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Chaminda Jayanetti

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Tory Council Asks For Housing Benefit Boost Despite Kemi Badenoch Calling For Cuts
Economy
By Chaminda Jayanetti
Tory Council Asks For Housing Benefit Boost Despite Kemi Badenoch Calling For Cuts
A Conservative-run council is lobbying the government to increase housing benefit, just as party leader Kemi Badenoch pledges to cut it.
How Austerity-Hit Councils Are Passing The Buck – At The Expense Of The Most Vulnerable
Health
How Austerity-Hit Councils Are Passing The Buck – At The Expense Of The Most Vulnerable
From schools to social care, healthcare to housing, local councils have arguably been the biggest victims of all the funding cuts we’ve seen over the last two decades. Chaminda Jayanetti reports on how they have been left in a tug of war with other state bodies over who funds the state provision needs of the most vulnerable in society
Families In Greatest Need Of Social Housing Wait Years In Some Areas, Data Reveals
Social affairs
By Chaminda Jayanetti
Families In Greatest Need Of Social Housing Wait Years In Some Areas, Data Reveals
A data investigation by The House has revealed that those with the greatest needs are being forced to wait years for social housing, leaving families in a miserable limbo. Chaminda Jayanetti reports
Andy Burnham To Warn Wes Streeting About Closure Of Health Bodies
Health
By Chaminda Jayanetti
Andy Burnham To Warn Wes Streeting About Closure Of Health Bodies
Andy Burnham will issue a warning to Health Secretary Wes Streeting over the government’s abolition of a national network of “patient voice” bodies.
Reform Council To Double Tax On Second Homes Despite Nigel Farage Calling The Idea 'Madness'
Communities
Reform Council To Double Tax On Second Homes Despite Nigel Farage Calling The Idea "Madness"
A Reform-led council is planning to double council tax on second homes six months after party leader Nigel Farage denounced such policies as “madness” and “extortion”.
Why Council Tax Reform Is Fraught With Difficulty
Communities
Why Council Tax Reform Is Fraught With Difficulty
New analysis shows why council tax reform is such a hard task for the government as it faces widespread calls for the system to be updated.
Rise In SEND Requests As Parents Fear Upcoming Reforms
Education
Rise In SEND Requests As Parents Fear Upcoming Reforms
Exclusive: Fears over upcoming reforms to the special education needs (SEND) system have led more parents to request formal support for their children, according to reports from councils.
London Councils Face Losing Half Their Share Of Children's Services Funding
Communities
By Chaminda Jayanetti
London Councils Face Losing Half Their Share Of Children's Services Funding
Some of London’s poorest areas could see their share of funding for children’s services halved under Labour’s plans to reform local government grants.
Is Clean Power By 2030 Achievable?
Energy
By Chaminda Jayanetti
Is Clean Power By 2030 Achievable?
The Clean Power Plan is an ambitious scheme to decarbonise the energy sector by 2030. Is it really deliverable? Chaminda Jayanetti reports
Is It Time To Split Up The Treasury?
Economy
By Chaminda Jayanetti
Is It Time To Split Up The Treasury?
The suggestion that it would be better to break up the Treasury into more manageable parts has been mooted for years. Chaminda Jayanetti looks at the idea in detail
Keir Starmer Has Promised Long-Term Missions. Can He Achieve Them?
Political parties
By Chaminda Jayanetti
Keir Starmer Has Promised Long-Term Missions. Can He Achieve Them?
Keir Starmer promised to replace short-term, knee-jerk policymaking with long-term strategy. How will he go about achieving this aim? Chaminda Jayanetti reports
Inside intel: parliamentary wisdom for new MPs
Parliament
By Chaminda Jayanetti
Inside intel: parliamentary wisdom for new MPs
From acing your maiden speech to handling mountains of mail, seasoned MPs share their tips with Chaminda Jayanetti
Senior Labour Official: We Need Policies To Win Back Green Voters
Political parties
By Chaminda Jayanetti
Senior Labour Official: We Need Policies To Win Back Green Voters
Exclusive: Senior Labour Party official David Evans has suggested the party will need policies to win back Green voters in the wake of this month’s local elections, rather than relying on tactical voting to bring them back into the fold.
