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Morning Briefing: fears over ‘hundreds’ of NIHE contractor jobs
Hundreds of jobs linked to contracts with Northern Ireland’s housing authority could be at risk after it scrapped a tender for maintenance work, according to reports
In the news
The Belfast Telegraph claims that opening up the tender again could leave contractors out of work as no legal protections has been agreed to protect workers.
The Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) said it decided to collapse the tender after legal action by firms who were unsuccessful in a previous procurement process.
According to the paper, these firms employ hundreds of people for NIHE-linked work and at least one has started a redundancy process.
Inside Housing also reports today that the NIHE is to probe the merits of outsourcing work compared with in-house delivery after being hit by the collapse of Carillion last year.
The Guardian covers new statistics from property website Zoopla which show house prices have risen the fastest in Northern and Midlands cities such as Birmingham, Manchester, Leicester and Nottingham since the UK voted to leave the EU.
Aberdeen and Cambridge suffered the biggest drop, said Zoopla, which based its figures on Hometrack data.
In other news, the BBC reports that Northampton Borough Council underestimated the value of its housing stock by more than £86m in 2016/17.
The authority’s accountants applied the wrong social housing discount factor to the stock, KPMG auditors said.
Hull Live runs a story on the East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s plan to spend nearly £100m improving its housing stock over the next four years.
And elsewhere, the Independent reports on how the Department for Work and Pensions has become embroiled in a spat over whether a man featured in a promotional video for Universal Credit is an actor.
In Northern Ireland, Nichola Mallon, deputy leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, has called on officials to relax the criteria for a Universal Credit hardship fund after it emerged in November that only £17,000 of £7m available has been used, according to The Irish News.
Meanwhile in Scotland, The Scotsman says that thousands of children are stuck in inappropriate temporary accommodation as homelessness levels continue to rise.
Staying in Scotland, The Press and Journal reports that Castlehill Housing Association has abandoned plans to build 73 new affordable homes in the village of Mintlaw.
And in Wales, hyper-local news site My New Town reports on Powys County Council’s concerns over its housing maintenance company, a joint venture with Kier.
In south east London, The Charlton Champion website covers London mayor Sadiq Khan’s decision to reject a 771-home scheme over a lack of “sufficient design quality”.
The BBC reports on a deeply unsettling story from Coventry, where a homeless man was doused with lighter fluid and set on fire by two attackers while he was sleeping.
It comes as the BBC publishes a piece from its Midlands political editor on the problems faced by rough sleepers away from big cities.
The Guardian runs a feature on a street in Kent owned entirely by the Wilson family – dubbed Britain’s biggest buy-to-let landlords – who are slated for eviction.
Finally, a comment piece in The Guardian argues that a new 100% mortgage being offered by Lloyds Bank will do nothing to help many young people trapped in the private rented sector.
On social media
A really helpful read looking at how Brexit could affect our sector. Myself, our board & the Executive Group have reassured our employees that relevant plans have been put in place dependent on the final outcome influenced by discussions we’ve had with our key partners. #RHP t.co/KoQ7pKjmm6
— David Done (@DavidDone1)A really helpful read looking at how Brexit could affect our sector. Myself, our board & the Executive Group have reassured our employees that relevant plans have been put in place dependent on the final outcome influenced by discussions we've had with our key partners. #RHP https://t.co/KoQ7pKjmm6
— David Done (@DavidDone1) January 29, 2019
Worryingly, 4 in 10 have thought about leaving the capital due to the cost of housing #BuildingLondon pic.twitter.com/wObCzQEQFL
— Laura Osborne (@LosBorne14)Worryingly, 4 in 10 have thought about leaving the capital due to the cost of housing #BuildingLondon pic.twitter.com/wObCzQEQFL
— Laura Osborne (@LosBorne14) January 30, 2019
What’s on
- Prime Minister’s Questions will take place in parliament at 12pm
- London First are holding an event looking at the capital’s housing problem called Building London, which will feature an address from housing secretary James Brokenshire
