Surge In Council Homes That Are Unsafe Or Need Repairs

More than 40 per cent of council homes in one part of England are not fit to live in. The latest government figures reveal that at least 76,814 properties owned by councils in England failed to meet the Decent Homes Standard at the end of March 2020. A “non-decent” home is one which fails to meet the statutory safety standards, is not warm enough, is run down or has facilities which are too old. Typically this means they have problems with damp, mould or faulty heating, which can have a significant impact on tenants' physical and mental health. Read more on the Daily Mirror website.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-tens/surge-council-homes-unsafe-need-23491144

Malthouse Openly Admitted Making Homeless People's Lives 'Uncomfortable'

The new Tory Housing Minister openly admitted he made life "uncomfortable" for the homeless as part of a zero-tolerance crackdown. He can expect scrutiny over his previous approach to homelessness when he was deputy leader of Westminster City Council, which he left in 2006. Under his watch, the council was accused by one London Assembly member of adopting a "ruthless" policy towards homeless people that included "hosing them out of doorways". Asked in 2008 if he was behind such a "hosing" policy, Mr Malthouse replied: "We certainly instituted a policy of making life - it sounds counterintuitive and cruel - more uncomfortable; that is absolutely right." Read more on the Daily Mirror website.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/new-tory-housing-minister-kit-12885129

Rough Sleeping Soars By 15%

The number of people sleeping rough on England's streets soared by 15% last year and now stands at a shocking 4,751. The rise to autumn 2017 is the eighth in a row and rough sleeping has more than doubled under the Tories since 2010. Almost a quarter of all rough sleepers (1,137) are in London, where the number rose by 173 people last year or 18%. Four-fifths were UK nationals, 653 were women and 370 were under 25. The shocking figures are derived from actual counts of people on the streets and "intelligence-driven estimates" on a single given night. Read more on the Daily Mirror website.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/rough-sleeping-soars-15-almost-11911565

Universal Credit Putting Claimants 'At Risk Of Eviction'

People who move onto Universal Credit are waiting nearly three months for payments - putting them at risk of eviction. The stark warning came from Croydon Council in south London, a key pilot area for the "full digital service" of Universal Credit and the constituency of the Housing Minister Gavin Barwell. Analysts have claimed millions will face overall cuts due to changes in "work allowances" under the new system. Mark Fowler, Croydon Council's director of welfare, told MPs on the Commons Work and Pensions Committee: "We have seen in Croydon, on average, it's about 12 weeks before any form of payment is awarded, which is creating considerable pressures as you can understand, and carries immediate potential for eviction as well." Read more on the Daily Mirror website.

35,000 People Sit On Waiting Lists For 10 YEARS

Tens of thousands of people have been on social housing waiting lists for a decade. Research shows at least 104,000 people in Britain have been on waiting lists for council-owned or “arm’s length run” homes, such as in housing associations, for five years. At least 35,000 have been on the same waiting lists for 10 years. Officials insisted not all were in urgent need - but town hall chiefs warned the Mirror of a “crisis” and called for urgent action from the Tory government. The research was compiled by the Liberal Democrats from 158 councils, so the total from all councils is likely to be higher. Read more on the Daily Mirror website.

Revealed: How Many Council Homes Are Left In England After 20 Year Sell-Off

The number of council owned social homes has fallen to less than half what it was two decades ago. Figures from the CLG have revealed the number of local authority owned social houses in England as of April 2015. Across the whole of England 1,643,000 dwellings were local authority owned which is a drop of 1.5% compared to the same month in 2014. Compared to 1994, however, the number has fallen by 55% from 3.67 million. Private Registered Providers now own 2.45 million dwellings across the country, up from 985,000 in 1997. Around 17.6% of all houses in England are owned by either public bodies or Private Registered Providers which is a slight decrease compared to the 17.9% recorded in 2012. Read more on the Daily Mirror website.

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.

