Help to buy and the death of Keynesianism
“£720,000. For an affordable home. Good grief. We are in an unacceptable and unsustainable situation. But I’m yet to be convinced that a solution is being quite as “vigorously facilitated” as it needs to be.” Alex Marsh looks at the Coalition’s Help to Buy 2 scheme and the looming housing boom.
The bedroom tax: only fair to private tenants?
“Of all the arguments made for the bedroom tax, the most slippery is the one about it being ‘only fair to private tenants’. That should change after an all-party report published this week.” Jules Birch points out why the bedroom tax is unfair to social tenants compared to private tenants.
People need new homes. But pumping houses into the economy isn’t the only answer…
“People need new homes. But pumping houses into the economy isn’t the only answer and may be more destructive as an isolated solution than Quantitative Easing will surely prove to be…” Adam Tugwell argues that politicians miss many of the real issues when it comes to housing policy.
Steady Teddy
“I am increasingly convinced that Ed Miliband will be the next Prime Minister. But he is not Red Ed. He is Steady Teddy.” Steve Hilditch is pleased with the housing policy announcements at last week’s Labour Conference.
The bedroom tax: A triumph of framing
“The success of the framing of the Bedroom Tax should give Labour great cheer that it is possible to win seemingly unpopular battles. Applied well and on the right issues we are capable of moving the agenda and the electorate.” Emma Burnell takes heart from Labour’s success in framing the Bedroom Tax as a regressive policy.
Miliband’s housing promises reflect an escalating crisis
“At the very least Miliband’s speech suggests Labour is taking the housing problem seriously. He has grasped that the current suite of policies is inadequate for the task. Something more substantial is required.” Alex Marsh reflects on what Ed Miliband’s speech at Labour Conference means for housing.
Frontline Friday 27th September 2013: Our favourite frontline blogs this week
Here’s our list of ten frontline blogs we’ve particularly liked from the week of 23rd September 2013 – from local authority cuts, supporting families to the bedroom tax and Labour Party conference.
‘roots against the machine
“Nick Clegg may have won this battle. But the victory may well prove pyrrhic. He risks losing the war. Or, rather, he will very likely succeed in shaping the party in his own image, but he will then find that – rather like Spinal Tap – its appeal is becoming rather more selective.” Alex Marsh reviews policy making at this year’s Lib Dem Conference.
Labour to scrap the bedroom tax – a huge political mistake and huge opportunity missed
“The Labour Party has vowed to scrap the bedroom tax. They have finally said it after so long. A cause for celebration you would think but as usual the Labour Party makes a pig’s ear of it.” Joe Halewood questions the Labour Party’s approach to scrapping the bedroom tax.
Frontline Friday 30th August 2013: Our favourite frontline blogs this week
Here’s our list of ten frontline blogs we’ve particularly liked from the week of 26th August 2013 - from housing policy and community engagement in health, to the political intentions behind the Government’s Lobbying Bill.
Is Eric the blot on the landscape?
“So Eric, how about statements promising to tackle the state of some of disrepair and terrible conditions in the worst of our private rented sector, or doing more to end the tragedy of homelessness?” Sheila Spencer challenges Eric Pickles to move on from the great bin crisis and address the real problems in housing today.
Frontline Friday 23rd August 2013: Our favourite frontline blogs this week
In exam week, here’s our list of the A* frontline blogs that we’ve particularly rated from the week of 23rd August 2013 - from what’s wrong with the Labour Party, to powerful stories about the impact of welfare reform.
Every local council got every bedroom tax decision legally and badly wrong
“Everyone of the 660,000 bedroom tax decisions was legally flawed. Everyone of the 660.000 bedroom tax victims should appeal the decision. EVERY council got the bedroom tax decisions wrong.” Joe Halewood argues that bedroom tax decisions made by local authorities are flawed because they have not taken into consideration room size.
Frontline Friday 16th August 2013: Our favourite frontline blogs this week
Here’s our list of ten frontline blogs we’ve particularly liked from the week of 5th August 2013 - from Channel 4′s much criticised Benefits Britain programme, to the outsourcing of public services.
1 million UK working families now NEED to claim housing benefit
“Over a million jobs in Britain are only affordable because housing benefit is claimed or put another way without housing benefit employers in the UK would struggle to fill 1 million jobs.” Joe Halewood of SPeye looks at the recent dramatic rise in the number of working families who are now claiming housing benefit.
Memo to Grant Shapps: we need house price stability. Signed: Grant Shapps
It was a rare moment. Grant Shapps said something with which Red Brick agreed. It was back in January 2011 and Shapps was all over the newspapers and TV news with his views on the housing market, and in particular house prices. Shapps said that Ministers wanted to ‘engineer’ a period of house price stability, using […]
The bedroom tax DHP – the catastrophic and unseen effect on social housing
The myths of the discretionary housing payment, the DHP, has never been fully considered yet it needs to have far more consideration by the tenant, the landlord (social and private) and local councils. To not look at DHPs is a huge mistake for all of these actors or stakeholders. The coalition have been saying to […]
Frontline Friday 26th July 2013: Our favourite frontline blogs this week
Here’s our list of ten frontline blogs we’ve particularly liked from the week of 22nd July 2013 - from welfare reform to the Work Capability Assessment, police powers to the ‘war on porn’.
The emerging consensus on private renting
What goes up may come down. Only 10 years ago, the growth of home ownership was believed to be inexorable: people would talk of it reaching 90% of households. But without much advance warning, it peaked in 2003 and has fallen from 71% of households then to 65% now (figures for England). Virtually all net housing growth […]
More home ownership is progressive
This post also appeared on Progress Online. Labour has gone big on helping private renters in recent months. And we’re right to. With ever more people forced to rent from private landlords, including 1 million families, we need to improve standards and give people greater security in their home. However, we should remember that ‘Generation Rent’ still aspires to […]