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Morning Briefing: tenant concern over Notting Hill and Genesis merger
The Guardian reports tenants’ concerns over the Notting Hill Housing and Genesis merger, and families are paying high electricity bills because of new eco-friendly system
In the news
The Guardian reports on pushback against the Notting Hill and Genesis merger, with some tenants concerned it could lead to “social cleansing”.
The proposed merger is expected to create a huge 65,000-home organisation and faces a crunch vote next week. Here is our story on this.
But tenants are concerned that the merged association will sell off properties. Local Labour MP Emma Dent Coad is also against the merger. Both Genesis and Notting Hill said the merged association would be able to build more new homes than they can separately.
The Guardian reported that Genesis managers have insisted that the combined financial strength of the new group would allow them to slow or halt the sale of social rented homes in inner London.
Genesis said residents opposed to the merger had rejected its offer of holding talks.
The BBC reports that families living in social housing owned by Orwell Housing have said their children have to share baths and wear coats inside, due to problems with an eco-friendly heating system.
People living in Orwell Housing homes in Ipswich and Tunstall said the installed air source heat pump “does not work” and is “expensive”.
The system is designed to take heat from the air and boost it to a higher temperature by using electricity.
Orwell Housing said “it will make changes if changes are needed”.
And in Northern Ireland more than 50 former Ministry of Defence (MoD) homes could be refurbished to be let out as social housing after sitting derelict for over a year, local paper Lisburn Today reports.
The MoD transferred the homes to the Department for Communities last January but since the political stalemate in Stormont, the properties have been derelict. Now the department has said it will transfer the homes to Clanmil Housing Group subject to receiving a business case and contract.
On social media
New housing minister Dominic Raab was on Question Time last night, where the NHS crisis was debated. This sparked discussion on Twitter about how housing could help:
.@DominicRaab could help with #NHSCrisis by ensuring all new #ukhousing is built to inclusive & #accessibledesign standards, to enable independence (which improves health), allows people to get home from hospital safely and helps prevent injury/falls in the first place! #bbcqt t.co/m1EV6AZsHT
— Vaila Morrison (@inclusivehome).@DominicRaab could help with #NHSCrisis by ensuring all new #ukhousing is built to inclusive & #accessibledesign standards, to enable independence (which improves health), allows people to get home from hospital safely and helps prevent injury/falls in the first place! #bbcqt https://t.co/m1EV6AZsHT
— Vaila Morrison (@inclusivehome) January 11, 2018
Viewers were also disappointed that Mr Raab was asked no questions about housing, despite his new brief:
#BBCQT So out of touch, no #housing questions, #homelessness, #UKhousing #crisis #Whatsthepoint of inviting @DominicRaab ?
— Steve Clarke (@TenantsUnite)#BBCQT So out of touch, no #housing questions, #homelessness, #UKhousing #crisis #Whatsthepoint of inviting @DominicRaab ?
— Steve Clarke (@TenantsUnite) January 11, 2018
