Charity/Voluntary
Shelter: Local councils with more power must be accountable
If local authorities are given increased power in the planning industry then they must be transparent, according to one charity.
Shelter – a homeless aid organisation – believes that the councils must also be accountable if they are permitted to make more decisions within the industry.
This comes after the Queen announced the new Conservative-Lib Dem coalition government’’s legislative programme earlier this week.
Campbell Robb, chief executive of Shelter, said the most important part of any new policy will be how well it meets the "desperate need" for affordable homes in England.
He added: "It is essential that if local councils are given more power this must be accompanied with clear transparency, so that people struggling to access an affordable home can hold their local authority to account."
The Queen also announced in her speech that there will be legislation implemented which will stop uncompleted plans to create unitary councils.
Shelter thanks law firm for money raised
Shelter has praised law firm Shoosmiths for raising £120,000 to go towards its emergency hardship fund to help buy household items for families without a home.
The law company chose the organisation as its charity partner in 2008 and has since taken on a range of activities to generate funds.
These included running both the 2009 and 2010 London Marathons, producing a staff recipe book and organising two online auctions and partner weekends.
Shelter’’s David Evans said the organisation has made a huge contribution to the charity and it will help those in need.
He added: "It was great to meet the Shoosmiths team especially as they not only clearly support Shelter but also have a great understanding of the work of Human Resources."
This news comes after the Salvation Army charity noted it "is vital" that sustainable employment services are carried out by the recently elected government, which could allow more jobs in housing to be created.
Get a RIBA architect for £40 donation to charity
Homeowners will be able to be matched with an expert from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) after the launch of a new system.
The Architect in the House scheme allows people to gain the help of a professional to help with home improvement in their property by donating £40 to Shelter – a homeless charity – which could increase the amount of people with construction jobs in housing.
George Clarke, an architect and presenter of TV’’s Restoration Man, said the idea – now in its 14th year, having raised more than £1 million for homeless and badly-housed families – is a great chance to raise money and take advice from a specialist.
Consultations can take place up to late November, after property owners are matched to architects in July.
The Salvation Army recently called for sustainable employment services to be funded by the next elected government, saying it is "vital".
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Funding for sustainable employment services “is vital”
A charity has called for the next elected government to continue the funding for sustainable employment services.
The Salvation Army said it "is vital" that this still carried out when the next party is in office, which could allow more jobs in housing to be created.
In its manifesto the organisation noted that the 16-hour rule should be removed so that more people can get jobs and that may lead to a career in planning.
Tim Stone, public affairs officer for The Salvation Army, said its document outlines that it is committed to helping people who need it, without discriminating.
He added: "The contents challenge the political parties to consider the wellbeing of vulnerable people as they look to lead the nation over the next few years."
The organisation also called on the government to offer more long-term housing solutions to homeless people.
Moreover, Tim Stone, public affairs officer for the faith-based charity, recently put questions to prime minister Gordon Brown after being successful in a competition.
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Shelter: Property shortage in Trafford
There is a housing shortage in Trafford, Manchester, as fewer than a sixth of affordable homes needed are being delivered, according to one homeless charity.
Shelter believes the council in the area is delivering just 15 per cent of the affordable homes it should do and called the figures "extremely worrying", Manchester Evening News reported.
An increase in the amount of properties in the area could mean further jobs in housing created, but there are more than 11,500 households on the waiting list in Trafford, according to Campbell Robb, chief executive of the charity.
He added: "The council must work far harder to ensure more desperately needed affordable homes are provided."
However, Paul Harvey, director of environment at the council, noted affordable housing is a priority for the local government authority, which is working with the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) to try to improve investment in the sector.
The HCA has donated £8 million to the Millbay development in Plymouth, which should be able to provide around 1,300 affordable new houses when it is completed.
Shelter: Pre-Budget report’’s housing plans “welcome”
Homing and homelessness charity Shelter has praised the pre-Budget report for its proposals for the housing sector.
The report, released by the chancellor of the exchequer Alistair Darling, outlined plans to spend £200 million from April on energy conservation, with the Warm Front scheme helping a further 75,000 houses.
