Latest news with #HousingAssociations
Telegraph
02-07-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Revealed: 128,000 families in social housing earn more than £71k
Almost 130,000 households in taxpayer-subsidised homes are among the top earners in the country, Telegraph analysis shows. Official figures reveal that 3.2pc of those renting from local authorities and housing associations earned at least £71,344 last year. It represents approximately 128,000 of the four million social housing households in England between 2023 and 2024. Some 315,000 were found to earn at least £46,176 a year. The average household income in the UK is £55,000 per year, according to the most recent government data. There were 1.3 million households awaiting a social housing placement as of March 2024, up 3pc in a year – and the highest it has been since 2014. The figures, published in the annual English Housing Survey, an official data bank, suggest the proportion of social housing households on the highest incomes has grown in recent years. Between 2015 and 2016, the research placed 2.7pc of social housing renters in the top group of earners – this figure has now climbed to 3.2pc. Kevin Hollinrake, the shadow housing secretary, said: 'With over a million households on the social housing waiting list, it's impossible to justify high earners remaining in taxpayer-subsidised homes. 'Government subsidies should be focused on those in greatest need. Social housing exists as a safety net, and resources should be targeted at the poorest to ensure the system remains fair and effective.' Between 2023 to 2024, social housing tenants paid 55pc of the weekly median market rate of a property in England, according to official figures. In London, weekly social housing rents are 40pc of those paid by private renters. Weekly median social housing rent in England was £107 last year, while private renters paid £196. In London, prices were £346 a week and £140 a week respectively. A household earning £71,344 a year would therefore spend around 11pc of their take-home pay on an average social housing rent in England. If they were in the private rental sector, they would spend almost double, 20pc, on rent. Today, the vast majority of households in social housing were in the lowest category of earners in the country. Just over 47pc of social housing households earned as little as £76 a week, while 27.6pc earned at least £360 a week. Applicants for taxpayer-subsidised housing must provide details of their income when applying to live in a property, but are not typically disqualified from living there if they earn more later. Critics have long argued the loophole means those who need social housing are kept waiting for longer, currently seven years on average for a family-sized home in England, according to the National Housing Federation, while top earners keep hold of the cheaper housing. Lifetime tenancies, also known as secure housing placements, are offered as the default by almost all local authorities after a botched Tory bid to scrap them. In 2012, a coalition government gave local authorities the discretion to not offer lifetime tenancies. However, take-up among councils was low. The Conservatives went further by trying to scrap them altogether in 2015, but eventually shelved the plans. So-called 'Pay to Stay' rules, that would have seen higher earners pay more to continue living in social housing, were also proposed by former chancellor, George Osborne, in 2016, but were never enforced. Secure tenancies remain the predominant form of council housing today. Lifetime tenancies made up 89.9pc of new council lettings in the year ending March 2024, according to official figures. A government spokesman said: 'It is up to individual councils to make housing decisions based on people's needs – but higher earning tenants make up just 3pc of the overall social housing population. 'Our focus is on taking action to deliver our stretching target of 1.5 million homes, including the biggest boost to affordable and social housing in a generation – backed by £39bn – to tackle the housing crisis we've inherited head on and give more families a safe, secure home.' A spokesman for the Local Government Association, which represents UK councils, said: 'We are facing a housing crisis, and councils need to be empowered to build more affordable, good quality homes quickly and at scale. Individual council have policies on how to allocate social housing. 'These are in line with priority need and relevant legislation, and response to changes in circumstance are for individual authorities to outline in their housing policies.'
BBC News
26-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
NI Water: Rates increase of £100 could solve NI's infrastructure crisis
A £100 increase in the average household rates bill could largely solve Northern Ireland's water infrastructure crisis, a new report has study was commissioned by the bodies representing the construction industry, housing associations and the NI Chamber of increased rates payments would be accompanied by borrowing by NI underfunding of NI Water has led to a shortfall in wastewater infrastructure, which in turn, is limiting house building and contributing to water pollution. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK where households do not pay directly for their NI Water receives a government subsidy which diverts more than £300m annually from the Stormont Executive's are a property tax levied on households and businesses and are the main tool which the Executive can use to raise previously paid for water through a portion of their rates bill but that link was broken in report suggests essentially recreating that link through an infrastructure said: "This retains public ownership of NI Water, supports long-term strategic investment and minimises pressure on the NI Executive's budget."It added that the levy could be decreased once NI Water's investment backlog is response to the rates proposal, a Department for Infrastructure spokesperson said the minister is willing to consider alternative approaches but does not want to add to the "financial burden" of the public. They added that Liz Kimmins is "very aware of the challenging financial circumstances of many people across our society". The Executive parties are opposed to water charges and also generally try to keep rates increases at about the rate of Sinn Féin-controlled Department for Infrastructure is holding a consultation which could lead to all house builders in Northern Ireland having to pay into a wastewater infrastructure Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins has set out a second proposal which would involve voluntary contributions from said developer payments alone would not solve the problems but would be a "step forward on the journey towards having the infrastructure we all need".A consultation on those proposals closes on week a budget watchdog, the NI Fiscal Council, warned that a developer levy would not raise a significant amount of money."It could help at the margin, but it is not as much of a gamechanger as something bigger on regional rates or domestic charging," its chairman Sir Robert Chote said.
