Tag: Housing

A major gateway into Swindon will benefit from a £23m regeneration project and building could start in 12 months’ time. Under the plans, 122 non-traditionally built council homes will be demolished and replaced with 160 new modern properties along Queens Drive. The proposed regeneration sites include sheltered housing accommodation George Gay Gardens, the area south of Wolsely Road and St Ives Court on Tyneham Road and would be included in three phases. It forms part of Swindon Borough’s Pledge 7,…

Swindon Council could face losing up to £7m of government funding in a matter of a few years, following the government’s announcement in their local government finance settlement that future New Homes Bonus money will be dependent on local authorities delivering enough new homes or that too many housing development applications aren’t dependent on being granted through planning appeal. The Government has said they will revisit the case for withholding New Homes Bonus from 2018-19 from local authorities that are…

The council has demolished the children's nursery on Euclid Street and plan to build 7 three bedroom houses on the site. Residents have raised concerns to me over the impact this development will have on residents parking. I have passed these concerns on to the planning department and they are looking to address them. In other developments there is a planning application to build 6 flats behind 29 Eastcott Hill, on Savernake Street. This is a revised version of one…

The refurbishment of Townsend House, on Bath Road, is coming to completion with the handover date due on the 28th November. There will be 15 flats consisting of 1 & 2bedroom properties and these properties will be exclusively for keyworker accommodation. Flats will be advertised on Swindon Homebid and priority will be given to applicants with housing need and employed as a Keyworker in the Swindon area. Keyworkers work in key public services like in Education, Health, the Emergency Services…

 The Labour Group Leader, Councillor Jim Grant, has endorsed a Centre for Cities report that has asked for greater government focus on addressing the economic challenges facing the UK’s fastest-growing and strongest-performing towns and cities like Swindon, Cambridge, Milton Keynes, Oxford and Norwich.  The Labour Group Leader, Councillor Jim Grant, has endorsed a Centre for Cities report that has asked for greater government focus on addressing the economic challenges facing the UK’s fastest-growing and strongest-performing towns and cities like Swindon,…

Swindon Council Sheltered Housing residents will be paying an extra 2% more than other council tenants, Conservative Councillors have agreed. Labour moved a motion to reduce sheltered housing tenants rents by 1%, in line with the rent reduction for all other council tenants.  This was sadly rejected by the majority Conservative Group. As part of the Council Housing budget agreed at the last Swindon Full Council Meeting, Conservative Councillors agreed to take the government offer of increasing sheltered housing tenants…

A number of Labour Councillors and members attended the launch of  the Swindon Housing Action Campaign SHAC on Thursday 18th February in Broadgreen. More than 40 people attended the launch . SHAC has been formed as a result of the increasing housing crisis in Swindon. More and more people have been forced into a largely unregulated private rented sector with many instances of rent increases far beyond wage and price inflation with letting agents charging extortionate fees. The key note…

Swindon Housing Action Campaign (SHAC) will be holding its launch meeting on 18th February 2016 at Broadgreen Community Centre at 7pm. SHAC is a campaign for development which provides for licensing of landlords & more rigorous inspection of properties, more secure tenancies, lower rents, an end to rip-off fees from letting agencies, etc. There seems to be a gap between people's income and affordability to either rent or buy decent accommodation & as I strongly believe that all individuals deserve…

The proposed changes to the New Homes Bonus are a huge moneygrab from the Chancellor from local areas like Swindon which build the most homes in the country. Given that the Conservative Party has said how effective the New Homes Bonus has been in generating more new homes, it is surprising that the Chancellor has deemed that he can cut this fund in such a significant way. The chancellor's joint Spending Review and Autumn Statement, published yesterday, says that the…

The Swindon Labour Group Leader, Councillor Jim Grant, has warned of stark consequences due to the Swindon’s failure to build the necessary homes it had agreed to as part of its Local Plan. Over the last four years (2011-2015) an average of 688 homes per year have been built in Swindon which was nearly half of the Borough’s Local Plan requirement of 1150 per year.  The Swindon Labour Group Leader, Councillor Jim Grant, has warned of stark consequences due to…

The fact that a private landlord is now seeking to rent a 3 bedroom house in Penhill for nearly £900 per month is evidence of the growing housing crisis in Swindon. That such exorbitant rents are now being sought confirms what many have been saying – that the housing market is out of control and doesn’t meet the needs of all of society but only those who seek to make excess profits from such a market. The fact that a…

Labour’s plan to reduce stamp duty to zero for first-time buyers will make a real difference to families across Swindon and help people to buy their first home. Britain is facing the biggest housing crisis for a generation. If current trends continue, nearly five million young people will be living with their parents by 2020. Labour will reduce stamp duty to zero for first-time buyers of homes worth up to £300,000. The Tory plan has failed families across Swindon who…