Leader Criticised For Saying Homeless Treated 'Too Well'

A council leader has been criticised for appearing to suggest his authority is seeing a rise in homeless people because it treats them "too well". Peter Nutting made the comment during a debate about Shropshire Council's new housing strategy. The Conservative said his authority's treatment of the homeless "actually attracts people to the county". But he later said he meant it was the council's policies that were too good, not the experience of homeless people. Read more on the BBC website.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-shropshire-55722079

More New Homes Built Under Labour Councils Than Tory Ones

George Osborne’s “we are the builders” pledge has been blasted after a study claimed far fewer houses are being built in Tory shires than Labour ones. Just 1,537 homes have been built under the average Tory council since 2010 - compared to 2,112 under the average Labour council. Overall 176,130 homes were built under Labour councils, 249,580 under Tory councils and 26,150 under Lib Dem councils, the study by Labour of independent House of Commons Library data said. The number of voters and size of each council area were not taken into account. Read more on the Daily Mirror website.

Tory-Run Councils Will Ignore Pleas and Impose Tax Rises

Dozens of Conservative councils will defy pleas from ministers and impose council tax rises on their residents in April, research reveals.  Across England almost a third of councils are planning to increase charges, many to the maximum level allowed without triggering a local referendum, despite a demand from Conservative ministers’ that they cut or freeze bills. Many of those councils who say they can no longer balance the books without increasing charges are Tory controlled – including local authorities covering the constituencies of David Cameron, William Hague and Michael Gove. Read more on the Local Government Chronicle website.

The Great Housing Crisis: Labour Beats Tories over New Homes

Labour councils are building twice as many homes in their areas as Conservatives local authorities, new research reveals today. Since the last election, an average of 403 social and affordable homes have been built in each Labour council area, compared with 201 in each Tory-held authority. There are an average of 618 social and affordable homes in the pipeline, with planning permission and financing in place, in each Labour area compared with 365 homes in each Conservative council. Read more on the Independent website.