You can often tell where someone is coming from in public policy debates by their use of language. In Capital … Continue reading “‘Affordable’ – a case study in the use and misuse of language”

There is agreement across the political divide in Britain that there is a serious shortage of affordable housing. But the … Continue reading “‘Slum landlords’: The Economist is barking up the wrong tree”

The cost of Housing Benefit (HB) has exploded over the last five years, rising from £13.5 billion in 2004/05 to £20 … Continue reading “How to cut Britain’s £20 billion Housing Benefit bill”

Housing policy was one of the areas where the previous Conservative government achieved some major successes, particularly with the introduction … Continue reading “Confusion in housing policy”

The cost of Housing Benefit (HB) has exploded over the last five years, rising from £13.5 billion in 2004/05 to £20 … Continue reading “How to cut Britain’s £20 billion Housing Benefit bill”

It is now almost exactly 30 years since one of Mrs Thatcher’s iconic social policies was launched. On 20 December … Continue reading “The Right to Buy: thirty years on”

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) announced today that they had changed their forecast on house prices for 2009, and that instead … Continue reading “What’s wrong with falling house prices?”

A couple of weeks ago I took part in a debate on the housing opportunities for young people hosted by … Continue reading “Owning or renting?”

Twenty-nine per cent of English homes are not ‘decent’ places to live, according to the latest edition of the English … Continue reading “Housing, poverty and the planning system”