In December 2001 we were reporting:
At the first conference organised by the new Bed & Breakfast Unit, the Government announced an allocation of £500,000 to be used to help set up new Action Advice Teams. These are to focus work on reducing the numbers of homeless in bed and breakfast (B&B) accommodation...
The target to reduce rough sleeping by at least two thirds by 2002 has been met early, according to new figures released by the Government's Rough Sleepers Unit. The number of people sleeping rough in England has fallen by 71% over the last three years. It is estimated that 532 people now sleep rough in England compared to 1,850 in 1998...
Changes to the housing capital allocation system were announced by the Government. Housing resources are allocated using indices that reflect the need for expenditure on council housing, as well as improvements to private sector dwellings and provision of additional affordable housing. Following a consultation exercise, three changes are being made to the 2002/03 indices...
The Government announced the eight councils that collectively have been provisionally awarded £300 million in the first round of funding to improve the quality and management of their housing stock - with plans to set up Arms Length Management Organisations (ALMOs). The expected model for an ALMO is a 100% local authority owned company run by a board made up of tenants, councillors and independent members...
In his pre-budget statement, the Chancellor announced that stamp duty on properties worth up to £150,000 is to be scrapped in over 1,200 of the most disadvantaged areas in England. The move, which will affect both business and residential property, is to encourage investment and enterprise in some of the country's poorest wards...
A survey commissioned by the Housing Executive concluded that more than £1 billion needs to be invested in housing in Northern Ireland over the next three years. Of this, £250 million will be needed for new housing and the rest for repair and maintenance of existing dwellings in the private and social sectors...
Bristol Council objected to English Heritage's proposal to give a selection of post-war prefabs Grade II Listed status. The Council have a demolition programme of such properties, which they argue are no longer economical to repair or maintain...
In December 2005 we were reporting:
A joint protocol was signed that will allow the Audit Commission and the Housing Ombudsman to share information about inspections and investigations into the performance of housing associations...
A consultation paper from the Housing Corporation outlined its proposals for a review of housing association performance indicators. The proposed new framework will ease the administrative burden on associations, with an overall reduction in the number of performance indicators retained...
Housing and Planning Minister Yvette Cooper announced the Government will introduce new environmental safeguards for new homes as part of its response to the Barker review. A new Code for Sustainable Homes will be published, which builds on the approach of the EcoHomes standard and will set star ratings for home buyers on the energy efficiency and environmental sustainability of new homes...
The Supporting People budget for 2006/07 was cut by £30 million as part of the local government settlement. This is the fourth consecutive year that the budget has been cut and there will be a further reduction in the following year of 5%...
Scottish local authorities must step-up to the 2012 target of removing the priority/non-priority need for accommodation distinction, and cut by 50% the number of homeless households deemed non-priority need, by 2009. The 2009 target aims to ease the way forward as to the sector's 2012 target of providing permanent accommodation for all unintentionally homeless households...
The charity Centrepoint was offered the loan of a red double-decker bus to provide emergency short-stay accommodation for homeless people over the Christmas period. The offer came from Double Decker Living, which plans to have 50 buses converted into living accommodation...
The Government published its response to the Barker Review with a package of measures to help more people into home ownership or social housing. It highlights plans to make housing affordability firmly linked to increased investment in transport infrastructure and local services, in addition to tough new design and environmental standards. In addition, a review of planning rules aims to ensure a better response to different housing markets and local need...
In January 2006, the Prime Minister launched the Respect Action Plan, which highlighted a greater role for social landlords in tackling antisocial behaviour. The Plan set out the Government's intentions, including new powers for housing officers to issue on-the-spot fines for unruly behaviour and draw up Parenting Orders.
The Government appeared to have made a U-turn when it gave in to demands from the Labour Party to explore ways of increasing investment in council housing without forcing local authorities to relinquish control of their stock. At the Labour Party spring conference, it became clear that there had been a change of heart. Following strong lobbying by a group of MPs and grassroots campaigners, a working committee was set up at the Party's policy forum to investigate ways to allow councils to retain their housing stock and still benefit from the extra investment needed to improve standards.
A report from the Energy Saving Trust revealed that nearly seven out of ten Britons believed that homes boasting energy saving features were worth paying more for. Almost half (44%) of us were willing to pay an additional £5,000 - £10,000 for a green home built to high environmental standards.
Spring set in and the Housing Corporation launched a three month consultation on its proposals to tackle homelessness, with a key focus on improving joint working and more use of preventative measures. The Consultation paper suggested how housing associations might work with the Corporation and local authorities to respond to some key challenges including reducing the numbers of households placed in temporary accommodation and improving access to affordable housing for rent.
In April, work was about to start on the first Design for Manufacture competition sites - the challenge to construct a good quality home for £60,000. This followed planning approval and the signing of legal agreements for two competition sites. Almost 700 homes were due to be created across another eight competition sites.
May saw a week-long exhibition showcasing the ground-breaking home designs in the Design for Manufacture competition. Members of the public and industry experts were invited to visit the exhibition, view the winning entries, and comment on what homes for the future should look like.
In June and as part of the Respect programme, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, John Hutton, announced that the Government intended to pilot a scheme aimed at ensuring people who are evicted as a result of anti-social behaviour undertake rehabilitation: a person evicted for anti-social behaviour who then refuses to address their behaviour using the support and help offered to them could expect to have their Housing Benefit reduced.
Councils were given new powers in July to enforce the licensing of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). Guidance was also issued on bringing long-term empty dwellings back into use. The new powers meant landlords failing to licence their HMOs could be prosecuted by councils and face fines of up to £20,000.
Statistics published in August showed that existing stocks of available "brownfield" land could accommodate up to one million new homes. The annual statistics estimated that 63,500 hectares of previously developed land was available for development in 2005. Of this, 44% (27,600 hectares) was judged to be suitable for housing, with the remaining land being available for other uses such as commerce or recreation.
A groundbreaking study of tenants' views published in September concluded that housing associations could do better in terms of getting the basics right and opening up choices. What Tenants Want from the Tenant Involvement Commission called for housing associations in England to renew the relationship with their 5 million tenants, on the basis of better services and accountability.
October saw thirty-eight English local authorities being given the go-ahead for plans which could see more than 94,000 homes transfer to new landlords over the next two years. Twenty-four councils were granted immediate places on the 2006 Housing Transfer Programme. Further discussions about proposed schemes were ongoing with the others.
Government analysis revealed that millions of tonnes of carbon and billions of pounds from fuel bills could be saved by simple measures, such as cavity wall insulation. The November report from the Review of the Sustainability of Existing Buildings showed that millions of homes across the country could benefit from cost-effective improvements that cut both carbon emissions and fuel bills.
The end of 2006 saw the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) publish its Pack of Lies, which aimed to show how benefit thieves will use any excuse to get out of a difficult situation. Compiled as part of its No Ifs, No Buts campaign to stamp out benefit theft, the collection of lies featured examples of excuses used by benefit thieves. The DWP pack sent out a clear message: when it comes to stealing benefits, there are no excuses - the lies have all been heard before.