Schools Funding Plummets Into Deficit Risking A “Bleak” Future Of Staff Cuts
Education
By Chaminda Jayanetti
Schools Funding Plummets Into Deficit Risking A “Bleak” Future Of Staff Cuts
English state schools plunged into a financial deficit last year, new figures have shown, with teachers’ leaders warning of a “bleak” future.
Housing Collapse - how emergency housing cuts are hitting the vulnerable
Communities
By Chaminda Jayanetti
Housing Collapse - how emergency housing cuts are hitting the vulnerable
Severe cuts to central funding to help with emergency housing costs mean councils are refusing many more applicants. Chaminda Jayanetti unearths troubling data.
Leading Psychiatrists Say Benefits Overhaul Risks Disabled People’s Mental Health
Health
By Chaminda Jayanetti
Leading Psychiatrists Say Benefits Overhaul Risks Disabled People’s Mental Health
The Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) has called on the government to ditch controversial plans to tighten disability benefit assessments and scrap protections relating to disabled people’s mental health.
Emergency Housing Payment Rejections Have Soared After Government Slashed Funding
Home affairs
By Chaminda Jayanetti
Emergency Housing Payment Rejections Have Soared After Government Slashed Funding
The success rate of applicants for emergency housing payments has collapsed in some parts of England after the government slashed funding for the scheme over the last two years, PoliticsHome understands.
New Universal Credit Sanctions Could Include Losing Free NHS Prescriptions And Dental Care
Economy
By Chaminda Jayanetti
New Universal Credit Sanctions Could Include Losing Free NHS Prescriptions And Dental Care
Exclusive: Jeremy Hunt’s plans to toughen the rules around sanctions for Universal Credit claimants may lead to people losing their free NHS prescriptions and dental care, PoliticsHome can reveal.
The new wonkocracy - behind the think tanks shaping Labour policy
Political parties
By Chaminda Jayanetti
The new wonkocracy - behind the think tanks shaping Labour policy
Political parties are gearing up for a general election next year and think tanks are busy trying to exert influence on their manifestos and beyond. With polls pointing to a Labour victory, Chaminda Jayanetti considers the organisations – some new, some familiar – which are helping to shape the policies of Keir Starmer and the shadow cabinet.
Why disability benefit claims are surging in the UK
Health
By Chaminda Jayanetti
Why disability benefit claims are surging in the UK
Disability benefit claims have surged in the last two years, taking in multiple health conditions and all age groups. Is it the effect of the pandemic, the consequences of NHS waiting lists, or in response to rising living costs? Chaminda Jayanetti digs into the data. Illustration by Tracy Worrall
Thousands Trapped In Overcrowded Temporary Housing For Months, Figures Show
Home affairs
By Chaminda Jayanetti
Thousands Trapped In Overcrowded Temporary Housing For Months, Figures Show
Thousands of homeless people placed in temporary accommodation across England are faced with severe overcrowding, with hundreds – including families with children – stuck in cramped conditions for months at a time.
Fighting to hold back the cost of living crisis in Scotland
Communities
By Chaminda Jayanetti
Fighting to hold back the cost of living crisis in Scotland
Last October the Scottish government passed its Cost of Living Act, which implemented a rent freeze and ban on most evictions to support tenants through the winter. The measures went well beyond anything brought in by the Westminster government. But both campaigners and the data itself suggest the Act has only had limited effect.
Loosening the Purse Strings: Is the Treasury obstructing investment?
Economy
By Chaminda Jayanetti
Loosening the Purse Strings: Is the Treasury obstructing investment?
With Britain in a rut of failing services and economic stagnation, advocates for higher public spending accuse the Treasury of obstructing investment that could have positive effects. Do they have a point? Chaminda Jayanetti reports
Balancing the books – what is Labour's economic offer to the UK?
