Grant levels need to rise to pump prime social housing investment

UK Housing Review 2020 shows grant levels for new social housing in England have fallen dangerously low and will need to rise to boost investment in response to the economic downturn caused by the Coronavirus outbreak.

While grants have risen slightly in the last 2 years, they now cover just 11% of housing association's development costs, leaving the rest to be met by borrowing and surpluses. ⅓ of new homes are being built without any grant.

The review also shows that only 11% of new homes built in England is at genuinely affordable social rents, compared with nearly 70% in Scotland and over 80% in Wales. England has lost 181,000 social rented homes since 2012 through right to buy and other causes, even taking into account new build.

To meet the backlog of housing need, CIH and a coalition of housing and homelessness organisations has called for a 10 year investment programme of more than ₤12 billion a year to deliver 145,000 new homes annually, 90,000 of which would be at social rent.

These are some of the post-CV19 outbreak questions raised by the data in this year's review, which was published by the Chartered Institute of Housing this morning.

CIH's annual publication is packed with statistics and analysis about housing, households and welfare benefits across the UK and internationally, making it the prime source of information and analysis for all concerned with housing policy and finance.

The 2020 review features chapters by leading analysts including:-

► An overview of housing supply in the UK, looking at how it has evolved across the private sector and the two parts of the social sector.

► A review of the funding of UK housing associations and how it has changed and continues to adapt in response to new circumstances.

► Lessons we can learn from Europe, in particular from the housing systems in Sweden and Germany.

► Analysis of recent comparative statistics on affordable housing across the 4 UK countries produced by the Office for National Statistics.

The review also has 200 tables covering a wide range of housing data relating to tenure, social housing stock, housing expenditure, and the private rented sector.  CIH chief executive Gavin Smart said:- "It's clear that 1 outcome from the Coronavirus related economic crisis, after household incomes and savings have been decimated, will be an even greater need for homes that are genuinely affordable. Social landlords' finances will also be depleted, and higher levels of investment and levels of grant will be vital to build the new homes that will be required."

Review editor Mark Stephens, professor of public policy at Herriot Watt University, said:- "The review has analysed change in our housing system through periodic crises, most notably the global financial crisis. This year's review records where we are after a decade of austerity and will be a vital marker for how we respond to the ramifications of the CV-19 crisis. Our analysis of how the system changed; and in some cases did not change; after the last crisis can inform how Government and housing professionals respond to this 1."

CIH policy adviser John Perry, 1 of the review's authors, said:- "Over the last decade we've seen seismic changes in the way UK housing is built, funded and occupied. The findings in UKHR 2020 have clear implications for the way the sector adapts to the challenges of recovering from the current CV19 outbreak, continues to deliver the homes people want at prices they can afford and works with Government to solve our housing and homelessness crisis."

Housing standards pledge as licensing scheme ends

HOUSING chiefs in Liverpool are pledging to continue taking action against poor standards in the private rented sector; despite the City's pioneering Landlord Licensing scheme coming to an end. For the past 5 years, all property owners, landlords and managing agents have been legally required to licence any property unless a statutory exemption applied, but it ended on 31 March 2020, after the Government turned down a renewal application.

Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Lynnie Hinnigan, said:- "Landlord Licensing enabled us, for the first time ever, to build a picture of the private rented sector in the city and take action where necessary. It is a great shame that the Government turned down our application for another city wide scheme, but we are committed to continuing to do what we can to protect vulnerable tenants from rogue landlords. Where we receive a complaint we will investigate but regrettably, apart from the HMO sector, we will no longer have the capacity to do proactive work in terms of knocking on doors to check conditions. The size of the private rented sector in Liverpool; in some areas 50% of properties; means we can't afford to be without a landlord licensing scheme. All the evidence we have shows that it literally saves lives, which is why Mersey Fire and Rescue Service and Merseyside Police have been so supportive, and will continue to work with us in tackling issues, such as fire hazards and anti social behaviour in this sector. We are proactively looking at the options open to us and hope to make a decision on the way forward in the near future. In the meantime, we will do the very best we can with the reduced resources at our disposal."

There were 51,764 property licences in force, issued to 10,074 licence holders, and the team conducted over 34,000 compliance checks of properties and identified 65% as not being fully complaint with licence conditions, at 1st visit. As well as variable management standards, 3,375 of the most serious category 1 and 2 hazards were discovered, affecting the health, safety and well being of residents. These ranged from fire safety hazards to significant damp and mould, serious disrepair and excess cold issues. There were over 300 successful prosecutions that led to fines and in 1 case a custodial sentence for offences including:- operating unlicensed properties, breaches of licence conditions and failure to comply with legal notices; and more than 2,500 fines were issued. All current cases that are with the legal team will continue to be processed and taken to Court where necessary and the Council is actively looking at submitting another application to the Government for a substantial landlord licensing scheme.

