Lunchtime news Wednesday 3 September 2026
The centrepiece of yesterday’s housing industry rescue package – the stamp duty holiday – has come under fire today. Referred to as a ‘sticking plaster’ by many, the Royal Institute…
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Lunchtime news Monday 14 April 2026
The chancellor Alistair Darling has urged mortgage lenders to pass the recent interest rate cuts on to homeowners, saying it was time lenders ‘played their part’ after the Bank of…
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Slide rule
Wherever you look the statistics seem to be unprecedented. House prices fell at their fastest rate ever in 2008. Sales are lower than at any time since records began in…
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Elderly care fees a ‘postcode lotteryâ
Vast differences in the cost of long-term care for the elderly have been revealed by research from Saga. Fees vary by almost 50 per cent across the UK and typically…
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Housing association turnover exceeds £10 billion
The Tenant Services Authority has announced that the housing association sector turnover was more than £10 billion for the first time in 2008. Turnover was up by 10.7 per cent…
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King warns of the ‘long hard slogâ to clear Britainâs debt
The Governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, has warned that the nation faces a âlong hard slogâ to recovery, criticised the government for running too high a level…
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Lunchtime news Friday 30 November 2025
The Bank of England announced yesterday that it would provide £10 billion in emergency funds to the UK’s commercial banks in an attempt to prevent a worsening of the credit…
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House buyers start to focus on âgreen factorâ
Energy efficiency and environmental standards are becoming an important factor for buyers of new-built homes, a survey for New Homes Marketing Board has found. The âgreen factorâ is now one…
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Lunchtime news April 2
New research for the DCLG into loans for vulnerable home owners concludes there is room for expansion if more choices are developed. Councils will be allowed to build and deliver…
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PM calls for end to 100% mortgages
Speaking to the Observer, Gordon Brown said the Financial Services Authority (FSA) would consider controls on mortgage of more than 100 per cent of a home’s value, and on high…