Section: Yesterday's News
Five Years Ago
In March 2000 we were reporting:
- A
report from the London Housing Unit warned that attempts to control Housing Benefit by introducing shopping incentives for private tenants will not
work. The detailed study showed that shortfalls between Housing Benefits and actual rents - a key element of the shopping incentives proposals - put
pressure on the poorest tenants, not the market…
- Deputy Minister for Local Government, Frank McAveety MSP, launched a unique project in
Aberdeen, which aimed to make it easier for people in the City to gain access to the housing they need. HomeChoice was the first organisation of its
kind in Scotland. It operated through the Housing Option shop, located in the heart of the City, which provided local people with advice and
information about housing, including details of housing providers, the type of accommodation they offer, and how to apply for it...
- A new
report commissioned by the DETR concluded that between 18,000 and 26,500 additional homes in England could be provided each year through the
conversion of buildings and redevelopment of existing housing. It found that most of the realistic potential for redeveloped and converted dwellings
is available in town centres throughout the South, particularly in Greater London...
- Lambeth LBC set a national first, with the
development of a Security and Environmental Improvement fund for tenants. The £1 million fund was made available from the Housing
Capital Programme to residents' associations and tenant management organisations. Each association/organisation would receive a minimum of
£1,000, with larger estates in line for a bigger share of the pot based on an allocation of £30 per property. The money was earmarked for
security and environmental improvement projects - such as fencing, paving repairs, CCTV, play equipment, improved lighting, and parking
bays...
- New twinning arrangements saw Irwell Valley HA's gold service contract for tenants launched by De Woonplaats HA in the
Netherlands in its Pathmos area of Enschede. The service offered benefits to tenants who keep a clear rent account for six weeks and are not in
breach of any tenancy agreements. These could include quicker repairs, shopping vouchers, and discounts on contents insurance
policies...
- Peabody Trust announced plans to include the UK's largest application of solar panels in a single development. The 1,500
square metres of photovoltaic panels were for use in the Association's 300-home development in Kensal Green, West London…
-
- A new report
from Centrepoint warned that official estimates of the number of rough sleepers in London were incorrect because some young people were excluded.
This was partly due to many younger people avoiding areas frequently used by rough sleepers…
One Year Ago
In
March 2004 we were reporting:
- The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister announced a review of Part M of the Building Regulations,
with the aim of introducing the Lifetime Homes standard. This would provide further controls, to ensure that new or converted houses and
flats have flexibility built in at the design stage to adapt to changing circumstances of occupants...
-
- The Government announced the
expansion of neighbourhood warden resource centres from four pilots to twelve centres across England. They will be funded by the Office of the Deputy
Prime Minister, receiving up to £4.5 million spread over three years…
- Shelter in Scotland sharply criticised the Scottish
Parliament's proposed measures to tackle anti-social behaviour, as a risk of feeding the prejudice that it is only council tenants who are
responsible for the problem. The criticism came as a backbench committee endorsed the general principles of the Anti-Social Behaviour
Bill...
- A new national service - Procurement for Housing - was launched, introducing a collective procurement initiative run for the
social housing sector by the social housing sector. The service will be co-ordinated by HouseMark. It was launched following a successful two-year
pilot involving 35 social housing organisations. The pilot proved that, by buying collectively, organisations could gain discounts of up to 75%.
Participants also secured service improvements from suppliers of a range of commodities including telecommunications, energy, and office
supplies...
- The Government launched its £690 million Key Worker Living programme, which offers housing solutions to those
in front line roles in key public services in London, the South East, and the East - where recruitment and retention is particularly difficult. Those
eligible for help include nurses, teachers, police officers, prison service officers, and probation service staff. The Key Worker Living
programme replaces and builds on the success of the Starter Home Initiative, which is on track to place over 9,000 key workers into home
ownership by the end of March 2004, with a further 1,200 expected to complete purchases in the first few weeks of the new financial
year...