From 1 April 2020, the service will continue to use its statutory powers provide help and advice for tenants and landlords, focusing on the licensing and inspection of the 3,000 houses of multiple occupation (HMO), as well as investigating complaints and referrals about private sector housing in Liverpool. Now all existing licence holders renting out a property with 5 or more tenants, forming 2 or more households, require a HMO licence, in line with legislation introduced in 2018. More information can be found on the Council's website.

Wirral based artisan gin company switches manufacturing to vital production of hand sanitiser during COVID-19 crisis

TAPPERS Gin, Wirral's independent family run Distillery, is joining a growing number of producers that are switching production to hand sanitiser. They hope to make a small, but vital contribution to tackle the ongoing shortage across the UK which is also affecting key workers on the front line in the fight against COVID-19.

"We work with ethanol (alcohol) on a daily basis to produce our gin and it's a key component in the World Health Organisation's recommended formula for hand sanitiser. Production wise, it isn't such a leap from making gin but we've had to acquire new licenses and obtain approval to go ahead. We want to do our part where we can." explained Founder and Managing Director, Dr Steve Tapril.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that hand sanitiser has an alcohol content of 80% (v/v); something only achievable for those who are already working with the purest, industrial strength alcohol, such as a gin distillery, like Tappers. But it isn't for drinking,

Tapril explained:- "It's for external use only, of course. While ethanol is the main component, we've also added hydrogen peroxide and glycerol; the glycerol helps to soften and reduce the loss of moisture from your hands."

Helping to solve the shortage isn't all that Tappers want to achieve by switching production. They've gone the extra step with a pledge to set aside a portion of all proceeds so they can produce, and then donate, sanitiser to front line workers, and others most in need, during the crisis.

The Distillery is based less than a mile from Wirral's Arrowe Park Hospital so it's no surprise that Tappers are looking to support their local community.

"We thought about fundraising at 1st, but realised we could make a more practical contribution by donating sanitiser. Rather than crowdfunding or asking for help up front to fund production, we took the plunge since the need is there right now. We're instead using proceeds from sales to those who are less in need, to cover our costs and produce sanitiser that we can then donate to those who are most in need. The Distillery has described this as a communal effort and notes that we are all in this together." Tapril explained.

For more information please visit:- TappersGin.com

Households in the North West of England are the 3rd most expensive Region in the UK for utility bills

WHILST social distancing and working from home is mandatory for people across the UK, worry has begun to set in about how much utility bill prices are likely to rise over the next few months.

Using more than 18,000,000 EPC certificates from Open Data Communities, energy cost experts at SaveonEnergy.com identified the top 10 areas in the UK, as well as Regions where households pay the most and least annually on their utility bills. Save on Energy also determined the areas that could save the most by becoming more energy efficient.

North West of England places 3rd after West Midlandsas the most expensive Region in the UK, when it comes to how much people pay annually per household on utility bills (₤948), the most expensive places in that Region being Carlisle where the average annual spend on utility bills per household is ₤1140, followed by Blackburn (₤1060) and Lancaster (₤1052).

Residents in Yorkshire and the Humber are currently paying the most (₤978) which is ₤203 more than those who reside in Greater London annually. Households in the West Midlands and North West almost tie for being the 2nd most expensive Region in the UK, with only ₤1 separating the 2 Regions.

London tops the list as the cheapest area in the UK for annual utility bills (₤775).

In comparison, Dumfries and Galloway takes the title as the most expensive area, with residents paying an average of ₤2,416 annually.

This is, on average, 3 times more than residents in; London, Dartford, Milton Keynes and Manchester.
Llandrindod Wells is the 2nd most expensive area of the UK when it comes to how much households are paying annually on utility bills (₤1311) followed by residents in Galashiels (₤1181).

SaveOnEnergy also surveyed 2,197 Brits across the UK to understand their utility bill anxieties. 81% are worried about their bill prices going up, as well as 33% already struggling with paying their bills on time.

Additionally, 67% believe that their utility companies should be footing their bill during lockdown, whilst 48% said they have looked for ways to decrease their bills.

In a bid to help Brits, Linda Dodge, an energy expert from SaveOnEnergy has offered these tips and tricks for residents who are looking to save in the coming months:-

► Switching to LED bulbs - On average they use 20% to 80% less energy than regular light bulbs which will be saving you more money in the long run.

► Buy an airer: Air dry your clothes instead of using a tumble dryer. Heated airers on average use 50% less energy

► Use a 24 hour plug timer. The timer works as a means of setting time limits on everyday essentials/appliances such as lamps and TV's. This in turn reduces electricity bills as they are limiting time to use them via the plug.