Theresa May 4

Agree, JessM.
Another builder has put in for planning for an estate of 52 houses in this village. It'a actually quite a reasonable plan, will not affect flooding in the village, it's a flat walk into the centre.
The problem is that there are 37 4 bedroomed homes, just like all the other four bedroomed homes that are up for sale. I know a few pensioners who want to downsize, but all the bungalows up for sale are at the top of hills, and looking to the future, they would rather be on the flat.
This new estate would be perfect for that, but there are only going to be three two bedroomed bungalows. I think the builder is missing a trick here.

I know I said that the government (this after watching a news programme) that they shouldn't use the older house owner in the blame game in their lack of house building. But I must admit I do agree that it would be good if more smaller units could be built.

I'd like to know why the government brought out a white paper on housing yesterday, knowing that parliament would be taken up with Brexit. Or why they timetabled the Brexit discussions to coincide with the housing white paper.

I've noticed that although they use the word affordable a lot, they are already revising their definition of affordable. Didn't take long.

This is Harriet Harman's speech about human rights and EU citizens having the right to stay here.
The clause is being discussed tomorrow.

labourlist.org/2017/02/harriet-harman-the-government-cannot-bargain-away-the-human-rights-of-eu-citizens/

Harman says that EU citizens living here do not want May's warm words, they want certainty. I hope they get it tomorrow.

Housing starts in the UK have steadily increased since the low point after the Credit Crunch of 2008. They are still lower than a temporary peak in 2007 before the Crunch when money was freely available from banks. Housing starts are now at the same sort of level as they were in 1990's and early 2000's. A perspective can be seen via this link and pressing 'Max' for the longest view.

www.tradingeconomics.com/united-kingdom/housing-starts

The housing shortage is a national issue but more specifically a regional issue. It is caused by a variety of factors including population growth, lack of available building land with planning permission and abnormally low interest rates which have lifted all asset prices including building land and houses.

The issue is more acute in areas of highest population growth where it coincides with a lack of building land (such as London and the Home Counties). A solution in such areas would not appear simple or short term since population is growing where land has already been built upon. As long as the problem persists, it would seem further encroachment on Green Belt is inevitable which may require not only house building but also local and regional infrastructure such as transport, school, health care etc.

affordable is a slippery concept that, for individuals, can change in a blink of an eye if interest rates change.
You're right Cunco it's in the main regional. Anyone who lives out in the less affluent fringes of the UK and has been to London recently will have noticed that it is continuing to burgeon with building sites, usually constructing places for people to work in, all over the place. So where are all these extra workers going to live? The only alternative to building in green belt (which in the case of London includes Epping Forest to the east, the leafy North Downs to the south, the iconic Thames valley to the West - that view from Richmond Hill! - and the Chilterns to the NW). So a lot of really special landscapes.
The sane answer would be 1/ a policy to get some of those public and private jobs out of London. The whole of Network Rail offices were for instance moved from Euston to a new building in Milton Keynes, and 2/improve transport from places a little further away. And making it cheaper. However train capacity from places like Brighton, Luton and Milton Keynes is not good enough or cheap enough to make commuting a realistic solution for those in lower paid jobs.
I hate to think what kind of overcrowded accommodation there is in London - I can only presume that people are living with a dozen people in a house suitable for 3 or 4.

Yes, this article highlights the regional aspect:

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/oct/12/london-population-growth-twice-that-of-uk-official-figures-show

I think quite a lot of firms have moved staff out of London over many years. Barclays moved to Bournemouth and Midland (as it was) to Sheffield. The BBC moved to Salford. I am sure there are many more examples. The disparity in costs and availability of housing etc. has provided incentive for firms to move out but still the population in London has grown strongly.

But there are still huge projects that are creating jobs in London. All sorts of stuff going on around Kings Cross for instance.
And acres of civil servants.
Just heard the end of the prog with Laurie Taylor and they were saying that an awful lot of these "housing starts" end up bought as investments by foreigners.
They went on to talk about "vertical cities" - if you haven't got the land, go higher.
Hong Kong and Singapore did this a while ago. Remember being struck by the interesting multi-use tower blocks in HK - when the lift doors opened you'd never know what you'd see - office reception/shop/restaurant etc

speye.wordpress.com/2017/02/08/housing-white-paper-money-talks-tories-makes-it-sing-like-jerry-maguire/

Annual figures, and why the 250,000 a year cannot be reached.

www.theneweuropean.co.uk/top-stories/my_brawl_over_brexit_with_prime_minister_theresa_may_1_4807899

May has difficulty being civil to her own constituents, the majority of whom voted to remain.

I hope that May is able to manage the car plants on which 10000 and more jobs rely. I worry that Brexit might be the problem.

That should read "manage to retain"

Not enough migrants with the right qualifications want to move to UK I see today. No longer see it as a welcoming country!! What a surprise.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/feb/19/home-office-agrees-to-review-asylum-claims-of-child-refugees-in-france

However, they might change their minds on this, as more children are returning to Calais to get here any way they can, having given up on official means.
We can train them to be the migrants we want.

Just been reading this. I agree that Yarl's Wood should be closed. The story of this woman's detention is appalling, as is the way that she was treated in her own country.

www.politics.co.uk/comment-analysis/2017/03/06/the-detention-of-asylum-seekers-must-stop