Hazel Blears has resigned from the Cabinet, after coming under pressure in the parliamentary expenses scandal. She says she will remain MP for Salford but wants to return to grassroots activism. Read More →
Meanwhile figures out from the National House Building Council (NHBC) show that applications from housing associations to build new homes have outstripped those from private developers for the first time. Public sector applications numbered 3,011 in March compared with 2,943 from the private sector, which is reflected in theRead More →
The average price of a house in England and Wales has fallen by nearly 8 per cent in the past year, and is likely to fall by a further 10 per cent before bottoming out, according to Rightmove. In the last month prices fell 1.9 per cent. The biggestRead More →
Council taxes will rise in the next financial year by 1.8%, the lowest figure since the levy was introduced nearly two decades ago. John Denham, communities secretary, claimed that the slightly below-inflation rise had been made possible by a 4% increase in central funding for councils from next month.Read More →
The National Landlords’ Association is warning landlords on the dangers of cannabis factories in their rental properties, adding they have a responsibility to make sure they are aware of what is going on inside their property. The NLA says the damage caused to a property used as a cannabisRead More →
Official Home Office figures show that the number of eastern European migrants and asylum seekers may have peaked. The number of people coming from Poland and other eastern European countries has fallen by almost 20 per cent, to the lowest level in five years. Acceptances of asylum seekers thisRead More →
The level of fines levied against individuals for mortgage fraud so far this year has overtaken the number for the whole of 2015. The Financial Services Authority (FSA) said in the last 18 months it had stepped up pressure against fraudulent brokers who operated during the boom, with finesRead More →
The City was caught on the hop today with data showing higher-than-expected inflation last month. Consumer prices were unchanged in July from June, keeping the annual rate at 1.8 per cent – defying analysts’ forecasts of a fall to 1.5 per cent – government figures showed this morning. ButRead More →
Council bosses are drawing up plans on how public services can be delivered if the government makes cuts to council budgets because of the recession. The Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy are joining forces to analyse the implications ofRead More →
More than half of the UK’s biggest high street banks, including Abbey, Nationwide, Barclays and HSBC, have refused to join the government’s plan to support homeowners at risk of repossession. No bank that is not owned or controlled by the state has agreed to join the homeowner’s mortgage supportRead More →