Thursday, 09 February 2012

Inside Housing
19/02/2010

View all stories from this issue.

  • £500m allocation to deliver 8,000 homes

    23/02/2010

    The government has confirmed the latest housing association funding allocations, amounting to £500 million for 8,000 homes.

  • A call to arms

    19/02/2010

    Spurred on by financial incentives, April’s carbon reduction commitment is forcing councils to take the green agenda seriously. Isabel Hardman asks just how ready are they to respond to this rallying cry

  • A cloud lifts

    19/02/2010

    The nightmare of the past few months for staff and tenants at Three Valleys Housing finally seems to be ending. The departures of chief executive, Paul Eastwood, and finance director, Nasreen Hussain, mean that the cloud that has hung over the organisation can now start to lift.

  • A fresh outlook

    19/02/2010

    Creating sustainable housing requires a whole new approach to life, says Brian Cuthbertson

  • A model of self-reliance

    19/02/2010

    Green pilgrims come from far and wide to admire his version of community-led self-sufficiency. Anita Pati followed in their footsteps to meet Rob Hopkins, the man with a vision for how we all might live after the oil runs out

  • Are they up to the task?

    19/02/2010

    Are housing’s quangos doing enough for the environment?

  • Associations hit by £315m of cash calls

    25/02/2010

    Housing association were hit by calls for £315 million last quarter to provide security for complex financial agreements.

  • Bar lowered on 2012 rough sleeper figures

    19/02/2010

    The definition of rough sleeping could be rewritten in a bid to help London reach its target to end street homelessness ahead of the Olympic Games.

  • Belt and braces

    19/02/2010

    Landlords should take every possible precaution with their procurement policies to avoid falling foul of new laws, advises James McMorrow

  • Benefits plan would hit tenants

    19/02/2010

    Most private tenants could be forced to continue receiving housing benefit payments directly into their bank accounts - even if proposals designed to end the practice in favour of paying landlords directly are introduced.

  • Breaking new ground

    24/02/2010

    Developer First Base’s Highbury Gardens scheme shows how affordable house building can keep going through tough economic times

  • Builders’ results show improving picture

    24/02/2010

    Half-yearly results from two leading house builders have shown improving financial performance despite falls in the number of homes built.

  • Building figures prompt call for action

    19/02/2010

    Property professionals have demanded an urgent reassessment of mechanisms to support house building, as completions fell to their lowest level since 1947.

  • CABE backs Battersea Power Station design

    25/02/2010

    The government’s architectural advisor has backed proposals for the redevelopment of the Battersea Power Station site.

  • Carbon budgeting

    19/02/2010

    By now, we know why we have to act and pretty much what we have to do to green our existing homes. The problem is finding the estimated £500 billion needed to ‘decarbonise’ the housing stock.

  • Charity targets bendy bus rough sleepers

    22/02/2010

    Charity Thames Reach is expanding a project to get rough sleepers off London’s bendy buses and into accommodation.

  • CIH president to quit housing association

    19/02/2010

    The chief executive of a west midlands housing association will leave his post in July.

  • Corus closure sees landlord allow home working

    22/02/2010

    A Teeside housing association is redrafting its tenancy agreements to enable its residents to run businesses from their homes in the wake of the closure of the local Corus steel plant.

  • Councils seek control of benefit payments

    24/02/2010

    Six London councils have demanded greater power over the local housing allowance to curb soaring housing benefit bills.

  • Cuts threaten refuges for young runaways

    23/02/2010

    A children’s charity is calling on the government to support a UK-wide network of refuge centres for young runaways.

  • Decent homes costs prompt tower block sale

    25/02/2010

    Southwark council is considering selling a tower block to a private developer because of a lack of funds to meet its decent homes requirements.

  • Duncan Smith warns of child risk

    19/02/2010

    A former leader of the Conservative Party has said the brain and behavioural development of children living in poverty are irreparably damaged unless they are helped before the age of three.

  • Ealing pays £63,000 for unfair dismissal

    23/02/2010

    A former temporary accommodation manager at Ealing council has won an unfair dismissal claim at an employment tribunal.

  • Eastwood leaves Three Valleys

    19/02/2010

    The chief executive and finance director of Three Valleys Housing have both left the housing association, following an investigation into allegations of staff bullying.

  • Eco doctor: sustainable master planning

    19/02/2010

    Matt Kitson offers a healthy dose of advice to ensure your sustainable masterplan hits the mark

  • Energy cooperative could generate £20m

    22/02/2010

    Social housing in Greater Manchester is to become part of a renewable energy grid that could generate £20 million a year from surplus power.

  • Enough to share

    19/02/2010

    Brent Housing Partnership hopes to be one of the first landlords in the country to retrofit solar panels that can make money by exporting any excess power they generate to the National Grid

  • Funding cuts force youth refuge to close

    01/03/2010

    A London refuge that offers beds to under 16s who run away from home is to close due to funding cuts.

