Almost 50 student blocks still covered in Grenfell-style cladding

Thousands of university students have started the Autumn term staying in accommodation which is covered in combustible cladding according to official figures. Forty-seven residential blocks reserved for students remain clad in aluminium composite material similar to that which helped spread... View Article

Right to buy is costing councils £300 million a year

Total right to buy discounts have climbed to £1 billion a year – leading to a net loss of some £300 million to local authorities, according to new analysis from the Chartered Institute of Housing. Cutting the discounts available could... View Article

East Anglian HA given governance downgrade

A 4,000-home housing association has been warned by the social housing regulator that it needs to strengthen its risk management and internal controls after its governance rating was downgraded. Orwell HA manages properties across Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridge and Essex. It... View Article

Bellway to replace cladding on two developments

One of the country’s biggest housebuilders has agreed to meet the full costs of replacing combustible cladding on tower blocks in Cardiff and London, ending months of uncertainty for hundreds of householders. Bellway has set aside £5.9m to replace the... View Article

Government warns private block owners over cladding costs

Housing Secretary James Brokenshire has written to private building owners threatening them with financial penalties if they fail to remove dangerous combustible cladding from tower blocks. Around 60 building owners and developers have received letters telling them that “enforcement action”... View Article

Budget fails to please housing chiefs

The Autumn Budget has united the leaders of organisations across the public and private sectors, who voiced their disappointment at the Chancellor’s failure to tackle problems in rented housing. David Smith, Policy Director for the Residential Landlords Association, said: “The... View Article

Landlord tax relief proposals revealed in Onward report

Landlords could be offered capital gains tax relief to encourage longer tenancies and sales to tenants in private rented housing. Conservative Think Tank, ‘Onward’ has revealed proposals for the tax relief to encourage landlords to sell to sitting tenants and... View Article

Prime Ministerial boost for social housing

Social housing has been given its biggest boost in decades as Theresa May makes solving the housing crisis her Government’s top domestic policy priority with a series of eye-catching announcements. The icing on the cake was the decision to scrap... View Article

Residents need their voices heard in social housing

The fire at Grenfell Tower in June 2017 led many commentators and residents to question whether social housing residents are adequately involved in decisions which affect their homes. The government published a green paper in August which it says aims... View Article

Thurrock Council gains ground in ‘gigabit borough’ rollout

More than 1,400 social housing tenants in Thurrock will very soon have access to ultrafast gigabit broadband, with thousands more set to follow. Last year, Thurrock Council agreed a pioneering partnership with Hyperoptic – the UK’s largest gigabit broadband provider – to... View Article

Keyte Gardens scoops National Green Award

Keyte Gardens, Warwickshire Rural Housing Association (WRHA)’s innovative new development in Wootton Wawen, is officially the Best Green Scheme in the UK! The ground-breaking scheme, which was opened by HRH The Princess Royal in September, scooped the title in the... View Article

Homes England confirms new wave of strategic partners

Seven more strategic partnerships with housing associations across England are confirmed by Homes England today, which will deliver an additional 13,475 affordable homes by March 2022. The partnerships, which were announced as part of the Budget 2018, will secure a... View Article

Budget 2018: industry reactions

After Chancellor Phillip Hammond made several announcements of increased investment in housing and construction in his Budget speech, industry leaders have been quick to comment. With more positive spending news than many had expected, the commentary was largely favourable, though... View Article