Lunchtime news Feb 27

Ken Livingstone has published his climate change action plan for London. A green homes programme proposes a cut of 7.7m tonnes in carbon emissions from homes by 2025.

Meanwhile housebuilder Stewart Milne Group has unveiled designs for what it says is ‘one of the first five-star near zero carbon homes’.

The council tax is overdue for reform, says The Guardian in an editorial ahead of figures revealing a new rise that are due out tomorrow.

Tables from the UK Housing Review, the annual housing finance bible by Steve Wilcox, are now online here.

Building society lending to housing associations rose 33% in 2006 to £2bn, according to the Building Societies Association. Although societies only account for 18% of mortgage lending, they have a 44% share of the association market.

More than 2m homes will still be in local authority hands by the end of 2006/07, housing minister Yvette Cooper said in a written answer yesterday. They were worth £91.4bn according to the last national estimate (in 1999) and had an associated housing debt of £14.5bn.

The Cave review of social housing regulation is the top item on the agenda of a new DCLG discussion forum.

Despite calls for delays, the DCLG stll seems determined to press ahead with the introduction of home information packs in June. You can find information on area trials here.