Social Housing Sell-Off Could Force Councils To Flog Libraries And Parks

Councils could be forced to flog libraries and parks to plug a black hole in the Tories' social housing sell-off, Labour has warned. Shadow Housing Minister John Healey sounded the alert as protesters staged a march through Westminster against the Housing Bill. Campaigners fear the law will destroy social housing by extending Right to Buy to housing associations, ending lifetime council tenancies and classing £450,000 Starter Homes as 'affordable housing'. Now it could have another consequence as town halls grapple with fresh cuts in the Budget. The government is already selling £4.5billion of land to balance the books - and Mr Healey told the Mirror councils could be forced to follow suit. Read more on the Daily Mirror website.

Duncan Smith Charging Poor Families 45p A Minute To Talk About Benefits

Iain Duncan Smith is to charge struggling families up to 45p a minute to claim vital benefit payments by phone. The Work and Pensions Secretary is refusing to set up an 0800 freephone number for the millions of people who will soon be making claims via his new Universal Credit welfare system. It flies in the face of a previous DWP pledge of free calls for “all major benefit claim lines”.  Anyone trying to claim Universal Credit will be forced to call an 0345 number, incurring charges of up to 45p a minute from a mobile or 12p a minute from a landline according to the Government’s own figures. Read more on the Daily Mirror website.

Goldsmith Slams Tory Definition Of £450,000 Homes As 'Affordable'

Zac Goldsmith signalled a split in the Tory ranks over housing policy today, slamming the party's outrageous new definition of 'affordable homes.' The London mayoral hopeful said: "Legally an 'affordable home' is a 20% discount. But in the real world a 20% discount on a £600,000 home in Primrose Hill is not an affordable house to the vast majority of people. " It follows the Tory attempt to redefine "affordable homes", which currently applies to homes available to rent to people who can't afford market rates. But the new housing bill being pushed through parliament by David Cameron and George Osborne, broadens the definition to include so-called 'starter homes' on sale for up to £450,000 to first-time buyers. Read more on the Daily Mirror website.

How Cameron Plans To Destroy Social Housing In 7 Easy Steps

David Cameron seems hell-bent on destroying Britain's social housing for good. The Tories' new housing bill contains a string of measures which could drastically reduce the country's stocks of social housing - which thousands rely on to keep a secure roof over their heads. Here's how they're getting away with it.

1.       Change the definition of 'affordable housing'

2.       Sell off what you can

3.       Bulldoze the rest

4.       look like you're going to replace them, but don't actually replace them

5.       Let people sell off 'starter homes' at a huge profit

6.       Force people out of council housing wherever possible

7.       Sneak it all through while nobody's looking

Read more on the Daily Mirror website.

Appalling' Decision To Push Through Crucial Housing Law At 3am

The Tories have been slammed for an "appalling" decision to push through key stages of a housing law at 3am. Labour blasted ministers for rushing through a six-hour debate on the Housing Bill - which includes plans to end lifelong tenancies for council homes. The divisive law also launches 'affordable' homes costing £450,000 in London and paves the way for privatised planning applications. Yet key clauses will only be debated after midnight because the government refused to move the debate. Tory ministers also wrote 65 pages of new clauses and amendments "at the last minute", said furious shadow communities minister Roberta Blackman-Woods. Read more on the Daily Mirror website.

Cities Unite Against Attack On Council Tenants’ Lifetime Leases

Leaders of major English cities are demanding David Cameron ends his cruel attack on council tenants. Local authority chiefs from Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Newcastle have joined forces to issue direct calls for the PM not to axe lifetime tenancies. The Tory scheme, unveiled last month, would end the long-cherished right to a home for life for all new council tenants. MPs will vote on the measure next week as the Mirror continues our campaign for it to be ditched immediately. Read more on the Daily Mirror website.

Tories Ban Scheme Which Offers Residents A Council House For Life

The Tories are quietly banning a scheme which offers poor residents a council house for life. Lifelong secure tenancies - which meant tenants could keep council homes until they died and hand them on to their children - will be phased out in the Housing and Planning Bill. Instead councils will only be allowed to offer secure tenancies of two to five years and 'review' the tenant's circumstances before deciding whether to kick them out. When children or other relatives apart from a spouse inherit a tenant's home, the tenancy will be capped at five years - after which it could be handed on to someone else. Labour's shadow housing minister John Healey blasted the move. Read more on the Daily Mirror website.

