Housing: creative solutions

  It’s always after the event that people are wise. Long after the event people pontificate about what’s happened, weep about the tragedy and the pointless suffering and loss of life, and then they analyse and say, lessons must be learnt. So, we get analytical reports, that are summarised into professional articles, that are abridged to bullet-pointed learning points, that are abbreviated into pithy sayings. And the merry-go-round starts again until there’s another tragedy or failure and we ask – where was the board, have the lessons not been learnt? The housing sector, like any other, is constantly changing. New legislation, evolving customer expectations and shifting reputational pressures all combine to create a complex and rapidly evolving environment. Gone are the days when simply reviewing board papers and making cursory comments at meetings sufficed. Too many non-executive directors (NEDs) read the board papers, turn up to the meeting, make a few comments then leave feeling ...

Everyone deserves a safe and secure place to call home. Yet in England today, a growing number of people struggle to access this basic need. While hundreds of thousands of properties sit empty, the housing crisis deepens. A Growing Problem, a Missed Opportunity But there's a glimmer of hope. Studies show that repurposing empty properties could create up to 40,000 affordable homes within four years. It wouldn't solve everything, but it would offer a lifeline to countless individuals on the brink of homelessness. This is a wasted opportunity. No one should face homelessness when solutions exist. Families with children are crammed into single rooms, forced to prepare for work in drafty cars, or uprooted from jobs and support networks due to a lack of affordable options. The government's inaction on empty properties is unacceptable. Long-term empty homes, vacant for over six months, have skyrocketed to over 248,000 – a 24% increase in just six years. This coincides with recor...

October 2023 and the City of London sees the removal of the cap on bankers' bonuses - a few will now start to receive their Brexit Bonus. Yet this post-EU policy shift stands in stark contrast to the continued squeeze on low-income families through the Benefits Cap. While both measures involve limitations on income, they paint a worrying picture of a widening economic chasm. Proponents of the Bonus Cap lift cheer the return of London's financial clout. They argue that rainmakers deserve their golden parachutes, attracting talent and boosting the sector's competitiveness. But critics warn of a return to the casino culture that fuelled the 2008 financial crisis. Unfettered bonuses, they fear, could incentivise reckless risk-taking, leaving taxpayers on the hook for the next meltdown. Meanwhile, those on the breadline face a different kind of squeeze. The Benefits Cap, in place for a decade and applied to just under half a million households, has had a devastating effect . ...