The Week in Housing: Reed’s first committee appearance, plus skills shortages, regeneration and temporary accommodation costs in the spotlight

The District Councils’ Network (DCN) was the first to again sound the alarm this week, with a new analysis of how the government’s freeze on temporary accommodation subsidy is draining councils across England of £268m a year.

This is because the government reimburses councils for providing temporary accommodation through housing benefit, but the rate of subsidy has been frozen since 2011. Councils must pay landlords based on current market rates, creating a significant financial shortfall for local authorities.

The Local Government Association followed the DCN’s analysis with its own report which revealed that the amount spent by English councils on temporary accommodation is expected to rise to an eye-watering £3bn by the end of the decade.

At the same time, an east London council has said it will pursue a criminal prosecution against one of its housing officers for allegedly “manipulating” temporary accommodation allocations.

The Northern Housing Consortium (NHC) has launched a new call for evidence as part of its inquiry into how housing-led regeneration can help tackle the housing crisis and improve communities.

Inside Housing has partnered with the NHC on this inquiry as part of its Spotlight on Regeneration series, which in September explored how to restart regeneration, as well as highlighting a project in west London focusing on outdoor space.

To help tackle this issue with existing stock, London boroughs have called for a £194m boost from the government to retrofit 20,000 homes.

It was revealed this week that a major landlord and council had taken the decision to axe a regeneration project in London due to guidance on second staircases meant the project was no longer viable.

Housing associations are not predicted to have upgraded all their homes to an Energy Performance Certificate rating of C or above until 2032, two years after the government’s deadline.

With the sector facing huge bills and challenges around regeneration work, the government is still banking on a sharp uptick in housebuilding.

But development is also being hampered by skills shortages and recruitment problems, with sector bodies describing the new low in construction employment as “unsurprising” but a “real concern”, as figures hit their lowest levels since 2000.

There was also a lot of news on the legislation and regulation front, as the government outlined its implementation plan for the Renters’ Rights Act, revealing that no-fault evictions for private renters will at last be scrapped next May.

The Charity Commission and the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) set out a new memorandum of understanding for how they will work closer together.

The RSH also awarded North West Leicestershire District Council a C2 consumer grading following its first inspection.

Plus, the latest trading update from Notting Hill Genesis showed the landlord hit 40% of the milestones in its plan to return to compliance with the English regulator.

After a court appointed a liquidator to wind down building control firm Assent, the Building Safety Regulator confirmed it will take on the higher-risk building projects left in limbo after the company’s collapse.

Assent worked on more than 30,000 projects a year, as well as carried out a raft of fire safety work including reports, surveys and fire risk assessments, according to its website.

Inside Housing was up in Scotland for the annual conference of the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA). Richard Meade, chief executive of the SFHA, said at the conference that the next Scottish parliament will “define the future of social housing and the housing sector”.

Attendees also heard how less than a third of Scotland’s registered social landlords have made any provision in their financial projections for net zero.

To mark Armistice Day on Tuesday, the government launched a new £27m veterans strategy to fund a network of support centres intended to provide veterans with advice on housing and employment.

The Welsh older people’s commissioner said social landlords in Wales should be leading the way on preventative health for older people in their housing.

Big announcements in the Living sector included one giant asset manager buying a 1,300-home portfolio of houses in multiple occupation for use as student accommodation.

A search has begun for an investor to fund a 1,026-bed student accommodation scheme adjacent to the University of Kent campus in Canterbury.

Habiko, a joint venture between developer Muse, Homes England and PIC, has unveiled the first two sites where it will build affordable homes.

Inside Housing revealed how a housing association set up by the Church of England has plans to buy up private rented properties on the street where the infamous 2014 documentary Benefits Street was filmed, and turn them into social housing. We also toured the sites where the new Church Housing Association wants to build.

Have a great weekend.

Stephen Delahunty, news editor, Inside Housing

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

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