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Morning Briefing: Liverpool to reopen HRA and build council homes again

Liverpool Council has agreed a deal with government to reopen its Housing Revenue Account (HRA) and build the first new council homes in the city for 30 years, according to a local paper report, and other housing news

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Picture: Getty
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Liverpool Council has agreed a deal with government to reopen its Housing Revenue Account and build the first new council homes in the city for 30 years, according to a local paper report #ukhousing

Morning Briefing: Liverpool to reopen HRA and build council homes again #ukhousing

Liverpool Council will start building council housing again, after making an agreement with government to write off £130m of historic housing debt, the Liverpool Echo reports.

The council had transferred its stock to housing associations such as Liverpool Mutual Homes during the 2000s in order to benefit from the then Labour government’s Decent Homes funding for improvement.

But following the announcement of new borrowing powers for council development, the council will start building directly again with a 150-home scheme.

The council already has a housebuilding company, but this deal will involve reopening its HRA and directly owning council housing again.

Soaring house prices in certain areas of the country are bucking the so-called ‘Brexit blues’, according to figures from Rightmove reported by the Press Association.

The report shows a 0.9% rise since April, with record highs reported in Wales, the Midlands and the North West.

Before the extension of Brexit to October 31, the sales market had stalled in London and parts of the South East, causing issues for housing associations with large open market sale exposure in these regions.

The Telegraph reports on the growth of private capital in social and affordable housing, asking if it will provide an answer to the housing crisis.

The Evening Standard reports that Hammersmith & Fulham Council is readying a compulsory purchase order of land around Earl’s Court, which is slated for a controversial housing project.

Plans by developer Capco to build 7,500 homes on the site have been stalled by economic uncertainty and political controversy over the planned demolition of two council estates within the planned development. The council is now preparing a £200m compulsory purchase of some areas of the land.

The Guardian covers a Human Rights Watch report about poverty in the UK, which has accused the government of breaching its duty to keep people free from hunger by pursuing “cruel and harmful polices” with no regard for the impact on children living in poverty.

The Independent reveals that the Labour Party is considering plans to get every housing developer to train a British worker for every overseas worker hired.

“To build the homes the country needs, it’s vital that the housebuilding industry invests to train the next generation of construction workers,” shadow housing secretary John Healey said.

In The Guardian there is a report about a leaseholder in a council-owned tower block in Southwark facing a bill of £146,000 to pay for the refurbishment work being carried out on the tower. Lloyd Onuoha bought his flat on the Tustin Estate in Peckham in 2004, and will now likely be required to sell it back to the council.

And Estate Agent Today speculates that Kit Malthouse might be reshuffled from his housing minister brief after Theresa May is replaced as prime minister.

On social media

Paul Hackett notes the comments of Kate Henderson, chief executive of the National Housing Federation, in the aforementioned Telegraph article:

And consultant Stephen Cook upped his calorie count to get through his latest board meeting:

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