Budget 2007

In Budget reaction, the NHF said Gordon Brown’s statement yesterday was a ‘missed opportunity to solve the housing crisis’. The CIH called for more R&D funding for new green housing technology.

Independent columnist Deborah Orr attacks Brown for doing nothing about housing.

The Housing Corporation has published advance details of the new open market homebuy competition to be launched in the summer. The government wants mortgage lenders and others to join the scheme, which will be targed at people only able to buy a 50-70% share of a home.

The Housing Corporation also launched a consultation on new proposals to give associations more flexibility in the way they spend money raised from sales of homes. Under the plan, the association’s recycled capital grant fund would be linked to the value of the properties sold rather than the initial grant. They would also be able to use it to fund land banking and spend it across regions on an exception basis.

Almost 33,000 council homes were demolished or sold under the right to buy in 2005/06, Yvette Cooper said in a written answer yesterday. She said annual provision of new social rent homes would be 30,000 in 2007/08.

The DCLG has published an interim evaluation of the coalfields regneration programme. Housing minister Yvette Cooper announced six new sites and £20m of funding at a conference in Rotherham.

MPs from all three main parties have signed an early day motion supporting a campaign by St Mungos against cuts in funding for education and training services for homeless people.

Tenants in Swansea have rejected stock transfer but tenants in Torfaen have voted yes – more details below.