Daily News: 29/01/2026
New modelling indicates that a revised Decent Homes Standard would sharply increase the proportion of non-decent homes, with failure rates rising from 10% to 45% in the social rented sector and from 21% to 48% in the private rented sector; the new standard will apply to both sectors, with compliance required by 2035. GOV.UK
Social housing rent convergence will be phased in from 2028/29, with weekly rents allowed to rise by £2, according to ministerial confirmation from Matthew Pennycook. Housing Today (register)
Since April 2023, Somerset Council has managed 10,000 homes across in-house services (6,000) and Homes in Somerset (4,000). A Savills review recommends consolidating all management under Homes in Somerset, with the council as the landlord, pending Executive approval in March 2026. Somerset Council
Kingdom Housing Association has received a £13m boost for affordable homes, arranged by Allia C&C via its Charitable Bond programme with the Scottish Government, enhancing KHA’s response to the housing emergency. Scottish Housing News
East Riding of Yorkshire Council, with Hull City Council, has renewed a campaign urging landlords and tenants to tackle damp and mould risks. Tendring District Council has adopted a new five-year housing strategy focused on improving homes and resident support. East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Tendring District Council
Viessmann has been appointed to the four-year Procure Plus framework for low- and zero-carbon technologies as part of a £1.6bn social housing decarbonisation programme, while Stannah has been reappointed to CHIC’s Lifts & Mobility Aids Framework, and Bowmer + Kirkland has secured the £274m Castle Leazes student accommodation redevelopment for Unite Students and Newcastle University. H&V News, FMJ, and Construction Enquirer
Crest Nicholson has cut around 50 jobs, closed divisions, and reworked its land strategy as it shifts from volume to mid-market homes amid weak sales, while Henry Boot has issued a profit warning, forecasting 2026 pre-tax profits well below market expectations after selling its construction arm. Construction Enquirer, Construction Enquirer
As of December 2025, 4,126 residential buildings over 11 metres have unsafe cladding, down 1,487 from November. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme had received 110,758 voucher applications, 98% for ASHP installations. By November 2025, the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund had delivered around 113,900 measures across 54,900 households. The English Housing Survey 2024-25 found 3% of households overcrowded and 40% under-occupied, with overcrowding rising in both social (6% to 9%) and private rented sectors (5% to 6%). In Q4 2025, 357,000 domestic EPCs were lodged in England and Wales, a 1% decrease from the same period in 2024. GOV.UK, GOV.UK, GOV.UK, GOV.UK, and GOV.UK
Around half of the energy used in UK industry is wasted, mainly as heat from inefficient systems, while a new Royal Society report highlights ways to improve thermal efficiency and reuse surplus heat, using advanced UK science and engineering to enhance heat capture, transport, and storage, supporting a net-zero future. The Royal Society
UK construction activity in December 2025 remained weak in housing, with project starts down 3% year-on-year, main contract awards falling 19%, and detailed planning approvals dropping 38% versus 2024. Construction News (register)
In Staffordshire, 750 homes have been approved, while 1,100 homes near Syston await approval. Colchester proposes 526 homes with a school and nursery, whereas Keighley plans 103 homes on an existing outline site. BBC, BBC, Essex Live, and Place Yorkshire