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The Independent
a day ago
- Business
- The Independent
Warning UK's housing crisis will deepen if Reeves makes further cuts in spending review
It comes as the struggle between the Treasury and Angela Rayner 's Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government over its budget continues, just days before Ms Reeves is set to outline the spending plans until the next election on Wednesday. With no agreement having been reached on housing, the chief executive of one of Britain's largest housing associations has raised the alarm that of a 'cliff edge' over building more homes – which means money is set to run out by 2026. The warning from Fiona Fletcher-Smith, chief executive of L&Q and until last week chair of the G15 group of London housing associations, comes as the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned that 51 per cent of councils are now running deficits on their housing budgets. Homeless charities are also warning of an impending crisis with new supply unable to keep up with increasing demand for social housing. Crisis has pointed out that over the past 10 years there has been a net loss of more than 180,000 social homes in England. Currently, 1.33 million households in England are currently stuck on council waiting lists for a social home. Ms Fletcher-Smith explained that the problem began with George Osborne's austerity budgets in 2010 when he slashed 63 per cent of the capital budget to build new homes. She said he then 'welched' on a deal to allow them to make up for the loss by charging CPI inflation plus 1 per cent in rent. which housing associations and councils now want restored for a decade. This will allow them to borrow money to build as it comes through as guaranteed income. The cumulative effect now means that housing associations no longer have the funds to build projects. Ms Fletcher-Smith said: 'Housing decisions are so long, it's not just planning permission, you've got to get all utilities, everything else lined up to build. It's a five to seven years to run in to build housing. We could see from our own predictions, we were just going to go off cliff edge, by 2025/2026.' The sector is also still struggling with the impact of the Grenfell fire tragedy in 2017, with thousands of homes now subject to problems with cladding which is costing them £2.6bn in London alone. In London alone, £4 million a month is being spent on 'keeping people in temporary accommodation' because homes with cladding are too dangerous to return to and clogged courts mean legal cases to fix the problem are taking years. Ms Fletcher-Smith also noted that the 'combination of Brexit, Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine' has hit the sector not least with inflation which saw building materials go up as much as 30 per cent well above the 11 per cent peak of the headline rate. There are now fears that Ms Reeves and the Treasury will force cuts to the housing budget to balance the books as the chancellor seeks to ringfence health spending, increase defence to 2.5 per cent of GDP and water down proposals on benefit cuts as well as U-turn on ending the winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners. The deputy prime minister is leading a charge to protect budgets and instead push for a series of wealth taxes on big corporations and millionaires. But this has been resisted by Ms Reeves. However, the fears over housing are shared by homeless charities who are calling for 90,000 new social housing homes to be built per year. Matt Downie, chief executive of Crisis, said: 'This spending review is an opportunity for significant investment to start to see homelessness levels come down. 'Small tweaks aren't enough to fix the problems we face.' Mairi MacRae, director of policy and campaigns at Shelter, said: 'With homelessness at a record high and councils spending huge chunks of their budgets just to keep families off the streets, now is the time to invest in building social rent homes, not cut back." The issue is also vexing Labour backbenchers looking at the party's slide in the polls. One Labour MP said cuts in this area would cause upset among backbenchers, especially those with seats in areas with councils that are already on the verge of collapse. Another pointed out that Labour's flagship housing pledge 'means nothing if the current stock of social housing suffers" as a result of cuts. The government provides financial support to local authorities for social housing provision, including funding for new builds, repairs, and improvements. Commenting on the finding that 51 per cent of councils running a deficit with housing, the LGA warned: 'These trends are not sustainable. There is a growing risk to the financial sustainability of some councils' HRAs, and revenue pressures in councils' HRAs are now being passed directly into their HRA capital programmes.' In the Autumn Statement, the government announced over £5 billion total housing investment in 2025/26 to boost supply, including a £500m extension to the current Affordable Homes Programme which runs out in 2026. At the Spring Statement, the government announced a down payment of £2bn for a successor programme. To make it cheaper for councils to finance new development, the government has extended the preferential borrowing rate available for council house building from the Public Works Loan Board until the end of 2025/26.
