Section: Yesterday's News
Five Years Ago
In May 2003 we were reporting:
- The Government issued a Consultation Paper on its proposals to use Housing Benefit sanctions to tackle antisocial behaviour.
The paper follows a White Paper issued in March - Respect and Responsibilities: Taking a Stand against Antisocial Behaviour. This stated the intention to consult on whether to give local authorities an enabling power to withhold payment of Housing Benefit from individual tenants, where they believe this is the most effective way of tackling antisocial behaviour........
- Just over a month after taking on the role of single housing inspectorate, the Audit Commission published its first two inspection reports for housing associations. The first reports was for Methodist Homes Housing Association, where it found a highly satisfactory service to tenants. A similar report was published for Sarsen Housing Association.......
- The Government published a consultation document that seeks views on its proposals to strengthen homelessness legislation in England and issue statutory guidance on the use of Bed and Breakfast hotels for housing homeless people.......
- The author of the TV play Cathy Come Home, Jeremy Sandford, died early in May. Broadcast in 1966, the play brought to the small screen the plight of the homeless and the effect of hostel living on family life. Particularly memorable for those old enough to have watched the play was its depiction of a brutal system charged with dealing with homelessness and its total lack of compassion.......
- In its Consultation Paper - Empty Homes: Temporary Management, Lasting Solutions - the Government suggests options for local authorities to lease private sector empty properties for occupation by people in need of homes. The properties would be returned to their owners at an agreed time and in good condition.......
- The Government published a Consultation Paper, which it hopes will clear the way for an increase in the number of Housing Revenue Account Public Finance Initiatives (HRA PFI) schemes which can provide funding to improve council houses. The Paper suggests replacing the current system, where the level of HRA subsidy for PFI schemes in a year is linked to the housing authority's interest rate. Under current arrangements, the historically low level of interest rates has led to concerns that long term subsidy entitlement may not match the true cost of the PFI scheme, where charges to the authority are fixed for the period of the scheme regardless of interest rate fluctuations. To address these concerns, the Government proposes that a fixed level of annual subsidy - a PFI allowance - be determined for the duration of the scheme.......
- Waltham Forest Council introduced a policy of enforcing checks on gas appliances in its occupied properties. The Council are concerned about the possibility of fatal carbon monoxide poisoning if boilers are not regularly checked. The new policy is directed at some 200 tenants who have refused permission for servicing appliances.......
- Dame Shirley Porter, former leader of Westminster City Council, lost her final appeal against a £37 million surcharge. The surcharge was imposed by District Auditor John Magill in 1996, when he confirmed that (then) Lady Porter's actions in 1987 amounted to gerrymandering. The so-called homes for votes scandal, in which she and others were accused of gerrymandering marginal wards by selling council houses and moving out homeless families less likely to vote Conservative, appears to be running out of steam. In this final twist, the European Court of Human Rights rejected as inadmissible Dame Shirley Porter's claim that the proceedings against her had been unfair........
One Year Ago
In May 2007 we were reporting:
- A new report from the Chartered Institute of Housing for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation shows that most tenants make rent payments the first priority, and that any rent arrears are often linked to administrative problems rather than wilful non-payment......
- According to the Sustainable Development Commission, the Government's independent watchdog, current delivery of the housing programme still involves unnecessarily high levels of demolition of people's homes, builds on severely water-stressed areas, fails to get local facilities and public transport for residents on time, and does not yet take full account of climate change.......
- Investing in housing adaptations could produce savings to health care and social care budgets. Investment in independent living benefits individuals and wider society. These are conclusions of research published by the Office for Disability Issues. The research is part of an Independent Living Review, to identify imaginative and practical solutions to support independent living for disabled people........
- Housing associations could share in unclaimed money from dormant bank and building society accounts as part of Government plans to plough these funds into community projects. A new Treasury paper suggests the organisations that distribute money to charities for the national lottery could run such a redistribution scheme. One of the areas that the Government hope could benefit from the initiative is projects that help tenants access financial services.......
- The Government announced that grants to help climate-conscious householders to install micro-generation technologies were available again. The Low Carbon Buildings Programme has already allocated £6.8 million in grants to householders and, following the addition of an extra £6 million in the Budget, applications for the remaining £11.9 million were accepted from 29 May.......
- According to new survey, half of all tenants in rented accommodation do not understand how to switch to digital TV. The survey by Digital UK, the body co-ordinating the switchover, revealed that only 43% of private tenants and 54% of social housing tenants understand the steps they must take in order to continue watching TV after they switch to digital. Digital UK is now launching a campaign to raise awareness amongst landlords and tenants........
- The Housing Corporation launched a new policy that places residents at the heart of social housing. People First - Delivering Change Through Involvement sets out the Housing Corporation's expectations on involvement for housing associations.......