The Housing Podcast

Grenfell five years on - Could it happen again? by The Housing Podcast

Over the past year the issue of disrepair in social housing properties has risen in prominence to become one of the country's key social issues. This has been brought to light by the long-term ITV News investigation which has featured cases where residents have been living in appalling conditions. These case studies have painted a picture where tenants have been ignored by their landlords for months and sometimes years. This has been matched by a huge uptake in disrepair claims facing social landlords. In this episode of the Housing Podcast, Inside Housing's Jack Simpson and Grainne Cuffe ask: what is behind the rising number of disrepair claims being brought against social landlords? They are joined by: - Kwajo Tweneboa, social housing activist - Giles Peaker, partner at Anthony Gold and co-author of the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 - Justin Bates, barrister at Landmark Chambers and co-author of the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 - Dorota Pawlowski, managing associate at Trowers & Hamlins

When the Conservative Party was elected in late 2019, its manifesto included a pledge to end rough sleeping in England by 2024. No one could have predicted that the government would come close to fulfilling this promise just a few months later when it attempted to house all rough sleepers at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The Everyone In initiative, as it came to be known, raised hopes that ending rough sleeping in England was within grasp. But now, almost two years after the UK entered its first lockdown, many have returned to the streets and that early pandemic optimism feels like a distant memory. In this episode of The Housing Podcast, Inside Housing's Jack Simpson and Lucie Heath ask: is the government on track to end rough sleeping by 2024? They are joined by: - Dr Lígia Teixeira, chief executive at the Centre for Homelessness Impact - Jasmin Basran, policy and parliamentary affairs manager at Crisis - Paul Atherton, filmmaker and homelessness campaigner

With national lockdowns hopefully a thing of the past and the sector hopefully edging back slowly to business as usual, the next 12 months will be crucial for providers to make up for lost time. However, the challenges are vast. With the building safety crisis, net zero challenges, decisions over rent rises and a social housing bill on the way, it will be an interesting 12 months for the sector. So, with that to look forward to we have brought together the whole Inside Housing newsteam to discuss what we have coming up

This week chancellor Rishi Sunak stood in parliament to deliver his Spending Review and Budget. Speaking on Wednesday he looked to set out a post-pandemic plan for the country, but where does housing fit into this? Today on The Housing Podcast we analyse what the chancellor said and assess the impact it may have for the sector.

The party conference season is over and Labour and the Conservatives have set out their political intentions for the coming 12 months. Today on The Housing Podcast Inside Housing's news team assesses the political housing landscape and discusses where both parties stand on housing issues and what we can expect from them in the future.

In June 2019, parliament passed legislation committing the UK to becoming a net zero-carbon emitter by the year 2050. That presents a huge challenge to the housing sector, including social landlords, who now have less than 30 years to ensure their homes meet the necessary energy efficiency standards. And while the coronavirus pandemic has dominated minds for the past year, there is an increasing focus on how that challenge can be met. Inside Housing's Nat Barker and Lucie Heath are joined by Richard Lupo of SHIFT to discuss the issue in this episode of The Housing Podcast.

More people than ever are claiming benefits to help them survive the pandemic. But they are not receiving enough money to cover their housing costs. Why? The Housing Podcast is joined by Marc Francis of charity Z2K and Sam Lister from the Chartered Institute of Housing to discuss where the holes in the safety net are. Read more about this issue here: https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/insight/insight/the-holes-that-must-be-fixed-in-our-benefits-safety-net-69171

In the final episode of 2020, The Housing Podcast looks back over the strangest of years. As well as delving into the major housing stories of the last 12 months, the team are quizzed on their knowledge of recent policy announcements and attempt to predict what lies in store for the sector in 2021.