Cameron's Starter Homes Plan Is 'Disastrous' For Tenants Most In Need

Fewer affordable houses will be available to rent under plans outline by David Cameron . The Prime Minister's fresh assault on council housing will see new, affordable properties sold to first-time buyers rather than let to tenants. It could force low-income families onto the streets if they cannot get together a deposit to buy one of the new Starter Homes, and a shortage of social housing sends rents rocketing. Homes must be offered for sale at a discount of 20% below market rates, with a maximum price of £450,000 in London and £250,000 outside the capital. Purchasers must be first-time buyers aged under 40 and may not sell or rent out the property within the following five years.

Read more on the Daily Mirror website.

Campaigners Fear Extension Of Right-To-Buy Scheme Will Hit Rural Areas

Campaigners want rural areas to be exempt from plans to extend right-to-buy to social housing. Affordable homes would not be replaced and could vanish from the countryside, pricing even more local people out, groups warned. Organisations including the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), the County Land and Business Association (CLA) and the National Parks Association have expressed concerns about the proposal. The policy looks set to be implemented on a voluntary basis by housing associations under a proposal put forward by the National Housing Federation. The plan would mean that there would be a presumption in favour of sale in most circumstances but housing associations would retain some discretion. The group warned landowners would be reluctant to offer land for social housing if there are no guarantees it will remain affordable and not be sold on within a few years. Read more on the Daily Mirror website.

Number of Homeless Families Soars 47%

The number of families forced out of their homes has sky-rocketed by 47% since the introduction of housing benefit cuts, government figures show. Housing charity Shelter has blamed cuts to housing benefits, which were first introduced by the coalition when they came to power in 2011. The jump in homelessness has occurred between the second quarter of 2011, when the cuts came in, and the second quarter of 2015. The chief executive of Shelter, Campbell Robb said: “These figures are a stark warning that relentless rent rises and welfare cuts have contributed to thousands of hard-pressed families losing their home.  More cuts to housing benefit, while doing nothing to tackle the ridiculous cost of housing is short-sighted at best."  Read more on the Daily Mirror website.

Poverty Forcing People to Turn to Fuel Banks

In a church hall in one of South West London’s most affluent neighbourhoods, a fuel bank has opened to help those who cannot afford to pay for their energy bills. This is a pilot project run in ­partnership between charities including the Trussell Trust and funded by the energy giant npower. It is a radical new idea to tackle the “heat or eat” dilemma.  Fuel and food poverty go hand in hand. Research by Citizens Advice suggests one in six homes using energy meters disconnect supplies every year to save money. This means some 1.6 million people could be going without gas and electricity.  The npower scheme has three pilot areas – Durham, Gloucester and Kingston upon Thames. Read more on the Daily Mirror website.

Tory Council Spends £90m Buying Back the SAME Flats It Sold Off Under Right to Buy

Westminster City Council was notorious for a huge Right to Buy scandal in the 1980s, when Tory leader Dame Shirley Porter was found to have sold off council homes to likely Tory voters. The cost to the taxpayer at the time was roughly £27 million. Now, to tackle its crisis in affordable housing, the council has set up a charitable company called Westminster Community Homes. The company has spent £90.74 million buying back 295 ex-council homes, at an average cost of £307,593. A Mirror investigation has found that the prices being paid to buy back the homes are up to 22 times more than they were sold for. Read more on the Daily Mirror website.

Mansion Tax: Most Tory Supporters Prefer Labour's Housing Policy

With the UK housing market facing its biggest crisis of the last 100 years, it's no surprise that housing has soared as one of the topics voters are most concerned about. With an election looming, the Conservative Party should take notice when its own supporters side with the Opposition when it comes to these two critical issues.

1.       Tory supporters WANT a mansion tax – 49% of Tories support the Mansion Tax

2.       Tory supporters are in favour of rent capping – 60% of Tories are in favour of Rent Capping

Read more on the Daily Mirror website.