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Morning Briefing: Grenfell survivors call for cladding removal
Reports from a Grenfell rally in Westminster yesterday, and a property developer brands the UK’s system of funding affordable housing as “nuts”
In the news
A Grenfell rally took place in Parliament Square, yesterday, ahead of the public inquiry due to begin next week.
The Guardian reports that survivors of the tragedy are calling on the government to “urgently strip flammable cladding from hundreds of tower blocks across the country.”
The Belfast Telegraph, meanwhile, focuses on comments from Conservative MP Kwasi Kwarteng calling for more empathy for victims.
Elsewhere, The Times has reported a call from John Godfrey, former director of policy to Theresa May, for a new ringfenced tax to raise money to help young homebuyers.
The aim of this would be to “help ease the generation gap in housing equity”. You will need to register with The Times to read the full piece.
The Daily Mail is reporting figures showing that 5,000 of the families to use Help to Buy earn £100,000 or more.
The Guardian newspaper has an item reporting figures which show construction of luxury flats in central London fell by a quarter last year, while financial news site City A.M. cites figures show London’s lack of rental supply is pushing up rents by 5% a year.
Former housing minister Nick Raynsford’s comments that the planning system is “not fit for purpose”, reported by Inside Housing this morning, are certain to fuel debate in the sector. Law firm, Lichfields, has published a blog looking at whether England’s planning framework should be replaced with a zoning system.
The number of care homes in England has fallen by more than 700 in two years, the Daily Mail reports, sparking concern among campaigners.
An executive at a major property developer has called the UK’s system of funding affordable housing as “nuts” reports The Guardian. Roger Madelin, an executive committee member at British Land, says the government should directly fund affordable homes rather than rely on private developers to fund them and that it should look at higher corporate taxes.
The South Wales Argus newspaper is reporting that Caerphilly Council is exceeding its Welsh Housing Quality Standard targets.
The Press and Journal writes that Aberdeen City Council is spending £23,000 per day on temporary accommodation, while the Birmingham Mail is reporting that 2,000 households have been moved out of the city over the last five years “because there is not enough social housing.”
On social media
The National Union of Journalists is to host a conference looking at the reporting of poverty, following the work done by the Benefit 2 Society campaign, which is supported by Inside Housing.
News just in! From The Journalist. The magazine of the NUJ. t.co/APKqre77ak pic.twitter.com/x9pRBC4qDZ
— Rachel Broady (@RachelBroady)News just in! From The Journalist. The magazine of the NUJ. https://t.co/APKqre77ak pic.twitter.com/x9pRBC4qDZ
— Rachel Broady (@RachelBroady) May 14, 2018
What’s on
- A general debate on ‘housing and homes’ takes place in the House of Commons after 11.30am
- A two-day event on business transformation in housing continues in London, organised by the National Housing Federation
