Nottingham Predicted To Fall Short Of Housing Demand By More Than 4,000 Homes

Nottingham could fall short of the demand for housing by more than 4,000 homes, according to the latest predictions. The issue will be raised during a Nottingham City Council strategic planning and transport committee meeting, as the latest predictions show the city is set to fall short of its estimated housing need by 4,411 properties. However the city council says it has plans to produce a new strategic plan later this year, working alongside other local authorities across the Greater Nottingham area, to "ensure the demand is met". Read more on the Nottingham Live website.

https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/nottingham-predicted-fall-short-housing-5867183 

Council To Buy 70 Properties For Homeless Families

New homes for homeless families in Nottingham are on the way after a £9m scheme to buy 70 properties was revealed. Nottingham City Council will be loaning the money to Nottingham City Homes to finance the purchase and redevelopment of the properties. At present, 1,374 households are either homeless or have sought help from Housing Aid due to being at risk of becoming destitute with nowhere to live. Nottingham City Council may be legally obliged - following the introduction of the Homelessness Reduction Act in 2018 - to house more than 800 of these families in temporary accommodation. Read more on the Nottingham Post website.

https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/council-buy-70-properties-homeless-3568022

Single Mums Make Up Nearly A Third Of Local Homelessness Cases

Single mums account for nearly a third of homelessness cases in the city and county, new figures reveal. A total of 2,415 households were accepted as homeless, or threatened with the immediate prospect of homelessness, and were entitled to help from councils in the area in the last six months of 2018. Of those, 743 were single women with children. That compares to just 68 who were single men with children. It means female single parents accounted for 31 percent of homelessness cases in Nottingham and the wider county. Read more on the Nottingham Post website.

https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/single-mums-make-up-nearly-3172389

Council To Buy Back More Than 300 Council Houses

Nottingham City Council has announced plans to buy back more than 300 council houses to tackle the growing demand for social housing in the city. The four-year scheme will involve more than 300 purchases and also include newly-built homes, as well as houses and flats that have previously been bought through the Right To Buy scheme. This scheme will be used to help lighten the load on Nottingham's growing social housing waiting list and homelessness problems. The purchases will be paid for using Right To Buy replacement receipts and council borrowing. Read more on the Nottingham Post website.

https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/nottingham-city-council-buy-back-3063534

New Council Homes Cost £627,000 More Than Expected

A new housing scheme funded by Nottingham City Council has gone way over budget, and new funds have had to be spent to meet the shortfall. Back in 2014, the Council approved funding for 55 new homes, at a cost of £5.915 million. However the total cost of the scheme has ended up at £6.542 million - £627,000 more than originally planned for. The scheme to build 46 houses and nine bungalows was managed by Nottingham City Homes. A council report into the issue said: “This scheme is one of a number of new build schemes delivered by Nottingham City Homes where cost have exceeded the approved budget. In future improvements in budget setting and monitoring are needed to ensure that increased costs are approved in advance. The impact on viability needs to be checked before significant additional costs are committed to.” Read more on the Nottingham Post website.

https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/new-council-homes-cost-627000-1718588

Plan To Introduce Landlord Licence Gets The Green Light

Controversial plans which could see landlords in Nottingham have to sign up for licences has been officially approved by the council, and the matter has now been sent to the central government. The scheme aims to improve housing standards in the city’s private rented sector, and after extensive consultation with landlords and tenants, the proposals have changed considerably. The council's executive board voted unanimously to approve the revised selective licensing scheme. When the scheme was first announced, in February, the council said it was being proposed to raise standards, reduce anti-social behaviour, and tackle rogue landlords. Read more on the Nottingham Post website.

Rise In Right To Buy Sales Leaves 'Lack Of Social Housing'

The number of tenants buying their council homes is at the highest level for almost a decade.  Latest figures published by the CLG show that 362 homes were sold under the Right to Buy scheme in 2015/16 - the highest number since 2006/07 when 382 council tenants bought their property. The number of Nottingham residents buying their council home every year has steadily increased every year since 2010/11 when the figure dipped to 73. In Nottinghamshire - excluding Nottingham city - 185 council homes were bought by tenants in 2015/16. This is the highest number since 2007/08 when 209 homes were sold. Read more on the Nottingham Post.