Moreover, the Support for Mortgage Interest scheme – a campaign which provides benefits for those who have lost their job and are struggling to pay for their mortgage – will be maintained, at an interest rate of 6.08 per cent.
Director of policy at Shelter Kay Boycott said this scheme was particularly helpful as it would help many homeowners avoid repossession.
But she cautioned against being too optimistic, saying: "With unemployment continuing to rise, thousands of people are still at risk of repossession and it’’s vital a long-term safety net is put in place."
A new scheme to replace faulty boilers and a £900 tax-free payment for houses with wind turbines or solar panels was also proposed in the report.
Tenants ‘’struggling to stay afloat”
Many UK households are struggling to keep up with their financial commitments, according to a new report.
A study conducted by Shelter and the Money Advice Trust (MAT) has shown that 1.3 million low-income families in rented accommodation are finding it hard or falling behind with their repayments as a result of the recession, those with housing jobs could be interested to hear.
The results, which were gathered as part of a YouGov survey, also show that four in ten people feel their health and wellbeing has been adversely affected.
Entitled Taking the Strain: The Private Rented Sector and the Recession, the report also shows those in housing jobs are under pressure.
In fact, it demonstrated that 41 per cent of landlords are either struggling sometimes or in constant financial difficulty.
Commenting on the findings, Joanna Elson, chief executive of MAT, said: "It is clearly a matter of concern that so many tenants and landlords are facing financial difficulties and don”t know where to turn."
Earlier this month, Shelter welcomed Council of Mortgage Lenders figures pointing to a stabilisation in repossessions numbers, but said more needs to be done to stop people losing their homes.
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Councils ”need help in making empty homes available”
Local authorities need more assistance in helping to tackle the nation’’s housing crisis.
Such is the assertion of Kay Boycott, director of policy and campaigns for Shelter, who points out that although councils have the necessary legal powers to get properties that have been left vacant for long periods of time back into use, they lack the financial resources to actually go ahead with this.
However, those with jobs in housing may be interested in her point that making empty homes available once more will not be enough in answering the property challenges currently facing Britain.
"There is no substitute for the government building the urgently needed new affordable housing that the country needs," Ms Boycott states.
Comments from the housing charity director follow a recent study by Halifax indicating that there were a total of 303,285 long-term empty homes in England in April 2008, the largest number to have been recorded for five years.
Shelter calls for affordable housing focus
The East of England Regional Assembly is being called upon to focus on affordable housing.
As the authority has launched consultation on the Regional Plan which sets out house-building targets for the next 20 years, Shelter states that instead of concentrating on the overall number of properties to be built, the amount of affordable housing constructed needs further consideration.
Such calls come as the charity points out there are around 150,000 households on council housing waiting lists, those with jobs in housing could be interested to hear.
Chris Spencer, regional campaign officer for Shelter in the east of England, claims that although the Regional Plan calls for 35 per cent of new properties to be made affordable, current building levels have "fallen well short of that target".
This comes despite demand for social housing continuing to grow as the financial crisis rumbles on.
"The only way to meet that need is to set a target for the number we should build and then enable councils and housing associations to deliver those homes," the Shelter officer states.
Such calls come as Shelter pointed to government figures released in August which revealed work on a total of 3,990 homes began between April and June, down ten per cent from the same period in 2008.
Shelter looks to resolve family housing problems
Shelter has unveiled a new project aimed at tackling homelessness in Birmingham.
The charity’’s Family Conferencing Project sees those with housing jobs work alongside at-risk families who are experiencing housing problems and struggling to communicate with one another.
By encouraging families to open up with each another, Shelter looks to improve relationships between relatives and to get them to make a success of their home environment.
Setting up a family network including friends and support agencies, Shelter project coordinators look to get people to be proactive in changing their domestic environment for the better.
"All families experience problems from time to time and these can usually be sorted out with the help of family or friends, but sometimes, we all need a helping hand," project coordinator Emma Thompson states.
Earlier this year, the housing charity called for more to be done to tackle the issue of overcrowded properties, pointed to research from the Survey of English Housing which revealed that more than one million children currently live in overcramped homes.
