use our grey power to force real affordable, safe houses to be built whoch won't kill our planet but actually save it!!

councils in Scotland who DONT use the funding for housing will have it taken off them and it will be given to councils who ARE using it as intended.Council tax is DOUBLE on empty properties ,that gives incentive to sell or let rather than leave empty for any length of time.The Holyrood government is on target with new builds ..lots of housing association builds in my area and refubs of older stock .

Hi paddyann. Why do the Scotts lead on so many sensible fronts (eg thinking of minimum price per unit of alcohol)?. The Budget is talking of double council tax on empty property, too. I know of a dilapidated house which harbours rats and all sorts right in the middle of our nice village which has been empty for at least 15 years. I've tried to get the council to CPO or let someone renovate (there are charities that will do them up and make them liveable for those on a council waiting list if owners cant be bothered or cant be found). It's time we stopped viewing land and houses as commodities that turnover a hefty profit.

www.theguardian.com/society/2018/jan/01/over-11000-homes-have-stood-empty-for-at-least-10-years-data-shows

Perhaps the English councils should take notice of the Scots.
On the other hand there are a lot of English MPs who are landlords, and possibly do not want any more houses on the market to rent, as it will mean competition for them.

Note that it took the libdems to do the research through FOI. The government didn't, although paying lip service to homelessness.

We have a new initiative to build Scandinavian style wooden houses using our vast forestry land,replanting with new faster growing varieties so the stock of wood is always available ,to date the Holyrood government has provided 70.000 affordable homes though only 8000 of those are council housing ,most are HA or part ownership properties.I can personally confirm that well over 200 new homes have been made available for rent in my area in the past few months with another 150 due for completion by spring.Homelessnes is NOT a necessary evil,there will be people who wont/cant live under a roof and have mental health issues so the problem may never be completely solved but it seems a shorter waiting time for housing in my part of Scotland is now possible

Several hundred new (social) houses being built here too.
In a recent rent survey, existing tenants voted for an increase in rents of £1.5m in order to improve/ provide homes accessible for wheelchair users.

When my husband was still designing housing in 1990s, all the houses he designed were suitable for wheelchair users.
At the time all were supposed to be wheelchair friendly.
No idea what happened to that idea, and the idea that all newhouses were supposed to be suitable for families from cradle to grave. That's when they started having an even smaller footprint and building three storeys on most of them.

Sounds like Scotland is well ahead of the rest of the UK.

There must have been a report on the 11,000 homes Jen as there are articles in the Telegraph and Mail too.

They seem to be mainly in the North so may not be second homes but rather in areas where no investment to create jobs. We need that so we can relieve some of the over-populated areas too.

The government report is on houses empty for six months or more.
The Libdem is ten years or more. I am not surprised that there are more in the North East, particularly Durham, as there are no jobs up here, whole run down villages still.

Scotland has also abolished Right to Buy and it is in the process of being abolished in Wales. Over 40% of RBT homes are now owned by private landlords and it's over 70% in one part of the UK (Milton Keynes). In my own area it's more than 50%. I doubt it was envisaged that RTB homes would end up being rented out at more than double the average council rent by private landlords guaranteed to be paid through housing benefit.

Yet in England the RTB scheme is being extended next year. Every RTB home is supposed to be replaced by a new affordable home. Note 'affordable' does not mean social housing. 'Affordable' means 80% of the market value. Only 1 in 10 RTB home has been replaced since the new scheme was launched in 2012.

Read something today about prefabs being reintroduced. It was a post-war solution to a housing shortage. Perhaps it'll work again, though building regulations are probably a lot more complex now.

There's a prefab initiative under way in Reading Baggs.

I think calling them prefabs gives the wrong idea to some.
Factory built sounds different.

Yes, "prefabs" is off putting to some, although the ones they built up here in the north east after the war are still going strong, having been reinforced and modernised.

For many years now the Building Regulations Approved Dobument M has required that new homes are accessible for a visitor in a wheelchair, ie with wide enough doors, turning and manouevering space and a wc on the entrance level. They should also be adaptable for a wheelchair occupier, which for a two storey house usually means providing a space for a through the floor lift.

The increase in new three storey houses is driven by the cost of land. Using the roof space allows more useable space on the same footprint.

Planning permission can increase the value of a site tenfold or more and shortage of sites is a serious problem. Meanwhile many sites are held undeveloped as land banks, some by developers but a great deal is owned by investors speculating that the price will rise. Some of our pension funds may hold shares in these investments.

For some people they were the first houses they had lived in with indoor toilets. There were still some lived in in Hull in 2000. I don't know if there still are.
Some were built using parts from the aircraft factories that were no longer needed. Brilliant recycling.

However, I would rather have the Scandi-style wooden homes, well insulated. It would be better than the bungalow I am in at the moment, where my kitchen, built as a brick extension, can be ten degrees lower than the dining room. I can feel the draught through the door at the moment.

I presume we wouldn't use asbestos in the new-style prefabs.

How about the idea of those Zedpods built in London for all the MPs who charge lots for their second homes?
They have all they need in them for a second home, and they only cost £60,000 to build.
They can requisition the land from a landbanking builder in return for a knighthood. May as well make the knighthood be of some use.

I always thought a tower block would be ideal for MP's ,they could all have their own space and there could be a restaurant and launderette and maybe a shop all on site ..and it would be state owned so NO second homes or huge expenses for furniture etc.So when one moves out another moves in....simple

* paddyann* we live in a Scandi Haus . Part brick, part wood. Triple glazed and with thick insulated walls. It was shipped from Norway many years ago. Exactly the sort of house you describe. We love it

Yes, paddyann. I thought of the Zedpods because MPs could then see for themselves what worked and what didn't in newbuild ideas. They are also zero emissions and use renewable energy, so they can't put energy bills on their claims, either.
The Zedpods are said to be rentable for £750. Sounds a lot to me, but cheap for London.

makar.co.uk/news/trees-to-timber-homes

These timber homes would be far too good for MPs second homes.

I'm jealous, BBbevan.

In the 1970s my husband designed timberframe housing for council housing. People didn't want to live in them because they weren't like normal housing. Strange how ideas change.

www.24housing.co.uk/news/speculation-suggests-creation-of-secretary-of-state-for-housing/

This is actually a good idea, if it happens. No idea what the chances are.

www.24housing.co.uk/news/council-cites-335000-saving-from-temporary-modular-homes/

The houses in Reading.
Modular homes, not prefabs.

Zedpods for the homeless 18-24 year olds, too?

www.24housing.co.uk/news/tens-of-thousands-of-18-24-year-olds-tell-councils-of-homelessness/