Poor Housing Costs The NHS £1.4 Billion A Year

Poor housing is costing the NHS in England £1.4 billion a year. A new report produced by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) highlights the vast sum of money that is spent treating health problems caused by living in substandard homes. Researchers have analysed government data on the number and types of hazards- such as excessive cold, damp and falling down the stairs- found in homes in England to calculate how much they cost the NHS. Read more on the ITV website.

https://www.itv.com/news/2021-11-10/poor-housing-is-costing-the-nhs-in-england-14-billion-a-year-data-shows 

Grenfell Cladding Firm A ‘Significant Source Of Revenue’ For BRE

The BRE received a “significant source of revenue” by producing desktop studies for combustible Kingspan insulation used on Grenfell Tower, the inquiry has heard. Tom Lennon, a consultant at BRE, a testing body, claimed the studies could be a “huge source of income” for the BRE in a 2015 email. Desktop studies, allowed under the pre-Grenfell building regulations system, used the results of actual full-scale fire tests on cladding systems to model variations to those specific materials tested, in order to calculate fire performance. Read more on the Housing Today website.

https://www.housingtoday.co.uk/news/grenfell-cladding-firm-a-significant-source-of-revenue-for-bre-inquiry-told/5110709.article 

Government Did Not Act After Warning About Grenfell-Style Cladding In 2014

Minutes of a July 2014 meeting held by the Centre for Window and Cladding Technology, show officials were warned guidance was “not clear” regarding the use of deadly aluminium and polyethylene cladding. The minutes show the Building Research Establishment agreed to draft a clarification to clearly outlaw the material – compared to solid petrol by experts – but this was not done. The aluminium composite material (ACM) polyethylene cladding was fitted onto the outside of Grenfell Tower in a refurbishment which was completed in 2016. The minutes say: “There have been major fires in buildings in various parts of the world where ACM materials have been used for the cladding, with the ACM responsible for the external fire spread.” Read more on Inside Housing.

https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:kGYGPEOpCrAJ:https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/government-did-not-act-after-warning-about-grenfell-style-cladding-in-2014-minutes-reveal-57433+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk&safe=vss

New Sustainable Home Building Standard Is Announced

After over a year of disruption since government announced “winding down” of the Code for Sustainable Homes, a new home building standard has finally been announced.  It is called the Home Quality Mark (HQM) and is being developed by BRE. HQM is intended to be a mark of reassurance and quality for people who will live in a new build home.  The quality is rated using a five star system and three further value indicators namely environmental, economic and, crucially, well-being.  Read more on the Sustainable Homes website.

Decent Homes Programme Saved £392m

The decent homes programme saved the NHS £392 million by reducing the number of accidents and illnesses between 2001 and 2010, according to modelling by researchers at consultancy BRE. If these homes continue to be maintained in a decent condition, BRE estimates in a report published today, the NHS will continue to save another £71 million a year. The decent homes programme eliminated nearly 350,000 of the most serious hazards, known as category one hazards. Read more on Inside Housing.