Displaying items by tag: Housing

Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has affirmed the Government’s ambition to build 1.5 million homes over five years, a scale unseen since World War 2. This requires constructing 370,000 homes annually, a significant increase from the 220,000 built last year. Despite this bold target, Rayner refrains from committing to a specific number of social housing units, emphasising site-dependent affordability and viability. The plan prioritises 'brownfield first’, encouraging redevelopment of previously used land. Councils must outline housing targets within twelve weeks, reassess green belt boundaries, and identify suitable 'grey belt' areas. Developers using green belt land must adhere to strict 'golden rules,' ensuring infrastructure like nurseries, healthcare facilities, and transport alongside affordable housing. With 1.3 million households on social housing waiting lists and record homelessness, the housing crisis is critical. To accelerate progress, the government has allocated £100 million and 300 new planning officers to streamline decision-making. The plan aims to balance local input, housing demand, and economic growth while addressing infrastructure needs.

The Renters' Rights Bill, appearing in Parliament on 12 September, aims to provide the most significant shift in tenant-landlord relations since 1988. It will ban ‘no-fault’ evictions, a leading cause of homelessness, replacing them with Section 8, which allows evictions for valid reasons like unpaid rent or a landlord’s need to reclaim the property. The bill will also include longer eviction notice periods and extend an eviction-free protected period at the start of tenancies. It will target the skyrocketing cost of private renting by empowering tenants to challenge unfair rent increases and banning rental bidding wars. It will also apply the Decent Homes Standard to private rentals, ensuring that landlords maintain safe, hazard-free homes. Additionally, renters will gain the right to keep pets, and discrimination against tenants on benefits or with children will be outlawed. Both landlord and renter advocacy groups have supported aspects of the bill, though concerns remain about enforcement and local council resources.

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s final report concluded that the tragic fire of 2017, which claimed 72 lives, was entirely avoidable and resulted from widespread dishonesty and incompetence by those involved in the building’s refurbishment. The report condemned several companies for manipulating safety testing and installing combustible cladding. Additionally, it highlighted government failures, both local and national, which ignored warnings about fire risks in high-rise buildings for decades. Survivors and victims’ families, devastated by the findings, are calling for manslaughter charges against those responsible. However, Scotland Yard stated that it would take another 12-18 months to review the report, delaying potential prosecutions until 2026. This has caused frustration among families, many of whom feel that justice is long overdue. While political leaders have expressed regret and promised accountability, survivors remain sceptical, demanding criminal charges and reforms to prevent future tragedies. The inquiry also revealed the complicity of regulators and architects, who ignored fire safety in favour of cost-cutting measures.

The UK housing market currently has £230bn worth of homes for sale, the highest supply in eight years, keeping house prices stable for the rest of 2024. According to Zoopla, the supply of homes for sale is 20% higher than last year, with the average estate agent handling 31 homes - the highest level in eight years. Richard Donnell, Zoopla's executive director, said the increased supply reflects renewed homeowner confidence, leading to a rise in house prices as more sales are agreed upon. Sales have increased by 13% year-on-year, with a third of homes for sale having been marketed in 2023. The surge in supply is due to more three- and four-bedroom homes returning to the market as owners feel confident to move despite rising mortgage rates. The upcoming general election in July is not expected to impact the property market significantly, with 392,000 homes in the sales pipeline. Experts say that serious buyers and sellers should price their homes realistically to achieve sales despite election uncertainties.

According to a damning report by the Home Builders Federation (HBF), homes in England and Wales are the lowest quality yet among the most expensive, in the developed world. The UK’s housing market is ‘reaching a state of crisis’ as the country falls even further behind other developed nations in terms of condition, affordability, and age of its housing stock. England’s homes are of poorer quality than those in eastern European nations such as Lithuania, with fewer new homes than Bulgaria. UK residents spend “exceptionally high proportions” of their post-tax income on housing. Alongside this, In September, the UK witnessed a significant decline in new home construction, leading to the largest drop in construction activity since May 2020. Overall, the construction sector is experiencing difficulties, but there are signs of resilience and potential for improvement in the near future. For further information, see

Last month we prayed for water quality to be improved and managed before protected areas are built upon. This week the House of Lords blocked the Government's plan to relax restrictions on water pollution to encourage house building in England. Governments often lose votes in the House of Lords, but what makes this one stand out is that ministers can't revive this plan easily. Because it is a new idea, parliamentary procedure means the only way to have another go would be attaching it to another proposed law, or bill. This is a row that gets to the heart of one of the biggest issues in contemporary domestic politics. Building more homes in England in places people want to live. Labour plans to solve environmental concerns by letting developers build but ensuring they have sorted out the environmental issues before anyone can move into the new homes.

The Home Office (HO) is leaving British people homeless by outbidding local councils for accommodation. HO contractors are bidding for accommodation for asylum seekers, while the number of British people having to stay in temporary accommodation is near record levels. Asked on three separate occasions why its contractor paid more than councils can afford, the HO refused to comment. The problem is most acute in London, where 166,000 people are in temporary lodgings - more than the population of Oxford. There was no suggestion that the HO or asylum-seekers created the problem, but it is contributing to homelessness. The councils are spending £52m a month on temporary accommodation and will not outbid each other, because they want to protect taxpayers. There needs to be the same partnership with the HO. Pray for housebuilders to invest in building more affordable housing.

Over 220,000 people live in cramped subdivided flats in Hong Kong. These units are found across rooftop houses, space capsules, cubicles, and loft spaces, and are sometimes not even bigger than a single bed space. Tens of thousands of families live in the city's darkest places. There are 110,000 subdivided flats in dilapidated buildings. Most are rented by singles or couples, but occupants also include single parents and their children, and three-generation households. Housing shortage drives people into tiny spaces with as many as 40 occupants. The most notorious are ‘cage homes’, also known as ‘coffin homes’, where partitioned boxlike units are stacked from floor to ceiling, separated by thin wooden boards or wire mesh. Beijing wants the local government to rid the city of these tiny units by 2049. John Lee Ka-chiu, who has been sworn in as the city’s leader, has pledged to resolve Hong Kong’s housing woes.

A community of Benedictine nuns is under threat. Developers are seeking permission for a housing estate of 65 homes next to their secluded ancient abbey, where they live simply, with an emphasis on silent and isolated worship. The community provides residential retreats and heritage open days for schools in the historic park and gardens. The nuns are being asked to tolerate an enormous building site alongside the abbey building with its historic park and garden. Revd David Green said the order of around 10 to 15 nuns, whose ages range from 35 to 95, required a quiet environment for worship: ‘The side of the abbey grounds nearest the development houses the nuns’ personal accommodation, cloisters, chapel and burial ground.’ Pray for the public inquiry starting on 20 August to have empathy with the abbey and community.

300+ Glasgow asylum-seekers are threatened with eviction by Serco, a public service provider. Rev Dr Richard Frazer said it was unacceptable that people fleeing war are treated this way. ‘Authorities have clear moral responsibilities to provide housing for people in need. Serco intends to evict people whose UK asylum has been rejected, and has ordered six families to move out within a week, before the locks on their doors are changed. Dr Frazer said that although individuals and families have had their right to remain turned down, past evidence shows that half will win their appeal against that decision. The Church of Scotland is backing a new campaign to challenge the UK Government’s approach to illegal immigration, which is leading to destitution, discrimination and distrust. See