Inside Housing
09/12/2011
View all stories from this issue.
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£103m contract win for repairs team
09/12/2011
A contractor has won a bid to provide refurbishment work to 15,000 homes in a £103 million deal.
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£1bn pledge for Scottish housing
09/12/2011
The Scottish Government has published its updated infrastructure plan, promising a £60 billion mix of public and private investment and borrowing before the end of parliament.
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£400 million development plans revealed
15/12/2011
Affordable housing units and a homeless hostel form part of the plans for a £400 million development in the heart of London.
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£400m building fund mainly a loan
09/12/2011
The government’s £400 million fund to unlock a wave of English house building projects is unlikely to include a significant amount of grant money, it has emerged.
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£42m HCA affordable homes contracts signed
12/12/2011
Three more housing associations have signed contracts under the affordable homes programme worth a total of £42.2 million.
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Allocations overhaul to favour ‘responsible’ tenants
12/12/2011
Westminster Council has unveiled a range of sanctions and rewards for social housing tenants and applicants as part of a new ‘vision’ for its public services.
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Bedroom tax 'defeated' in the House of Lords
14/12/2011
The government has been defeated over controversial plans for a ‘bedroom tax’ for social housing tenants deemed to be underoccupying their homes.
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Big Issue case could help homeless access benefits
20/01/2012
Big Issue sellers who have been denied access to housing benefit could reapply following a court ruling, a legal centre has advised.
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Bill Brown
16/12/2011
Queens Cross Housing Association has appointed a new director of corporate services.
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Boris attacks Ken's plans for private rented sector
13/12/2011
Mayor of London Boris Johnson has hit back at election rival Ken Livingstone’s plans for rent controls in the capital saying they would be ‘devastating for the sector’.
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Break the cycle
09/12/2011
Young homeless people are our future, expensive, problems in waiting
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Brian Gegan
16/12/2011
One of the housing sector’s best known figures, Brian Gegan, has taken the reins as chair of East Lothian Housing Association.
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Changes to London Housing Strategy revealed
14/12/2011
The Mayor of London has cut the number of core aims in his housing strategy from five to two and is pledging to promote the use of powers to criminalise squatting to free up empty homes.
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Climate change advisors dismiss fuel bill fears
15/12/2011
Concerns that subsidies to improve energy efficiency will drive up fuel bills are unfounded, according to the panel that advises the government on climate change.
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Contractor planning continued used of PV schemes
14/12/2011
A contractor has pledged to continue working with housing providers in the solar photovoltaic market despite cuts to the feed-in-tariff.
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Controversial council leader to stand down
12/12/2011
One of the most influential and controversial housing policy figures in local government is to stand down.
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Coroner attacks vulnerable man's support
09/12/2011
A housing association has pledged to work closer with partner agencies after a coroner attacked the support a vulnerable man received before he died after suffering years of abuse from neighbouring youths.
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Council approves new allocations for Travellers
14/12/2011
A council has approved new plans to allocate pitches for Traveller sites based on a points system.
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Council continues eviction of riot-teen's family
13/12/2011
A council which is threatening to evict a mother and her eight-year-old daughter due to her son taking part in the August riots, is to ramp up its attempt to seek possession of the family home.
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Council gives green light for thousands of homes
12/12/2011
Portsmouth is in line for a billion pounds worth of investment in regeneration projects, bringing 16,000 new jobs and 5,000 new homes.
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Councils could be forced to take green deal role
09/12/2011
Local authorities could next year be ‘required’ to take part in the government’s flagship retrofit scheme, the green deal.
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Councils urged to be new force in house building
15/12/2011
Councils have been challenged to take advantage of their increased independence through self-financing reform by investing in the building of new homes.
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Crucial vote on bedroom tax imminent
14/12/2011
Housing organisations are lobbying peers ahead of a crucial Lords vote this evening on controversial plans for a ‘bedroom tax’.
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Demand for homes grew in November
13/12/2011
Buyer demand for property in the UK rose during November, but economic uncertainty continues to hold the market back from any meaningful recovery, according to the latest UK housing market survey.
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Digital dawn
09/12/2011
The use of social media can get more residents involved in the management of their homes, says Bill Randall
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Economic fears cut housing association borrowing
14/12/2011
New borrowing by housing associations has fallen by a third as the sector responds to difficult economic conditions and government policy changes, according to the Tenant Services Authority.
