Poor Housing Costs The NHS £1.4 Billion A Year

Poor housing is costing the NHS in England £1.4 billion a year. A new report produced by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) highlights the vast sum of money that is spent treating health problems caused by living in substandard homes. Researchers have analysed government data on the number and types of hazards- such as excessive cold, damp and falling down the stairs- found in homes in England to calculate how much they cost the NHS. Read more on the ITV website.

https://www.itv.com/news/2021-11-10/poor-housing-is-costing-the-nhs-in-england-14-billion-a-year-data-shows 

Government Brands Housing Conditions ‘Unacceptable’ After ITV Documentary

 The documentary Surviving Squalor: Britain’s Housing Shame revealed the disturbing conditions some social housing tenants have been exposed to, and showed homes owned and managed by a number of councils, as well as housing associations including L&Q and Clarion. The conditions included leaks which led to near-fatal ceiling collapses, rodent infestations, persistent and chronic mould and fungus – in some cases within the homes of tenants who have breathing difficulties. An MHCLG spokesperson said: “It is completely unacceptable for people to be living in the unsafe homes we have seen in this investigation and we are committed to doing all we can to support tenants.” Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/government-brands-squalid-housing-conditions-unacceptable-after-itv-documentary-72494

Green Homes Grants Cost £1,000 In Admin For Each Household That Benefited

A scheme to make homes cosier and greener racked up administration costs of £1,000 for each household that benefited, the Whitehall spending watchdog said. The flagship green homes grant scheme was rushed, caused frustration for homeowners and installers and had lower benefits in cutting carbon and creating jobs than it could have done, the National Audit Office (NAO) said. The programme was launched in September 2020 as a six-month “green” pandemic recovery measure, and closed in March 2021 having been extended and then curtailed again in the face of problems with its delivery. Read more on the ITV website.

https://www.itv.com/news/2021-09-07/green-homes-grants-cost-1000-in-admin-for-each-household-that-benefited--nao

More Than 11,000 Properties Flipped To Holiday Homes Amid Staycation Boom

 More than 11,000 second-home owners in England have flipped their properties to become holiday lets since the start of the pandemic, to capitalise on soaring demand for staycations. New analysis of government figures shows that the number of holiday homes trading as businesses has jumped by more than a fifth since the pandemic hit. The data shows that there are now 67,578 homes in England classified as holiday homes which have been flipped to become commercial premises, compared with 56,102 properties in March last year. Read more on the ITV website.

https://www.itv.com/news/2021-09-05/more-than-11000-properties-flipped-to-holiday-homes-amid-staycation-boom

Calls For ‘Cruel’ And ‘Antiquated’ Vagrancy Act To Be Scrapped

Campaigners and cross-party MPs are calling for the Government to scrap an “antiquated” law that the Housing Secretary six months ago said should be abolished. Robert Jenrick told Parliament in February that the Vagrancy Act’s “time has been and gone” and the “antiquated” law should be “consigned to history”. The 19th-century law criminalises people for rough sleeping or begging, with anyone prosecuted facing a fine of up to £1,000 and a criminal record. Critics say the “cruel” law drives vulnerable people further away from support, and people should not be punished for being homeless. Last year there were 573 Vagrancy Act prosecutions in England and Wales. Read more on the ITV website.

https://www.itv.com/news/2021-08-24/calls-for-cruel-and-antiquated-vagrancy-act-to-be-scrapped

Clarion Cleared By RSH Following ITV Investigation

 Clarion, which owns and manages around 125,000 homes across the country, referred itself to the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) after the report aired in June. ITV News and My London spoke to unhappy residents at Clarion’s Eastfields Estate in Merton, south London, with images showing vermin infestations and widespread disrepair. In many cases, residents had to wait long periods for issues to be rectified by the landlord. In an unusual statement, the RSH said: “While there were clearly individual repairs issues which required resolution, our investigation did not find evidence of systemic or organisational failure which indicates a breach of the consumer standards.” Its conclusion means Clarion will retain its G1/V1 regulatory grading, the highest possible. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/clarion-cleared-by-rsh-following-itv-investigation-72111?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=H60

Clarion Under Investigation By Regulator Again Following ITV Revelations

Clarion Housing Group, which manages a stock of around 125,000 homes, was the subject of an ITV News expose last month, which revealed squalid conditions at its Eastfields Estate. The landlord apologised to residents on the 500-home estate over the issues and said the service provided “had not been to the standard that the association would have liked”. During a debate in the House of Commons, minister Luke Hall said the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) is now “considering information received from Clarion Housing Association about the Eastfields Estate”. “It will form a view on whether there is evidence of systemic failure that would indicate a breach of regulatory standards,” he added. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/clarion-under-investigation-by-regulator-again-following-itv-revelations-71416 

Appalling Conditions Across A Housing Estate Of Nearly 500 Homes

The UK’s biggest housing association has admitted it has failed tenants after an ITV News investigation found widespread disrepair and squalid conditions across an entire housing estate of nearly 500 homes. Clarion Housing issued an apology to all its residents of Eastfields Estate in Mitcham, south London, admitting that they “had not had the service they deserve.” ITV News found shocking conditions on the estate and dozens of families living in damp, mouldy, crumbling homes with ongoing leaks. The estate is also plagued by a rodent infestation. Clarion, which owns 125,000 homes across the UK and this year recorded a turnover of £943 million, have been accused by Eastfields' tenants of abandoning them and ignoring their complaints for years. Read more on the ITV website.

