Tag

The Grenfell tragedy has exposed a system that prevents justice and protects those in power

On the night of the fire that killed 72 people, I was on the streets desperately searching for my uncle who lived on the top floor of Grenfell Tower. There were people everywhere. It was complete chaos.

29 Nov 2021 Communities

Introducing a proportional property tax would level the playing field for homeowners in deprived areas

Boris Johnson's social care plan is like a "classic Covent Garden pickpocketing operation", Keir Starmer said last week to much applause from Labour MPs at PMQs and some arresting headlines afterwards.

22 Oct 2021 Communities

Under-regulated supported housing failed vulnerable tenants – a complete overhaul of the sector is needed

“Too big to fail.” An expression that conjures up images of overleveraged investment banks and cavalier financiers, isn’t a phrase you would normally associate with a sector housing vulnerable people. Yet that’s exactly what’s being said about the providers of supported exempt accommodation.

11 Oct 2021 Communities

It’s time to view housing as a human right

A human rights approach to housing would play a central role in guaranteeing that core issues such as homelessness and affordability are back on the front pages.

27 Sep 2021 Communities

We need serious investment and local powers to tackle the housing crisis once and for all

Councils need the financial resources to build social housing, properly resourced planning services, and the powers to ensure the permissions they give in great numbers are converted into the homes people need.

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16 Sep 2021 Environment

How the timber industries can help solve the housing crisis

Recognising that the UK must build more homes, quicker, while reducing carbon emissions, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Timber Industries has launched with a new report that aims to provide solutions to the UK’s housing and climate crises.

16 Sep 2021 Communities

We need real leadership to resolve the building safety crisis and stand up for leaseholders

Ministerial indecision has meant that the repairs have not taken place, and leaseholders are too often been left footing the bill.

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15 Sep 2021 Communities

CIOB welcomes new Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government

Following today’s government reshuffle, the Rt Hon Michael Gove MP for Surrey Heath has been appointed as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Why we need a new housing regeneration agency

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13 Sep 2021 Communities

Why we need a new housing regeneration agency

A national regeneration agency could breathe new life into some of the UK's most out-of-date housing, making it fit for the 21st century.

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02 Sep 2021 Environment

NOAH endorses new report to support pets in rented accommodation

NOAH is delighted to welcome and endorse the new Heads for Tails! report published today by Co-Founder of AdvoCATS, Jen Berazi. The report, endorsed by more than 30 charities, landlord groups, housing associations and more, outlines key policy recommendations that the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) could take forward to make it easier for tenants to rent with pets in the UK.

01 Sep 2021 Communities

The Tenant Fees Act is forcing tenants to choose between their pet and a roof over their head

Under the Tenant Fees Act, many landlords opt for blanket "no pets" bans in their contracts. The Act should be amended to allow landlords to stipulate that insurance policies which cover tenants for pet damage is held.

08 Jul 2021 Communities

More action is needed to afford leaseholders protection in the Building Safety Bill

The gulf between the government’s rhetoric that developers must pay, and actions to ensure they do pay, remains too wide. Parliamentarians from both Houses must find ways to bridge that gap.

29 Jun 2021 Communities

New Lords committee to take on growing housing demand

New Built Environment Lords Committee will look at the government’s housing target, the impact of reforms to the planning system and how barriers to meeting housing demand can be overcome.

28 Jun 2021 Communities

We must stop “Lakeland Clearances” turfing out local families to make way for expensive second homes

What we don’t need is villages like Coniston or Grasmere, in the most beautiful parts of the United Kingdom, to be filled with empty houses, with no local people living there.

25 Jun 2021 Communities

Building Safety Bill must not leave behind leaseholders saddled with ruinous remediation costs

The Building Safety Bill will be a great opportunity for the government to commit to helping leaseholders whose homes are deemed not safe through no fault of their own.

23 Jun 2021 Communities

Planning reform need not be a battle between the north and south

Given how defensive many people feel about their green fields, the idea that they are under threat from remote officials applying a mutant algorithm is truly toxic.

08 Jun 2021 Communities

Government must step in to prevent a Covid induced mass homelessness crisis

The enormous amount of prospective homeless people and families dwarfs any other emergency that homeless advocates like me have ever seen before. Government must reinstate the eviction ban.

02 Jun 2021 Communities

The Ground Rent Bill is a missed opportunity to end the leasehold scandal

The scandal of new homes with doubling ground rents goes back years, impacting a potential 4.5 million leaseholders. People shouldn’t have to wait for the glacial pace of government to fix this unfair system.

11 May 2021 Communities

Government must advance social housing to prevent yet another Grenfell disaster

The social housing white paper provides a unique opportunity to implement a fundamental shift in the treatment of social housing tenants and fully address the full scale of the building safety crisis.

07 May 2021 Communities

Fire at New Providence Wharf: an eyewitness account

As I write, I don’t know the wellbeing of my neighbours, the damage done to my belongings or when I will be able to access my home.

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07 May 2021 Health

BANT welcomes the BJGP article on the ‘lifestyle medicine movement’ and opens the door to further discussions.

BANT welcomes the British Journal of General Practice (BJGP) May 4th article on lifestyle medicine and is encouraged by the acknowledgement of well-informed drivers validating this movement.

04 May 2021 Communities

Fire Safety Bill will see leaseholders go bankrupt from huge remediation costs

Whatever shameless spin is placed on this, the bottom line is simple - the Fire Safety Bill transfers liability to leaseholders making them legally and financially liable for huge remediation costs.

26 Apr 2021 Coronavirus

Communities worked well together during Covid - how do we sustain that during the next crisis?

It is an understatement to say the Covid-19 pandemic brought unprecedented challenges across all walks of life, and as Director of the Emergencies Partnerships those challenges were at the forefront of my day to day work.

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21 Apr 2021 Communities

NOAH Launches Campaign to Promote Pet Ownership for Renters

NOAH has launched a campaign ‘Securing the Right to Rent with Pets: Making One Health Housing a Reality’, to help improve access to pets for people living in rented or socially owned housing.