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Short on time? Tuesday’s housing news in five minutes
A round-up of the top stories this morning from Inside Housing and elsewhere
Top story: Just 2.6% of homes built on public land will be for social rent, says thinktank
Only 2.6% of the 131,000 homes expected to be built on public land released by the government will be for social rent. That is according to analysis, by left-leaning thinktank New Economics Foundation (NEF), of data published earlier this month on the government’s Public Land for Housing programme.
Across 1,225 sites sold since 2011, just 3,410 social rent homes are set for delivery. This means the level of social rent homes being delivered on public land is the same as for overall housebuilding in England – with 6,287 built in 2018/19 out of 241,130 in total.
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Campaigners urge Jenrick to act on all types of cladding as anger mounts
A group of Manchester-based cladding campaigners has written to housing secretary Robert Jenrick expressing anger at the government’s lack of action to make buildings safe. The Manchester Cladiators group said it has heard “lots of well-intentioned words” but not seen enough meaningful results.
It also argued that a building safety fund to fix dangerous cladding – not a loan – is “the only fair solution”. Apart from where the cladding is the same type as that used on Grenfell Tower, ministers have plans to offer loans instead of direct grants to people facing huge bills to remove dangerous cladding from their buildings.
Lunchtime long read
One of the country’s most deprived areas is changing for the better. As part of Inside Housing’s series on places where housing market failure has been linked to economic decline, Gavriel Hollander goes to Woodnook to learn how it is slowly being turned around.
Quote of the day
“Sadly his stated priorities suggest that he has eyes only for the short term.”
Inside Housing columnist Jules Birch discusses what the housing secretary’s priorities should be following the government reshuffle.
In the papers
Picture: Getty
Flooding caused by Storm Dennis has affected hundreds of homes and caused dozens of people to be evacuated, according to the BBC.
The BBC also runs a story on a family of eight in Wales who says they had to live in a caravan after being moved out by their housing association through a Section 21 ‘no fault’ eviction.
Meanwhile, City AM publishes a comment piece arguing that the frequent changing of housing ministers is hurting the sector.
Local news
Picture: Getty
Islington Council is to launch a consultation on the future of a private finance initiative which manages 4,000 of its council homes and is due to end next year, the Islington Gazette reports.
Also in London, Southwark News expects a £500m housing scheme in Bermondsey that was rejected by the council for a lack of affordable housing to be approved by City Hall on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Wirral Globe reports that the leader of the Conservative group at Wirral Council has accused the Labour-run council and social landlords of failing to meet housing need.
Around the sector
Left to right: Kate Henderson; Sharon Adcock; Rishi Sunak; Colin Wilkie, chair of Broadacres; and Gail Teasdale, chief executive of Broadacres
New chancellor Rishi Sunak has visited homes owned by housing association Broadacres in his North Yorkshire constituency of Richmond. He was joined by Kate Henderson, chief executive of the National Housing Federation.
They met Sharon Adcock at her new home in the village of Welbury. Broadacres carried out a full refurbishment of the home after it became vacant last year, including fitting a new air source heating system.
Mr Sunak said: “Sustainable rural communities depend on having a range of property available – including homes for rent like these in Welbury which are also, thanks to Broadacres’ green investment, affordable to run, too.”
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