Rural Affordable Housing

Energy bill: landlords could be forced to refurbish energy-inefficient homes

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This article which has a number of rural angles explains: “Landlords will be forced to refurbish hundreds of thousands of the UK’s most draughty and energy-inefficient homes or find themselves blocked from renting them out, under proposals unveiled on Tuesday.

The government has bowed to pressure from campaigners and brought forward an amendment to its energy bill, discussed by MPs yesterday, that would stop landlords from renting out homes that fell into the worst two bands of energy efficiency – F and G. The clause was missing from the original bill.

“As a result, the estimated 680,000 rented homes falling into this category – about one-fifth of the total number of private rented residences – must be refurbished or taken off the market by 2018.”

On the one hand it could reduce the stock of rural affordable housing in England on the other it could help reduce the intensity of rural fuel poverty. I hope the Energy Bill it is being incorporated in is being rural proofed by the powers that be!

Environment white paper puts economic growth first

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Let’s face it, I am an economic development person so I am biased. I do like our green and pleasant land and I do have a strong regard for conservation but I personally think this new white paper on green issues is coming from the right direction.

I think a good number of you will probably disagree with me but I suspect over a beer we would find we are not so far apart. Having said all of that all those responsible for any element of the development agenda should have a good read of this White Paper. I think it sets out what promises to be an influential and long term set of policy proposals.

The controversial bits of this article profiling the paper concern planners and the bit I and millions of people in rural England will take issue with begins “Our land use planning system has served us well, and could do better, not least in delivering the ambition for nature net gain.

“Our countryside is envied across the world. It is good that the natural environment white paper is bent not only on keeping it that way, but on improving our natural environment and people’s understanding of and access to it. But unless we have a strong, strategic planning system, those ambitions could be dead in the water.”

I suggest this author reads the excellent OECD review of rural policy in England for some counterbalance in terms of the impact unimaginative planning decisions have had in making some places impossible to live and work in for people of ordinary means or failing that she might dig out Matthew Taylor’s landmark report – “Living Working Countryside”

You can access the White Paper itself here.

UK household incomes fall for first time since 1981

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According to this article, ‘Real’ disposable incomes – what people have left, after taxes, to spend or save, when inflation is taken into account – fell 0.8pc in 2010.

“The slide signals the first drop in real incomes since 1981, when the UK was struggling out of a recession, and the biggest since 1977, when inflation was running in the double figures. Per head, real income dropped from £14,181 in 2009 to £13,980 last year, according to the Office for National Statistics.

“Statisticians blamed the annual fall, only the sixth seen since records began more than 60 ago, on the failure of wages to keep up with prices.”

We don’t have a detailed breakdown of the figures yet but I suspect rural areas will be amongst the forefront of those places suffering with their high level of dependence on the public sector as an employer. This will raise a series of challenges across rural life affecting issues such as housing demand.

Seamlessly, this creates a link to the Glossary of Terms I have just completed in relation to a rural affordable housing project. I am pleased with it and would like it get used as widely as possible – if you would like a copy please do let me know.

It should help anyone in the “RSN family” with an interest in local housing provision and will help them to get their foot on the first rung on the housing understanding ladder.