Daily News: 16/03/2026
A report titled Between Skyscrapers and Semis: London’s Missing Mid-Rise Housing says London’s housing crisis is partly due to its high proportion of low-rise homes, leaving it less dense than comparable global cities. It suggests mid-rise developments could add more homes within the existing city footprint while improving neighbourhood quality. London Gov.UK
The Housing Ombudsman Service has defended its decision to stop accepting complaints by email as a standard route, while saying complaints submitted this way will not ultimately be blocked. Housing Today (register)
Fortem has expanded its partnership with Amplius after securing a new contract to deliver repairs and void services across the East and West Midlands, supporting around 7,600 homes and strengthening a collaboration that began in 2022. Facilitate Magazine
Vistry Group has partnered with Midlands Heart to begin construction of 228 new homes on a 28.5-acre site on Barnards Drive in Sileby, expanding housing supply in the area. East Midlands Business Link
First Choice Homes Oldham has a £2.3m retrofit programme upgrading 138 homes in Abbeyhills and Roundthorn, improving energy efficiency and cutting one resident’s winter gas bill by half as part of its wider £31.4m plan to ensure all homes reach at least EPC C by 2030. Meanwhile, Wolverhampton City Council has upgraded more than 600 council homes through its retrofit programme with support from over £5m from the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund. First Choice Homes Oldham (FCHO), Wolverhampton City Council
Westminster City Council has published a refreshed Code of Construction Practice planning document aimed at improving how construction activity is managed across the borough and reducing disruption to residents and businesses. Westminster London Borough
UK households spent a record £226bn on housing last year, with costs for both renters and homeowners rising 41% over the past five years, driven largely by higher mortgage interest payments as borrowers come off fixed-rate deals, according to analysis by Savills. The Guardian
The UK government has pledged to go “further and faster” on energy security, with the energy secretary confirming plans to bring forward the next annual renewables auction to July to boost investment and expand clean power capacity, building on recent auctions that secured enough energy to power the equivalent of 23m homes. GOV.UK
A report by CPRE warns demand on England’s finite land is rising, with 1.5m new homes planned alongside infrastructure needs, and calls for a more coordinated approach to land use amid development and climate pressures. Campaign to Protect Rural England