  • Geothermal heating to reach social homes

    23/02/2010

    Southampton’s pioneering district heating network is expanding to a major city centre development of social housing.

  • Give decent homes standard a break

    19/02/2010

    I read with interest Maria Wardrobe’s letter (Inside Housing, 5 February). I understand where she is coming from. But the decent homes standard was conceived more than 10 years ago, which I admit does seem like a lifetime sometimes. Back then energy efficiency issues were nowhere near as well recognised nor understood as they are now, particularly in terms of the existing housing stock.

  • Green agenda

    19/02/2010

    These are disappointing times for the sustainability industry. High hopes for a meaningful global deal at December’s Copenhagen climate change summit fell flat. Then, a series of scientific scandals poured fuel on the fire of the climate change sceptics. Finally the UK government still hasn’t defined zero carbon.

  • Green guru - how to save energy

    19/02/2010

    The number of households that spend more than 10 per cent of their income on energy is rising. Green Doctors can advise them on how to live greener - and cheaper. Claire Hardwick and Phil Beardmore tell us what works best

  • HCA clamps down on PFI business plans

    19/02/2010

    Councils are stripping private sale income and Supporting People funding from their business plans for private finance initiative projects, in a bid to get the schemes off the ground.

  • HCA settles with plumber over asbestos illness

    19/02/2010

    The Homes and Communities Agency has settled out of court with a plumber who had claimed up to £100,000 damages after developing an asbestos-related illness.

  • Head and shoulders above the rest

    19/02/2010

    Great leaders are powerful and controlling personalities, right? Not so, says leadership coach Philomena Hayward - understanding the people you are leading is what will ultimately make them follow

  • High Court to rule on section 4 support changes

    01/03/2010

    The High Court has granted refugee status to a failed asylum seeker as it considers whether changes to the housing and support system are lawful.

  • Hillingdon to vote on ALMO closure

    18/02/2010

    Hillingdon council will decide tonight whether to close its arm’s-length management organisation.

  • Hostel evictions could be prevented

    24/02/2010

    More could be done to prevent unnecessary evictions from homelessness hostels in London, a study has found.

  • Housing Heroes shortlist unveiled

    25/02/2010

    The shortlisted entrants for awards that recognise the unsung ‘heroes’ of the housing sector have been announced.

  • How to…

    19/02/2010

    …become a sustainable council and lead local transformation by example

  • Isle of Wight to halve supported homes cash

    19/02/2010

    Funding for supported housing services on the Isle of Wight will be slashed in half if proposed budget cuts are adopted.

  • Job profile

    19/02/2010

    Nic Haig, anti-social behaviour coordinator at the Hyde Group, explains her role

  • Keeping wardens attracts residents

    19/02/2010

    I write in a personal capacity to comment on the article on the survey of sheltered housing residents wanting their sheltered housing managers back (Inside Housing, 5 February). I work for Anchor Trust and the survey results echo our experiences.

  • Kier profits hit by £17.9m OFT fine

    24/02/2010

    Construction and maintenance firm Kier made a £7.8 million profit for the six months to 31 December 2009, after being hit with a £17.9 million fine.

  • London council will be first to close ALMO

    19/02/2010

    A council has voted to become the first in the country to wind up its arm’s-length management organisation.

  • London faces housing supply shortage

    24/02/2010

    London will be faced with a shortage of homes unless steps are taken to improve the house building market, a leading developer has warned.

  • Look what’s in straw

    19/02/2010

    The UK’s first straw bale council houses are nearing completion. Caroline Thorpe checks out their environmental credentials

  • Mandarin and minister clash over council plans

    18/02/2010

    The top civil servant in the Communities and Local Government department has opposed his secretary of state over plans to restructure three councils.

  • Mentally ill woman faces eviction over dog

    22/02/2010

    A woman facing eviction from her housing association flat because she keeps a dog risks becoming ‘severely depressed’ without him, the Court of Appeal has been told.

  • Mind the gap

    19/02/2010

    Making homeownership accessible to all is not necessarily the key to creating a more equal society, argues Heather Petch

  • More please

    19/02/2010

    Low feed-in tariffs may discourage social landlords from investing in renewable installations

  • Movers & shakers

    19/02/2010

    Nicholas Harris has joined Raglan Housing Association as its new chief executive. He was previously chief executive of Raven Housing Trust.

  • MP regrets appearing in tower block show

    18/02/2010

    Labour MP Austin Mitchell has said he was ‘naïve’ to appear on Channel 4’s Tower Block of Commons series.

  • Mutual ownership for older people

    19/02/2010

    All of us who are concerned with the wellbeing of older people should welcome the Housing our ageing population panel for innovation (Happi) report published by the Homes and Communities Agency in December. The report is a very helpful contribution to the debate on housing for older people.

