HCA provide £3m grant for affordable homes
The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) has provided a £3 million grant in order to ensure there are more affordable homes that can provide care for the elderly.
The money for more affordable properties could create more jobs in housing in Thatcham, west Berkshire, where the HCA has issued the funding.
David Ashworth, area director at the HCA, said its announcement showed the commitment of the organisation for providing homes in the south east of the country.
He added: "In Thatcham, we hope we can continue to support our partners and the community in creating affordable and sustainable places that people want to live in."
The plans involve building 51 new affordable houses with extra care for elderly residents, including 39 properties that will be made available for social rent.
And this news comes after the HCA donated £3.55 million to the Wilmington Way Estate in Haywards Heath, west Sussex last week.
Tenants given more chance to challenge their housing organisation
A new report by the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) should give tenants the opportunity to challenge their housing organisation.
Setting out the need for resident-led self-regulation, the report could give some power to those with social housing jobs as the sector currently has "little consumer choice", according to the CIH.
It has been commissioned and funded by the Tenant Services Authority (TSA) and the new approach already means tenants across a number of housing organisations can have an improved role in frontline services.
Phil Morgan, executive director of tenant services at the TSA, said the report gives plenty of examples where providers and occupants can learn from.
He added: "Our new empowerment and involvement standard stresses the importance of how tenants can effectively scrutinise and help shape the services of their landlord."
This news comes after Martin Collett, operations director for the English Rural Housing Association, called for more help from local communities and parish councils to increase affordable housing in rural areas.
Help from communities needed to increase affordable housing
More help is needed from local communities to ensure the government’’s plans to create more affordable housing are successful, according to one industry expert.
Martin Collett, operations director for the English Rural Housing Association, said if there is an increase in affordable properties in rural areas it will mean parish councils can get involved and help with the projects.
And working with a housing association by researching projects could be one way for the local communities to get involved, which could then improve the lives of younger families in those areas.
His comments come after the Commission for Rural Communities published its State of the countryside update earlier this month.
This outlined planning information such as proposals to create more affordable rural housing and new ways to meet job needs in the countryside.
In February the National Housing Federation reported there will be a rise of 39 per cent of pensioners living in rural England by 2020 compared to 2008.
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Housing jobs given help by renewal scheme
Schemes being tested by ten areas seeking to rejuvenate the housing market are playing an "important role" for those in housing jobs.
According to the Audit Commission, in conjunction with the Home and Communities Agency (HCA), all ten partnerships are performing either strongly or well.
Working as part of the HCA Housing Market Renewal pathfinder programme, each area is challenged to rebuild and improve deprived and derelict housing areas.
"All must be given credit for maintaining or improving overall performance in a difficult year," director of housing for the Audit Commission Roy Irwin said.
The areas were assessed on the levels on new affordable homes produced, sustainability of communities and any improved safety or prosperity ratings in their neighbourhoods.
HCA chairman Robert Napier said that they make "a vital contribution to the growth, sustainability and continuing economic development".
It was recently recommended in a report by charity Action for Children that deprived areas undergo early intervention to help improve the future of their younger residents.
Social homes to be found for tenants with new jobs
Social homes will be obtained more easily by prospective tenants with a new job offer, the housing secretary has announced.
John Healey said that the role of some of those in social housing jobs could be centred around finding suitable accommodation next to someone’’s new place of work.
Local authorities and housing associations will be charged with the task, which is designed to take the pressure off families on lower incomes that are also in social homes.
These are said to be the people who were worst affected by the recession.
Mr Healey noted that the scheme would be trialled across the north-east, north-west and Yorkshire.
"These people are the recession’’s real ‘’squeezed middle”, and we should recognise their determination, offer help and advice and remove obstacles that might get in the way of taking up a better job," he added.
It was recently announced that an additional 8,000 affordable homes may be built through new government funding of some £500 million.
Social homes” may go greener”
Over the next ten years, a transformation of British homes is to take place, making them more energy efficient, in news which affect those in social housing jobs.