Rough Sleeping Is At A 20-Year High

More people will spend Christmas sleeping rough on the streets of Nottinghamshire this year than at any time in the last two decades. Local homeless people say that the problem is increasing at such a rate that, for the first time in 20 years, they fear someone may be found dead in a shop doorway this winter. So, The Post has teamed up with homelessness charity Framework to try to raise £30,000 to help take people off the streets this Christmas. Last month the Nottinghamshire charity had to cancel its annual sponsored sleep-out, due to fears that the fundraiser would be sabotaged by self-styled activists. This robbed Framework of up to £30,000. Read more on the Nottingham Post website.

Thousands Of Complaints About Private Landlords In Nottingham

More than 4,500 complaints and requests for help have been made to Nottingham City Council over housing conditions by tenants in private-rented homes. The council says that a total of 4,502 complaints have been made since 2013/14 - 933 of them so far this year. Complaints dealt with by the city council include everything from dangerous electrical wiring; cockroach infestations, smoke alarms not working and lack of windows, ventilation or safe escape. The council says improving the quality and safety of privately rented accommodation in the city is a priority. Read more on the Nottingham Post website.

Nottinghamshire Has Almost 9,000 EMPTY Homes

Almost 9,000 homes across Nottinghamshire are currently empty or derelict, new figures have revealed. The statistics, obtained through Freedom of Information requests to eight district councils, show that 8,982 properties are unoccupied across the county. Some homes are mid-sale or being marketed for either sale or rent, others are in probate, a few are being converted or awaiting demolition and planning consent and others are between tenants and changes of ownership. Nottingham City has the most empty properties, with 1,443 currently without tenants, whereas the Ashfield district has the least with 712. Read more on the Nottingham Post website.

Council Proposes New Licensing Scheme To Improve Private Rented Housing

A new licensing scheme for landlords is being proposed by Nottingham City Council to improve standards in the private rented housing sector. Recently the council announced it was concerned about poor standards in the city's private rented sector having received over 4,500 complaints in the last four years. Complaints dealt with by the authority included everything from dangerous electrical wiring; cockroach infestations, smoke alarms not working and lack of windows, ventilation or safe escape. A report to the council's executive board on November 22 recommends approval in principle for a 'selective licensing' scheme. This would require private landlords to obtain a license demonstrating that they and their properties meet required standards. Read more on the Nottingham Post website.

Renting Costs More Than Buying In Nottingham

If you're thinking about renting in Nottingham anytime soon, you might want to think again. A survey of Britain's 50 biggest cities, comparing the costs of buying and renting, has revealed that in Nottingham, the average monthly mortgage repayment is actually more than £100 CHEAPER than renting. Not only that, but Nottingham ranks fifth in the top ten cities around the nation where you're better off buying. The only cities which were cheaper were Glasgow, Birmingham, Bradford and Coventry. Residents in Nottingham told the Post that many are caught in an "economic trap", with the cost of renting spiralling out of control. Read more on the Nottingham Post website.

5,000 Empty Homes Across Nottinghamshire

More than 5,000 homes across Nottinghamshire have been left empty and unfurnished for more than six months, according to new figures. Government data shows that 5,226 houses across the county have been left empty and unfurnished for six months or longer. The problem is at its worst in Nottingham itself, which has 1,410 long-term vacant properties across the private and public sectors.  This is compared to a decade ago when there were 4,931 long-term vacant properties across the county. Andrew Redfern, chief executive of homelessness charity Framework, believes that bringing empty homes back into use could help tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. Read more on the Nottingham Post website.

Begging and Rough Sleeping Are Not the Same Thing

“Fines for beggars.” This was the headline in a Nottingham Post article as it reported on efforts to reduce the number of people begging in the city. It’s certainly an emotive headline, and one that has understandably stirred passions on social media. After-all what possible good can come of fining somebody who has nothing? Surely this is a case of the authorities kicking people while they’re down? As is so often the case, context here is key. I’ve been asked over the last 24 hours whether I support the fining of those people that beg. The straight forward answer to this straight forward question is no. However, begging is not a straight forward issue, it is complex. I have always stated that the response to those that beg needs to be rooted in the best interests of that particular individual. Why are they begging? What support are they entitled to? How can we help? Read more on the Framework website.