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English eviction hotspots revealed
13/12/2011
Residents in London, Manchester, Peterborough and Slough are most at risk of losing their home, a new report claims.
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Eviction-threat teen to be sentenced in January
12/12/2011
A teenager who risks being evicted from his home along with his mother and 8-year-old sister will be sentenced for burglary in January.
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FIT cuts prompt ‘gold rush’ for PV panel maker
15/12/2011
Cuts to payments for electricity generated through solar panels have proved ‘perversely helpful’ according to one housing association-owned business.
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Government releases £10m to fight youth gangs
14/12/2011
Millions of pounds of government funding will been handed to 30 local authorities across England to combat gang and youth violence.
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Government tries to calm fears over borrowing
14/12/2011
Danny Alexander, chief secretary to the Treasury, has moved to allay fears that councils will be slaves to the money markets when they borrow to meet the extra debt burden forced on them through self financing reforms.
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Growing problem
09/12/2011
Homelessness figures are on the rise, but how much worse could they get, asks Stuart Macdonald
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HCA housing plea to LEPs
09/12/2011
The chief executive of the Homes and Communities Agency has written to community business leaders in a bid to prevent housing from being excluded from multi-million pound plans for economic growth.
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High street regeneration 'should include homes'
13/12/2011
Plans to revitalise Britain’s high streets should include housing, according to retail expert Mary Portas.
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Homelessness charity chief stepping down
09/12/2011
The boss of the UK’s homelessness umbrella organisation has stepped down from her role after more than seven years in charge.
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Housing groups to tackle payday loans
09/12/2011
Housing groups are planning to do more to help vulnerable tenants with their finances in the wake of an increase in the number of people taking out payday loans.
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Housing London
13/12/2011
London needs new political leadership, one that in tough times puts ordinary Londoners first.
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Housing market ‘resilient’ despite economic fears
09/12/2011
House builder Bellway has reported the market is proving ‘remarkably resilient’ to problems in the wider economy.
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IDS hints at rethink over ‘bedroom tax’
09/12/2011
The government could be set to water down its controversial plans to introduce a ‘bedroom tax’.
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Landlord offers tenants cash incentive to downsize
12/12/2011
Tenants living in under-occupied homes are being offered cash incentives to downsize by a housing association.
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Landlord signs up workforce despite strike threat
15/12/2011
A housing association threatened with strike action is claiming that three quarters of workers have agreed a new contract.
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Landlords rush forward affordable homes projects
09/12/2011
Nearly three quarters of landlords with the biggest grant allocations under the Homes and Communities Agency’s affordable homes programme plan to bring development forward to take advantage of an early payment incentive.
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Landlords rush to finish PV schemes
13/12/2011
Social housing providers have rushed to finish fitting photovoltaic panels to homes before government cuts take hold.
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Legal threat fails to block 6,000 home transfer
13/12/2011
Campaigners have dropped a threat to use legal action to halt the transfer of more than 6,000 council homes to a housing association.
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Lending laws
09/12/2011
Follow these simple rules to ensure negotiations with lenders go smoothly, says Nnenna Morah
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Livingstone unveils plans for private-rented sector
13/12/2011
Labour candidate for London mayor Ken Livingstone will announce plans for a non-profit lettings agency and a London living rent as part of his campaign today.
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Lords to ban disgraced peers until cash repaid
15/12/2011
A Baroness expenses cheat who was suspended from the House of Lords for claiming second home allowances for a housing association property may not be allowed to return to parliament until she has paid back the money.
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Making the case for housing
13/12/2011
Establishing the wider benefits of good housing is critical to meeting the challenges faced by the sector, says David Williams
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Mortgage boost for first-time buyers
12/12/2011
Mortgage payments for first-time buyers are at their most affordable for nearly eight years due to low interest rates, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders.
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Must work harder
09/12/2011
The Tenant Services Authority is bucking the trend for job shortages, but its vacancies must be filled, says Martin Hilditch
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New horizons
09/12/2011
Landlords could benefit from looking to Europe and forming multinational housing associations
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Night riders
09/12/2011
London’s bendy buses have become a haven for homeless people seeking a safe place to sleep. Here Martin Hilditch recounts his night with the outreach team attempting to find them more suitable accommodation
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Ombudsman backs ALMO in row with tenants
14/12/2011
The Local Government Ombudsman has absolved an arm’s-length management organisation of any fault following complaints from residents about its handling of anti-social behaviour.