Housing minister John Healey announced the plans alongside the minister for energy and climate change Ed Miliband and communities secretary John Denham.
It is thought that the proposed changes – which include insulating 6 million homes by the end of next year and insulting all practical lofts and cavity walls by the end of 2016 – may create some 65,000 housing jobs.
Furthermore, every property is to be equipped with a smart meter by 2020.
Mr Healey said that £2.5 million would be invested into creating eco-show homes across Britain to demonstrate what green living would be like.
"It also puts social housing centre stage of efforts to reduce bills and carbon emissions to help the poorest first, with council and Housing Association landlords linking up with energy companies to get efficiency work done," he added.
It was also recently announced that another 8,000 affordable homes may be built through a proposed government funding of some £500 million.
Extra care properties to be built through grant
Some £6 million has been awarded to a local authority hoping to provide extra care social homes.
The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) has announced that the Saxon Weald and Eastbourne Borough Council won the bidding, which will provide up to 62 older adults with self-contained social properties and may create social housing jobs.
Care and support staff will be on hand 24/7 to provide the residents with any aid necessary.
The entire development is forecast to cost around £9 million.
Kevin Bourner, the head of area at the HCA, said the scheme demonstrated Britain’’s commitment to providing affordable properties when the need arose.
Meanwhile, chief executive of Saxton Weald David Standfast heralded the news as the beginning of an era which would see "older people [living] locally with the care that they need, a restaurant and other residents” facilities – and the privacy of their own front door".
It was recently revealed that East Grinstead in Sussex was to benefit from a grant of £1.45 million from the HCA, designed to set up developments for social homes.
Healey: London needs more help with social homes
The government is not planning to interfere with the Mayor of London’’s plans for 13,200 new social homes – but, housing minister John Healey warns, more needs to be done.
Mr Healey today (March 1st) published his response to Boris Johnson’’s proposals for more affordable housing, noting that although any developments are positive ones for those in social housing jobs, the problem of people struggling for affordable homes in the capital will not be solved just by the mayor’’s plans.
The letter in particular addresses the housing minister’’s concerns over Mr Johnson’’s plans to turn only half of the new homes in London into affordable properties.
Mr Healey added that although he is not exercising his governmental right to intercede into the mayor’’s plans, he will be closely monitoring the outcome of the proposals.
"The provision of enough good quality affordable homes is essential to London’’s economic future and meeting the needs and aspirations of Londoners," he added.
It was also reported today by Hillcrest Housing Association that Edinburgh’’s need for affordable housing "is now stronger than ever".
Social housing jobs ”depend on spending”
An increase in London households seeking social homes has been met with dismay be one expert.
Jim Vine, head of UK housing policy and practice at the Building and Social Housing Foundation, said that it was vital for people in social housing jobs that the government prioritise spending on solutions to the national housing crisis.
He spoke out as the National Housing Federation revealed that, although numbers of Londoners seeking social homes had fallen in 11 boroughs, they had increased in some 22 regions.
Figures released by the organisation showed that the number of London households on social housing waiting lists increased annually by 1,259 to 354,389 on April 1st last year.
Mr Vine pointed out that an increase in spending in this area was necessary to drag Britain out of the downturn.
"Not only does it help to meet the need for decent roofs over families” heads, but investment in housing also keeps people in work," he concluded.
Social homes to benefit from green technology
Those in social housing jobs may benefit from a new low-carbon property technology scheme announced today.
Some 87 social housing units across the UK will have retrofitted green technology implemented in the properties, housing minister John Healey said alongside science minister Lord Drayson.
These units are the winners of an earlier initiative, in which over 190 groups were given £20,000 each in order to conduct tests and trials over how feasible green technology was in their area.
Now each will get £142,000 to implement the innovations and will be monitored by the Energy Saving Trust for two years.
Mr Healey said that the social and councils homes would benefit from the scheme, as may those in social housing jobs.
"[It] will make them warmer, greener and cheaper to run," he pointed out.
Retrofit for the Future is driven in part by the Technology Strategy Board.
It was recently announced that some 600 eco-homes will be built this year.
