February 2016
Team Strategic Housing Services
Department Development and Regeneration
Subject Housing Update Weeks 8 – 9 2016
Contents
1. Osborne's buy-to-let measures risk damaging whole economy, MPs warn
2. Social housing: tenants will need to live in an area for four years to be eligible
3. Sector surplus reaches £3bn
4. The Future of Social Housing: Urban Low-Rise, High-Density
Developments
5. Taking stock
6. 'Quarter of all households' awaiting council housing as waiting list is longest since 1997
7. Sheltered housing developments 'shelved due to benefit cuts'
8. House price rises slowed to 6.7% in 2015, says ONS
9. New planning guidance emphasises importance of housing evidence to neighbourhood planning
10. Starter homes will be out of reach for majority of families in need of affordable homes in England
11.
Councils encouraged to compete over planning applications
12. Fall in social housing under-occupation
13. Households switching energy provider rose 15% in 2015
14. WARM HOMES, BETTER LIVES
15. Introducing the Home Safety Certificate and its benefits
16. Owning a home set to become a pipe dream for young workers on modest incomes
1. Osborne's buy-to-let measures risk damaging whole economy, MPs warn
The cross-party Commons Treasury Committee said that jobs, output and productivity could all suffer if a fall in the supply of privately rented homes led to a reduction in labour market mobility. http://www.expressandstar.com/business/city-news/2016/02/12/osbornes-buy-to-let-measures-riskdamaging-whole-economy-mps-warn/
2. Social housing: tenants will need to live in an area for four years to be eligible
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New tenants trying to get council and other social housing are to be required to live in the local area for four years instead of the current two, according to a white paper on European reform published on
Monday. http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/feb/22/new-social-housing-tenants-will-need-to-live-in-anarea-four-years
3. Sector surplus reaches £3bn
England’s largest housing associations recorded a landmark £3bn combined surplus last year as the sector became more reliant on property sales to fund new homes. http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/sector-surplus-reaches-
3bn/7014012.article?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_ca mpaign=H60
4. The Future of Social Housing: Urban Low-Rise, High-Density
Developments
As cities around the world struggle with solutions to the housing shortage that faces many communities, one urban building typology has been floated for decades that might increase housing units without reducing quality of life: low-rise, high-density. Emerging in the 1960s and 70s as an antidote to the severe “tower in the park” model offered by Le Corbusier and others, this housing typology had the potential to overcome some of the downsides of massive urban renewal in its emphasis on livable scale and community context. http://architizer.com/blog/low-rise-high-density/
5. Taking stock
The reshaping of social housing’s funding and the market have meant a significant change of focus for providers. It is also impacting on their customers. http://www.campbelltickell.com/news/published-articles/1289-taking-stock
6. 'Quarter of all households' awaiting council housing as waiting list is longest since 1997
As many as one in four people are waiting for social housing in parts of London, while it is affecting one in six in other parts of the country.
The equivalent of one in six households are waiting for social housing in Barking and Dagenham,
Brighton, Bolton, Tower Hamlets, Medway and Reading. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/quarter-households-awaiting-council-housing-7374169
7. Sheltered housing developments 'shelved due to benefit cuts'
The National Housing Federation (NHF) has calculated that nearly 2,500 units have so far been scrapped or delayed as sheltered housing providers face losing an average of £68 a week per tenant. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35583415
8. House price rises slowed to 6.7% in 2015, says ONS
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House prices in the UK rose by 6.7% in 2015, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) - a considerable slowdown on the previous year. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-35586056
9. New planning guidance emphasises importance of housing evidence to neighbourhood planning
Changes to planning guidance have placed additional emphasis on the importance of local housing needs to the neighbourhood planning process. http://www.out-law.com/en/articles/2016/february/new-planning-guidance-emphasises-importance-ofhousing-evidence-to-neighbourhood-planning/
10. Starter homes will be out of reach for majority of families in need of affordable homes in England
The LGA said the national starter homes scheme could help some people onto the housing ladder but that crucial details are yet to be confirmed. It is concerned it will help the fewest numbers of people in areas where the housing affordability crisis is most acute and will be out of reach for many people in need of an affordable home in the majority of local areas. http://www.local.gov.uk/web/guest/media-releases/-/journal_content/56/10180/7694909/NEWS
11. Councils encouraged to compete over planning applications
The government is encouraging councils to compete to process planning applications and to be able to offer fast-track application services under consultation proposals.
It provides further detail on an amendment to the Housing and Planning Bill, which proposed creating pilot areas where applicants will be able to choose whether to submit their plans to the local council, a different council or a “government-approved organisation” that would process the application.
Under this proposal, the final decision on permission would still be taken by the local council. http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/policy/planning/councils-encouraged-to-compete-over-planningapplications/7014026.article?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link& utm_campaign=H60
12. Fall in social housing under-occupation
English Housing Survey findings, published today by the Department for Communities and Local
Government, show 8.6% of social housing households were under-occupying their homes by two bedrooms or more in 2014/15. This equates to 338,000 households and is the lowest level since
1995/96 when the survey statistics started. http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/fall-in-social-housing-underoccupation/7014036.article?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&u tm_campaign=H60
13. Households switching energy provider rose 15% in 2015
The regulator Ofgem said that 6.1m gas and electricity accounts had been transferred during the year
- about 800,000 more than in 2014. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-35615595
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14. WARM HOMES, BETTER LIVES
How the housing sector can work with government to improve the energy performance of the nation’s homes. http://www.orbit.org.uk/media/842413/warmhomesbetterlivesroundtable.pdf
15. Introducing the Home Safety Certificate and its benefits
I recently attended an event which profiled the recently launched Home Safety Certificate. The event showcased and promoted debate on the certificate and the package of supporting guidance. http://www.rics.org/uk/news/news-insight/comment/home-safety-certificate/
16. Owning a home set to become a pipe dream for young workers on modest incomes
Over-45s now account for three-quarters of all home owners
The housing ladder is disappearing for most young working households on modest incomes. For this group home ownership is projected to be approaching just one-in-ten by 2025, according to new analysis to be published next week by the independent Resolution Foundation think tank. http://www.resolutionfoundation.org/media/press-releases/owning-a-home-set-to-become-a-pipedream-for-young-workers-on-modest-incomes/
Contact: strategichousingservices@bolton.gov.uk
for further information.
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