Back in October David Renard, in his capacity as Environment spokesperson for the Local Government Association wrote that “There is … More
Category: Housing
Councils need some serious funding if they are to return to large-scale housebuilding
This is an article for Inside Housing magazine A week after the General Election Swindon Council leader David Renard wrote … More
Rent increase: tenants should not pay the cost of government underfunding of council housing
Swindon council will argue that their proposed above inflation 2.7% rent increase for council tenants in 2020-21 is acceptable because … More
Swindon as dormitory town?
According to government statistics not a single ‘social rent’ home was added to Swindon’s housing stock over the last five … More
The government increases the cost of ‘borrowing to build’
When local authorities build council housing, even if they receive central government grant, they borrow from the government’s own Public … More
Radicalising Labour’s housing policy
This is an article published in Labour Briefing The contradiction between Labour’s official housing policies and the more radical aspirations … More
We need 100,000 council homes a year, not “affordable homes”
Labour’s Housing Green Paper, Housing for the many, has a fundamental flaw at its heart. It says that a Labour … More
Labour’s Housing Green paper – Part 2
Labour should introduce a duty on councils to build council housing in the framework of the housing revenue account Labour’s … More
Swindon: the real picture – Part 2
Crisis of housing affordability Both David Renard the Council Leader and MP Robert Buckland highlighted from the Centre for Cities … More
Is Labour’s Housing policy shifting leftwards?
Is Labour’s housing policy shifting leftwards? It’s official policy of suspending Right to Buy (RTB) sales was introduced by Teresa … More