Short on time? Monday’s housing news in five minutes
A round-up of the top stories this morning from Inside Housing and elsewhere
Top story: Benefits freeze to end from April 2020
Click here to read the full story
Working-age benefits will rise by inflation from April, bringing to an end a four-year freeze.
The rise will cover claimants on Universal Credit and legacy benefits, but experts and housing bodies have warned that the move is not enough to make up for four years of inflation.
This is particularly the case in the context of the Local Housing Allowance, which has been left behind by rising private sector rents across most of the country.
Labour pledges £60bn for greener homes and zero-carbon new build
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The Labour Party has made greener homes a key part of its election pitch, with a promise to spend £60bn over 10 years retrofitting homes with better insulation and green energy.
The party is promising cavity wall and loft insulation, better double glazing, and energy generation methods such as solar panels and heat pumps.
It says low-income families will be eligible for grants, while social and private landlords will face new regulations to bring their stock up to a higher standard.
Lunchtime long read
Today’s long read is more of a long listen. On this week’s episode of The Housing Podcast, we discuss the findings of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s phase one report.
Listen or download here:
Quote of the day
“Everyone across Britain should be able to rent a safe, affordable home where they can build their lives from. So, it’s extremely disappointing to see the government’s commitment to lift the freeze on housing benefit fall short of enabling people to afford to keep their homes.”
Jon Sparkes, chief executive of Crisis, says removing the benefit cap freeze is not going far enough
In the papers
- The Guardian runs a story about the struggle of homeowners looking to sell in towers with Grenfell-style cladding and other combustible materials. Read our long read on the same topic here.
- ITV has a sad story about a toddler who fell to his death from the ninth floor of a council high rise in north London. A neighbour has said she made repeated calls to get the problem fixed.
- The BBC carries warnings from the chief executive of Norwich Council that the award-winning council homes it has recently built should not be sold at a profit under the Right to Buy.
Local news
- The Manchester Evening News publishes a long read looking at the plight of families being placed in temporary accommodation in the city.
- Leicester Live reports on the council's plans to spend £22m on improvements to council homes in the city.
- Bristol Live reports on the increasing number of young people in the city who feel like they will never be able to buy a home.
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