Social Housing Posts

Man dies after falling from window during tower block fire The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service were called to reports of a blaze on the 12th floor of the building in Motherwell.

"Man dies after falling from window during tower block fire"

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Neglect, Faults, and Fire: The Fragility of UK Housing I’ve been thinking a lot this week about the fragility of social housing.

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Neglect, Faults, and Fire: The Fragility of UK Social Housing

fromthemiddleground.substack.com/p/neglect-fa...

Councils’ temporary housing costs to more than double by 2029-30, says LGA Exclusive: Local Government Association says figure to house homeless people in England will reach almost £4bn

“Councils’ temporary housing costs to more than double by 2029-30, says LGA”

www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

Council 'having to scramble' to keep up as it ends contract with Morgan Sindall Basildon Council is “having to scramble” to keep up with the workload as it prepares to ditch its current contractor

“Basildon Council is “having to scramble” to keep up with the workload as it prepares to ditch its current contractor.”

www.echo-news.co.uk/news/2589053...

Birmingham residents ‘suffering nightmares about their homes being demolished’ in regeneration plans Fearful Ladywood residents are ‘suffering nightmares about their homes being demolished’ as anxiety continues to grow over the area’s proposed regeneration project.

"Birmingham residents ‘suffering nightmares about their homes being demolished’ in regeneration plans"

www.expressandstar.com/news/propert...

Petition: Ban councils from discharging housing duty if person refuses long distance offer Ban local councils from designating people as “intentionally homeless” and relieving themselves of their duty if someone refuses an offer of housing more than 90 minutes away. Councils should be able ...

“Ban local councils from designating people as “intentionally homeless” and relieving themselves of their duty if someone refuses an offer of housing more than 90 minutes away.”

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...

Single mum feels ‘dissatisfied’ with Kingston Council after being hospitalised due to poor living conditions Olivia Eiffert, a single mother, criticizes Kingston Council after hospitalization due to poor living conditions and unresolved housing issues.

“Single mum feels ‘dissatisfied’ with Kingston Council after being hospitalised due to poor living conditions”

kingston.nub.news/news/local-n...

The families moving hundreds of miles to County Durham for a home Councils say a lack of housing in London means they have to move people to north-east England.

“The families forced to move hundreds of miles for a home”

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

“Councils leave children as young as four sleeping on the streets, ITV News finds”

www.itv.com/news/2026-02...

'Damp council flat makes my kids smell like mould'

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The failures of trickle down housing policy - Shelter England Trickle down housing policy has led to poor affordability and record homelessness. Our latest report explains why the government must build social housing.

“Trickle down housing policy: we need a new approach”

england.shelter.org.uk/what_we_do/u...

Bristol's housing crisis explained in one small industrial estate A tale of Luxembourg investors, powerless councillors, a viability crisis and 20,000 people on the housing waiting list

“Bristol's housing crisis explained in one small industrial estate

A tale of Luxembourg investors, powerless councillors, a viability crisis and 20,000 people on the housing waiting list”

www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol...

Repair, Don’t Replace: When Smarter Surface Solutions can be used in Social Housing Last week I came across the Inside Housing Repairs Tracker 2026, which reported that English housing providers increased spending on repairs for the fourth year in a row, reaching yet another record h...

Repair, Don’t Replace: When Smarter Surface Solutions can be used in Social Housing

fromthemiddleground.substack.com/p/repair-don...

Housing sector leaders call for action to fill empty homes Estimates suggest more than a million homes in England are currently unoccupied.

“A group of housing sector leaders has called for the government to launch a national strategy to bring empty homes back into use, amid record levels of people living in temporary accommodation and long waits for social housing.”

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

‘I don’t ask for a palace’: Life inside flats facing demolition Kieran Molloy, Local Democracy Reporter Residents facing the demolition of their council flats say they have endured years of cold, damp and mould while waiting to be rehoused. Tenants living in a blo...

“Residents facing the demolition of their council flats say they have endured years of cold, damp and mould while waiting to be rehoused.”

nation.cymru/news/i-dont-...

New council homes plan for park land scrapped Town Hall rows back on proposal to build 18 homes on a concrete site in Morton Road Park after hundreds of residents object

“Plans to build new council homes on a stretch of concrete have been scrapped after opposition from hundreds of residents.”

www.islingtontribune.co.uk/article/new-...

