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Morning Briefing: more than four in five hit by benefit cap are single mothers
Single mothers hardest hit by benefit cap, Northern Ireland faces £225m tower block decommissioning bill, and all of your other key housing stories of the day
In the news
A total of 85% of all households affected by the benefit cap are single mothers, The Guardian writes today.
Data analysis produced by the Labour Party and published by the paper reveals that 134,044 households have had their benefits capped in the year up to August 2018, with 114,337 being single mothers.
Labour says that this shows a significant jump from the previous 12 months when 50,000 single parents faced a cap, which limits the amount a household can receive to £23,000 in London and £20,000 in the rest of the country.
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The Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) could face a £225m bill to wind down its tower blocks over the next 30 years.
The Belfast Telegraph reports on a draft action plan published by the NIHE which says high maintenance costs and fire risk means a lot of high-rise properties could be shut down in the centre of Belfast.
The projected 30-year cost of maintaining and managing the blocks was £309m, £84,000 a flat. The cost of the wind down is £84m cheaper at £225m.
The BBC reports that Gloucester City Council could increase council tax by as much as 400% for homeowners that leave their homes empty as a bid to move homeless families out of temporary accommodation.
The council says there are more than 150 families in temporary accommodation, while 353 homes lie empty.
Local London news website the News Shopper has a story about the 1,000-home New Capital Quay development in south east London, the biggest development found to have Grenfell-style aluminium composite material cladding.
The manager of the block has finally submitted a planning application to remove the cladding, five months after the National House Building Council agreed it would cover the £40m re-cladding bill.
Tiny pop-up homes for single occupiers could be springing up across Bristol, The Mirror reports.
Three one-bedroom ‘snug homes’ have had planning accepted by the Bristol City Council, despite council policy not allowing the construction of new single occupier homes.
Ecomotive, the developer behind the new prefabricated homes which can be constructed in the gardens of existing homes, said the new homes addressed the need for affordable housing and allowed residents enough space to live comfortably.
On social media
Paul Hackett, chief executive of Optivo and chair of the G15, reacts to latest Shelter research on planning permission times:
Latest @Shelter research shows 87% of major applications for residential planning permission were processed within 13 weeks/or agreed time limit, compared with low-point of 47% five years earlier. @gregbeales #ukhousing t.co/LboiEhCS99
— Paul Hackett (@PaulHackett10)Latest @Shelter research shows 87% of major applications for residential planning permission were processed within 13 weeks/or agreed time limit, compared with low-point of 47% five years earlier. @gregbeales #ukhousing https://t.co/LboiEhCS99
— Paul Hackett (@PaulHackett10) January 4, 2019
Neil Goodrich, chair of Chartered Institute of Housing Futures, is clear about what he wants in 2019:
Build. More. Social. Housing #ukhousing #SocialHousing #proudtobeprofessional t.co/1LafbF3uCJ
— Neil Goodrich 💚 (@NGoodrichHsg)Build. More. Social. Housing #ukhousing #SocialHousing #proudtobeprofessional https://t.co/1LafbF3uCJ
— Neil Goodrich \uD83D\uDC9A (@NGoodrichHsg) January 3, 2019
