MPs Urge Government To Fix All Buildings With Dangerous Cladding

MPs have demanded that the government finally foot a multi-billion-pound bill to bail out hundreds of thousands of apartment owners caught in the post-Grenfell fire safety crisis. Hilary Benn, MP for Leeds Central, led cross-party calls for the chancellor, Sajid Javid, to urgently increase the £800m fund to remove dangerous cladding from at least 400 buildings and make more money available to rescue other leaseholders. Read more on the Guardian website.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/feb/12/mps-urge-government-to-fix-all-buildings-with-dangerous-cladding

Shelter Chief Calls Out Chancellor Over Homeless Numbers

Shelter chief executive Polly Neate strengthened the case for more social housing in calling Chancellor Sajid Javid out over his calculations on homelessness numbers – exposed as not adding up. “When the Chancellor of the Exchequer says that homelessness has halved since 2008, it’s important to highlight this as inaccurate,” said Neate. In a round of interviews, Javid said homelessness reached its peak in 2008 under the last Labour government and had fallen by half since. By that logic Javid maintained Labour was responsible for the massive rise in homelessness. His ‘logic’ was humiliatingly exposed by subsequent fact checks. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/shelter-chief-calls-out-chancellor-over-calculations-on-homeless-numbers/

Chancellor Hands Out £600m To Unlock 50,000 Homes

The government has announced that it will give £600m in funding to help deliver infrastructure projects that will unlock an estimated 50,000 homes. Chancellor Sajid Javid has revealed that the money would be given to five new infrastructure projects across the country that would open up sites for housing development. The money will come from the Housing Infrastructure Fund, the £5.5bn fund that was launched by Mr Javid in 2017 when he was housing secretary, and is aimed at giving money to local authorities that have plans to increase housing supply but have sites restricted by lack of infrastructure, or land in need of remediation work. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/chancellor-hands-out-600m-to-unlock-50000-homes-62851?utm_source=Ocean%20Media%20Group&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=10813953_IH-DAILY-19-8-2019-GR&dm_i=1HH2,6FS3L,8CKJV9,PINP5,1

Sajid Javid Denies Floating Idea Of Stamp Duty For Sellers

Sajid Javid has quashed speculation that he could shift stamp duty on to sellers rather than buyers, just two days after suggesting he could look at the idea. The chancellor had appeared to float the idea in an interview with the Times. When asked about changing who pays stamp duty to save first-time buyers paying any tax, he said: “I’m looking at various options. I want to see simpler taxes.” The idea prompted some warnings that it could hit older people who are planning to downsize to smaller homes, which could be problematic with the Conservative party’s core voters going into an election. Read more on the Guardian website.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/aug/18/sajid-javid-denies-stamp-duty-for-sellers

Government Announces Plans To Tackle Illegal Traveller Sites

Sajid Javid has announced plans to give police new powers to crackdown on illegal traveller sites. The Home Secretary will also consider making it a criminal offence to set up such camps, currently defined in law as trespassing, a civil matter. In addition, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) announced it will provide local authorities with practical and financial support to handle unauthorised encampments. The plans follow an initial consultation by the government to look at how to strengthen the response from police and local authorities, following calls for robust measures to protect landowners and those living close by. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/government-announces-plans-to-tackle-illegal-traveller-sites/

Social Housing Green Paper Expected In Next Six Weeks

In a statement to the House of Commons, James Brokenshire said the paper, promised by his predecessor Sajid Javid at last year’s National Housing Federation conference, would be published 24 July. Mr Brokenshire said: “It is essential that people living in buildings like Grenfell Tower are not only safe but they feel the state understands their lives and works for them. There is no question that their faith in this has been shaken. “Which is why – as well as strengthening building and fire safety – we’ll be publishing a Social Housing Green Paper by recess.” Read more on Inside Housing.

https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:shqpwokgvM8J:https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/social-housing-green-paper-expected-in-next-six-weeks-56741+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk&safe=vss

Brokenshire Criticised For Policy That Turned Landlords Into 'Border Guards'

