Cable: Housing Boom 'Needs Stopping'

Action must be taken to stop the "housing boom" in parts of the UK getting "out of control", according to Business Secretary Vince Cable. He said he was "appalled" that some banks had been lending five times a mortgage applicant's income, suggesting a "stable level" was up to 3.5 times. The desires of potential homeowners should be balanced against the stability of the economy, he added. Mr Cable said that banks "must not throw petrol on the fire" by giving home loans that ran at high multiples of applicants' incomes, although he pointed out that the "boom" was only being seen primarily in the South East of England. Read more on the BBC website.

UKIP Prioritise Applicants with Parents Born Locally

Council house applicants whose parents or grandparents were born locally should be given priority on waiting lists, according to a new policy from the UK Independence Party. The proposal, launched at the party's annual conference, is seen as a direct appeal to voters concerned by much-reported claims that immigrants are able to move to the top of housing priority lists. But it will also draw criticism that Nigel Farage's party is appealing to beliefs which are allegedly based on scant evidence. Read more on the Guardian website.

Council Halves Housing Applicants

Worcester City Council has almost halved the number of applicants on its housing waiting list, after streamlining its application process.  A major review of households on the city’s social housing register has led to the creation of a system called Home Choice Plus - which the council says will result in high profile applicants being given homes faster.  At the start of April there were 4,500 applicants on the register. The council’s strategic housing team contacted them all and asked them to re-register, giving them three months to respond. Any that did not reply were removed from the list.  The result is that there are now 2,393 households listed. Read more on 24dash.