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Housing Association latest news and information.

2% of councils say new development is meeting demand for affordable homes

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2% of councils say new development is meeting demand for affordable homes

2% of councils in England say that new development in their area meets policy requirements for affordable housing, according to a report by the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA).

The research, which was taken from a survey of almost 90 councils, highlights the lack of resources available to local authorities trying to meet demand for affordable homes, with 70% of respondents saying that they are forced to rely ‘substantially’ on developer contributions to secure even this amount.

Councils and charities have long called for government to lift the HRA borrowing cap, which would give local authorities greater freedom to meet housing demand in their areas. The chancellor, Phillip Hammond, last year announced an additional £2bn of funding to help councils fund their own affordable housing projects and a lifting of the HRA borrowing cap, but this has been criticised for being available only in ‘high-value’ areas and for being inaccessible for at least another year.

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England short of four million homes

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England short of four million homes

Leading housing and homelessness charities call for the Government action to tackle the true extent of the housing shortage, ahead of its social housing green paper.

New figures that reveal the true scale of the housing crisis in England for the first time have been published today by the National Housing Federation – which represents housing associations in England, social landlords to 5 million people – and Crisis, the national charity for homeless people.

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Rogue landlords ‘named and shamed’

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Rogue landlords ‘named and shamed’

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has hailed a major milestone in his efforts to ‘name and shame’ the capital’s unscrupulous landlords and letting agents with all 33 London local authorities signing up to his online database.

This comes as the Mayor also published his London Housing Strategy, which sets out his approach to tackling London’s housing crisis. The strategy will be considered by the London Assembly at its next meeting.

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Social housing professionals invited get to grips with growing issue of moisture in properties

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Social housing professionals invited get to grips with growing issue of moisture in properties

Social housing professionals invited get to grips with growing issue of moisture in properties at trade body event

Housing association and local authority professionals can take advantage of a trade body conference, to get the inside track on how to tackle excess moisture in their property stock.

The Property Care Association has brought together industry experts, academics and practitioners from across the world to share best practice at the 2018 International Residential Ventilation & Preservation of Buildings Conference.

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New report calls for greater powers for Mayor to get land for homes

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New report calls for greater powers for Mayor to get land for homes

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and local authorities should be given greater powers to get more land into development for new homes in order to help to fix the capital’s housing crisis, according to new research.

A report, commissioned by the Mayor, investigates how land – often in a complex patchwork of different ownerships – is brought together for development in various places around the world. The research looks at the Netherlands, France, Germany, and the USA, to draw lessons for speeding up the assembly of land to deliver new homes in London.

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OPINION: "Hackitt’s ‘softly softly’ approach to high rise cladding safety is a disappointment"

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OPINION: "Hackitt’s ‘softly softly’ approach to high rise cladding safety is a disappointment"

Dame Judith Hackitt’s final report (Building a Safer Future, May 2018) is an opportunity missed to demonstrate clear leadership in the area of fire safety for high rise buildings, according to Ben Jayes, managing director of Vivalda Group.

Giving his reaction to the 159 page report, Jayes said “We were expecting a far clearer statement from Dame Judith, which would include banning any combustible material on tall buildings. We had also hoped to see sharper teeth when it came to independent building inspection, however this appeared to have been overlooked in favour of tighter regulations outlined in the report.

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Government commits to major building safety reforms

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Government commits to major building safety reforms

Government has listened to concerns and will consult on banning the use of combustible materials in cladding systems on high-rise residential buildings

The government has today welcomed Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, and has made a series of commitments to make sure people living in high-rise buildings are safe.

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