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OMG 2012 Christmas Card Page
09/12/2011
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One in four worried about losing their home
09/12/2011
A poll by a homelessness charity has found that one in four people in Britain are worried about losing their home.
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Report backs plans for Walthamstow dog track
14/12/2011
There is no evidence to suggest that a new greyhound racing facility is needed on the site of a former iconic dog track, a planning inspector has concluded.
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Richard Hukin and Richard Tate
08/12/2011
Isos Housing has appointed two senior managers to its Newcastle-based team.
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Scots unveil £175 million regeneration programme
13/12/2011
The Scottish Government has launched a £175 million programme to support regeneration in disadvantaged communities.
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Seize the moment
13/12/2011
The reform of the housing revenue account could be a missed opportunity if councils aren’t given more freedom, argues Alex Thomson
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Sheila Gunn
08/12/2011
A commercial lawyer has been appointed to the board of Glasgow Housing Association.
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Six per cent rise in homelessness acceptances
08/12/2011
The number of homeless households in England has risen by six per cent between July and September compared to the same period last year, the latest figures show.
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Social landlords not represented at riot meetings
14/12/2011
Social landlords will not be represented at two meetings to discuss how to tackle the underlying causes of the August riots, hosted by the independent Riots Communities and Victims Panel this week.
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Social tenants unfairly blamed for summer’s riots
09/12/2011
Tenants of London’s largest housing associations made up just 1 per cent of arrests in the capital after August’s riots.
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Solar firm makes PV viable despite FIT cut
09/12/2011
A solar firm has worked with lenders, accountants, lawyers and a housing association to develop a lease model to work with the new, low-rate feed-in tariff.
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Stephen Blundell
08/12/2011
Stephen Blundell has been appointed director of housing and customer service at Leeds Federated Housing.
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Stunell welcomes drop in number of empty homes
09/12/2011
The number of long-term empty homes in England has fallen by more than 21,000, according to the latest figures.
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Tatchell offers defence for gay marriage row worker
19/12/2011
A civil rights campaigner has offered to testify in court to defend a worker who was demoted by a housing association for airing his thoughts on same-sex marriage online.
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Tenants rescued from tower block blaze
13/12/2011
Firefighters had to evacuate dozens of people from a tower block following claims they were unable to get out as a blaze took hold of a property.
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Tenants risk homes to pay for Christmas
12/12/2011
Around 280,000 people in Scotland could be risking their homes to pay for Christmas, according to research.
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Tenants warned on payday loans as complaints rise
15/12/2011
Tenants have been warned to seek alternatives to payday loans as a consumer watchdog announced an investigation into short-term lending.
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The answer to empty homes
13/12/2011
The right approach can turn empty homes from a blight into an opportunity, says Will Nixon
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The green deal dilemma
09/12/2011
The exclusion of social landlords from key fuel poverty funds leaves a weak business case for the green deal, as Nick Duxbury discovers
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The mental health maze
09/12/2011
Landlords seeking to evict tenants with mental disabilities must tread carefully, says Robert Wassall, head of the social housing sector group at Blake Lapthorn
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The new face of regulation
09/12/2011
In his first interview since being appointed chair of the new housing regulator, Julian Ashby tells Carl Brown what the future holds for the sector.
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Timely reminder
09/12/2011
The statistics released in the National Housing Federation’s Home Truths report this week warning of an ‘impending housing crisis’ are a timely reminder.
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Top Christmas housing decorations wanted
12/12/2011
Love them or loathe them, there is no escaping festively decorated homes which pop up in neighbourhoods across the country at this time of year.
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Trouble shooters to work with 120,000 families
15/12/2011
The prime minister is to set out details of how the government plans to work with 120,000 of England’s most troubled families in a speech this morning.
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TSA can’t fill key financial posts
09/12/2011
The Tenant Services Authority has been operating without ‘critical’ regulatory staff and is experiencing delays in making regulatory judgements as its transition to the Homes and Communities Agency looms.
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Union agrees to ballot staff for strike
13/12/2011
A housing association could be hit with strike action after union members agreed to go ahead with a vote for industrial action.