100 affordable homes in west London to be demolished after contractor goes bust Ealing Council said demolishing some of the sites under construction or already nearly built would be a more ‘cost-effective and better long-term solution’

“More than 100 affordable homes in west London to be demolished after contractor goes bust”

www.standard.co.uk/news/london/...

1,000 council homes across Nottinghamshire stand empty | West Bridgford Wire Almost 1,000 council homes across Nottinghamshire are empty, new figures have revealed.

"1,000 council homes across Nottinghamshire stand empty"

westbridgfordwire.com/1000-council...

Isolation Inside: When Systems Overlook Vulnerable Lives *Content warning: this article contains links and descriptions that some readers may find distressing.

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Isolation Inside: When Systems Overlook Vulnerable Lives

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'20,000' repairs needed to council homes - but staff unsure exact number The figures have jumped up from 8,000 to 20,000 in the space of a few months

“20,000 overdue repairs to Bristol council homes - but botched IT project means figures can't be trusted

The figures have jumped up from 8,000 to 20,000 in the space of a few months”

www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol...

West Mids regeneration round-up includes estate demolition and greenbelt plans Hundreds of homes on greenbelt form part plans we've reported on this week

“Estate demolition transparency demand and greenbelt plans - your West Midlands regeneration round-up”

www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midland...

Sadiq Khan set to fall well short of London's affordable housing target, figures show Unless there are 9,922 starts on affordable homes between January and March this year, the mayor will miss the target

“Sadiq Khan set to fall well short of London's affordable housing target, figures show

Unless there are 9,922 starts on affordable homes between January and March this year, the mayor will miss the target”

www.standard.co.uk/news/london/...

Interesting.

A recent survey of UNISON members at Lambeth Council who work in Housing

lambeth-unison.org/2026/02/04/l...

Exposed - 'HMO' landlords who bag £400 a week for every room they fill Special investigation: One giant landlord is commanding more than £400 a week per room in rents via the housing benefits system so people from around the country can live in basic rooms. It's a desper...

"Exposed - Birmingham 'HMO' landlords who bag £400 a week of public money for every room they fill"

www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midland...

Empty homes: Families 'living in limbo' on Lambeth estate Vanessa lives in temporary accommodation but there are dozens of empty homes on her Lambeth estate.

Lambeth Council again

"A Freedom of Information (FOI) request to Lambeth Council has revealed that in the past year, across six regeneration estates, the council is taking an average of 572 days to bring unoccupied homes, known as "voids", back into use."

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

A Livv Housing Kirkby tennant's flat has been covered in sewage Andrew Gibney was forced to abandon his flat with faeces and urine coming through the ceiling.

'I left my flat six times as sewage ran down walls'

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Carpets in social housing won't be mandatory. It hurts tenants Carpets and floor coverings won't be mandatory in social housing under the revised decent homes standard. It leaves tenants treading carefully.

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"Providing carpets in social housing won't be mandatory. It fails to meet basic standards of decency"

www.bigissue.com/opinion/carp...

The housing estate that Blair forgot | The Observer In 1997, Tony Blair visited the Aylesbury estate in south London to promise its residents they would no longer be ‘forgotten people’. Three decades later, many are still waiting for things to get bett...

“The housing estate that Blair forgot

In 1997, Tony Blair visited the Aylesbury estate in south London to promise its residents they would no longer be ‘forgotten people’. Three decades later, many are still waiting for things to get better”

observer.co.uk/culture/arch...

Decent Homes Standard: Mandatory Floor Coverings Dropped In a recent policy shift, the government has withdrawn plans to make floor coverings mandatory in all new social housing tenancies and has also scrapped wider public realm requirements that had been u...

Decent Homes Standard: Mandatory Floor Coverings Dropped

fromthemiddleground.substack.com/p/decent-hom...

Councils named and shamed over damp and mould in social housing - Landlord Today There's an epidemic of damp and mould in social housing – Councils named and shamed over damp and mould in social housing

“Councils named and shamed over damp and mould in social housing”

www.landlordtoday.co.uk/breaking-new...