Posted 29.11.16
Mayor of London: Article link
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has set out plans for how record-breaking investment of £3.15 billion will support 90,000 new affordable homes in the capital.
The Mayor's new funding programme details how he will use the investment - the biggest housing deal ever secured by City Hall - to support new affordable housing in the Capital over the next five years.
Previous national rules on affordable housing investment were rigid, including no investment at all for mainstream low-cost rented housing. Following negotiations with government, new rules mean investment in London can now be spent on a mix of homes for low-cost rent and affordable home ownership.
The 90,000 affordable homes will be a mix of low-cost rent, shared ownership and London Living Rent, which is based on a third of average household incomes in each borough.
-----
Posted 23.11.16
HM Treasury: Full statement link
The Chancellor's Autumn Statement included a number of issues of interest to the housing sectors.
-----
Posted 14.11.16
National Housing Federation: Article link
The National Housing Federation's submission to the upcoming Autumn Statement argued that a more flexible government investment programme for housing of all tenures, including social rent, would give housing associations the space and opportunity to come up with new ideas to help end the housing crisis.
As part of this, it has put forward a suggestion for a new housing offer - 'Buy as you Go' - which builds on innovation from across the housing association sector and aims to provide people who are just managing with a stable and affordable route into homeownership.
The Federation has now published a new report which draws on housing associations' insights and on modelling from Savills to set out how 'Buy as you Go' could work and explain why flexibility and Government investment are so key.
-----
Posted 11.11.16
Savills: Article link
The Government drive for increased new housing supply is putting political and financial pressure on housing associations to increase their housing delivery, a challenge the sector could be well positioned to respond to quickly by unlocking additional financial capacity, Savills says in Spotlight: Housing Association Financial Capacity.
New analysis by researchers at Savills suggests that up to £7.4 billion of additional borrowing could be secured against assets to be used to deliver more homes.
