Morning Briefing: schemes stall in the north of England

In the news

A fascinating investigation by The Guardian has revealed that more than a dozen schemes in the north of England that were promoted to investors in Asia have stalled or collapsed.

In some cases, police have been involved as investors attempt to recover funds for homes that were never built.

UK construction, indeed, is down overall, with the BBC reporting on official statistics showing that January saw the biggest monthly decline in construction output since June 2012.

Construction output – when measured by comparing similar periods in the year – has fallen for nine three-month periods in a row.

Another ongoing trend is the decline in London house prices. City AM has a piece on prices in the capital falling in February, even as prices elsewhere continued to grow.

In Westminster, the £817m underspend by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government – reported last month by Inside Housing – continues to cause concern.

According to The Guardian, the select committee for housing, communities and local government will today grill housing minister Dominic Raab and homelessness minister Heather Wheeler on the issue.

The same paper has also spoken to Leilani Farha, the United Nations special rapporteur on the right to adequate housing.

Ms Farha said that she was concerned that the UK government may have breached international human rights standards over the Grenfell Tower fire.

The ongoing response to the blaze will now see Cardiff Council install sprinklers in all its high-rise blocks, Wales Online reports.

In Scotland, meanwhile, Labour leader Richard Leonard has committed the party to supporting rent controls. Commonspace has the story.

What’s on

A representative from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will face oral questions in the House of Commons at 2.30pm today, before Dominic Raab and Heather Wheeler face a select committee on the department’s £817m underspend at 4pm.