Last week, the government published its long-awaited Social Housing White Paper. This 76-page document was born from the ashes of the Grenfell Tower fire; as it emerged that residents had tried unsuccessfully to raise safety concerns before the disaster, it became clear to ministers that the system to ensure landlords hear their tenants had failed with the worst possible consequences. Nearly three and a half years on from the fire, and more than two years on from its green paper precursor, the Social Housing White Paper presents a “charter” intended to ensure residents are treated with the respect they deserve, backed by an overhaul of consumer regulation. In this episode of The Housing Podcast, the team sifts through the details of the white paper and discusses whether it merits the long wait.

In June 2017, a terrible fire tore through the cladding on Grenfell Tower, claiming 72 lives. After the blaze, it emerged that other blocks of flats were covered in similar materials. Three years on the scale of the crisis has grown to involve numerous types of external wall systems, affecting thousands of buildings across the country. Progress in fixing them is proving painstakingly slow as arguments continue over who should be made to pay and government funding comes up short. For the people living in these blocks, that means not only safety fears but potential financial ruin. Last December, the industry tried to come up with a solution in the form of the External Wall System 1 (EWS) process, but it is not working as the problems continue to spiral. In this episode of The Housing Podcast, following the launch of new asks from our End Our Cladding Scandal campaign, we discuss the past, present and future of the EWS crisis with three people who are close to the issue.

Last week, the government laid out proposals for what Boris Johnson previously described as "the most radical reforms to our planning system since the Second World War". Ministers have a vision to overhaul the approach to setting housing targets, deciding where to build and securing funding for public benefits from developers, while short-term changes to the existing regime could have a huge impact on affordable housing. In this episode of The Housing Podcast, the team explains what the measures might mean in practice.

The coronavirus is profoundly impacting nearly every aspect of life in the UK. In a slightly unusual episode of The Housing Podcast, the team discusses how the pandemic is affecting housing – including renters, building safety, homelessness, housebuilding and care homes.

As the Housing Podcast adjusts to the new environment of social distancing, here is another special audio-long read episode. An investigation has shown the extent of waking watches in use around the UK. Here Peter Apps asks why, and what the coronavirus outbreak means for this crucial safety measure. We aim to be back with a normal episode in the coming weeks.

On Wednesday, chancellor Rishi Sunak delivered the first Budget since the new government was elected in December. Contrary to the fears of some, the Budget at first glance seemed to offer a lot for housing. In this episode of The Housing Podcast, the team dives further into the various housing announcements and asks what they really mean for the sector.

A new documentary launching in the UK today (28 February), entitled Push, follows UN special rapporteur on the right to adequate housing Leilani Farha around the world as she attempts to make sense of the global housing crisis. In this episode of The Housing Podcast, we discuss the causes and effects of the crisis with Ms Fahra. Then, we hear the views of Nicholas Burton, a survivor of the Grenfell Tower fire, and Jerry Flynn, a former resident of south London's Heygate Estate, who both appear in the film. Clips from the documentary are provided courtesy of WG Film.

The Housing Ombudsman Service recently appointed a new boss and is waiting for ministers to sign off plans for a radical shake-up of how it operates. In this episode of The Housing Podcast, we speak to new housing ombudsman Richard Blakeway - who has previously worked alongside Boris Johnson and David Cameron - about how he plans to change social housing complaints culture for the better.

As the year draws to an end, The Housing Podcast team wraps up the last 12 months, battles it out in a housing quiz, and looks ahead to 2020.

A recent report highlighted failures in a particular subsector of housing that often escapes regulation. Termed 'non-commissioned exempt accommodation', its function is to place a roof over the head of people with nowhere else to go. In this episode of The Housing Podcast, Inside Housing speaks to Sarah Rowe, senior policy officer at Crisis, and Ashley Horsey, chief executive at Commonweal Housing, about why this type of accommodation can cause problems.

With three weeks to go before voters take to the polls, the parties outlined set out their stalls on housing. In this episode of The Housing Podcast, we analyse the key pledges.

