‘No Green Belt Needed’ For Homes

No green belt land needs to be developed over the next decade in the Black Country despite the huge level of demand for housing, Mayor Andy Street has declared. Street said he believed the thousands of homes needed in the region by 2031 could be provided by “exclusively building” on previously developed sites. Launching his ‘Green Belt Pledge’, the Mayor said he would do everything in his power to ensure the countryside is protected. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/no-green-belt-needed-for-homes-insists-midlands-mayor/

Developers Swamp Council With 'Horrendous' Number Of Housing Proposals

A council has been swamped with new housing proposals from opportunistic developers. About 9,000 sites have been put forward for development in South Staffordshire – with a large swathe bordering the Black Country. But Brian Edwards MBE, leader of South Staffordshire District Council, claims this number is 10 times too many. He says council planners face a "horrendous" task sorting out which developments are most suitable. And he accused developers of "scaremongering" residents in the process. It comes after the local authority identified a shortfall of 8,845 homes needed within the district by 2037. Read more on the Express & Star website.

https://www.expressandstar.com/news/property/2019/12/11/developers-swamp-council-with-horrendous-number-of-housing-proposals/

Black Country leads the way to provide free housing for rough sleepers

Ministers announced earlier this year that the West Midlands had been chosen to pilot the £9.6 million Housing First scheme, which provides homes for people sleeping on the streets. And the Express & Star can reveal that Walsall Council has led the way on the project, with the authority housing 29 rough sleepers so far. Meanwhile, Sandwell Council says it helped 40 homeless people into secure accommodation when the Beast from the East hit earlier this year. It came as West Midlands Mayor Andy Street announced a winter plan for rough sleepers aimed at combatting homelessness in the coming months. Read more on the Express and Star website.

https://www.expressandstar.com/news/politics/2018/12/17/black-country-leads-the-way-to-provide-free-housing-for-rough-sleepers/ 

Black Country Garden City To Get 45,000 New Homes

Plans to build more than 45,000 new homes in the Black Country have been unveiled. It is claimed The Black Country Garden City will be the biggest regeneration of brownfield sites in the country, spanning over 31 different areas. The design would see pockets of housing built across the boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton. Development will begin this year and is due to be completed by 2025. Read more on the BBC website.

Scheme Forcing Landlords to Check Tenants' Immigration Status 'Has Failed'

A scheme to fine landlords for renting homes to illegal immigrants has caught just seven people since it was launched in the Black Country. The government chose Wolverhampton, Sandwell, Dudley and Walsall, as well as neighbouring Birmingham, to pilot tougher rules on the right to rent, threatening them with £3,000 fines if they do not maintain strict checks. But since it was launched last December only seven people have been prosecuted and fined an average of £800 each. The Home Office said it was 'currently the subject of an evaluation which will be published in due course'. But a Freedom of Information Act request has revealed the current figures across the whole of the Black Country and Birmingham. Read more on the Express and Star website.