Housing crisis could divide London, warns MP
Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn has raised concerns over high rent prices in London, which he fears could lead to a "divided city", forcing people to move out of the capital as rent increases. The comments came during a debate in the House of Commons during which concerns about affordable homes were also raised. Conservative MP Mary Macleod said there was a "desperate need" to build new affordable homes and to increase the number of empty homes being brought back onto the market to cope with increasing demand.
Landmark legal bill puts hostel providers at risk
A church group is taking a homeless shelter to court over negligence. The Shepherd's Bush Tabernacle was badly damaged when a fire, started in the homeless shelter next door, spread to the roof of the building. It claims housing association Carr Gomm should have done more to assess the needs of those using the shelter. Karen Cooksley, a lawyer at Winckworth Sherwood, said: "It might take more time to get things through planning inspections and the charities which provide accommodation will be put to more expense to secure fire alarms and have more staff available."
Large drop in empty homes put down to demolition write-offs
A dramatic fall in the number of empty homes across the country has been called into question by charity Empty Homes for being too good to be true. The charity claims figures showing a drop of 4% in some areas points towards councils including houses earmarked for demolition when calculating figures. The largest drop in empty homes was in Manchester, where the charity said the figures were due to some homes being reoccupied and others being demolished.