The National
23-06-2025
- Business
- The National
Scottish Highlands holiday lets control zone proposed
Councillors proposing the move said that 7011 short-term let licences had been granted across the region, but only four had been refused, according to the BBC. While holiday lets are not banned in control areas, operators need planning permission as well as a short-term lets licence. READ MORE: Private Scottish island with castle up for sale for £5.5m Inverness councillors Michael Gregson and Duncan Macpherson, who proposed the move, said that the powers could be used where there was local demand for them. They said the region needed more than 24,000 homes over the next 10 years, writing in a paper submitted to the council: "The private long-term rental market has shrunk disastrously: estate agents are withdrawing from letting out properties because of the shortage of properties available. "Even taking into account the efforts of Highland Council and the Housing Associations, there is a shortage of affordable housing." The councillors said Highlands Council should first ask the Scottish Government to revisit its original plan to have an overprovision policy within short-term lets legislation. They said if that was not possible, to then seek approval for Highland control area status. READ MORE: Scottish taxpayers should not be treated as 'afterthought' of HS2 project, say SNP In their response, Highland Council officials said there would be financial implications for the local authority around both suggestions from the councillors. They said that it would require research and, if introduced, could mean additional costs and workload for its planning department. Highland Council approved the first control zone in the area in December 2023, covering Badenoch and Strathspey. Elsewhere in Scotland, Edinburgh was officially designated Scotland's first short-term let control area in September 2022. Meanwhile, a law requiring operators to have a licence came into force across Scotland in October 2023.
The Guardian
02-06-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Issues in social housing that Labour must tackle
The housing ombudsman's latest report recorded a significant increase in social housing repairs and maintenance complaints since 2020 (Housing ombudsman for England warns of 'simmering anger' over living conditions, 29 May). We as a sector support the ombudsman's campaign to raise awareness among tenants of routes to redress in cases where issues with their homes have not been resolved. It is also important to look at these figures in context. The increase represents one complaint upheld by the ombudsman for every 1,000 social homes. With many more residents now aware of the ombudsman's service following an ad campaign, care must be taken when drawing any conclusions from the data. Looking at action and investment in the sector, we know that the quality of social housing is improving. Housing associations have prioritised investment in their existing homes, increasing spending on repairs and maintenance by 55% since 2020, investing a record £8.8bn last year, with plans to spend a further £50bn over the next five years. Today 90% of housing association homes meet the decent homes standard, more than any other tenure, but there is work still to do and the sector is committed to ensuring that every single home is of high quality. However, cuts to social housing over many years have exacerbated quality issues, and only an increase in funding can address this long-term, as the ombudsman recognises. Some homes are in urgent need of regeneration, funding for which was cut in its entirety in 2010. In addition, overcrowding – at its highest level in 30 years – is a significant contributor to damp and mould. Financial pressures mean that by prioritising investment in existing homes, the sector is less able to build new homes, which is essential for tackling overcrowding. The upcoming spending review is a critical moment for the government to provide financial support for existing and new social HendersonChief executive, National Housing Federation It was distressing but not surprising to read your report about the dire state of the country's social housing. I live on a large estate in south London that has been severely mismanaged by a tenant management organisation (TMO) for decades. TMOs are a common system like that in place in Kensington and Chelsea before the Grenfell Tower fire, which originally aimed to hand power to residents but has become an open door for abuse. There are approximately 230 TMOs in England managing tens of thousands of properties. On our estate, repairs are left undone for months or years, many homes are filled with damp and mould, fly-tipping is out of control, vermin run wild and residents are blocked from using the community spaces. One man told me recently how he has lived without central heating for years. charges continue to escalate, and yet concierges whom these fees are meant to fund are mostly absent. Lifts are regularly out of order. Many feel anxious about the state of their flats – with the situation having a serious impact on their physical and mental health. Residents feel silenced or even threatened when they raise complaints. Anger is rising and residents are distraught. The government needs to do an urgent review of TMO law, which only seems to protect those who manage social housing estates, not those who live in damp, inadequate and rotting homes. Katherine Maxwell-RoseLondon It is no surprise that the housing ombudsman, Richard Blakeway, has highlighted 'simmering anger at poor housing conditions', and the substantial increase in tenants' complaints. But the problem of non-decent and unsafe homes isn't just confined to social housing. In the UK, 15% of homes overall – which equates to 3.7m properties – are in such a bad state of repair that they don't reach the government's minimum standards of decency. That means nearly 8 million people are living in homes that can negatively impact their health and wellbeing, with 2.6 million being 55 and over. Many of these older people are vulnerable. If you don't live in a good home, it's more or less impossible to be in good health – particularly in later life. Homes that are damp, cold and hazardous can lead to many health problems, including asthma, strokes, heart attacks and broken bones. These can have devastating consequences for individuals, and present costs and demands to the NHS and social services. And if left unchecked, the problem will get worse. In the UK, 80% of the national building stock will still be in use by 2050 – and it's already one of the oldest building stocks in Europe. We're calling on the government to make a commitment to improving the quality of cold, dangerous homes – both for social and private tenants, and for poorer homeowners – in the forthcoming national housing strategy. This should set out detailed plans to tackle poor-quality homes of all types. Looking to the future, we also need to consider new homes and make sure that they're accessible for disabled and older people. We have a moral obligation to ensure that the most vulnerable people in society live in a home that is Carole EastonChief executive, Centre for Ageing Better Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