Theresa May’s new housing minister introduced a controversial policy widely criticised for pushing landlords to rent to “white tenants with British-sounding names”.  James Brokenshire, who was May’s trusted ally as immigration minister under her leadership of the Home Office, introduced “right to rent” checks, which forced landlords to investigate their tenants’ immigration status.  Brokenshire was announced as the new Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, after the previous office-holder, Sajid Javid, was made Home Secretary in the wake of Amber Rudd’s resignation over the Windrush debacle.  Read more on the Huffington Post website.

https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/new-housing-minister-backed-policy-for-landlords-to-rent-only-to-tenants-with-british-sounding-names_uk_5ae6e0d0e4b055fd7fcd7861

'Nimby' Councils Failing To Build Enough Homes Will Lose Planning Powers, Says Javid

“Nimby” councils that don’t build enough homes will be stripped of the right to decide where new houses are placed in their area. Housing secretary Sajid Javid warned local authorities he would be “breathing down your neck every day and night” to ensure home-building targets were met. An overhaul of planning laws will give councils targets for how many homes they should build each year, taking into account local house prices, wages and the number of key workers such as nurses, teachers and police officers in the area. Higher targets will be set for areas with higher “unaffordability ratios”. If councils fail to deliver on the target they will be stripped of planning powers, and independent inspectors will take over. Read more on the Guardian website.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/mar/04/nimby-councils-homes-lose-planning-powers-sajid-javid

Housing Secretary Fails To Spend £72m Affordable Homes Cash

Housing Secretary Sajid Javid was forced to “surrender” £72m in affordable homes cash as it was deemed “no longer required” this year.  Javid has admitted a total of £817m of the MHCLG budget is being sent back to the Treasury as his department had failed to spend the cash. In an “explanatory memo”, Javid, who had housing added to his communities and local government brief in January, said the huge sum was no longer needed in 2017/18. The unspent cash includes:

• £65m for London, where housing pressures are most acute
• £329m for the Government’s flagship ‘starter homes’ programme for first-time buyers

Read more on the Huffington Post website.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/sajid-javid-surrendered-housing_uk_5a953660e4b0699553cc1e38

Javid Consults On Single Housing Ombudsman To Replace ‘Broken’ System

A new Housing Ombudsman for private and social sector housing could be launched under government proposals out for consultation. Javid has previously expressed his frustration with the fragmented system, which currently includes four different complaints bodies. The proposals will be subject to an eight-week consultation, with the government seeking views from tenants, landlords, homeowners and existing ombudsmen. Download the consultation from the GovUK website.

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/strengthening-consumer-redress-in-housing

How To Fix The Housing Shortage

A surprise increase has been caused by a shortage of supply, says Nationwide. If Communities Secretary Sajid Javid imposes a charge on builders' unused land the money should be handed to cash strapped council planning departments to get developments moving.  Something of a surprise from Nationwide, which reported a 3.2 per cent annual rise in house prices in January and the 2.6 per cent recorded the previous month.  It’s the biggest increase since March 2017, and has pushed the average price to £211,756, the highest recorded by the building society. This is eye opening when you consider the squeeze on household budgets, the general lack of consumer confidence, the torpid economic outlook thanks to Brexit. Read more on the Independent website.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/comment/how-to-fix-the-housing-shortage-as-nationwide-reports-record-average-prices-a8189796.html

Government Commits To Publish Social Housing Green Paper By Spring

The green paper – announced by housing secretary Sajid Javid in September – is supposed to be the start of a “fundamental rethink of social housing in this country”. Former housing minister Alok Sharma had been travelling the country meeting tenants at ‘roadshows’ to gather evidence for the policy document. In the course of these meetings he had promised tenants he would publish the paper by spring this year. The HCLG confirmed that Mr Raab will attend that event in Basingstoke, and the government will honour Mr Sharma’s pledge on the timing. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/government-commits-to-publish-social-housing-green-paper-by-spring-54074?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=H60

