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The Guardian leads continued attacks on the welfare policy reform, as pressure mounts on Philip Hammond ahead of the Autumn Budget.
Papers continue to take aim at the flagship welfare reform, as pressure mounts ahead of the Budget.
In the news
This morning sees the release of more information that Universal Credit is lurching towards disaster - first evidence from private sector landlords, reported on our site, that the policy leaves more than two thirds of tenants in arrears.
The Observer reports that two in five families will be £52 a week worse off due to the national roll out of the policy. The paper reports: "The scale of the impact on vulnerable groups will intensify a growing Tory rebellion, with those involved already believing they have forced a rethink. Some Conservative MPs are threatening to block the future roll-out of the system unless billions are pumped into it."
Meanwhile The Guardian notes a report from the Resolution Foundation that George Osborne’s benefit cap will lead to a real terms £210 cut next year, as benefits will not be increased in line with inflation.
Elsewhere, should anyone have missed housing minister Kit Malthouse’s address to the Housing Market Intelligence conference last week, the full text of the speech is now online. The speech included a warning to the sector not to get left behind by new technology:
"There’s robot brick layers who can build a house four times faster than a human; push fit systems that are changing plumbing; and before long we’ll have far-field charging transforming how electricians work," he said.
"The winds of change are coming and I don’t want to see anyone become the Kodak of the housebuilding industry."
In Salford, the council has managed to find a way to fund cladding removal from nine of its towers after it was blocked from lending to the PFI company which built them, or accessing money through the official scheme.
In Scotland, the social housing regulator has ended its involvement at a troubled association, after it was transferred to another association.
The FT carries a report about why building more homes may not be the solution to the housing crisis.
And a report today looks in detail at rental markets from around the world, asking what could be done to make the British system fairer.
On social media
Andrew Adonis smells conspiracy over the council borrowing cap
Advice to council leaders & housing policy people - Hammond didn’t want to lift cap on LAs borrowing for housing & Mrs May did it by announcing it in her speech over his head. HMT is now trying to negate the change by ludicrously tight rules - you should make big fuss NOW
— Andrew Adonis (@Andrew_Adonis)Advice to council leaders & housing policy people - Hammond didn’t want to lift cap on LAs borrowing for housing & Mrs May did it by announcing it in her speech over his head. HMT is now trying to negate the change by ludicrously tight rules - you should make big fuss NOW
— Andrew Adonis (@Andrew_Adonis) October 14, 2018
Jules Birch does not entirely agree with the FT’s latest take on house building statistics:
The contrarian view on ’just build more homes’ is going too far - if you agree financalisation not lack of supply is at heart of housing crisis surely expansion of one of few bits of housing that’s not financialised is part of solution not problem? t.co/dy3bwYS78m
— Jules Birch (@jules_birch)The contrarian view on 'just build more homes' is going too far - if you agree financalisation not lack of supply is at heart of housing crisis surely expansion of one of few bits of housing that's not financialised is part of solution not problem? https://t.co/dy3bwYS78m
— Jules Birch (@jules_birch) October 15, 2018
And G15 chair Paul Hackett is pleased about the tax clampdown on Air B&B
Good to see government clamping down on Air B&B landlords ‘gaming’ the tax system. #ukhousing t.co/HIi1kqWFQE
— Paul Hackett (@PaulHackett10)Good to see government clamping down on Air B&B landlords ‘gaming’ the tax system. #ukhousing https://t.co/HIi1kqWFQE
— Paul Hackett (@PaulHackett10) October 14, 2018