This week, Sir Martin Moore-Bick published his Phase One report from the public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017. The 838-page report focuses on the events of that dreadful night: how the blaze started, how it spread so ferociously through the building, and how organisations including the emergency services responded. Sir Martin has also produced recommendations aimed at preventing similar disasters from happening again. Our team has spent the last few days picking through the report, and in this episode of The Housing Podcast, we discuss the key points.

Around four million people in England live in homes owned by housing associations. One of the most talked-about in recent years has been Gentoo - a Sunderland landlord with more than 30,000 homes which saw a dramatic rise and fall after being formed around the millennium. In this episode of The Housing Podcast, we talk to its new bosses about what went wrong and how they are putting things right.

In our second emergency podcast, the team reacts to the news that the government plans to give housing association tenants the right to buy a 10% share in their homes. Music by Broke for Free.

This week's episode of The Housing Podcast comes from the National Housing Summit, where we spoke to three people who argue that anyone concerned about women's issues should be thinking about the housing crisis.

After an article in The Guardian branding the new dawn of social housing in London 'fake news', the Housing Podcast catches up with academics Mel Nowicki and Ella Harris to ask why they aren't getting on the bandwagon to celebrate a new era of public housing.

A government formula for housing funding aims to ensure that money is channelled to the least affordable parts of the country, but some say the system means the North of England gets a raw deal. In this episode of The Housing Podcast, we look at whether there's a North-South divide when it comes to funding for housebuilding. Featuring a conversation with Tracy Harrison, chief executive of the Northern Housing Consortium.

Local authority homelessness workers across the country are struggling against a rising tide of people without stable housing. At the last official count, 83,700 households were in temporary accommodation in England, while thousands sleep rough on the streets. Research indicates that a disproportionately high number of these people could be autistic. In this episode of The Housing Podcast, we speak to Westminster City Council and a clinical psychologist about the link between autism and homelessness, and how it is changing their approach.

As Boris Johnson takes over at Number 10 Downing Street and appoints his new cabinet, the Housing Podcast team present their first ever 'emergency' episode, looking at whether he is set to shift the housing policy dial back towards home ownership.

As approved inspectors find it increasingly difficult to get insurance cover, some are struggling to operate and housing projects are being put under threat as a result. The Housing Podcast discusses the implications for the building control sector and whether this could have an impact on housebuilding numbers. We are also joined by Geoff Wilkinson, who runs approved inspector Wilkinson Construction Consultants, to discuss what is happening on the ground.

Nearly 100 years after the introduction of the Addison Act, which kick-started the building of the first council estates in the UK, the Housing Podcast team examines the state of council housebuilding today. We also interview with Lord Gary Porter, chair of the Local Government Association. Edited by Luke Barratt.

In this special episode of the Housing Podcast, we present an audio long read of our investigation into the missed chances to prevent Grenfell by acting on the warnings of the Lakanal House fire. Read the text version here: https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/61834

With Theresa May's tenure as prime minister coming to an end, The Housing Podcast team looks back over the past three years and discusses what her legacy will be for housing policy. Featuring interviews with Inside Housing columnist Jules Birch and Sinéad Butters, chair of Placeshapers and chief executive of Aspire.

It's more than four years since the Conservative Party announced plans to extend the Right to Buy to housing associations. After faltering progress, a pilot in the Midlands is finally underway. The Housing Podcast catches up on how it's going, with the help of Steve Hilditch and Sue Shirt.

After the announcement of government funding for the removal of Grenfell-style cladding from private blocks, the Housing Podcast team look at the new fund and how the removal work is progressing in the private and social housing sectors.

Last week, the government promised to ban "no-fault" evictions. Communities secretary James Brokenshire branded it "the biggest change to the private rental sector for a generation", and organisations like Shelter and Generation Rent warmly welcomed the news. In this episode of The Housing Podcast, we scrutinise the detail around the announcement and discuss what it could mean for renters and landlords. Featuring interviews with Kirsty Archer of London Renters Union and Meera Chindooroy of the National Landlords Association.