Express Tribune
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Shaheen to captain Team of HBL PSL X
Shaheen Shah Afridi, who led Lahore Qalandars to their third title in four years in HBL PSL last night, has been named captain of the Team of HBL PSL X. The team was selected by the esteemed members of the commentary team. The HBL PSL X was played across four cities Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi from 11 April to 25 May. In the final, Qalandars defeated Quetta Gladiators by six wickets at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. 25-year-old Shaheen, not only claimed the Fazal Mahmood Cap for finishing as the highest wicket-taker – 19 dismissals in 13 matches, but also leads a team that features two of his Qalandars teammates. Sikandar Raza (11 matches, 254 runs, 2x50s, 10 wickets) and Fakhar Zaman (13 matches, 439 runs, 4x50s) earned their places on the back of stellar performances in the tournament. Gladiators – the winners of the 2019 edition of HBL PSL are also represented by three players. 23-year-old Pakistan international Hasan Nawaz, who was also adjudged best batter of the tournament (12 matches, 399 runs, 1x100, 3x50s) is joined by experienced all-rounder Faheem Ashraf (12 matches, 163 runs, 17 wickets) and 27-year-old spinner Abrar Ahmed (12 matches, 17 wickets). Karachi Kings, who secured third place on the points table before losing to Qalandars in Eliminator 1 on 22 May at Gaddafi Stadium, also have three representatives. Captain David Warner (11 matches, 368 runs, 3x50s), opening partner James Vince (378 runs, 1x100, 3x50s) and pacer Hasan Ali (10 matches, 17 wickets) all feature in the XI. Khushdil Shah (11 matches, 253 runs, 1x50, seven wickets) is named as the 12th man. Islamabad United's Sahibzada Farhan, who earned the Hanif Mohammad Cap for leading the run charts with 449 runs in 12 matches (1x100, 3x50s), is the sole representative from his side. Completing the line-up is Peshawar Zalmi's emerging talent, fast bowler Ali Raza, who took 12 wickets in nine matches. Squad: Fakhar Zaman (LQ), Sahibzada Farhan (IU) (wicket-keeper), David Warner (KK), James Vince (KK), Hasan Nawaz (QG), Sikandar Raza (LQ), Faheem Ashraf (QG), Shaheen Shah Afridi (LQ) (captain), Hasan Ali (KK), Ali Raza (PZ) (emerging), Abrar Ahmed (QG), Khushdil Shah (KK) (12th).
India.com
14-05-2025
- Sport
- India.com
Big blow to PSL 2025 after India-Pakistan ceasefire, star cricketer chooses...
In this collection of pictures we shall know the problem the PSL 2025 have been facing after the India-Pakistan ceasefire. Let's dive in. Sikandar Raza represented Lahore Qalandars in the 2025 edition of the PSL. Over the course of nine matches, he amassed 228 runs at an impressive average of 45.60 and a striking rate of 163. He also claimed eight wickets with a bowling average of 15.10 and an economy of 7.10. Among the LQ squad, he led in batting and bowling averages, economy rate, and strike rate (minimum 100 runs). Without a doubt, he was their standout performer. That momentum came to a halt when rising tensions between India and Pakistan led to the indefinite suspension of the PSL. The tournament is now set to restart on May 17. Currently placed fourth on the table, Lahore Qalandars have one remaining group-stage fixture against Peshawar Zalmi in Rawalpindi on May 18. The knockout matches are scheduled for May 21, 22, 23, and 25. Should LQ make it to the final, Raza would need to remain with the team until May 25. At the same time, Zimbabwe have named him in the squad for the one-off Test at Trent Bridge — their first encounter with that opponent since 2004 — set to start on May 22. In short, the schedules would have overlapped. Sikandar Raza made his choice clear in a post on X. "I've been tagged and mentioned regarding my availability for PSL and the Historic Test match in England," he wrote. "National duty is the top priority for me and once picked I will honor and fulfill it. All the reports of me missing the test match are not true at all. Regarding PSL, all the reports of me not returning to Pakistan are also not true." Sikandar Raza's message implies that, since he has been named in the squad, he intends to participate in the Test match. However, the phrasing in the following line ("Regarding PSL, all the reports of me not returning to Pakistan are also not true") uses a double negative, leaving room for ambiguity. He could be referring to a possible comeback to the league later on, or merely indicating a return to his homeland. Sikandar Raza's most recent appearance in Test cricket was against Afghanistan in Bulawayo earlier this year. Across 18 matches in the format, he has accumulated 1,286 runs at an average of 36.74 and taken 38 wickets with a bowling average of 40.78.
