The Week in Housing: date set for Awaab’s Law and decision made on Grenfell Tower

There was also an important High Court ruling which found that the way in which the Department for Work and Pensions makes deductions from individuals’ Universal Credit payments to directly pay landlords to cover rent and arrears is “unlawful”.

The final finance settlement for local authorities for 2025-25 has been set at £6.9bn. This deal represents a 6.8% cash-terms increase in core spending power compared with 2024-25 and will “guarantee no council sees a decrease” in this core revenue, the government said.

While the uplift was broadly welcomed, some organisations warned that it would still not be enough to cover stretched housing budgets and meet spending on homelessness and temporary accommodation.

Not content with launching a slew of consultations since coming to power last year – on issues such as hope value, Right to Buy, the future rent settlement and insurance fee increases for leaseholders – the government is now seeking views from farmers, landowners, businesses and nature groups about how land can be used to deliver new housebuilding, energy infrastructure and towns.

An earlier government policy idea was said to have been “eclipsed by more significant changes”. This was the conclusion of a House of Lords inquiry into grey belt land.

In a comment piece for Inside Housing, Lord Moylan, chair of the Built Environment Committee, said the concept of the grey belt may now be “largely redundant” after the government made sweeping changes to other parts of planning policy.

Clive Betts, who made a number of strong interventions on government policy during his time as chair of the housing select committee, will lead a new taskforce to support the growth of the build-to-rent (BTR) sector. He takes on the role at a time when the number of BTR homes under construction has fallen 18% since the end of 2023.

BTR is considered a key element of the delivery mix when considering Labour’s aim to deliver 1.5 million homes this parliament.

But with new research finding that half a million families’ housing benefit will not cover the cost of their rent by March 2026, the government has an important decision to make on Local Housing Allowance rates.

Inside Housing published an investigation this week into a company that had been advertising high-return investments on TikTok. The organisation is now the subject of a probe by the City of London Police.

Property consultancy JLL found that at current building rates, it will take 21 years to clear the current housing waiting list, assuming no one else was added. Researchers highlighted a worrying trajectory that could see the number of people on the social housing waiting list in England top two million by 2034.

It makes a good argument for why social housebuilding needs long-term certainty, and ideally taken out of the short-termism inherent in the parliamentary cycle. But that is what they call blue-sky thinking.

From around the UK this week, the latest figures from the Scottish Housing Condition Survey 2023 showed a steady rise in fuel poverty in Scotland, despite homes becoming more energy efficient.

This news came at the same time as the number of homeless households living in temporary accommodation in Scotland hit a 22-year high.

The Welsh government ploughed an extra £10m into the sector in an attempt to boost development.

However, charity Shelter Cymru warned that families in the devolved nation face an increased risk of homelessness after the UK government’s decision to freeze housing benefit levels.

Across the Irish Sea, two landlords came together in Northern Ireland to deliver 122 new social homes in west Belfast.

One London council has agreed a new £18m plan to improve the standard of its social housing after receiving a C4 grade from the English regulator last year.

Remediation costs saw house builder Crest Nicholson report a loss before tax of £143.7m, down from a profit of £23.1m in 2023.

Two other house builders completed their merger after being given clearance from the Competition and Markets Authority.

Inside Housing published the latest round-up of top-level housing sector appointments for January 2025.

This was followed by an piece on one the housing association tracking how the cost of living crisis is affecting residents.

We also looked at why ALMOs on average scored higher than housing associations and councils in the first year of tenant satisfaction measures.

Have a great weekend.

Stephen Delahunty, news editor, Inside Housing

Editor’s picks: five stories you might have missed

Hull City Council’s 6,000-home delivery plan includes 13% social rent

Large London landlord announces new technology partners to deliver repairs

West Midlands mayor launches £167m retrofit fund

Lease-based temporary accommodation provider enters administration after ‘misfiled’ tax credit

Three-quarters of London councils have no plans for affordable and accessible homes