The Brexit machinations are set to rumble on. Whatever happens next, Theresa May looks likely to be replaced as prime minister by one of her Conservative rivals sometime in the near future. The Housing Podcast team comb through what the key runners and riders have previously said about housing, and weigh up who should be the sector's preference.

Millions of pounds of private finance have been poured into buying the homes of some of the most vulnerable adults in the UK over the last three years. But with the regulator sounding the alarm about some of the housing associations managing these properties, the Housing Podcast asks what is really going on? Hear from finance reporter Luke Barratt about his work covering this story and Paul Bridge, chief executive of Civitas, one of the funds investing in these properties answering questions about some of the concern.

As Parliament gridlocks over Brexit, the Housing Podcast team look at how the development of new affordable homes could be affected. With interviews with Jasmine Whitbread, chief executive of London First, Rebecca Larkin, senior economist at the Construction Products Association and Nicholas Harris, chief executive of Stonewater.

Thousands of people purchase through shared ownership every year. For some, it's a great way of helping families with modest incomes onto the housing ladder, but it has also been subject to strong criticisms. In this episode of The Housing Podcast, we weigh up the pros and cons, helped by Amy Nettleton of Aster Group and solicitor Giles Peaker.

Luke Barratt speaks to former National Housing Federation chief executive David Orr and head of UK housing at the New Economics Foundation Joe Beswick to discuss the growth of for-profit registered providers. Are they good for the sector? And what are the different kinds of for-profits? Deputy news editor Jack Simpson also explains some of his recent stories about for-profits.

The Housing Podcast speaks to Rokhsana Fiaz, the new mayor of east London borough Newham, and charity The Magpie Project about the borough's chronic homelessness crisis. Donate to The Magpie Project here: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/themagpieproject

The Homes Fit for Human Habitation Act is on the statute book. But what is it for? What does it do? And will it work? Karen Buck MP, who guided the bill through Parliament, along with housing lawyers Giles Peaker and Justin Bates - who wrote it - sit down with the Housing Podcast to answer all this and more.

The Housing Podcast team round up the biggest stories of the year, pick out some memorable moments and go head-to-head in a quiz of 2018's biggest stories. Music by Broke for Free and Kevin MacLeod.

The Housing Podcast team is joined by Sue Ramsden and Rob Gershon to talk about how the controversial Universal Credit policy developed - and where it goes next

The Housing Podcast team is joined by Lee Sugden of Salix Homes and Emma Lindley of Ashfield District Council to ask if social landlords have a role in helping tenants quit smoking - and if so, what it is.

Nick Raynsford, a long serving housing minister in the Tony Blair years, has published a report into the English planning system which concludes it leads to "chaos and inequality". The Housing Podcast meets him to talk planning policy and more.

After the controversy over the appointment of Sir Roger Scruton to lead the government's new Building Better Building Beautiful Commission, the Housing Podcast asks if we need a commission on beauty - and whether Sir Roger is the right man to chair it.

In this week's episode of The Housing Podcast, we tackle the difficult topic of mental health. With the help of Ellie White, senior policy and campaigns officer at mental health charity Mind, the team probes the link between poor housing and issues with personal wellbeing.

Following Philip Hammond's Autumn Budget statement, the Housing Podcast team rake through the detail to assess what it means for housing, including some things you might have missed. Features conversations with journalist Jules Birch and Melanie Rees from the Chartered Institute of Housing.

The Housing Podcast meets Kate Henderson, new chief executive of the National Housing Federation, to talk social housing, diversity, Grenfell and more

There are almost 300 private buildings around the country with Grenfell-style aluminium cladding, including 205 residential blocks. Leaseholders face fears over fire and, in many cases, crippling bills to fund its removal. This week the Housing Podcast visits two of these sites to ask what happens next.