The ombudsman for estate agents has reported a ‘surprising’ workload, even though activity in the house market has slumped 60 per cent. The number of disputes over house sales was down just 3 per cent in 2008, but the overall rise in new cases was 20 per cent. The ombudsman said he expects the majority
Council bosses are drawing up plans on how public services can be delivered if the government makes cuts to council budgets because of the recession. The Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy are joining forces to analyse the implications of a ‘full range of possible economic
The Housing Corporation has released a new report into whether the needs for support and guidance of small housing association are being met. Small housing associations (those owning or managing up to 1,000 homes) make up 78 per cent of all providers of social housing and over 1,300 of them are registered with the Corporation.
Civic Trust is set to go into administration due to a lack of funding. The trust was the voice of local groups dedicated to improving their civic spaces. It has been particularly hard hit by the ‘squeeze on local authority spending in the current climate’. The trust will, however, remain open in Scotland and Wales
A two-year investigation by the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the Local Government Association, whose conclusions will be released next week, has found that immigrants were not jumping to the front of queues for public services, although the belief was widespread. The majority of new migrants (60 per cent) tended to end up in
This morning’s Independent is well worth a look for this interview with Mr Yvette Cooper (aka Ed Balls). Answering a series of questions from readers, the economic secretary to the Treasury rises above the usual bland soundbites with some domestic details and even the odd joke. He also fends off a couple of questions from
The number of people seeking help after falling behind on their mortgages has increased by 5o per cent in the past year. In the three months to the end of September Citizens Advice saw a steep increase in the number of inquiries about mortgage arrears. There was also a 10 per cent increase in the
The debt collection industry has nearly tripled since 2003, and looks set for further expansion as increases in the cost of borrowing forced companies and individuals into greater financial difficulties. The amount of debt sold on to professional collection agencies is expected to reach £22.7 billion by the end of this year, and increase to
London Councils is calling for investment to be targeted towards the London suburbs and for a town centre and district improvement programme to put the high street ‘back at the heart of the community’. Also included are calls for more office space to attract businesses and a change in housing policy to reflect demand from
Northern cities such as Hull and Sunderland that were battered by industrial decline in the 1980s have become the blackspots for youth unemployment in this recession, according to a report that calls for the government to target financial help on the worst-hit areas. The Centre for Cities thinktank research, published today, shows where the unemployment