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Morning Briefing: will the delay to the Grenfell Inquiry be worthwhile?
A Times columnist says the delay to the Grenfell Inquiry is needed and a website reveals data about deaths of homeless people
In the news
The delay to the Grenfell Inquiry – the second phase of which is now unlikely to start until 2020 – has alarmed some survivors who believe momentum might be lost as a result, leading to an evasion of responsibility.
However in a paywalled column for The Times today, Melanie Phillips points to the complexity of the inquiry with its 200,000 documents that need reviewing before the second phase can start and the need to ensure adequate legal representation for the companies involved.
She says: “Those who eventually shoulder the blame for the fire may face negligence suits or criminal prosecution, so fairness demands they have legal representation.”
Drawing contrasts with the “inadequate” speedily concluded first Hillsborough Inquiry she concludes the delay to the Grenfell Inquiry will have been worthwhile if the inquiry can avoid finding that “no heads should roll”.
Elsewhere, the number of homeless people to have died since last winter in the UK has passed the 500 mark, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. The website has been undertaking an ongoing project to track deaths of homeless people and rough sleepers.
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The Sun newspaper has launched a campaign called ‘Make Universal Credit Work’, calling on the government to fix the problems with its flagship welfare reform. Yesterday it published a guide on how you can get help if your Universal Credit payments are stopped or reduced.
“Richard Leese claims there is no demand for social housing in Manchester”, is the striking headline in the Manchester Gazette. The article itself seems to have the Manchester City Council leader talking about there being a lack of demand for social housing in the past, not the present, so the headline is a bit misleading.
House prices will flatline in 2019 and sales fall, due in part to Brexit. This is the conclusion of a survey by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, reported in The Guardian today.
What would be the impact of the proposed new Housing Court in England? Scottish Housing News quotes a QC, Martin Partington, who believes the proposals could see 1,200 deposit protection cases a year in England.
The Croydon Guardian newspaper has an article about Croydon Council joining a pan-London initiative to find better deals for temporary accommodation.
On social media
The Local Government Association tweeted about a new placemaking initiative:
This week we launched #FuturePlace, a join initiative with @RIBA, @CIHhousing & @RTPIPlanners to unlock place-making potential at local level 🏘️
— LGAcomms (@LGAcomms)
Get your local authority involved 👉t.co/C5vOFesYw2 #ukhousing pic.twitter.com/5vGlSKBBOTThis week we launched #FuturePlace, a join initiative with @RIBA, @CIHhousing & @RTPIPlanners to unlock place-making potential at local level \uD83C\uDFD8️
— LGAcomms (@LGAcomms) December 16, 2018
Get your local authority involved \uD83D\uDC49https://t.co/C5vOFesYw2 #ukhousing pic.twitter.com/5vGlSKBBOT
What’s on
- The National Housing Federation’s South West Housing Finance Conference is being held in Exeter
