Join us every two weeks when we'll be taking a look at the UK housing headlines making the rounds. Breaking down the key information and giving you our thoughts!
Government demands 'immediate, mandatory' housing plans from councils to build 1.5m homes
The UK government is giving councils 12 weeks to submit housing plans as part of its
goal to build 1.5 million homes by the next general election. Labour aims to
build 370,000 homes annually, including affordable housing, to address the
housing crisis. Councils who fail to submit plans will have one imposed on
them.
Labour’s strategy includes prioritising brownfield areas and developing the “grey belt”,
such as disused car parks and petrol stations. Councils with a high demand for
housing will face stricter targets in order to meet the needs of the 1.3
million households on social housing waiting lists.
Do more to cut number of empty homes, says charity
A housing charity is urging that action needs to be taken to address the 263 long-term
empty homes in Stockport, Greater Manchester, where 8,000 people are on the
housing register. The charity warns that vacant homes deteriorate over time,
resulting in costly repairs, and suggests councils could fund these repairs or
use compulsory purchase orders to bring them back into use as social housing.
Stockport Council has introduced higher council tax rates on empty homes to encourage
owners to maintain them.
This policy raised more than £600,000 last year, which
is being used to meet the continuous demand for temporary accommodation. The
council estimates spending £1 million on temporary accommodation this year, a
significant increase from 2022.