Thursday 29th December 2016

[tinybgoat]

Jeremy Corbyn could trigger the next populist political earthquake – unless he is failed by his own complacency

Strange headline & I don't think the article agrees with it's sentiment (if that makes sense).

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/jer ... 00376.html

[HindleA]

Q2.Disney animatron?

[HindleA]

http://press.labour.org.uk/post/1551340 ... turing-and" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



Labour Press
The Tories need to end this posturing and concentrate on delivering a sensible Brexit deal - Burgon

[HindleA]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/wales" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Welsh Government pledge to oppose housing associations status


A move which could limit new affordable homes being built in Wales will be opposed by the Welsh Government.
In September, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced housing associations should be considered part of the public, not private, sector.
But the Welsh Government promised to take "whatever steps are necessary" to reverse the change,

[Willow904]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/wales


Welsh Government pledge to oppose housing associations status


A move which could limit new affordable homes being built in Wales will be opposed by the Welsh Government.
In September, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced housing associations should be considered part of the public, not private, sector.
But the Welsh Government promised to take "whatever steps are necessary" to reverse the change,

From the article:

Last year, the UK government brought forward legislation to deregulate housing associations in England following an identical decision by the ONS.

I don't suppose anyone knows if part of this deregulation allows housing associations to kick tenants out of existing homes in order to pull them down and redevelop with new homes, but only half the number of social rents plus building homes for sale?

I'd never heard of social housing associations building homes for sale before, I'd assumed they couldn't, but apparently that's what Curo are doing in Bath. Even a few of the Tories on the planning committee at the council seem a bit worried about the planned reduction of rental homes under the proposed scheme. I'm starting to get the feeling something's been going on with housing associations that I've missed. When councils passed on old council stock to HAs, how much of that was on what is now prime urban plots, I wonder?

[Willow904]

Here's the story. I'm off to bed now, but am interested in others' thoughts if they know anything about all this HA stuff:

http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/8203-cou ... story.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Council planning officers have branded plans to redevelop Foxhill as "not acceptable" because of the "significant" loss of affordable housing.

Last month housing association Curo submitted an outline planning application to Bath and North East Somerset Council to redevelop the estate in Combe Down, including the "demolition of up to 542" homes.

Of those 542 homes on the 12 ha (29 acre) development site, 414 are classed as affordable and are let at below market rates by Curo or a different housing association.

Curo proposes to replace the 542 homes with 700 new dwellings, of which 210, or 30 per cent, will be classed as affordable while the remainder will be for private sale.

[tinybgoat]

The housing association that will no longer build homes for the poor

https://www.theguardian.com/housing-net ... or-genesis

For some time many housing associations have argued that they will diversify into other markets (such as building homes for sale or shared ownership) to ensure that they can still deliver their core social purpose and values. This has meant many associations have become more commercial in their approach so as to create profits to invest in low-rent homes that poor and low-income people can afford.
The danger in this approach is “mission creep”. What starts off as a strategy to make money in order to fund social housing eventually becomes the main purpose of the organisation. I’ve referred to this before as the slow death of social housing and it is exactly what has happened at Genesis.

[tinybgoat]

Here's the story. I'm off to bed now, but am interested in others' thoughts if they know anything about all this HA stuff:

http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/8203-cou ... story.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Council planning officers have branded plans to redevelop Foxhill as "not acceptable" because of the "significant" loss of affordable housing.

Last month housing association Curo submitted an outline planning application to Bath and North East Somerset Council to redevelop the estate in Combe Down, including the "demolition of up to 542" homes.

Of those 542 homes on the 12 ha (29 acre) development site, 414 are classed as affordable and are let at below market rates by Curo or a different housing association.

Curo proposes to replace the 542 homes with 700 new dwellings, of which 210, or 30 per cent, will be classed as affordable while the remainder will be for private sale.

It says in article that an adjacent development will provide further affordable homes, so overall there will be a net increase, but elsewhere there's an article showing curo defending their plans.

'No one is more committed to providing affordable housing in Bath' - Curo defend Foxhill plans

http://m.bathchronicle.co.uk/no-one-is- ... frbVmZo.99


[text] "We're proud of the fact that, despite central government policy, we have committed to building a minimum of 30 per cent affordable housing on this site without a penny of grant being provided.
"If any funding becomes available we'll be very pleased to be able to provide a higher proportion. [/text]

It doesn't look like providing affordable housing is it's (or the gvts.) main priority.

edit: to add, I don't claim to know anything about it, just intrigued & browsing.