Category: Council Houses

Residents plan to continue fight with council

Posted on 2nd December 2011

Two groups of housing campaigners have come together with the aim of getting local council bosses to change their minds over the development of thousands of new properties throughout the borough.
The (NAAG) Northern Arc Action Group and the (CVAG) Crowthorne Village Action Group have between them produced a “Residents’ Charter” in the hope of forcing Bracknell Forest Council to go back to the drawing board with their plans. However, the council have revealed that this will never happen because it would cost around £1 million […]

Council plan to increase and keep their housing stock

Posted on 23rd November 2011

Fears that Northumberland County Council will sell off social housing from HfN (Homes for Northumberland) if it took over its management, have been eased. If anything the council look set to be getting a bigger landlord insurance bill as they add more houses to those that they already own.
An in-principle deal will see the council take on both the management and maintenance of the social housing provider. At a recent residents meeting dozens of worried tenants articulated their fears to council leaders. Among the concerns […]

Tenant told to find new home for her pets

Posted on 1st August 2011

A council tenant in Leeds, who has devoted most of her life to caring for abandoned and feral cats, has been told by her landlord to get rid of them or she will be facing legal action.
Jackie Silcox currently looks after twenty-one cats in her one bedroom, ground floor flat in Ebor Gardens and uses a wheelchair whenever she is outside her home because of leg and back problems. Two years ago she contacted the local council to ensure there were no issues with her […]

North East Street to get a half a million pound makeover

Posted on 18th May 2011

A Hartlepool Street looks set to be transformed in a £500,000 pilot scheme. The local council are currently working on tackling the serious problem of empty properties in Baden Street as the houses have become a target for vandals and arsonists.
Currently there are forty six houses on the street with approximately half of them empty. The majority of the houses are owned by private landlords and council officials are concerned because there is no demand for any of the properties at the moment. Residents, local […]

Rich tenants sweating over huge rent increase

Posted on 16th May 2011

Council tenants, who are considered to be rich, may face a rent hike after it has come to light that thousands of them are earning in excess of £50,000 per year while living in a subsidised social housing property.
Westminster Council is Conservative run, and they have has asked the coalition for new powers which would see them introduce a sliding scale which links social housing rents to the income of the tenant. This comes after the council were shocked to find they had 2,200 social […]

Landlord pledges £220 million to improve tenant’s homes

Posted on 9th March 2011

The new landlord of thousands of former council homes has made a promise to all their tenants to go on a £220 million pound spending spree. Neath Port Talbot Homes have also made a pledge to increase tenant involvement, promote welfare rights and make tackling antisocial behaviour on its estates a priority.
Nearly 400 Neath Port Talbot Council workers have been moved across to Neath Port Talbot Homes who took over responsibility for 94,000 council properties at the weekend. The move follows what was a controversial […]