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Morning Briefing: Zoopla bans ‘no housing benefit’ adverts
Property website Zoopla has banned users of its site from refusing to rent homes to people on housing benefit, and other housing news
In the news
The BBC reports on the move by Zoopla, which comes after campaigning from various housing groups.
It says that statistics from the National Housing Federation show that one in 10 adverts on Zoopla specified “no DSS” or “no housing benefit”.
Meanwhile, City Metric runs a piece on the number long-term vacant homes in England, which on Monday was revealed to have risen by 5.3% in the 12 months to October, to a total of 216,186.
The author argues that this “poured cold water” on the idea that the UK housing crisis is the result of a lack of available homes.
In local news, a dispute over building homes on the green belt in Bury continues despite an intervention from housing minister Kit Malthouse.
The Bury Times reports that Mr Malthouse told councillors they could not use lower housing projections from 2016 but also that the council is still keen to justify reducing the proposed levels of housebuilding.
Elsewhere, the BBC continues its ongoing coverage of the crisis at key government contractor Interserve, which will today face a vote on a rescue deal.
The firm does not build housing but has in the past signed repairs contracts with housing associations.
Also in the BBC is a story on construction company Dawnus, which, according to subcontractors, has gone into administration.
The company is based in Swansea and runs projects across the UK and overseas, although like Interserve, these are generally not specifically related to housing.
And The Guardian has a review of the first of three parts of a documentary on rough sleeping, 60 Days on the Streets.
The programme sees explorer and TV personality Ed Stafford pretend to be homeless and living on the streets of Manchester for 60 days.
On social media
The reaction to yesterday’s explosive BBC investigation of the Right to Buy continues:
RTB should be suspended nationally, but as a bare minimum local councils should be able to decide whether to suspend or end it. t.co/NsLQuSdFyv
— James Caspell FCIH 💚 (@jjcaspell)>RTB should be suspended nationally, but as a bare minimum local councils should be able to decide whether to suspend or end it. https://t.co/NsLQuSdFyv
— James Caspell FCIH \uD83D\uDC9A (@jjcaspell) March 15, 2019
What’s on
MP Sir Christopher Chope will see his private members’ bill on protecting the green belt from development have its second reading in the House of Commons
