Guest writers

The transformation of Scottish Homes from an unaccountable quango into an executive agency responsible for inspecting all social housing north of the border should be a good thing. But will it work? Marion Gibbs asks whether it will be up to the task

Read more

Cutting-edge design is the only way to solve the housing crisis, says Sir Stuart Lipton, chairman of the influential government-backed urban design watchdog CABE

Read more

Half of the poorest people in Britain are home owners, yet they get only 8 per cent of government housing support. It is time to end discrimination on the basis of tenure, says Steve Wilcox

Read more

Second homes are traditionally seen as being the play thing of the rich at the expense of the local or indigenous population – especially in the Highlands of Scotland. But Angus MacNeil says solutions are not as obvious as any glib condemnation might suggest

Read more

No London mayor can stand by and watch their city’s housing and labour markets interact so badly. There will be no return to the days of the old GLC housing department. But a city-wide assessment of the need for affordable housing and ways it can be funded is long overdue. Mayor of London Ken Livingstone explains how this new housing commission will address the issue

Read more

Shelter’s three-year housing investment project identifies new housing needs figures in England. The cost to tackle the problem is £12 billion a year, but only £1.4 billion would need to come from public spending. The charity’s Nicola Bacon makes the case

Read more

An inclusive approach to tackling homelessness is paying off in Scotland, says Mel Young, but people expect the Scottish executive to deliver quickly and effectively

Read more