YMCA Wants Housing Support Back For 18 To 21-Year-Olds

A new government must abolish regulations that remove automatic entitlement to housing support for 18 to 21-year-olds, says the YMCA. It’s ‘Youth First’ manifesto brings together more than 40 recommendations including access to housing. Other priorities include:

·         Invest in early intervention mental health services for young people in schools and communities, including targeted campaigns that addresses the lack of knowledge and stigma surrounding mental health difficulties

·         Ensure all students in school or college have access to careers information, advice and guidance delivered by professional specialists

·         Reclassify youth services as a statutory service, which will require each local authority to have in a place a youth services strategy.

Read more on the YMCA website.

Government Will Intervene If Councils Fail On Homelessness Prevention

The government will intervene with councils which are not meeting their homelessness prevention duties if a new law is passed, the minister responsible for homelessness has revealed. Marcus Jones, the minister with responsibility for homelessness, has confirmed he will write to all councils about their homelessness duties and ask them to come up with a strategy to tackle the problem. He will work with the Local Government Association to come up with the wording for the advice that councils give to people presenting as homeless, including what counts as a suitable and appropriate location for any property offered to the applicant. Read more on Inside Housing.

Select Committee To Scrutinise New Homelessness Law

A parliamentary committee has launched an inquiry into a private members’ bill that aims to reduce homelessness. The CLG Committee has announced a pre-legislative inquiry into the Homelessness Reduction Bill, tabled by Conservative MP Bob Blackman. Mr Blackman’s bill includes measures to help councils intervene earlier to prevent people becoming homeless, as well as providing help for single homeless people. The committee will examine whether the bill will “achieve its aim of reducing levels of homelessness”. Mr Blackman is a member of the select committee. Read more on Inside Housing.

Low Number Of First Time Buyers In UK Housing Market

First time buyer numbers in the UK remain 2.2 million behind where they should be given demographic trends despite significant government investment in home ownership, according to a new report. The report from the Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association (IMLS) suggests that it means that current policy behind interventions in the housing market is missing the mark but they are likely to remain priorities for any new government that emerges in the post-Brexit political environment. The report finds that government investment in home ownership, including through the 15 different Own Your Own Home schemes currently on offer, is yet to have the desired upward effect on home ownership levels. Read more on the Property Wire website.

Labour Attacks 'Skyrocketing' Rent Rises

Councils would be given the power to limit "skyrocketing" rent increases, John McDonnell has said, as he set out Labour's approach on the economy. The shadow chancellor pledged to help people "at the mercy of an unforgiving, unrestrained housing market". And he said a future Labour government would build 100,000 council homes a year and boost home ownership. Ministers said the "proposals for excessive state regulation" would "destroy investment in new housing". At a conference on the economy hosted by Labour in London, party leader Jeremy Corbyn said government intervention was needed to solve the housing crisis. Read more on the BBC website.

Ministers Threaten To Intervene On Local Plans

Councils that fail to agree a local plan could face direct government intervention under new reforms just proposed. Over the summer recess, the government will set a deadline by which time local authorities will be expected to have local plans in place, after which the Secretary of State will have the power “to arrange for a local plan to be written, in consultation with residents”. The government also intends to produce league tables of local authorities ranked by their progress in developing their local plans. Ministers have committed to making local plans “more responsive to local needs”. Read more on the Planning Portal.

Troubled Families Programme Expanded To Help Younger Children

Eric Pickles has announced details of an expansion of the government’s Troubled Families programme. Work will begin this year in 51 of the best performing areas, ahead of a national 5 year programme from 2015 to help more troubled families who cost the taxpayer tens of thousands of pounds per year without intervention. Recent research shows that troubled families that have been worked with so far have an average of 9 serious problems such as truancy, crime, anti-social behaviour, worklessness and domestic violence. As well as expanding from working with school-age children to those under 5, the wider programme will also have a particular focus on improving poor health, which new data published today highlights is a particular problem in troubled families, with 71% having a physical health problem and 46% a mental health concern. Read more on the CLG website.

Boles' 'Ill-Founded' Intervention Will Cost Jobs and Affordable Homes

Planning Minister Nick Boles has blocked a local authority's attempt to prevent empty office space being turned into flats. And Islington Council has raged that Boles' “ill-founded, eleventh-hour intervention" which will mean that the borough will lose out on jobs and affordable homes. Last year, Islington Council became the first local authority in the country to make an Article 4 direction to remove permitted development rights (PDRs) to convert from office to residential. Introduced by the coalition in May 2013, PDRs allow developers to convert office space into homes without having to apply for planning permission. However, Islington Council's Article 4 direction would have removed PDRs across the whole borough from 15 July. But Boles has revoked the council’s directions - citing incorrect figures in his reasons for doing so. Read more on 24dash.