Nene Valley by- election later this year and Toms Close

Northampton Nene Valley by- election later this year and Toms Close

Housing campaigners are ready to put hat in the ring for the Nene Valley Ward on Northampton Borough Council (NBC).

Norman Adams said “We are determined to ensure that the lack of social housing in this ward is firmly on people’s minds when they vote, we to be quite candid will outline our concerns that the housing revenue account is being misused and not maximised at Toms Close, we don’t feel that NBC or for that matter Northampton Partnership Homes (NPH) are being open in their intentions, the tenants on the board of NPH should in our opinion take stock of how they operate in light of the recent events i.e. Kensington & Chelsea TMO

Effect of reinvigorating ‘Right to Buy’ on Northampton council housing stock …

Effect of reinvigorating ‘Right to Buy’ on Northampton council housing stock …

Sale of council property increased in each of the years following the uplift in discounts

In the proceeding five years 152 were sold, in the following five 457 were sold

It’s time to call time on ‘Right to Buy’

The policy, introduced by Margaret Thatcher in 1980, has been blamed for causing a shortage of social housing.
The previous Labour government substantially cut the discounts available under the Right to Buy scheme but never fully abolished it.
The Conservatives, however, reinvigorated the policy in their first term in coalition, causing a further wave of sell-offs.
Far from boosting home ownership, figures produced by the House of Commons Communities and Local Government Committee in February last year found that 40 per cent of flats sold off under the scheme were now in the hands of private landlords. 

What happened to the 100 council homes at Dallington Grange?

In five years Northampton Borough Council flogged off 457 properties and replaced how many?

Replacements

What about the replacements many people ask, we have had many false dawns, many would have read of 100 to be built at Dallington Grange, many will have read of plans in the pipeline, some will have seen some being built in Spring Boroughs…

The hard facts seem to be in the data tables produced by the government which report starts on site and acquisitions as being 20 properties  

Ask NBC to fully account for the £18million

So much as been made of the £10million football club stand money …

Housing campaigners would like a few stones looked under to fully account for the £18million that is sloshing about NBC from the sales of council homes in the last five years?

NBC sells properties worth over £46.58million for less than £23.5million

 

Northampton Borough Council has in the last five years flogged off 457 properties with a market value of over £46.58 million for receipts of less than £23.5 million

Grenfell Tower …We have no doubt that this tragic event could have been avoided had the block been fitted with automatic fire sprinklers

Grenfell Tower … We have no doubt that this tragic event could have been avoided had the block been fitted with automatic fire sprinklers

None of us will ever forget the scenes that were shown on our media following the tragic fire in Grenfell Tower in London. To date we still do not know the final death toll and perhaps we never will. How could this fire happen in one of the richest areas of London? This fire would have been shocking wherever it occurred, however the setting of West Central London brings home the true reality of fire in a multi-storey housing block in the UK. We have no doubt that this tragic event could have been avoided had the block been fitted with automatic fire sprinklers, sprinklers would have controlled or extinguished the initial fire preventing the subsequent spread to the exterior cladding.  READ MORE AT Sprinkler Retrofit Project

Just nine seizure applications for long-term vacant homes in England in 2016.

Just nine seizure applications for long-term vacant homes in England in 2016.

Bids by councils to seize empty homes are at record lows across England despite the housing crisis, research by independent estate agency James Pendleton has revealed.

The resulting figures reveal just nine seizure applications for long-term vacant homes in England in 2016.

This is despite Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) data showing there were 200,145 long-term vacant properties across the country last year.

Long-term vacant properties are those that have been empty for at least six months. Councils have the power to apply to seize those that have sat empty for two years under legislation that took effect in 2006.

http://www.24housing.co.uk/news/seizure-of-empty-homes-falls-to-record-low/