Daily News: 14/08/2025
The report calls for building 100,000 high-quality council homes annually in England and Wales and urges the government to go beyond its current £39bn Affordable Homes Programme, which is expected to deliver only 18,000 social homes per year. Policy Exchange
Council housing management will return in-house from April 2026, over a year earlier than planned, with services currently delivered by ForHousing transferred to the Council. Cheshire West and Chester Council
Harlow Council is making its biggest-ever investment in council housing, spending £2.5m each week to improve homes, speed up repairs, and enhance living conditions, while in Doncaster, a new Tenancy Strategy will offer families in need of ‘fixed-term’ social housing five-year tenancies. Harlow District Council, Doncaster Free Press
A new report explores how housing associations and charities can scale up supported housing, particularly for people with mental health needs, to meet rising demand. Look Ahead
Liberty has secured a five-year, £3.5m contract to deliver gas servicing and maintenance for Fareham Borough Council. Liberty Group
Specialist contractor McGee’s pre-tax profit fell by over half to £5.3m last year due to planning-related project delays impacting efficiency, while Hill & Smith reported a 4% revenue rise to £431.6m and launched a £100m share buyback ahead of a new CFO’s arrival in October. Meanwhile, John Lewis’ BTR (Operating) Limited saw losses triple to £406,000 despite higher income. Construction Enquirer, Construction Wave, and Business Live
From April to June 2025, GLA housing programmes recorded 347 affordable starts and 876 completions, with a total of 890 across all tenures. GLA-supported council housing programmes saw 265 starts and 386 completions, driven by the General AHP 2021-26, Council Homes Acquisition, and Building Council Homes for Londoners programmes. In Northern Ireland, a slowdown in social home building could threaten Stormont’s target of 100,000 new homes over 15 years. London Gov.UK, London Gov.UK, and Belfast Telegraph
Total construction output in Great Britain grew by 1.2% in Q2 2025 compared with Q1, with new work up 1.1% and repair and maintenance rising 1.4%. Office for National Statistics
Consultants predict a return to package-based, staged procurement as developers push forward with major commercial projects while avoiding risky lump-sum deals, though clients remain cautious about pricing risk. Construction Enquirer
Plans for 3,000 homes near Harrogate were approved. Councillors approved 138 homes in North Staffordshire. Thakeham won permission for 109 homes in Horndean. Vistry will build 2,300 homes at Rugeley Power Station. Vita Group plans 1,600-home co-living at Glasgow’s Met Tower. Over 400 homes are proposed at Elland, and 150 homes in Kings Langley are recommended for approval. TheBusinessDesk.com, StokeonTrentLive, Portsmouth News, Construction Enquirer, Housing Today (register), Telegraph and Argus, and Watford Observer