Economy
By Chaminda Jayanetti
Balancing the books – what is Labour's economic offer to the UK?
As the cost of living crisis bites, Labour could enter government facing the most challenging set of economic circumstances for a generation. Chaminda Jayanetti explores the party’s offering as it heads towards the next election.
Energy Regulator Plans Help With Bills Through 'Increased Consumer Debt'
Economy
By Chaminda Jayanetti
Energy Regulator Plans Help With Bills Through 'Increased Consumer Debt'
Exclusive: Energy regulator Ofgem is considering plans to help cash-strapped prepayment customers avoid getting disconnected – but only by getting into debt instead.
Special educational needs provision: will the drive to cut deficits inflict yet more damage on an already stricken sector?
Education
By Chaminda Jayanetti
Special educational needs provision: will the drive to cut deficits inflict yet more damage on an already stricken sector?
Recent years have seen the Department for Education ramp up spending on crisis-hit special education needs provision after long-term underfunding. But signs are it won’t be enough. Chaminda Jayanetti reports
Out of office – how the pandemic has changed the face of British high streets
Coronavirus
By Chaminda Jayanetti
Out of office – how the pandemic has changed the face of British high streets
Exclusive analysis by The House reveals how the pandemic has accelerated a leap in office vacancies in London and the Home Counties. What impact will the trend have on our high streets – and the future of work?
Could history be about to repeat itself in Northern Ireland?
Political parties
By Chaminda Jayanetti
Could history be about to repeat itself in Northern Ireland?
History was made when Sinn Féin won the most seats in a Stormont election for the first time – but with the Northern Ireland Assembly facing stasis and uncertainty, could it now repeat itself? Chaminda Jayanetti reports.
Will replacing the Human Rights Act make it harder to access justice?
Social affairs
By Chaminda Jayanetti
Will replacing the Human Rights Act make it harder to access justice?
The government is running a consultation on its proposals to revise the Human Rights Act and replace it with a Bill of Rights. Chaminda Jayanetti argues the plans do not take into account just how hard it is to access justice across the UK
London Suburbs And Home Counties More Ethnically Diverse, Inner London More White Since 2010, Data Shows
Communities
By Chaminda Jayanetti
London Suburbs And Home Counties More Ethnically Diverse, Inner London More White Since 2010, Data Shows
Parts of outer London and the Home Counties have become significantly more ethnically diverse since 2010, while areas of inner London have become whiter, according to school population data analysed by PoliticsHome.
Rent Strike: How low-income tenants face hard choices over how to make up housing benefit shortfalls
Communities
By Chaminda Jayanetti
Rent Strike: How low-income tenants face hard choices over how to make up housing benefit shortfalls
Tenants on low incomes in private housing face rent shortfalls of hundreds of pounds a year after the government froze housing benefit for a second year running, amounting to a real-terms benefit cut in most of England as living costs soar.
Levelling Up: Expectations Meet Reality
Communities
By Chaminda Jayanetti
Levelling Up: Expectations Meet Reality
The Levelling Up white paper is hardly the first time government has sought to solve regional inequalities, but it is perhaps unique in its scope and ambition. How can it hope to succeed – and what will success actually look like? Chaminda Jayanetti reports.
Why is Covid modelling so controversial?
Coronavirus
By Chaminda Jayanetti
Why is Covid modelling so controversial?
The tension between politicians, scientists and experts has become palpable in recent months, amid differing perceptions of how best to defeat the Omicron strain of coronavirus. But surely the numbers don’t lie? So why is Covid modelling so controversial? Chaminda Jayanetti reports
Louise Casey: The Social Policy Fixer
Home affairs
By Chaminda Jayanetti
Louise Casey: The Social Policy Fixer
For more than two decades, Baroness Casey has been the go-to figure for governments of all stripes to tackle some of our most intractable problems. But does she really have all the answers? Chaminda Jayanetti reports