Section: Yesterday's News
Five Years Ago
In September 2003 we were reporting:
- New Regulations were laid in Parliament that set the start dates and allowances for the nine councils that will test the new Local Housing Allowance. This provides for private tenants to receive a locally set flat rate of Housing Benefit, taking account of income and family size. Local Housing Allowance provides for claimants to receive a standard allowance, based on the area in which they live and the number of occupie........
- The Government announced a further £175 million of Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF) money, which will be targeted on 26 local authority areas in England facing the greatest challenge in turning around long-term multiple deprivation. The NRF was set up in 2001 to help local authorities and their partners to improve services and initiate regeneration in deprived areas.......
- The latest estimate of rough sleeping in England shows 504 people sleeping on the streets, the lowest recorded level ever, and a reduction of 73% since 1998. Reductions over the last year have been most significant in London, although the Capital remains the area with the largest concentration of rough sleeping in England.......
- A new report was published by the National Housing Federation, which raises questions about the ability of some associations to borrow the level of funding needed for the scale of long-term development pledged in the Communities Plan. It suggests that most medium-sized RSLs (2,500-10,000 homes) will be unable to expand beyond their present plans. Stock transfer associations will also have limited capacity to expand over the next five years........
- Sid McDowell, who is stepping down as Chairman of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive in the New Year, used his last Annual Report to call for legislation to be extended to introduce Antisocial Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) in Northern Ireland. He argued that in the rest of the UK, ASBOs have become an important tool in tackling antisocial behaviour problems and they should be available in Northern Ireland.......
- A study by HouseMark of the 21 arm's-length management organisations (ALMOs) in the first two rounds of the programme found that they delivered improvements to housing services. These included rent collection, repair and re-let activities. Tenant satisfaction was also recorded as better than when services were delivered by parent local authorities.......
- Camden LBC became one of the latest councils to take action against begging. To discourage people from giving to beggars, the Council has painted lines around cash machines. Anyone sitting in the boxed area, or in adjacent dotted-lined boxes, will be moved on by the police.......
- Greenwich LBC's Mandela House became the first sheltered scheme in the country to gain Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) accreditation. To identify the changes needed, staff walked around the scheme wearing a range of special RNIB glasses which aim to simulate types of sight impairment.......
One Year Ago
In September 2007 we were reporting:
- Pensions Secretary Peter Hain confirmed he has ordered a review of the 16-hour rule, which prevents people claiming Housing Benefit if they study for more than 16 hours a week. The 16-hour rule has attracted widespread criticism, particularly from homelessness organisations........
- The Housing Corporation called for a fully independent stand-alone housing regulator, with responsibility for housing associations, local authority housing provision, ALMOs and private sector social landlords.......
- The Government caved in to pressure from local authorities by giving them extra time to find homes for the large number of asylum seekers currently expected to be granted a right to stay in the UK. Councils had been warned by the Home Office to prepare for an increase in requests for housing, as it put pressure on efforts to clear a backlog of applicants' claims. The Department initially allowed councils with severe housing shortages less than three months to find homes for families.......
- Social housing landlords received new guidance to help them measure their success in tackling antisocial behaviour. A toolkit, developed by HouseMark and the Social Landlords' Crime and Nuisance Group for Communities and Local Government, offers practical help and advice on collecting, interpreting and using information........
- Her Majesty's Courts Service launched the possession claims online service, which will cut the user fee from £150 to £100.
The reduction could lead to savings of around £5 million for local authorities and housing associations who currently make paper claims. However, the discount will not apply to those who continue to lodge claims at the local county court.......
- Housing and Planning Minister Yvette Cooper unveiled a major £500 million package of proposals to accelerate the building of the homes - ensuring both that new homes are greener and the focus is on brownfield land. A major set of incentives, provided through the new Housing and Planning Delivery Grant, will reward councils which speed up housing supply delivery and maximise the supply of building land in their areas.......
- It appears that social landlords have struggled to sell the open market Homebuy product since it was launched by the Government in October 2006. The cost of qualifying for the scheme has pushed it beyond the price range of many public sector workers.......
- Digital switch-over is likely to cost social housing tenants, as landlords count the cost of installing new systems. To illustrate, a Two Castles HA scheme in Whitehaven will see residents' current annual charge of £13.63 rise to £38 following digital switchover in October. The increase is necessary to cover the cost of installation of the new system, maintenance and any upgrades.......
