North

Telling it like it is

Boredom, social inequality, education, lack of opportunity. Were these the causes of August’s English riots? Ahead of next month’s publication of The Riot Report, members of the study’s sounding board give their verdicts to Lydia Stockdale

The flag bearer for Cornwall

The campaign for a devolved Cornwall appears to be gaining pace. Lydia Stockdale looks at the housing problems driving it forward.

Getting it down Pat

She has one of the biggest jobs in housing, at one of the toughest times. Can Homes and Communities Agency boss Pat Ritchie deliver, wonders Caroline Thorpe.

Rewriting the rule book

Forty-one elected police commissioners are set to take charge of the fight against crime and anti-social behaviour in England and Wales. Lydia Stockdale finds out how landlords can become a key part of the new regime

Delayed reactions

Tips from the top

A mentoring scheme is helping talented housing professionals break through the glass ceiling. Lydia Stockdale finds out who is benefiting from this process

On top of the world

Tower blocks are not typically home to extra care schemes. But Helen Clifton finds out how one arm’s-length management organisation is giving older residents a room with a view

Special agents

Is your organisation ready for the introduction of new rights for agency workers, asks Siobhan Fitzgerald, lawyer at TLT

The repairs rule book

Contractor Forrest launched a code of conduct for its repairs and maintenance workers last summer, improving customer satisfaction as a result. Here Sally-Ann Smith explains how it works

Middle ground

A proposed definition of intermediate market rent needs expanding or landlords could risk breaching new standards, says Jonathan Cox