Appalling conditions uncovered across entire housing estate of nearly 500 homes; ITV News 

26 Towns In England To Receive £610m In Government Funding

Twenty-six English towns have received a portion of £610 million in government funding to help them rebuild their economies in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The money, which comes from the £3.6 billion Towns Fund unveiled in July 2019, is intended to kickstart urban regeneration and boost green transport infrastructure, tourism and jobs. It is also intended for education and vocational training courses, the MHCLG said. The cash was allocated through a series of “towns deals” which sets out how the money will be spent following proposals submitted by the local council. Read more on the ITV website.

https://www.itv.com/news/2021-06-08/covid-26-towns-in-england-to-receive-610m-in-government-funding-to-rebuild-after-pandemic

Croydon Council Becomes Second Landlord To Breach Tenant Standard

Croydon Council has been found to be in breach of two of the English regulator’s key standards after an investigation by ITV News exposed terrible conditions for tenants living in some of its homes.  A regulatory notice published by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) found the council had breached the Home Standard and the Tenant Involvement and Empowerment Standard after it found that some of the homes the local authority managed were “uninhabitable and unsafe” and that some tenants were at “risk of serious harm” as a result of the conditions. Read the judgement online.

Regulatory judgement: London Borough of Croydon - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Housing Crisis For Disabled People Set To Deepen

More than two-thirds of all new homes to be built in England over the next decade will not be fully accessible for disabled people, new research has found. Analysis by Habinteg Housing Association shows the proportion of new homes to be built by 2030 to accessible standards has fallen from 34.4% in 2019 to 31.5%. There are 14.1 million disabled people in the UK, as well as rapidly ageing population. Yet just 9% of English homes currently provide the most basic accessibility features. Read more on the ITV website.

https://www.itv.com/news/2021-01-15/housing-crisis-for-disabled-people-set-to-deepen-report-finds

Calls For Universal Credit Housing Benefit To Automatically Go To Landlords

Calls have been made for the housing element of Universal Credit to automatically go to landlords. The current system sees claimants opt in for their benefits to go directly towards rent. However, research by Scottish Labour suggests fewer than half of eligible households currently have it paid direct to their landlord. The party has called for the housing element to be paid directly to landlords in all instances, with claimants having the option of opting out of that practice if they wish. Read more on the ITV website.

https://www.itv.com/news/2019-04-14/calls-for-universal-credit-housing-benefit-to-automatically-go-to-landlords/

Help To Buy Scheme 'Offering Blank Cheque To Builders'

Families earning more than £100,000 and people moving up the housing ladder are among those taking advantage of a government scheme which is offering a "blank cheque" to builders. The Help To Buy scheme, which offers loans guaranteed by the state for up to 20% of a property's value - or 40% in London - was launched in 2013, allowing Brits to get on the property ladder with as little as a 5% deposit.  More than 90,000 first time buyers have been helped onto the property ladder by the initiative, but figures show that more than 20,000 were people moving up the housing ladder. Read more on the ITV website.

Cost Of Moving House Reaches £11,000

Rising house prices have pushed up estate agency fees, conveyancing costs and stamp duty too - putting the typical cost of moving at £10,996, up nine per cent on this time last year. The report, by Lloyds bank, also found that buyers in the south-east have been hardest-hit, with moving costs in London now standing at more than £31,000. The increase reflects how moving costs have risen faster than wages have over the past 10 years, shooting up by 25 per cent compared to a 17 per cent rise in full-time earnings. It means the total cost of moving now eats up 41.5 per cent of the UK's average salary of £26,500. Read more on the ITV website.

Foreign Investors Buying New Houses and "Leaving Them Empty"

An average home in Cambridge is now £419K. Yet despite the prices, houses continue to sell. In fact, Cambridge is now the fastest selling city in Britain, according to the property website 'Rightmove.' New housing, such as developments by the train station, is meant to ease the pressure. But not everyone buying a house wants a home. With prices continuing to rocket, estate agents say Cambridge is now seen as an excellent financial investment - and with the city's international reputation, buyers are flocking from all over the world. Estate agents have, on average, reported around 30 percent of residential sales were to overseas buyers. The head of housing at the City Council told ITV News it's time the government took action to deter buyers from leaving houses empty. Read more on the ITV website.

Rent Figures an Inaccurate Snapshot

Housing Minister Kris Hopkins has denied that new figures on rising rent prices reflect the private rental market, describing the research on 20,000 properties as "not an accurate snapshot of the private rented sector." "The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics confirm rents are actually falling in real terms, both in London and across the country." He went on: "But this Government wants a bigger and better rental market. That's why we've introduced the £1 billion Build to Rent fund, which has already identified 45 potential schemes, alongside £10 billion of Government-backed guarantees to encourage more institutional investment in the sector." Read more on the ITN News website.

Foster Carers and Armed Forces Exempt from 'Bedroom Tax'

Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith has announced that foster carers and army personnel who receive housing benefit will be exempt from the so-called "bedroom tax".  In a Written Ministerial Statement, he said: "People who are approved foster carers will be allowed an additional room, whether or not a child has been placed with them or they are between placements, so long as they have fostered a child, or become an approved foster carer in the last 12 months.  Adult children who are in the Armed Forces but who continue to live with parents will be treated as continuing to live at home, even when deployed on operations."  

DWP Issues 'Bedroom Tax' Reassurance

The DWP has said pensioners claiming housing benefit now will not be affected by the Government's "bedroom tax".  A spokesman said: ‘We want to reassure pensioners claiming housing benefit that they will not be affected by this policy now, or when Universal Credit begins, even if one partner is below pension age.’  He confirmed however that this would not apply to new claimants after that time.  A poll for the Sunday People newspaper found that voters believed - by a majority of 46% to 35% - that the principle of the change was "only fair" at a time of economic austerity.  But clear overall majorities said that its implementation should be delayed for a rethink on how to implement it (52%), that it should only apply if people refused smaller homes (60) and that it should not apply at all to Army families with children away on active service (77%).  Read more on the ITV website.