Daily News: 05/09/2025
Platform Housing Group saw turnover and surplus rise last year, but a 58.6% increase in spending on existing homes put pressure on its interest cover. Housing Today (register)
Sovereign Network Group has raised £250m through its debut drawdown under a £1.5bn Euro Medium Term Note programme to support quality home and community delivery. Glasgow City Council will invest £115m in 2025/26 to fund around 1,600 new affordable homes, with over 850 more expected to be approved this year. East Devon District Council has approved a £100m Build and Buy Housing Investment Plan to deliver 500 energy-efficient homes over five years. Meanwhile, Chichester District Council will provide £950,000 to Worthing Homes to fund 19 new affordable homes. Sovereign Network Group, Glasgow City Council, East Devon District Council, and Sussex World
Angela Rayner has resigned from the government after the Prime Minister’s ethics adviser found she breached the ministerial code by underpaying stamp duty on her £800,000 seaside flat. The Guardian
The LGA’s May-June 2025 survey on Right to Buy reforms found that 44% of councils have actively used the higher cap on receipts to replace affordable homes, following 2024 government changes aimed at protecting social housing and increasing council flexibility. Local Government Association
Basildon Council has announced it will end its £300m housing repairs and maintenance contract with Morgan Sindall, citing that the firm’s services were “not good enough”. Housing Today (register)
Berkeley has urged the government to remove regulatory hurdles rather than introduce new taxes that could strain the housing sector in London. Meanwhile, Statom Group has acquired piling specialist Franki Foundations UK to expand its construction capabilities. Construction Enquirer, Construction Enquirer
Research by bathroom supplier Drench has revealed that social housing tenants are waiting an average of 52 days for heating and hot water repairs, with bathroom repairs typically taking 37 days, based on FOI data from councils. At the same time, the latest BMBI shows Q2 2025 value sales rose 2.8% year-on-year, with volume sales up 4% and prices down 1.1%. Adjusted for trading days, like-for-like sales increased 4.5%. HVN, Builders Merchant Building Index
The HBF has warned of a deepening housing crisis in Wales, with just 4,631 homes built in 2024/25, the second-lowest since 1974. Decades of undersupply have worsened affordability, leaving more families in temporary housing and locking younger generations out of ownership. Home Builders Federation
In Yorkshire, 173 homes on a green site in Low Moor have been approved, many managed by Incommunities. Dorchester Living has submitted the next phase of the 9,000-home Heyford Park development in Oxfordshire. Plans for 350 homes with an employment area and park-and-ride near Ramsbottom have been proposed. Wiltshire Council has received plans for over 200 homes in Melksham. In Penrhyn Bay, Anwyl Construction seeks permission for 152 homes, including 54 affordable units. CERT has unveiled plans for 116 homes in Stretford town centre as part of a masterplan. Yorkshire Post, Construction Enquirer, Lancashire Telegraph, Somerset Live, Wales Online, and Place North West