Government advisor David Halpern’s suggestions that the elderly go back to work and downsize are controversial but make sense on many levels. The number of pensioners will rise from 12 million to 16 million by 2050 and, with an average retirement of 25 years funding retirement is set to become one of the government’s biggest [...]
Author Archives: Peter Girling
We applaud Shelter’s call to tackle rogue landlords
February 10, 2012 – 9:54 am
Shelter’s call to the government to tackle rogue landlords who supply dangerous and poorly maintained homes should be applauded. Last year, there was a shocking 86,000 complaints from tenants living in substandard accommodation and 15,000 of those were repeat complaints. Shelter is right – the government needs to take a tough stance on private landlords [...]
Why are tax payers funding the housing of tenants earning more than £100,000 per annum?
February 9, 2012 – 9:11 am
This week’s leaked Whitehall report which suggested there are 15,000 tenants in social housing with household incomes of more than £80,000 – with 6,000 earning more than £100,000 this makes a mockery of our welfare system. How did it come to this and why are tax payers funding their housing? Also, it transpires that a [...]
We welcome calls to reform fragmented care system
February 9, 2012 – 9:06 am
I applaud the call from MPs to create a single local body to commission health, support services and housing. The reform of the UK’s care system is long overdue – it is complex, fragmented and has resulted in people being passed ‘like parcels’ between systems. Having one integrated and joined up system will go a [...]
Government’s Housing Strategy overlooks needs of retired
February 7, 2012 – 10:08 am
There has been some good news for the housing industry. At the start of the month, Housing Minister Grant Shapps launched the Government’s flagship Housing Strategy with a flurry of measures set to ‘get Britain building again’ and promising to put housing ‘centre stage’. And, apparently progress has been made already – with government owned [...]
Landlords must not give up on elderly social housing tenants
January 19, 2012 – 4:39 pm
The latest research from flat and house share website, Spareroom, highlights some serious problems at the heart of the UK’s rental industry. In 2008, the government changed its policy to one which pays new claimants housing benefit directly to the tenant rather than the landlord and also changed the way new tenants entitlements are calculated. [...]
More retirement homes needed if government ‘downsizing’ plan is to work
January 18, 2012 – 5:16 pm
Housing Minister Grant Shapps’ announcement that local councils should help pensioners downsize into ‘more suitable accommodation’ to free up much needed family homes should be applauded. Under the proposals, local authorities would take responsibility for maintaining and renting the vacated properties at affordable prices, handing any profit back to the elderly owner. The Government believes [...]
The country needs ‘joined up’ thinking on housing.
December 1, 2011 – 9:50 am
We welcome the Chancellor’s decision to raise the state pension by £5.35 in Tuesday’s Autumn statement. The soaring cost of living, combined with low interest rates and poor returns on savings has hit pensioners hard in the past 18 months. This move goes some way to alleviating their struggles in the current difficult economic climate. [...]
Why are the needs of the retired ignored in ‘Get Britain Building’ campaign?
November 23, 2011 – 5:09 pm
Yesterday’s government announcement that it will ‘Get Britain building’ with a series of measures to boost homeownership in the UK will no doubt help some people struggling to get onto the housing ladder. The building of new homes is at its lowest levels since World War II and with rents and house prices remaining high, [...]
Hoarding of Housing by Elderly is not out of choice as there is little appropriate alternative housing
October 19, 2011 – 3:23 pm
Today a new report from campaign group Intergenerational Foundation highlighted the high levels of under-occupied homes and the growing divide between the ‘haves’ – older property owners and the ‘have nots’ – young people struggling to get on to property ladder. However, it failed to mention that ‘home hoarding’ by the elderly is often not [...]
