New Research Centre To Inform UK Housing Policy

ESRC, the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation have announced the new UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE). The national research centre, which will be independent from government and other interests, is a collaboration between nine UK Universities and four non-HEI organisations and will have staff located at five hubs across the UK in Glasgow, Sheffield, London, Cardiff and Belfast. CaCHE will be led by the University of Glasgow. CaCHE will advance knowledge of the housing market, provide robust evidence to inform housing policy and practice across the UK, and will join together a comprehensive range of stakeholders with the goal of tackling housing problems at a national, devolved, regional, and local level. Read more on the ESRC website.

Report Finds 18m People Cannot Afford 'Adequate' Housing Conditions

The percentage of households falling below society’s minimum living standard has more than doubled over the last three decades, research suggests. A report led by the University of Bristol, and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, reveals that 18 million people cannot afford adequate housing conditions and 12 million people are too poor to engage in common social activities. The report shows a sharp increase in the percentage of households who fall below society’s minimum standard of living, from 14 per cent to 33 per cent over the last 30 years. Researchers said full-time work is not always enough to escape from poverty and called on the government to take action. Read more on the University of Bristol website.