Wednesday, 16 May 2012

Inside Housing
11/07/08

View all stories from this issue.

  • ALMO tension brewing

    11/07/08

    Councils opened a Pandora’s box when they created arm’s-length management organisations, an ALMO umbrella group has warned.

  • ALMO under fire after death of sheltered housing resident

    11/07/08

    A coroner has criticised a social landlord because a sheltered housing resident fell and died after her daily support visits were reduced to once a month.

  • Another one along soon

    17/07/2008

    Another week, another rescue package, another response to the housing market crisis that fails to do much apart from give the impression that the government is doing something.

  • Authorities unable to meet 2010 standard

    11/07/08

    The government’s declaration that most social housing will meet its decent homes standard by 2010 is masking the huge problems landlords are facing in meeting the target.

  • Backlog no excuse for council’s delay

    11/07/08

    Lambeth Council ‘caused serious delay’ when it took nine months to decide whether it had a full housing duty to two homeless women, the local government ombudsman has found.

  • Be grateful for buy to let?

    15/07/2008

    So buy to let has helped stabilise the housing system?

  • Brutal end

    11/07/08

    Masterpiece or monstrosity? Robin Hood Gardens has failed to win listed status - but were the high profile figures behind the campaign to save it right?

  • Builders face toughest times as they shed jobs

    11/07/08

    One of the country’s most prolific developers has warned that annual house building rates could soon plunge below 100,000, after experiencing its ‘most challenging’ period in recent history.

  • Cameron puts responsibility first

    11/07/08

    Conservative leader David Cameron would put a ‘responsibility agenda’ at the heart of his government’s plans should he win the next general election.

  • Chill factor

    11/07/08

    Nick Clegg is predicting a winter of discontent. Philippa Ward finds out what the Liberal Democrat leader would do to beat the freeze.

  • City links

    11/07/08

    Housing markets are undeniably local, yet policy makers maintain a national focus. That needs to change, argues Adam Marshall

  • Connaught staff transfers

    11/07/2008

    I refer to the article ‘Contractors in employee row’ (Inside Housing, 27 June) and would like to clarify our position.

  • Council puts blame for failure to achieve decent homes on HRA

    11/07/08

    When Waverley Council formed in1974 it inherited so much countryside it won the title of the most densely populated authority in England – in terms of trees at least.

  • Councils hit by sweeping budget cuts

    14/07/2008

    Councils in Scotland are facing an average 16 per cent cut in their affordable housing funding.

  • Councils rob Peter to pay for Paul’s decent home

    11/07/08

    Whitehall targets have a habit ofbending under the weight of practical realities.

  • Credit crunch scuppers homeownership plans

    17/07/2008

    The government’s ambition of attracting billions of pounds of private sector cash into homeownership products has been dashed by the credit crunch.

  • Crime tzar calls for clearer punishment

    16/07/2008

    People are less likely to welcome criminals back into their neighbourhoods unless they know they have been punished, the government’s crime tzar has warned.

  • Dark age

    11/07/08

    As the number of people with dementia rises sharply, Kath Grant finds that the need for a national strategy has never been more pressing.

  • Do they know there's a crunch?

    11/07/2008

    What price regeneration? The answer, for English Partnerships, is a pretty hefty salary bill.

  • Duty of care

    11/07/08

    A landmark decision, handed down by the High Court in the recent case of X and Y vs London Borough of Hounslow, has ruled that local authorities can in certain circumstances owe a duty of care towards vulnerable people resident in council properties. Sarah Erwin-Jones explains.

  • Falconer spreads his wings

    11/07/08

    Former housing minister and Lord Chancellor Charlie Falconer has been appointed chair of the City Development Company for Newcastle Gateshead.

  • Finance changes 'essential' for quality housing

    14/07/2008

    Major changes to the way council housing is financed are now inevitable, a leading finance expert has predicted.

  • Flint launches housing market rescue package

    16/07/2008

    Housing minister Caroline Flint today unveiled a package of measures to tackle the housing market crisis and protect long-term targets for new homes built.

  • Going global

    11/07/08

    Chris Withnall has joined international property consultancy EC Harris as a partner in the residential affordable sector.

  • Government commits to house building goals

    11/07/2008

    The government is determined to press ahead with its ambitious house building targets in the face of the housing market slowdown.

  • Highly selective

    11/07/08

    Will the must-have for housing association chief executives next year be an investment banker on speed dial, asks Andrew Crawford.

  • Housing workers strike over pay

    16/07/2008

    Enraged housing workers have taken to the streets across England, Wales and Northern Ireland in a protest over pay.

  • Icebergs ahead

    11/07/2008

    Every day brings further evidence of an economic downturn.

  • It’s a matter of trust

    11/07/08

    Name: Rosie HewsonJob title: employment initiatives managerOrganisation:Family Mosaic Housing Association

  • Landlord sticks Orr in

    11/07/08

    Homes in Sedgemoor has appointed Gary Orr as chief executive.

  • Landlords return to capital markets

    11/07/08

    Housing associations are turning back to the capital markets as they struggle to raise the huge loans they need from the beleaguered banking sector.

  • Local tenant groups ‘left out’

    11/07/08

    Grassroots tenants are being excluded from high level talks about how the National Tenant Voice will function, regional tenant leaders have claimed.

  • London mayor nominates deputy for planning

    15/07/2008

    London mayor Boris Johnson has nominated Local Government Association chair Sir Simon Milton as his deputy mayor for policy and planning.