Battle to Save Green Belt Is Lost

Campaigners have been told to stop protesting about homes being built on green-belt land – because the Government has rubber-stamped the developments. In total, 30,550 new homes have been given the go-ahead in Nottingham city and Gedling and Broxtowe boroughs. A report by the Planning Inspectorate ruled that the plans were "sound". This means the diggers can move in as soon as the councils for each area sign off the plans. Broxtowe Borough Council leader Councillor Milan Radulovic now wants people to stop protesting. Read more on the Nottingham Post website.

Bedroom Tax Refund for 267 Nottingham Households

More than £170,000 is to be handed back to 267 households in Nottingham after a loophole in housing benefit changes introduced last April. The so-called "bedroom tax" means people who are deemed to under-occupy their homes by one bedroom losing 14 per cent of their housing benefit. For two bedrooms, this rises to 25 per cent. The Government says the benefit changes are necessary to deal with the country's finances and around 5,500 people in the city were affected. However, a loophole in the legislation meant those who have been receiving housing benefit continuously since 1996 should not have been liable for the under-occupancy charge. This money will now be refunded. Read more on the Nottingham Post website.

MP Speaks Out Over Bedroom Tax

Nottingham MP Lilian Greenwood has criticised the Government's bedroom tax in parliament. Speaking to the Commons during a debate about the tax, she said it was affecting "thousands of disabled people, causing arrears and debt, and leaving vulnerable families in despair". She continued: "Nearly 5,000 households in Nottingham are affected by the bedroom tax.  "The vast majority are tenants of the city's ALMO, Nottingham City Homes.  Since the introduction of the tax in April 2013, over 2,000 of those tenants have fallen into arrears totalling more than £250,000. Two-thirds of the households affected by the bedroom tax simply cannot find the money to pay their rent." Ms Greenwood added: "The truth is that the Government knows that most people cannot afford to pay the bedroom tax.” Read more on the Nottingham Post website.

New Brick Born For Council Housing Development

A council housing development has led to the birth of a new type of brick. Nottingham City Homes' 400-home scheme will use five million of the new bricks, called the 'Nottingham City Red'. Named after the very scheme they are being used in - an industry first - the building blocks have been selected for their traditional style, which is sympathetic to existing Nottingham architecture. Read more on the Nottingham Post website.

'Bedroom Tax' Blamed As Council House Arrears Hit £2m

Council house tenants in Nottingham owe more than £2m in rent.  Nottingham City Homes says half of its tenants owe money and the number is rising rapidly, with £700,000 in arrears built up in only three months. The total owed is £2.3m.  NCH says the problem is set to get worse and has warned that it might lead to delays in homes being repaired. NCH says 3,860 of its 29,000 households are affected by the scheme, accounting for £197,207 of the arrears. NCH says that at current rates, it would take six years and four months to find new, smaller homes for all the people who need to downsize to avoid the changes to their benefits.  Read more on the Nottingham Post website.

Benefit Cuts Hit Thousands of City Residents

Hard-Up residents are calling Nottingham City Council at a rate of more than one a minute over worries about benefits changes that came into force last month.  The Post can reveal that between April 2 and 16, the council answered 5,300 calls and had 2,854 face-to-face enquiries, meaning it dealt with nearly 750 queries a day.  Compared with the same period last year, the service has received 71 per cent more phone calls.  The council has taken on an extra 14 benefits advisers to its team of 58, for the next 11 weeks, to help cope with the demand. Staff have also been working overtime and have cancelled holidays.  Research shows that Government welfare changes, which include changes to Disability Living Allowance, Child Benefit and the Spare Room Subsidy, or Bedroom Tax, will take £120 million out of Nottingham’s economy.  Read more on the Nottingham Post website.