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Short on time? Monday’s housing news in five minutes
A round-up of the top stories this morning from Inside Housing and elsewhere
Top story: Half of the council homes with hazards are in one London borough
A total of 4,340 of the 8,107 category one hazards found in council housing stock in England last year were found in the London borough of Lewisham.
Government statistics analysed by Inside Housing found that 54% of the hazards recorded were in Lewisham, but the council said that this was largely down to it being the only local authority in the UK to register non-compliant fire doors and compartmentation issues as category one hazards.
Milton Keynes had the second highest number of category one hazards at 2,029, however the council told Inside Housing that the number was an error.
Click here to read the full story
Clarion secures £100m loan tied to getting tenants employment
Clarion has become the latest housing association to land a loan deal linked to promoting good social causes.
Clarion signed the £100m loan deal with French bank BNP Paribas, with the margin linked to how many tenants it can help into jobs.
BNP Paribas has previously agreed sustainability-linked loans with three housing associations: L&Q, Optivo and Peabody. The deals with L&Q and Optivo were both linked to employment targets.
Lunchtime long read
Grenfell Tower Inquiry diary week one: a vivid picture of a broken industry
It was an eventful opening week for the Grenfell Inquiry last week, and Inside Housing covered every day. Here is deputy editor Peter Apps’ review of the evidence submissions and what to expect in the next four days.
Click here to read the full piece
Quote of the day
“The mayor’s own planning policies, including a flawed Draft London Plan, are holding back the delivery of these much-needed new homes. His restrictions on building on surplus industrial land, through his so-called ‘no net loss’ policy, will make it difficult to bring forward brownfield land.”
Conservative London Assembly member Tony Devenish explains why London mayor Sadiq Khan is failing to dispose of public land and why it is time for a change in the city.
In the papers
Picture: Getty
There was a number of big housing stories over the weekend.
The Times ran a piece on Saturday which revealed that a company set up by Vincent Kompany, a former Manchester City captain, has put forward a planning application for a new luxury development in the centre of the city but is trying to avoid affordable housing targets by claiming the development will not make enough money if it adheres to local targets.
The Guardian is the latest national newspaper to pick up on the issues around fire safety for those living in high-rise blocks. The piece looks at the problems a number of housing association leaseholders are having in getting new mortgages for properties, and those that are trapped and unable to sell as a result of new fire safety guidelines.
Local news
Picture: Getty
Bristol-based charity Alternative Housing has had its charitable status stripped after a three-year inquiry, reports the BBC. An investigation by the Charity Commission found that the organisation had breached property regulations.
The Yorkshire Post runs a piece looking at the ‘affordable housing crisis’ currently hitting North Yorkshire’s rural community. A new commission set up to look at the issue in the area has identified that the soaring cost of properties in the area has priced out many rural residents, especially young families, out of the market. The new commission brings together a hard evidence base for the complex issues, underpinning the problems and assess how to fix it.
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