  • Long way down

    11/07/08

    Funding cuts are forcing Supporting People providers to the edge of a precipice. Emily Rogers contemplates the drop

  • Longing to belong

    11/07/2008

    Barbara Thorndick believes strong social networks can make a world of difference to people’s happiness

  • Male room

    11/07/08

    There are hundreds of refuges in England and Wales for female victims of domestic violence, but only a handful of shelters for men. Alex Klaushofer looks at efforts to redress the balance

  • Multiple occupancy damages community relations

    16/07/2008

    The government could ease public concern about migrants by cracking down on landlords of houses of multiple occupation, a committee of MPs has said.

  • Napier: support at this ‘critical time’ will give HCA a fighting chance

    11/07/08

    The man appointed to chair the Homes and Communities Agency has described the next five months as a ‘critical time’ for those tasked with helping the ailing industry.

  • New director of Shelter Scotland

    11/07/08

    Shelter Scotland has announced that Graeme Brown will be its new director.

  • New mayor looks to ditch 50 per cent affordability rule

    11/07/08

    London’s new mayor this week launched a consultation on his ideas for a massive shake-up of the city’s planning rules.

  • New relationship

    11/07/08

    Ebele Akojie has joined housing association Moat as director of financial planning and risk.

  • New-town ignorance threatens eco plans

    14/07/2008

    A group of MPs has claimed the government is neglecting post-war new towns.

  • Nice little earner

    11/07/2008

    I wonder how news of bumper pay rises for bosses at English Partnerships is going down at the Housing Corporation.

  • No guarantees

    14/07/2008

    Just when you think things can’t get any worse in the housing market, they do just that.

  • Nowhere to go for hostel residents

    11/07/08

    The majority of people ready to leave St Mungo’s hostels last year were unable to find suitable accommodation, the charity has found.

  • Pathfinders sign up to local funding pilot

    17/07/2008

    Three of the first seven areas to try out a new local funding model have chosen housing as a priority for investment.

  • Pathfinders turn to plan B

    11/07/08

    Organisations set up to fix failing housing markets in the north of England are plotting major back-up plans to keep new build programmes on track in the face of shrinking investment.

  • Pilot sees councils give career advice

    11/07/08

    Camden Council will offer new tenants advice on how to find work as part of a government pilot to cut unemployment in social housing.

  • Poor management is Clegg’s big issue

    11/07/08

    Poor management of homes by council landlords has become more of a problem than homeownership, the Liberal Democrat leader has said.

  • Possession legislation needs urgent attention

    11/07/2008

    On behalf of Wandsworth Council I would like to take this opportunity to respond to the comments made by William Flack in connection with the case which the council recently pursued against Mr Flack’s client, Mr Randall (Letters, Inside Housing, 2 May).

  • Problem families threatened with eviction

    16/07/2008

    Support for families who are threatened with eviction due to anti-social behaviour is to be expanded under a £100 million youth crime plan.

  • Properties add value to mixed-use

    11/07/08

    Adding housing to mixed-use developments adds value and helps them get planning permission, according to commercial property developers polled by Ipsos Mori.

  • Ready and able

    11/07/2008

    There has been much discussion over the last few months about worklessness and the number of social housing tenants in receipt of housing benefit.

  • Renewal pathfinders should broaden remit

    14/07/2008

    Housing market renewal pathfinders should focus on the regeneration of urban areas rather than homes, according to a report from three government agencies.

  • Salary surge for bosses but sales income falls

    11/07/08

    Top brass at regeneration agency English Partnerships received bumper pay rises last year, as its sales income plummeted by nearly £50 million.

  • Saving and losing

    04/09/2008

    Stamp duty holiday anyone? By a neat coincidence today’s figures from the Halifax showing a 1.8 per cent fall in house prices in August take the average price of a home to just below the £175,000 threshold for the 12-month holiday announced on Tuesday.

  • Seize the chance to have a single conversation

    11/07/2008

    We are in interesting times, with a lot of backslapping going on about how wonderful English Partnerships and the Housing Corporation have been in helping to deliver more affordable housing and how the Homes and Communities Agency will have a tough act to follow.

  • Simple changes could restore faith

    11/07/2008

    In the government’s efforts to prop up the collapsing residential property market and maintain its planned build targets, one key opportunity has been overlooked.

  • Tenant council to wield power

    11/07/2008

    A 50-strong council of tenants looks set to be created to give residents power to influence national policy.

  • Tenants must not be sidelined

    11/07/2008

    As the Communities and Local Government department review of the housing revenue account trundles on, all manner of the great and the good, such as the Chartered Institute of Housing, the Local Government Association, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy and others, are beginning to make their voices heard and much of their input is very welcome.

  • Tenants unable to afford acceptable standard of living

    14/07/2008

    Social housing tenants are surviving on nearly 40 per cent less a year than is needed to sustain an acceptable standard of living.

  • Time to bring excluded tenants in from the cold

    11/07/2008

    No one can fault the government for ambition. All social homes, it said when it launched the decent homes programme, would reach its minimum standard by 2010.

  • Tribunal delves into relationship between councils and ALMOs

    15/07/2008

    Councils could be forced to accept legal responsibility for arm’s-length management organisation staff as a result of a racial discrimination tribunal.

  • Turning over a new leaf

    11/07/08

    Aspire Housing has appointed Clare Wilson as neighbourhood manager for the housing association’s caretaking service and respect agenda.

  • Wandsworth development gets go ahead

    15/07/2008

    The final phase of a mixed-use development in south London is to go ahead after being approved by Wandsworth Council.

  • Watchdog steps in at Presentation

    14/07/2008

    Presentation Housing Association has been placed under supervision by the social housing regulator following concerns over its governance.

  • What a performance

    11/07/08

    Moat has appointed Phil Davison as director of corporate performance.

  • Williams included

    11/07/08

    Claire Williams has been appointed as financial inclusion officer at Community Housing Cymru.

  • World class

    11/07/08

    The government is promising to raise the bar on tenant involvement. But for real tenant influence we need to look overseas, as Simon Brandon discovers.