From the Chief Executive…“I’d start inspections with real life then work back to the boardroom”
“No one is listening”. That’s what a manager said on the phone as she told a worker how to fake safety evidence. Turns out she was wrong and Sky News got hold of the incriminating tape. This happened at Clarion. But it could have been just about anywhere. We’ve just done an interview with a […]
The case for nature-centric housing
The UK government plans to deliver 1.5 million homes during this parliament, enabled by its Planning and Infrastructure Bill. It argues the new legislation represents a “win-win” for housing and nature, but with the UK being one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, wildlife organisations are wary of watered-down environmental protections. As Matt […]
Ombudsman Corner
By Richard Blakeway, the Housing Ombudsman Page 40 of the 2007 Cave Review into social housing regulation, commissioned by the last Labour government, contains a surprising nugget. It reported how the Housing Ombudsman had seen complaints about repairs slip to the second most likely reason for escalations to them. What a […]
The last word
Why living through scarcity opens the door to bad actors By Hannah Fearn, freelance journalist specialising in social affairs The failure of successive governments to build enough new homes has resulted in a housing crisis and low economic growth. With supply so tight, it’s now only the most vulnerable people in society who […]
A life in 15 questions
Kate Wareing Chief Executive, Soha 1 What do you do for fun? Not enough! I love being in nature – walking, swimming, and I think the Merlin bird song identification app is a work of genius. I love travelling – I love meeting new people and seeing things from a different perspective. […]
Behind the headlines
‘I’ve never experienced such difficult times since arriving in the UK’ By Fuad Mahamed, CEO and Founder of refugee and migrant housing and integrated services provider ACH. On August 15, the High Court granted an interim injunction to prevent the Bell Hotel in Epping from continuing to be used to accommodate asylum […]
Housing in Practice: Housing for the ages
Continuing our Housing in Practice series, Neil Merrick reports on a housing association that’s encouraging students to live alongside older residents and help reduce loneliness or isolation. The resident’s story Prior to moving into a flat in south London earlier this year, Claire Carpenter had spent a decade living in women’s hostels and supported […]
Tai Ffres: A fresh approach to home
Dr Jennifer Hoolachan and Dr Fiona Long. Youth homelessness is a significant problem across the UK. In Wales, around 6,500 young people (aged 16-24) approached their local authority for homelessness assistance in 2023/24. The causes of youth homelessness often centre on family-related issues and/or challenging housing and labour market conditions, though some are more […]
Can local government be steered away from the financial brink?
An inquiry by the Housing, Communities and Local Government select committee has raised important issues about the precarity of councils’ finances and how to improve the situation. The report comes as government pledges to reform local authority funding but has not yet said how the demand for services will be tackled. The committee found that […]
Tackling building safety remediation – what lessons can we learn two years on?
Building safety remediation following the Grenfell Tower fire is affecting thousands of buildings in England. Initial concerns that extensive building work was taking place without attention to the negative impacts on residents, who often live in-situ through the work, resulted in the government publishing a Code of Practice for the remediation of residential buildings. Two […]