Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Government Ministers Called To Give Evidence

Government ministers have been called to give evidence to the Grenfell Tower public inquiry in a move that means senior politicians could be cross-examined about their actions in the run-up to the disaster and its aftermath. Key figures have already been asked to provide written statements and some will face detailed questioning in public. The inquiry has not yet decided which politicians will be asked to give evidence in person. Theresa May was prime minister at the time of the fire that killed 72 people. Others who may be called include the former housing minister Gavin Barwell and the former communities secretary Eric Pickles, both now Conservative peers. Read more on the Guardian website.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/dec/29/grenfell-tower-inquiry-government-ministers-called-to-give-evidence

Cabinet Ministers Could See A Big Rise In The Number Of Houses Built In Their Back Yards

More than half of the Cabinet could see a major rise in the number of houses built in their back yards under a controversial planning algorithm. Ministers have introduced a formula for deciding how many homes are needed in each local authority in a bid to meet a national target of 300,000 new homes a year. Boris Johnson is under pressure to ditch the system following concerns that greenfield sites will be built on simply because the algorithm claims more homes are needed. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab’s local district in Elmbridge, Surrey, planned to build 225 new homes a year but the algorithm states that 774 are needed. Read more on the Mailonline.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8675921/Half-Cabinet-ministers-big-rise-number-houses-built-yards.html 

Homelessness Minister Accused Of Racist Remarks About Rough Sleepers

The homelessness minister, Heather Wheeler, has apologised after leaked emails showed her using “racist” language to describe rough sleepers before she joined the government. In an email sent in October 2017 to a homeless charity three months before she became minister, the Conservative MP for South Derbyshire described rough sleepers in her constituency as “the traditional type, old tinkers, knife-cutters wandering through”. Read more on the Guardian website.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jun/20/homelessness-minister-accused-of-racist-remarks-in-email

We Want Our Own Government Minister, Say Tenants

Britain’s tenants would overwhelmingly support the appointment of a government minister solely responsible for tenancy issues, according to agents Your Move and Reeds Rains.  The agencies’ recent survey of first-time buyers and tenants found that over 60% think that the idea of a ‘Tenant’s Minister’ is a good one.  This is compared to only 15% of respondents who felt that it was a bad idea. Of the tenants surveyed, just over one in ten (11.2%) said they feel they will be able to get on to the housing ladder in the next twelve months, down from 13.4% recorded last April. Read more on the Letting Agent Today website.