A report from the housing campaign, Crisis, in collaboration with Herior-Watt University and the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence indicates that around a third of housing associations surveyed said pre-tenancy affordability checks determined that the applicant would not be given a tenancy due to “too low an income or insecure finances”. According to Crisis … Continue reading Too poor for council or housing association homes
Category: Labour government
The government should end its support for the Tory policy of “affordable rent”
The Labour Campaign for Council Housing is calling on the government to end support for the increasingly unaffordable “affordable rent”, introduced by the Tories. “Affordable rent” (AR) was introduced by the Tories as part of their austerity programme. It allowed rent to be charged at up to 80% of market rent. Tenants were to be … Continue reading The government should end its support for the Tory policy of “affordable rent”
Build, Baby Build — But Who Really Wins?
The Government is doubling down on a system designed for corporate gain rather than public need, suggests Cllr James Valentine. From Labour Hub The Government’s new Planning and Infrastructure Bill is being sold as a game-changer for housebuilding, the legislative key to unlocking its election promise of 1.5 million new homes. But beneath the fanfare, … Continue reading Build, Baby Build — But Who Really Wins?
“The lack of housing is such a fertile source of human misery”
how and why DID the labour leadership prevent a debate on council housing? For the fourth year running housing has been kept off the agenda of the Labour Party conference. This was no accident. The Labour leadership has sought to prevent a debate. The main instrument for stopping resolutions which the leadership doesn't want debated … Continue reading “The lack of housing is such a fertile source of human misery”
Reinstate the suspended MPs
The decision to suspend four Labour MPs and take away the role of three trade envoys, following the row over the ill-health and disability benefit cuts, runs counter to the government's promise to engage with back benchers. It is completely unprecedented for 127 Labour MPs to sign a 'reasoned amendment' which would kill a government … Continue reading Reinstate the suspended MPs
“Reforming Right to Buy” – a missed opportunity
Having reduced the discount for Right to Buy by executive action (varying from £16,000 to £38,000), the government is proposing a number of reforms (see below) which will require legislation “when Parliamentary time allows”. These are obviously designed to cut the number of sales. No surprise, as we said they would, the Tories have denounced … Continue reading “Reforming Right to Buy” – a missed opportunity
Step up the campaign for 90,000+ social rent homes a year
18,000 social rent homes a year does not make a 'social rent revolution' The Ministry of Housing has announced that its £39 billion programme over 10 years will fund 180,000 social rent homes. They call this a 'social rent revolution'. 18,000 social rent homes a year is no sort of revolution. When you factor in … Continue reading Step up the campaign for 90,000+ social rent homes a year
Step up the pressure for 90,000+ social rent homes a year
“The new investment pales by comparison with the scale of housing need...” Kate Henderson of the National Housing Federation, and others, have described the housing package announced in the Spring Spending Review as “transformational”. This is hyperbole. Jules Birch is closer to the mark when he wrote in Inside Housing that “The new investment pales … Continue reading Step up the pressure for 90,000+ social rent homes a year
Drop the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payments Bill
At the time of writing more than 120 Labour MPs have signed a "reasoned amendment" which "declines to give a Second Reading" to the Bill, threatening to kill it off. If all the opposition MPs supported the amendment then the government would be defeated. If the Tories were to come to the government's rescue, it … Continue reading Drop the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payments Bill
Spring Spending Review initial response
All available funding should go to social rent homes - £3.9 billion a year is insufficient to resolve the housing crisis The delayed Spring Spending Review included the announcement that the Affordable Homes Programme would provide £39 billion over ten years, an average of £3.9 billion a year. Whilst this is an improvement on the … Continue reading Spring Spending Review initial response
Labour Campaign for Council Housing 