Government Supports New Measures To Improve The Safety Of Tenants

Secretary of State for Housing Sajid Javid has confirmed government support for new legislation that will help ensure rented homes are safe and give tenants the right to take legal action when landlords fail in their duties.  The government has already introduced a range of powers for local authorities enabling them to crack down on the minority of landlords who rent out unsafe or substandard accommodation. From April this year councils will also be able to issue banning orders to kick the worst offenders out of the business. Government will support further measures proposed by Karen Buck MP in a Private Member’s Bill to protect tenants in both the social and private rented sectors. Read more on the Gov UK website.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-supports-new-measures-to-improve-the-safety-of-tenants

New Housing Agency To Boost Housebuilding

A new national housing agency – Homes England – has been launched by Housing Secretary Sajid Javid as one of the key steps towards delivering the homes the country needs. As the successor to the Homes and Communities Agency, Homes England will drive forward change, as set out in the government’s housing white paper. Homes England will play a major role in fixing the housing market by helping to deliver an average of 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s. Read more on the Gov UK website.

Javid: ‘No Changes To New Homes Bonus’

Councils won’t see changes to the New Homes Bonus (NHB) this year. At the LGA local government finance conference, Sajid Javid acknowledged that “the appetite for change wasn’t there.” Javid stood by the near £7bn in NHB payments he said had “rewarded” the building of 1.4 million homes – confirming over £946m in NHB payments will be allocated in 2018-2019. Javid said: “The sector wanted continuity and certainty and that’s what it’s getting, no changes to the NHB this year and a baseline maintained at 0.4%.” Read more on 24housing.

Government Renews Focus On Housing

Following the appointment of Rt Hon. Sajid Javid MP as the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, the department will be renamed as the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). Housing Secretary Sajid Javid said: Building the homes our country needs is an absolute priority for this government and so I’m delighted the Prime Minister has asked me to serve in this role. The name change for the department reflects this government’s renewed focus to deliver more homes and build strong communities across England. Read more on the MHCLG website.

No Higher-Value Asset Payments In 2018/19

Under the Housing and Planning Act 2016 local authorities are expected to pay a levy to government which they make up through selling their most valuable homes when they become vacant. The policy was intended to fund an extension of the Right to Buy to housing association tenants.  However, there have been few recent announcements on the levy, leading councils to warn that the resulting uncertainty is making it difficult to form Housing Revenue Account (HRA) business plans. Mr Javid has now revealed that “local authorities will not be expected to make a payment in 2017/18 or in 2018/19”. Read more on Inside Housing.

Javid Announces New Homes Bonus Backtrack

Unveiling the provisional local government finance settlement, Javid has said there will be no changes made to the existing New Homes Bonus model. Changes were due, as announced year earlier this year, would see a reduction in the amount of New Homes Bonus payments that would be made. But after hearing “concerns about proposed changes”, Javid said he had been “persuaded of the importance of continuity and certainty in this area”. He added: “..no new changes will be made to the way New Homes Bonus works and that the baseline will be maintained at 0.4%.” Read more on 24housing.

Council’s Selective Licensing Renewal Approved

Newham Council’s application to renew its borough-wide selective licensing scheme has been approved by the Communities Secretary, Sajid Javid MP. The Council has confirmed the approval in its publication of the Designation of an area for Selective Licensing. Any privately rented property within the designated area, that is not already covered by mandatory HMO licensing or the additional HMO licensing scheme, will need to be licensed. Earlier this year Newham Council consulted on plans to renew their borough-wide selective licensing scheme, and subsequently agreed to go ahead with the renewal in June. You can read the NLA's response to that consultation here. Read more on the NLA website.

New Housebuying Rules Will Clamp Down On Gazumping

A clampdown on gazumping and other tactics that cause misery to housebuyers and sellers is being drawn up by the government as part of a renewed attempt to reduce the stress of buying a home. New rules to stop people from cutting their offer at an advanced point in a sale, and “time wasting” by bidders with no realistic hope of completing a purchase, will also be examined as part of a review of the rules.  Previous attempts by ministers to improve the process have come to little. However, Sajid Javid, the communities secretary, is now launching an eight-week call for evidence from estate agents, solicitors and mortgage lenders in an attempt to make house buying “cheaper, faster and less stressful”. Read more on the Observer website.