Latest news with #councilhousing
BBC News
10-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Southampton chosen for government's council homebuilding scheme
Southampton City Council has been invited to join a government programme aimed at increasing the number of council homes built in the is one of ten councils to be chosen for the Council Housebuilding Support Service (CHoSS) which will provide councils with access to training and resources to up-skill their housebuilding about the scheme - which will be fully funded by the Ministry of Communities, Housing and Local Government - Cllr Louise Gittins said the announcement "comes at a critical time"."Councils want to do more to deliver the council houses their communities need, and this initiative will give them the tools, advice and support to do just that," she added. The CHoSS will also complement the work of the Association of Directors of Housing by creating a peer-to-peer network - which will enable councils to work together more to the latest data there were 8,977 households on the Housing Register in Southampton in 2024. Sian Atkinson is currently on the register herself while already renting a council flat in Shirley. But she won't be contributing to this figure because it excludes existing council tenants seeking a transfer. 'It gets me excited' Because she is living with three children, Ms Atkinsom has been allowed to join the register to look for larger accommodation on grounds of being 'overcrowded'. "My bed is in the alcove of the living room so I don't have any privacy." Ms Atkinson says she's been waiting for two years to get out of her current flat in Shirley and hopes the new service will increase her chances of moving to a bigger home for her and the kids. "I can't wait to get out of here and have my own bedroom again". "It get's me excited." Bethany Filce has been living in her council flat in Shirley for almost nine years but isn't able to rejoin the housing says while she hopes the service will help people who "do need more help", it "would be nice to go somewhere else".Councillor Andy Frampton, Cabinet Member for Housing Operations at Southampton City Council, said:"This announcement is great news, as we know there is a need for more decent homes for our the Council Housebuilding Service will give them access to key resources, training and peer-to-peer support." You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
09-07-2025
- BBC News
Headlines: 'Shoddily built' car park and 'thriving' wildlife
Here's our daily pick of stories from across local websites in the west of England, and interesting content from social media. Our pick of local website stories A story about a tenant who was given a suspended prison sentence for illegally subletting a council house after moving out, did well for Bristol Live.A large group of travellers have pitched up at Taunton Vale Sports Club, which is used by Somerset County Cricket Club, according to Somerset from Somerset Live - North Somerset Council is losing a quarter of a million pounds every year on a "shoddily built" car park in Weston-super-Mare. Weston Mercury picked this one up yesterday too. Our top story from yesterday A story about a teenager that wrote a letter detailing how social services had "destroyed" her life before she was murdered by a fellow care home resident was our top performer with 59,300 page views yesterday. Around 64% of our readers came from Google Discover. What to watch on social media Gideon Amos - the MP for Taunton and Wellington - has commented on a Facebook post made by a 16-year-old with cerebral palsy. He's calling for evacuation chairs to be mandatory in all schools. We're checking this one out to see if the student is Slimbridge Wetland Centre's post about its "thriving" wildlife is also gaining traction on the Department for Transport's approval for the reopening of the Portishead to Bristol rail line is still trending online. Work is expected to start in spring 2026.
