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Short on time? Tuesday’s housing news in five minutes
A round-up of the top stories this morning from Inside Housing and elsewhere
Top story: Grenfell refurbishment architect was not appointed through bidding process, inquiry hears
Yesterday the Grenfell Inquiry resumed with evidence from Studio E, the architects’ practice which oversaw the design of the refurbishment of the Grenfell Tower,
Andrzej Kuszell, director of Studio E, told the inquiry thar his practice would likely not have won the contract if it had been subject to a competitive bidding process, as they had never before undertaken a project involving a high-rise residential building.
He also said that the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation never asked about the firm’s experience or refurbishing or recladding high-rise buildings.
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Housing association buys 1,175 homes from Clarion in the North East
The country’s largest housing association, Clarion, has sold 1,175 homes in Newcastle and South Shields to Riverside.
The deal is the latest example of stock rationalisation from Clarion – in 2017 the association said that it intended to sell up to 10,000 units over the coming years in a bid to shrink its geographical footprint.
Last year saw the landlord sell 154 homes in Staffordshire to Stafford and Rural Homes and agree a deal to sell 306 homes to the Preston-based Community Gateway Association.
Lunchtime long read
Last week, Inside Housing reported that the sector was calling for a “levelling up” of housing funding for the North in next week’s Budget. Here, Nick Atkin, chief executive of Yorkshire Housing, discusses how the idea of levelling up is more complex than the debate between the North and South.
Quote of the day
Picture: Getty
“Rough sleepers need real support from people who care, people who see us as individuals with different needs.”
A former rough sleeper writes in Inside Housing about the necessity of specialist support services in reducing the number of people sleeping on the streets.
In the papers
Picture: Getty
During a speech marking the launch of his campaign to be re-elected as mayor of London yesterday, Sadiq Khan said the May election will be a referendum on rent controls, The Guardian reports.
Also in The Guardian is an accusation from various charities and lawyers that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is pressuring vulnerable and disabled people to accept unrecorded telephone “deals” that pay thousands of pounds less in benefits than they may be entitled to.
The DWP said that if someone accepted an offer, they could continue to pursue their appeal and would have any award at a higher rate backdated to ensure they do not miss out.
Local news
Picture: Getty
A new scheme is being launched in Aberdeen, which will see residents lead inspections to examine fire and general safety issues in their own multi-storey buildings, Scottish Housing News reports.
Outline planning permission has been granted for 700 homes in Minster, Kent Online reports.
Around the sector
🌳 | Fighting climate change and growing community spirit one tree at a time.
— Onward Homes (@Onward_Homes
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We recently joined forces with local schools and community groups to plant more than 2000 trees across #Hattersley, #Mottram, and #Hyde.
Read more at 👉 t.co/ueVHlbSHtW pic.twitter.com/ZE9FqVIDkKa>\uD83C\uDF33 | Fighting climate change and growing community spirit one tree at a time. \uD83D\uDE4C
— Onward Homes (@Onward_Homes) February 21, 2020
We recently joined forces with local schools and community groups to plant more than 2000 trees across #Hattersley, #Mottram, and #Hyde.
Read more at \uD83D\uDC49 https://t.co/ueVHlbSHtW pic.twitter.com/ZE9FqVIDkK
Onward Homes has joined forces with schools and other community groups to plant more than 2,000 trees over a series of nine events in Hattersley, Mottram and Hyde.
The sessions, which will see children plan a selection of fruit, Alder, Birch and Willow trees, aim to teach the children the value of trees whilst promoting carbon offset.
We want to hear from you! To tell us what your organisation and staff are doing, email editorial@insidehousing.co.uk
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