62 h. ago In Somerset, I found glorious proof that the UK can build great council houses. So what is holding us back? | John Harris

It was life-affirming to meet the residents of Rainbow Way in Minehead. But so much still stands in the way of Labour’s vision for social housing I met Carole Guscott, a retired former carer, on a clear winter’s morning in the Somerset town of Minehead. She was walking her whippet, Gracie, on the way back to her new flat, past the local Premier Inn and on to a cul de sac called Rainbow Way. “I knew as soon as I saw it,” she told me. “I just thought: ‘I can make this place my home.’”Up until recently, she was living in a private rented place near the centre of town and paying £780 a month in rent. For four years she had known that Rainbow Way was being built. She also knew that its houses and flats were an example of something that is vanishingly rare in post-Thatcher Britain: new council housing, which meant security for the people chosen to be the tenants but also intense competition for places. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago I was thrilled with the chic makeover I gave my home – cruel trolls say it’s like Molly

WHEN it comes to decorating your home, you often take inspiration from others. But one woman has hit back at cruel trolls who claim she has Molly Mae's house on a budget. Taking to social media, the woman has been showcasing her home transformation and revealed her new front room. The design played with neutral...

Politics

4 d. ago Mums of teens whose brutal attacks were filmed for online back progress on social media ban for kids

A ban on social media for under-16s has been backed by the House of Lords.

Events

4 d. ago Residents in legal fight to halt demolition of Clockwork Orange estate | Social housing

Residents in legal fight to halt demolition of Clockwork Orange estate | Social housing  The Guardian

Politics

5 d. ago ‘It’s like they’re hunting’: US citizens and legal residents report increase in racial profiling by ICE

Trump administration’s immigration crackdown has led some people to take drastic measures to ensure their safetyIt was a normal Tuesday morning for Mohamed when he left his San Diego, California house for his daily exercise in mid-January. But as he walked around Colina del Sol park, four US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents approached and encircled the middle-aged father, who is using a pseudonym out of fear of retaliation from federal agents. The officers, Mohamed said, who wore jackets with ICE emblazoned on them and balaclavas that obscured their faces, asked for his green card before they began drilling him with questions about what he was doing in the park.“I was terrified,” Mohamed, a lawful permanent resident from Somalia, said through a translator. The ordeal ended shortly thereafter, but the experience has left a lasting impact on him. “I have high blood pressure,” Mohamed said about the encounter he believes was racial profiling. “I used to do my daily exer...

Politics

5 d. ago East London resident wins legal battle with his council to keep traffic reduction scheme

East London resident wins legal battle with his council to keep traffic reduction scheme  mylondon.news

Events

5 d. ago Real Madrid could face trial over noise pollution from stadium concerts

Judge has brought indictment after nearby residents launched legal action in 2024 saying the concerts made their lives a miseryReal Madrid could face trial for alleged environmental offences after a Spanish judge ruled there was sufficient evidence that loud concerts held at the club’s Bernabéu stadium, which has been dubbed “the torture-drome” by local residents, could have broken the law.The Residents’ Association for those Affected by the Bernabéu (AVPB) began legal action against the football club and the city council in 2024, saying a series of punishingly loud concerts held that spring and summer had made their lives a misery. Performers included Taylor Swift, Luis Miguel and the Colombian star Karol G. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Residents in legal fight to halt demolition of Clockwork Orange estate

Climate concerns raised over redevelopment of 1960s Brutalist estate in south-east LondonA legal challenge has been launched in an effort to halt the demolition of a 1960s Brutalist estate in south-east London that featured in Stanley Kubrick’s dystopian film A Clockwork Orange.The challenge against Bexley council and Peabody housing association, which will be carrying out the redevelopment, has been launched by the Lesnes estate resident Adam Turk. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Council to offer £2,500 incentive to help social housing tenants to downsize

Figures show that up to a third of social housing - with a 20,000 household waiting list - is 'under-occupied'

Economics

7 d. ago Taoiseach should visit White House amid Greenland row – Government minister

The Minister for Social Protection said, if invited, the Taoiseach should visit the White House on St Patrick’s Day.

Politics

7 d. ago Plans for huge Chinese embassy in London approved by government

Plans for huge Chinese embassy in London approved by government - live updates  BBCRoyal Mint Court residents plan legal challenge if Chinese ‘mega embassy’ in London approved  The GuardianBreaking | China’s mega embassy in London approved, clears way for Starmer visit  South China Morning Post

Politics

7 d. ago Royal Mint Court residents plan legal challenge if Chinese ‘mega embassy’ in London approved

Royal Mint Court residents plan legal challenge if Chinese ‘mega embassy’ in London approved  The Guardian

Events

7 d. ago South Lanarkshire Council to boost social housing in Hamilton

The properties will be built at Almada Street in Hamilton and will help meet the growing demand for affordable and secure housing in the area.

Politics

8 d. ago Motherwell councillor urging constituents to attend consultation event for planned new housing

The council is proposing to build around 26 social houses for rent on vacant land at Dalzell Drive that is immediately adjacent to the motor showroom.

Politics

1 week ago Six arrested in £300m social housing fraud probe in London and Italy

Five men and one woman aged between 40 and 80 were arrested on suspicion of fraud and bribery offences

Economics

1 week ago Six arrested in £300m social housing fraud and bribery probe

Six arrested in £300m social housing fraud and bribery probe  BBC

Economics

1 week ago Arrests in Greater Manchester under Serious Fraud Office probe into 'past management' of social housing company

'Vulnerable people were promised homes while investors were promised returns'

Events

1 week ago Major social housing firm probed over £300m fraud and bribery allegations

Home REIT - which owned thousands of homes intended for homeless and vulnerable people - is being probed over suspected fraud and bribery offences worth an estimated £300million

Economics

2 w. ago Council approves average rent hike of £200 a year for social housing tenants

Residents will pay more for their rent.

Economics

2 w. ago Smithsonian removes reference to Trump’s impeachments after administration complained, report says

The White House shared the new portrait on social media earlier this week

Politics