More battering for homeowners whose properties were lashed by last nights gales. The housing market experienced its most severe downturn since the housing slump of the 1990s last month, according to new research from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). More surveyors saw house prices fall in FebruaryRead More →
Housing associations and lenders are calling for the government to change the way it funds social housing, arguing the current system that combines a grant with income from property sales and borrowing is unworkable in the current economic climate. Opponents of the system say that grants for social housingRead More →
Figures from LPW’s Affordability Index show that despite house price falls, first-time buyers are still locked out of home ownership as the level of deposit required soars. The average price for first-timers is almost £30,000 less than last year, however, deposits have doubled to more than £30,000. And lackRead More →
The government is to publish a new planning policy designed to boost the use of renewable energy and community heating schemes in new buildings. The planning policy statement will require all councils to plan with renewables, such as wind power, in mind on all new buildings – not justRead More →
Figures published by the department for Communities and Local Government show there is enough brownfield land in England to accommodate more than one million homes. Of the land suitable for housing, just over half was currently in use, while the rest is vacant or derelict. The report added thatRead More →
Campaigners challenging the government’s plans to build up to 10 eco-towns around the country lost their High Court challenge yesterday. They had applied for a judicial review of the scheme arguing it was legally flawed because the public was not consulted about the location or ‘principle of eco-towns’. TheRead More →
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation estimates that an extra £2.4 billion a year will need to be spent on tax credits if the government is to meet its target of halving child poverty. JFR says that 2.3 million children will be in poverty in 2017, missing the 1.7 million targetRead More →
A report from Hometrack says that that falling house prices will help young homebuyers purchase a home for the first time, but the current mortgage shortage will be an obstacle for many. The report found that 28 per cent of young people in work are unable to buy evenRead More →
Mortgage lending for 2015 fell 30 per cent to a six-year low according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders. The value of new mortgages fell steadily throughout the year, culminating in an 11 per cent drop from November 2015 to December. December 2015 was 47 per cent down onRead More →
The New Local Government Network (NLGN) has released a report arguing that a dramatic cut in public services could be avoided if local authorities were given new investment powers. The NLGN says this would allow them to retain staff, facilities and programmes; and even offer targeted cuts in councilRead More →