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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: Right to Buy ban could be temporary, says Welsh housing minister
Click here to read the full story
Julie James, the Welsh housing minister, has signalled that Right to Buy could return in the country – despite being finally axed in January this year.
She said it could come back if Wales is able to build up its stock of social homes to a sufficient level.
She said: “Since Thatcher stopped us building council housing and sold them all off… we’ve had 40 years where we have not been able to replace the social housing.
“I’m not against people owning their own homes or even buying the home that they rent. The point is that we just don’t have enough of them.”
Police investigate treatment of residents at Sanctuary care home
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The Metropolitan Police are investigating the treatment of residents at a care home managed by the care arm of housing association Sanctuary.
The force said it had been made aware of allegations on 22 October relating to the treatment of residents at Sanctuary Care’s Garside House Nursing Home in Pimlico.
Inside Housing does not have details about the specific nature of the allegations.
The police are now working with Westminster City Council and the Care Quality Commission to investigate, but no arrests have been made at this stage.
Westminster Council confirmed that “several members of staff at the home have been suspended”, and that it has brought in council staff to manage and oversee the care being provided at the home during the investigation.
Lunchtime long read
Come back at lunchtime to read our columnist Jules Birch’s take on the current debate over Labour’s spending policies and what it could mean for housing.
His conclusion is that the way Labour has decided to assess public spending – by considering the value of assets as well as their cost – could be very beneficial in the long run for housing.
Quote of the day
“If you’re a social landlord and you’re not part of this scheme, you need a very good answer as to why you’re not.”
Neil Goodrich, housing professional, challenges the sector to join up to the ‘real living wage’.
If you're a social landlord and you're not part of this scheme, you need a very good answer as to why you're not #ukhousing
— Neil Goodrich 💚 (@NGoodrichHsg)
BBC News - 'Real living wage' rises in pre-Christmas pay bump t.co/TS6zunEwMu>If you're a social landlord and you're not part of this scheme, you need a very good answer as to why you're not #ukhousing
— Neil Goodrich \uD83D\uDC9A (@NGoodrichHsg) November 11, 2019
BBC News - 'Real living wage' rises in pre-Christmas pay bump https://t.co/TS6zunEwMu
In the papers
Picture: Getty
The Sunday Times has a look at whether modular homes are really about to take off, and manages to avoid the temptation of the words “prefabs sprout” in the headline (just).
Climate change activists Extinction Rebellion have a message for the housing sector this weekend, sending a sinking house floating down the Thames as a visual metaphor for our future if we do not get carbon emissions under control. Reuters has a report.
And in totally unrelated news, the heavy rain and flooding of the past week is set to continue with villages in South Yorkshire evacuated, including doubtless many social homes. The Guardian has a report.
The BBC reports on concerns from Manchester Airport about plans to build a 95m tower block with a proximity to flight paths.
Local news
Picture: Getty
The Telegraph and Argus reports on a new housing strategy that says 15,000 families in Bradford are living in overcrowded conditions.
Get Reading visits the areas of Slough considered the most deprived.
