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The number of mortgages taken out to buy a home reached the highest level in a decade in February, figures show.
In the news
More than 50,000 mortgages were completed in February according to trade body UK Finance, the highest level for that month since 2007, The Times reports.
This increase comes in the face of the Resolution Foundation’s report yesterday, which highlighted the crisis of homeownership in the UK.
Following that up, the Independent’s economics editor Ben Chu writes on the perils of leaving millennials in the private rented sector.
This report provoked an unusual reaction in one post on the right-wing opinion website Unherd.
There, Polly Mackenzie argues that we should forget about social housing and focus on homeownership.
Local politics is set to take centre stage, with local elections around the UK just over two weeks away.
In that spirit, a post on the London School of Economics’ policy blog explores how housing stock transfer in local authorities has been shaped by political ideology.
Building reports on one innovative housing development in Hertfordshire, where the county council has formed a £2bn joint venture with construction company Morgan Sindall.
Across the Irish Sea, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive has said it is unable to deliver enough homes to meet demand in Belfast, The Irish News reports.
And as the date for Dame Judith Hackitt’s final report on her post-Grenfell review of building regulations draws near, The Guardian carries a warning from the Royal Institute of British Architect (RIBA) that the review will likely avoid a ban on combustible materials.
Inside Housing reported on these fears from RIBA and other industry bodies back in March.
Coinciding with that, The Guardian this morning has also published an interview with the young human rights lawyer Kwame Boateng, who has made a short film about the Grenfell Tower fire.
On social media
My book ’Municipal Dreams: the Rise and Fall of Council Housing’ is officially published today. You’ll have to forgive some relentless self-promotion. Apologies in advance. t.co/uC6a0mYx62
— Municipal Dreams (@MunicipalDreams)My book 'Municipal Dreams: the Rise and Fall of Council Housing' is officially published today. You'll have to forgive some relentless self-promotion. Apologies in advance. https://t.co/uC6a0mYx62
— Municipal Dreams (@MunicipalDreams) April 17, 2018
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