RSLs Among Biggest Beneficiaries Of Temporary Accommodation Contracts

Three current RSLs are named among the biggest beneficiaries of a “billion-pound-a-year temporary accommodation industry” exposed by a joint investigation between Shelter and BBC Panorama. Shelter says the stats as a whole show a need for the government to prioritise “a new generation of social homes” in the upcoming budget. A2 Dominion, Notting Hill Genesis, and Network Homes were together recipients of more than £16m from councils in 2018/19 over temporary accommodation in 2018/19. The panorama programme can be found on the iplayer website.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000f1wr/panorama-cashing-in-on-the-housing-crisis

Tenants to Deal with Pests As Control Teams Cut

Pest control teams in 29 councils have been disbanded, leaving tenants to get rid of rats, cockroaches and bedbugs themselves.  The statistic, which was revealed in BBC2’s Panorama, could leave vulnerable people open to disease because councils now charge for the previously free service. This means that more social housing tenants will find their properties overrun with rats, bedbugs and cockroaches, unless they are prepared to fork out to get rid of the pest themselves.  “This is a shocking finding,” said Mark Cosh at pest control experts SitexOrbis. “It could leave society’s most vulnerable people – families who cannot afford to pay for pest control – vulnerable to pests, and the diseases they carry. We urge local authorities to reconsider these cuts and reinstate the budget for pest control services to ensure everyone is properly protected.”  Read more on the SitexOrbis website.