The Week in Housing: fire review prompts roof inspection programme and council funding settlement announced

On the legislative front, the Senedd passed a “life-changing” bill that aims to transform the homelessness system in Wales by shifting the focus to prevention.

In England, the Chartered Institute of Housing welcomed new government guidance for councils on how to prepare local supported housing strategies.

At the same time, the Scottish government revealed it is considering tax changes as part of a package of measures to encourage developers to build out housing sites.

As the sector continues to spend record amounts on its existing stock, a cross-party group of MPs urged the government to introduce a new modern Decent Homes Programme to drive up standards in England’s social housing.

A number of safety concerns were also raised by members of the London Assembly, who warned that post-Grenfell evacuation laws coming into force from April will not be enough to keep deaf and disabled people safe.

Tenants evacuated from a block of flats in east London last year due to structural safety concerns are threatening group legal action against landlord Notting Hill Genesis.

Northumberland County Council was handed a C4 rating by the Regulator of Social Housing after it found “unacceptable” failings, including around the local authority’s compliance with health and safety issues.

In Scotland, NG Homes has been judged compliant by the Scottish Housing Regulator after the landlord improved its governance and approach to tenant safety.

The UK government has reaffirmed to social landlords the importance of dealing fairly with tenant requests for pets, urging those without a policy in place to “adopt one as soon as practicable”.

With the UK hurtling toward a hotter future, one of Inside Housing’s long reads looked at how many homes built for winter warmth are now turning into heat traps.

Another looked at how landlords and developers can get the best outcome from the current Section 106 marketplace.

A new report from the National Audit Office found that the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government can only account for 5% of the 713,000 homes it spent billions trying to unlock.

This report came after new government figures showed that 4,000 social rented homes were lost in England last year, more than double the year before.

As part of the same release, it was also revealed that the number of Right to Buy applications hit a 20-year high in England last year as council tenants rushed to access discounts before they were reduced.

Finally, Inside Housing Management, Inside Housing’s sister title, has launched an Agony Aunt column to help housing management staff tackle their trickiest work dilemmas.

Have a great weekend.

Stephen Delahunty, news editor, Inside Housing

Say hello: stephen.delahunty@oceanmedia.co.uk

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