The Sun
04-07-2025
- Health
- The Sun
I scrub my council house walls but they're COVERED in mould & crumbling away – I have two disabled kids, it's disgusting
AMY Magee previously moved out of a property full of mould and asbestos and hoped her next council home would be more suitable for her and her children. But unfortunately, the mother has been left disgusted after the council flat, which she has now lived in for three years, is also covered in layers of horrendous mould. 5 5 Not only this, but the walls in her home are crumbling away too. Amy, 37, from London, took to social media to give her followers an insight into the state of her home, leaving many totally stunned. As she showed off the walls which are covered in black mould, the content creator and author said: 'I've actually had enough now - it's a week today where I reported all of this stuff. 'I have scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed it. Stuff needs to be renewed.' Not only has Amy had to spend time cleaning, but she's also been forced to throw away her belongings too, as she confirmed: 'I've had to chuck every single piece of bedding in here because it was just not washable.' And not only is the mould in her bedroom, but it's also in the kitchen and bathroom, as she added: 'This is the cupboard in the kitchen. I have painted this probably three, four times knowing full well I've actually lived in this property only three years. 'I'm getting to the point where I've just had enough, I can't even think clearly. 'This is my bathroom, who even wants to have a bath in something like this? What the hell?' The mother admitted that the "absolutely ridiculous' state of her home is now beginning to affect her mental health. She opened up on feeling 'mentally exhausted' and got candid on the 'nightmare', as she shared: 'My walls are crumbling and it's just absolutely disgusting.' I'm 28 and homeless with 6 children - the council won't help and trolls call me a 'scrounger' and tell me to 'close my legs' & 'get a job' Despite having received 'no report' and getting 'no answers' from her local council, Amy acknowledged: 'The radiator is coming off the wall. "I've obviously said this to them - they've come and done building maintenance on my property. 'There is going to be so much work needing to be done on my property. "I've got two disabled children and it's just going to be hell. How can I get a council house? To apply for a council home, you need to fill out and hand in an application to your local authority. To find your local authority, simply use the Government's council locator tool on its website. Once you have access to your local council's website, it should offer you guidelines on how to complete your application. After applying, you'll most likely have to join a waiting list. Bear in mind, even if you are put on a waiting list, this doesn't guarantee you a council house offer. Your council should also offer you advice on how to stay in your current home and solve any issues you might have, such as problems with a private landlord or mortgage. You are eligible to apply for council housing if you are a British citizen living in the UK providing have not lived abroad recently. Each council has its own local rules about who qualifies to go on the housing register in its area, but it is based on "points" or a "banding" system. For example, you're likely to be offered housing first if you: are homeless live in cramped conditions have a medical condition made worse by your current home are seeking to escape domestic violence Once you are high enough on a council's waiting list, it will contact you when a property is available. Some councils let people apply at the age of 18, while others let you apply even sooner at 16-year-olds. EU workers and their families and refugees may also be eligible. A council house is reached through a points system, so depending on your housing needs, you may be considered low priority. The council will contact you about any available property once you are high enough on the waiting list. There is no limit on how long you can expect to be on the waiting list. 'This blind in my living room - it's got mould spores everywhere. "And of course, they don't want to pay back any money that I've put into this flat.' 5 5 Social media users react The TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @ amy_magee_209, just 17 hours ago, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly amassed 15,200 views, 234 likes and 189 comments. Social media users were gobsmacked by the condition of Amy's flat and many raced to the comments to share advice on what she should do next. One person said: 'Oh my goodness this is bad.' Another added: 'That is so bad. My close friend got rehoused due to mould and it was nowhere near as bad as this. She was in a flat and now she's in a beautiful brand newbuild house. What It's Really Like Growing Up On A Council Estate Fabulous reporter, Leanne Hall, recalls what it's like growing up in social housing. As someone who grew up in a block of flats on a council estate, there are many wild stories I could tell. From seeing a neighbour throw dog poo at the caretaker for asking them to mow their lawn (best believe they ended up on the Jeremy Kyle show later in life) to blazing rows over packages going missing, I've seen it all. While there were many times things kicked off, I really do believe most of the time it's because families living on council estates get to know each other so well, they forget they're neighbours and not family. Yes, things can go from zero to 100 quickly, but you know no matter what you can rely on your neighbour to borrow some milk or watch all of the kids playing outside. And if you ask me, it's much nicer being in a tight community where boundaries can get crossed than never even knowing your neighbour's name while living on a fancy street. 'Get Environmental Health round and they'll give you bidding points. You should get moved!' A third advised: 'Call Environmental Health they can help you get the council to take action.. that needs some proper work doing on it.' Meanwhile someone else recommended: 'This is a disgrace. They should give you another property. 'How dare they let you stay there with your children! Take it to the Housing Ombudsman.'
