot seat at crisis-ridden Genesis Housing Group. Here, Martin Hilditch talks to the headstrong chief executive about how he is leaving the past firmly behind.

  • Make a virtue of necessity

    09/07/2010

    If Harrogate taught us anything it is that we can still afford good ideas, says Sir Bob Kerslake

  • Minister: benefit cap will cause 'casualties'

    12/07/2010

    A government minister has admitted there will be ‘casualties’ from the decision to cap housing benefit.

  • Mopping up regulation

    09/07/2010

    The probable merger of the TSA and HCA could clean up the legislation, says Hugo Stephens, partner and head of housing at Cobbetts

  • Nearly half of NI associations unacceptable

    12/07/2010

    There are ‘significant problems’ with housing associations in Northern Ireland, according to a report from the Audit Office.

  • Notting Hill issues £180 million bond

    09/07/2010

    Notting Hill Housing Trust has raised £180 million in the lowest priced bond issue by a housing association for more than five years.

  • Ownership schemes miss 900,000 people

    13/07/2010

    Low-cost home ownership schemes are failing to reach 900,000 people and are not providing value for money, a report from a leading charity has warned.

  • Places for People chair to stand down

    09/07/2010

    The chair of Places for People is stepping down to be replaced by an expert in international financial and real estate.

  • PM wades into housing benefit row

    15/07/2010

    The prime minister has said it is an ‘outrage’ that families are able to claim £2,000 a week in housing benefit.

  • Power to the people

    09/07/2010

    Resident-controlled social housing must be a target for the sector

  • Reset the pain threshold

    09/07/2010

    Landlords must reach a new understanding with tenants following Budget cuts to benefit, says Rebecca McGuirk

  • Residents consulted on right to buy

    15/07/2010

    Social landlords in the Highlands are asking residents whether restrictions on the right to buy should be continued.

  • Serial killer police search garden

    12/07/2010

    Police investigating the background of serial killer Peter Tobin have today begun to search gardens of two properties in Brighton, one of which belongs to a housing association.

  • Shapps to tell NTV its fate

    09/07/2010

    Members of a new tenant body are waiting to hear whether it will be spared from the government’s quango cull.

  • Shapps: cabinet will back decision to scrap housing regulator

    09/07/2010

    The housing minister is adamant that the Tenant Services Authority will definitely be abolished, despite concern from the Treasury about the potential impact.

  • Shoe factory scheme wins design award

    13/07/2010

    A development on a former shoe factory site has been named overall winner at the 2010 Housing Design Awards.

  • Social housing starts plummet

    14/07/2010

    The value of social housing projects starting on site has fallen by 40 per cent, according to construction information company Glenigan.

  • Solution to benefit everyone

    09/07/2010

    This week Inside Housing launches a campaign to find alternatives to the current proposals to cut the £21 billion housing benefit bill.

  • Still no answers

    09/07/2010

    A year ago, six people died in a tower block fire in south London but as their lives were commemorated last weekend, questions still remain over why they died. Emily Twinch asks why the inquest into their deaths is taking so long and if any good can come out of the tragedy

  • Study finds 284,000 Welsh homes needed

    22/07/2010

    Wales needs 284,000 additional homes by 2026 to meet demand, research has found.

  • Supported housing provider picks merger partner

    09/07/2010

    Troubled supported housing provider Carr-Comm has announced which organisation it will merge with.

  • Taxpayer 'should not fund large families'

    14/07/2010

    Housing benefit recipients should not expect to have accommodation for large families subsidised by the taxpayer, a Conservative MP has said.

  • Tenants turn on Riverside over ‘shoddy’ report

    09/07/2010

    To bosses at Riverside, writing their post-inspection report seemed so simple. But after peppering it with tp trackers, FTA processes, HHSRSs and SHAIPs, they were surprised to discover their tenants were more than a little disgruntled.

  • The age of austerity will test our metal

    09/07/2010

    Following last month’s Budget, the age of austerity is indeed upon us. Housing cuts have been introduced amidst a ‘social housing crunch’ created by escalating demand - doubling of waiting list numbers to 4.5 million people - and stalling supply - 450,000 fewer social homes than a decade ago.

  • The benefit of hindsight

    09/07/2010

    Lack of credit, 40-year-old first-time buyers and a surge in private renting - welcome to the world of housing in 2020

  • The key to fraud detection

    09/07/2010

    When Newham Homes overhauled its security arrangements it hoped to expose some tenancy fraud. But, as Katie Puckett reports, it uncovered much more than expected

  • The TSA's agenda must be kept alive

    09/07/2010

    I write in response to the article entitled ‘Death of a watchdog’ (Inside Housing, 25 June), which identified fears that abolishing the Tenant Services Authority will mean tenants have less everyday influence over their landlord’s performance.

  • There is no official word on TSA's axe

    09/07/2010

    Although I am loathe to spoil a good Inside Housing scoop on the future - or lack of it - for the Tenant Services Authority, the statements in the magazine to the effect that Grant Shapps has ‘announced’ the end of the TSA are factually inaccurate.

  • Welsh protect capital spending on homes

    14/07/2010

    The Welsh government has promised to protect affordable housing schemes from budget cuts.