Housing associations are to stop building mixed estates of privately owned and social rented homes because of the credit crunch, leading to fears of a return to ‘council ghettos’ says The Times. Bob Kerslake, head of Homes and Community Agency (HCA) said that during the past 20 years housing developments had a mix of 30
The Tenant Services Authority is offering social landlords small grants to help them develop ‘local deals’ with their tenants. Grants up to £9,000 will be made available to housing associations, councils and arm’s length management organisations to improve services in response to local needs.
Councils are facing a funding gap of up to £7 billion this year because of a fall in section 106 contributions. EC Harris consultancy estimated that the fall in anticipated income from ‘planning gain’ deals where developers agree to provide affordable housing in return for planning permission, will get worse. A spokesperson said that as
A legal challenge by a local authority against a growth target set out by the government will be heard before the High Court on 18 May. Hertfordshire CC is fighting against a target set out by the East of England Plan requiring more than 83,000 homes be built in the county by 2021. The council
While council leaders welcomed the government’s announcement last week that it will limit the level of rent increases for council tenants, many say they are unclear how the shortfall will be filled. Most councils had only recently set their budget and calculated benefit entitlements based on a rent increases of 6.2 per cent. Now as
Leicestershire county council has voted to object to plans for the proposed 15,000-home Pennbury eco-town. The authority met on Tuesday and decided to object to the plans on the ground it has major concerns about transport and the economy. The councils said it believed Pennbury was in the ‘wrong location’ – thought to be too
Communities minister Hazel Blears told parliament yesterday that economic recovery rested in giving local people more say in the decisions that affect them. She said it was vital that councils had the freedom, flexibility and ability to support local communities. Her comments came as she announced the release of a progress report into last July’s
Communities secretary Hazel Blears launched a strategy to improve design standards in new public buildings. She said that badly designed estates and low quality neighbourhoods ‘encourage crime, undermine communities, deter investment, spoil the environment and cost a fortune in the long term’. She added that good design was not a luxury that can be dropped
Stirling council has become the first local authority in Scotland to ban the practice of evicting tenants who fall behind on their rent payments. Latest figures show the authority had evicted 23 such tenants in 2008, in moves the councillors called ‘draconian’. Shelter Scotland said it was delighted with the move and called on other
Communities secretary Hazel Blears has unveiled plans to support communities during the recession and recycle public buildings. There will be a range of options for local councils to give buildings to the community, including handing them over as a gift or selling at below market price.