BBC News
01-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Swansea council faces £900m bill to upgrade social housing
About £900m needs to be spent to bring one county's council housing stock up to new living standards, a meeting has council needs to spend an average of £65,000 per property to improve energy efficiency levels in line with Welsh government leader Andrea Lewis said this would be "difficult, if not impossible" to achieve without additional Welsh government Welsh government said it had committed £256m last year to improve the quality of social homes. It is hoped the new standards, which include insulation, solar panels and replacing gas boilers with heat pumps, will cut greenhouse gas emissions by making homes more energy efficient.A report four years ago estimated decarbonising Swansea's housing stock could cost about £350m, but a year later another report estimated this cost would be £ said applying the new standards to the county's 13,800 council flats, houses and bungalows was now estimated to cost £ council previously spent more than £500m to bring its homes up to current Welsh standards. Lewis told a cabinet meeting on Thursday: "Essentially we support the Welsh government's ambition to improve the quality of our [housing] stock in terms of energy efficiency for the benefit of our tenants, but without additional funding this will be difficult, if not impossible, to carry out."The cabinet approved a policy setting out how it intended to meet and monitor the new housing standard, which it will submit to the Welsh council will need to produce energy efficiency reports for its properties by the end of March 2027 and ensure all homes meet new standards by rents, borrowed money and Welsh government grants are used to upgrade housing stock, rather than council Welsh government said Swansea council was allocated £14m last year to help repair, upgrade, and retrofit its properties."Last year we committed a record £256m on improving the quality of social homes in Wales, including their energy efficiency, through a mixture of grants and low-interest loans available to local authorities and social landlords," it said. This article was written by a trusted journalist and then edited for length and style with the help of AI, before being checked again by a BBC Journalist. It's part of a pilot.
The Sun
28-06-2025
- General
- The Sun
I live in Britain's ‘WORST council house' with giant hole in ceiling, no carpet & disgusting graffiti daubed on walls
A MUM has said her family was left "terrified" after their council house ceiling started to cave in. Helen O'Kane's two young children were playing outside when the chaos unfolded at their home in Birmingham on June 19. 2 2 The mum's added that the gaff has been affected by a slew of other issues, making the family's living situation "depressing" and "horrible". She told BirminghamLive: "My youngest son is terrified of walking past. My oldest son is just as worried. "Even when I put them to bed at night, you can hear the floorboards creaking. "It's making me tired and sore, my eyes are itching because of the dust. It's depressing and you feel dirty. "I'm glad to have coffee mornings just to get out the house for a bit because it's horrible, I don't want to be here. "You've got no pride and it just gets you down. It doesn't do much for your confidence in life." A concern for the family is the cracked ceiling which is directly above the bedroom to four of her children. Before the ceiling started to collapse, Helen's boiler leaked last year, another issue on a house with a history. With graffiti on walls and wobbly floorboards, previous resident Dannii Canning referred to the "unliveable" property as an "absolute dump". 'The house was totally unlivable. I expected to replace some carpets or wallpaper, but nothing like that," Dannii said. Our posh village is now ghost town strewn with empty homes 'They can't expect someone to accept such a dump." Birmingham City Council paid the home a visit prior to the fateful incident and concluded that the property was safe and liveable. The mum flagged the issue with the home's ceiling again but said she was let down by the response. She added: "It's disappointing from the council. As a tenant, you just get used to it now. "You get a sense that you should be grateful because you have a roof over your head." A Birmingham City Council spokesperson said: 'We are aware of the ceiling issue at the property on Trescott Road and have been in contact with the resident. "A number of repairs have been raised this year, with significant work completed as recently as June to remove damaged plaster and make the area safe. 'The most recent visit took place on June 19, 2025, where the operative confirmed further plastering is required. "The area was made safe at that time, and a clean-up was carried out. "Follow-on repairs are currently scheduled for July, as the work requires a two-person team and a longer appointment slot. "We are actively exploring options to bring this date forward if possible. 'We will continue to monitor progress and work with our contractors to ensure the remaining repairs are completed as soon as possible.'