  • New homes slump casts doubt on target

    25/02/2010

    The number of new homes created across England fell to 166,570 in 2008/09, down 20 per cent on the previous year.

  • No strings attached

    19/02/2010

    Housing associations no longer have to mirror local authority pay rises for stock transfer staff

  • Numbers game

    19/02/2010

    The Conservative Party’s hotly anticipated green paper on planning in England has yet to be published but it’s already drawing criticism from national planning bodies which say leaked proposals would lead to a reduction in house building. Jamie Obertelli investigates

  • Planned housing starts up two-thirds

    19/02/2010

    Applications to build houses across the UK rose dramatically over the past three months.

  • Plea on zero carbon rules

    19/02/2010

    The definition of a zero carbon building should be amended to include low-carbon community infrastructure such as district heating, construction industry figures have argued.

  • Positive inspections for Islington and Villages

    25/02/2010

    Islington and Shoreditch Housing Association has more strengths than weaknesses, according to an inspection.

  • Repairs firm moves into management

    19/02/2010

    Private sector involvement in social housing could create up to £1.53 billion in efficiency savings according to research from maintenance and facilities services provider Morrison.

  • Restructure for Anchor staff

    19/02/2010

    One of the largest not for profit housing providers for older people is undergoing a major restructure to cope with a government overhaul of funding of support services.

  • Rural councils get £1m for new homes

    22/02/2010

    Local authorities in rural areas will receive £1 million to help design and plan 10,000 new homes.

  • Rural retreat

    19/02/2010

    The new houses required in rural areas won’t be built unless we construct a new way to meet housing needs

  • Satisfaction data - stick to the rules

    19/02/2010

    Hal Pawson’s feature (Inside Housing, 5 February) highlights some important issues relating to satisfaction testing. As a market research company carrying out more than 80 standardised tenant satisfaction surveys (known as STATUS) each year, Feedback Services knows just how important it is that the National Housing Federation’s STATUS methodology is adhered to.

  • Sector ‘wants Labour win’

    19/02/2010

    Eight out of 10 housing associations believe a Labour government would be better for the sector than a Conservative one.

  • SFHA head slammed for newspaper interview

    24/02/2010

    The outgoing chief executive of the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations been sharply criticised for views given in a newspaper interview.

  • Shared owners ‘are not lax borrowers’

    19/02/2010

    Shared owners are no more likely to be repossessed than those who own 100 per cent of their property with a mortgage, figures released by the National Housing Federation’s home ownership advisory panel have revealed.

  • Social landlords escape credit crunch

    24/02/2010

    Housing associations have successfully fought their way through the credit crunch to stay in good financial health, according to a study published today.

  • Standing tall

    19/02/2010

    The new boss of Scotland’s largest housing association has made a reasonable start during his first couple of months in the job. But can Glasgow Housing Association chief executive Martin Armstrong really succeed where so many before him have failed? Emily Twinch asked him.

  • Stay on target

    19/02/2010

    All eyes have been drawn to Vancouver this week and the start of the winter Olympics.

  • Support offer fails to salvage Royal Docks

    18/02/2010

    The London Development Agency has terminated an agreement to develop 4,900 homes and regenerate the Royal Docks in east London, despite apparent interest from a consortium in partnering on the scheme.

  • Tories attack 'shocking' Labour housing record

    22/02/2010

    The Conservatives have attacked Labour’s record on housing as ‘truly shocking’.

  • Tory gurus’ elderly review

    19/02/2010

    A think tank with links to the Conservative Party will consider whether sheltered housing could be a solution to loneliness among older people.

  • Tory plans ‘threaten affordable housing’

    23/02/2010

    Housing minister John Healey has slammed Conservative plans to reform the planning system and replace it with a new framework which allows local authorities to set their own housing targets.

  • Two jailed for Novas hostel arson attack

    23/02/2010

    Two men guilty of an arson attack on a homelessness hostel have been sentenced to three years each in prison.

  • Vote for the best House Proud manifesto pledge

    22/02/2010

    Should it be health, the environment or residents that housing policy puts first? It’s time to cast your vote on the housing pledge which no election manifesto should be without.

  • Vox pop - Copenhagen

    19/02/2010

    It was the environmental summit of the decade but did the Copenhagen conference on climate change deliver?

  • Watchdog tells councils to reduce care home spending

    18/02/2010

    Councils should reduce the amount they spend on residential care for older people so it is below government targets, the public spending watchdog has recommended.

  • When Darren met John

    19/02/2010

    When housing association maintenance technician Darren Wilkinson agreed to shadow housing minister John Healey for a day, he didn’t anticipate the whirlwind tour ahead. Martin Hilditch tried to keep up.

  • Where there’s a will

    19/02/2010

    Can traditional new-build housing ever achieve high-level sustainability? Woking Council certainly thinks so and won’t let ageing planning consent get in the way of its grand designs