UK’s cost-cutting measures adopted by EU
Efforts by British civil servants to cut bureaucratic burdens are to be echoed on the continent, as the European Council has agreed to reduce legislative red tape by a quarter.
Government leaders meeting in Brussels admired the example being set by the UK and committed to a 25 per cent reduction in administration by 2012. Continue reading…
New cases of homelessness down by a fifth
Communities and Local Government has announced a 20 per cent fall in the number of new cases of homelessness from October to December, compared to the corresponding period of 2005.
In the last three months of 2006, 17,310 households were rendered homeless. This compares to three years ago, when 35,770 new cases of homelessness were recorded nationally in the fourth quarter. Continue reading…
Social HomeBuy pilot reaches 78 housing associations
Seventy-eight housing associations from around the country have been chosen to pilot the Social HomeBuy scheme, the Housing Corporation has announced.
The associations will offer approximately 2,000 social tenants the opportunity to purchase their current home, with shared-ownership options and discounts. Ideal candidates for the pilot are those who do not qualify for the Right to Buy or Right to Acquire initiatives. Continue reading…
Top Scottish planning projects acknowledged
Recent developments in Scotland that have succeeded in engaging communities were recognised in an annual awards ceremony on Friday (March 9th).
A public project in Campbeltown known as Aquilibrium scooped the overall prize at the Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning for its energy efficient combination of playing fields, restaurant, swimming pool and creche, powered by wood chip biomass. Continue reading…
London mayor calls for more affordable homes
More needs to be done in the capital to meet future housing needs and to combat the imminent threat of climate change, according to London mayor Ken Livingstone.
The citywide supply of new housing is on the up, he told delegates at the Towards the Mayor’s Housing Strategy conference, but certain boroughs are failing to meet targets for the delivery of affordable and social rented accommodation. Continue reading…
