Who will pay for the right to buy?
In their general election manifesto, the Conservatives promised to ‘extend the Right to Buy to tenants in Housing Associations’. More than 1500 housing associations, all registered charities and some, like Peabody and Guinness, over a century old, would have to let tenants buy their houses at discounts of up to £103,000 each. The cost would […]
We can’t tackle child poverty without investment in affordable housing
It’s a formidable task: there’s cross-party commitment to radically reducing child poverty in the next five years. Indeed, the Chancellor said in the March budget that ‘child poverty is down’. But is that true and what is needed to ensure that the number of children in poverty not only stays down but falls to 10% […]
Should councils borrow to build houses that aren’t for social rent?
A Whitehall-backed housing review has suggested councils could borrow from general funds if they have reached their Housing Revenue Account borrowing cap. But would such an approach make sense? When Natalie Elphicke and Keith House launched their new report on local authorities’ role in house building last week, they called on councils that have reached […]
The hidden families who have to share
When there’s a housing shortage, only a fraction of those affected end up sleeping on the streets or in council temporary accommodation. What happens to the rest? Analysis of data from the 2011 Census is building up a picture of those most affected by the housing crisis. The latest revelation is that well over a […]
Simplistic view of social housing
Is it blindingly obvious that social landlords should sell off expensive properties to fund new house building? Not if you consider the unintended consequences and the better options offered by alternative strategies.
Who is social housing for?
The government’s focus on reviving right to buy, and insisting on market rents for replacement social housing, undermines the aim of creating mixed communities.
Why housing is politically important, whatever they tell you
A review of The Housing Debate by Stuart Lowe There are plenty of books on the history of housing policy but few are as readable or as short as this one. It has other advantages, too. The author Stuart Lowe makes frequent international comparisons, asking questions like ‘why did Britain and Germany, with massive housing […]
Sarah Webb
In June 2011, Sarah Webb, who has died of cancer aged 49, gave a rousing speech at the national conference of the Chartered Institute of Housing in which she told the housing minister, Grant Shapps, that he needed to “bat for housing within government” and explain to David Cameron why housing matters. She reminded him that […]
Book Review: After Council Housing: Britain’s New Social Landlords by Hal Pawson and David Mullins
Was stock transfer a good idea? The odd thing about the question is that those answering ‘no’ straddle the political spectrum. Of course, Defend Council Housing has been opposing stock transfer since it was set up thirteen years ago when Labour was first elected. It was affronted that the new government not only continued but […]
John Perry lives in Masaya, Nicaragua where he works on