There has been media coverage this week suggesting that air conditioning is banned in homes. This is incorrect.
Air conditioning can be installed in both existing and new homes.
In most cases, planning permission is not required to install it for a small home if it would not materially affect the appearance of the building from outside.
However, there is no blanket rule. People should speak…
✅ Good news if you rent privately, as your local council can now take stronger action against your landlord if your home is found to have a serious hazard.
A new power in the Renters’ Rights Act is now in force, giving councils the authority to issue on the spot fines of up to £7,000 if they find serious health and safety issues in your rented home.
Here are the changes explained.
There is widespread positive national and consumer media coverage following MHCLG’s announcement of major reforms to the homebuying and selling system, aimed at making transactions faster, more transparent, and less likely to fall through.
The Financial Times reports the government’s plans for a significant overhaul of the system, leading on new requirements for sellers to provide upfront…
The way you buy and sell a home is changing to make it faster, simpler, and more certain.
🔑 What does that mean?
There have been misleading claims reported in the Times today saying that decisions on local government reorganisation are “gerrymandering”.
This is simply not true. These decisions are being made in line with the published criteria – not on a party political basis – as our statement makes clear.
An MHCLG spokesperson said:
“We completely reject these allegations. Decisions on local…
There is positive national coverage following a joint announcement by MHCLG and DSIT of two new AI-powered planning tools designed to speed up planning decisions and support the government's ambition to build the homes this country needs.
Press Association ran the cross-departmental story following proactive sell-in from comms and a technical media briefing ahead of publication. The piece…
This week we launched a new consultation proposing a package of amendments to permitted development rights (PDRs).
PDRs are a national grant of planning permission that allows specific building works or change of property use to happen without having to submit a full planning application to a local authority.
The proposals include extending the power to quickly erect temporary buildings if…
On Saturday, (6 June), the government announced that football fans will be able to roar on the Three Lions at the World Cup this summer with extended opening hours for pubs – and called on local councils not to block their fun.
Local leaders were asked to sign-off as many requests for Temporary Event Notices as possible, allowing for pubs to open later and hold special screenings and events in…
🌟Votes at 16 are coming – and the Government is investing £2.5 million to support people to engage with democracy, including making sure young people are ready.
🤝The new Democratic Engagement Fund will support projects helping to ensure that when 16 and 17-year-olds head to the ballot box for the first time, they feel informed, included, and empowered to take part.
💪 Too many people feel…
04/06/2026. York, United Kingdom. Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits the York Central housing development site in York with Steve Reed, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. Picture by Lauren Hurley / No 10 Downing Street
On Thursday 4 June, Communities Secretary Steve Reed joined the Prime Minister for a visit to York Central, a major development site in the heart of…
There is positive national coverage of the Social Housing Bill as it heads into its Second Reading in the House of Lords today. Much of the coverage leads with stronger protections for domestic abuse survivors as well as reforms on Right to Buy.
The Daily Mirror and iNews both report on government measures to protect survivors of domestic abuse in social housing, highlighting that…
🏠 What does protecting domestic abuse victims actually mean?
Right now, landlords have few options to support victims to remain in their home if they share a tenancy with an abuser, and many victims are forced to either leave or end the tenancy entirely – which can potentially leave you homeless.
Last year, around 15,000 households in England had to find a new social home because of…
Following UKREiiF last week, there has been widespread coverage leading on a Homes England funding announcement in Leeds, alongside trade coverage on planning reform and the NPPF.
There is positive regional and trade coverage of the government-backed Leeds South Village regeneration scheme. BBC News and trade outlets report that a £16m Homes England funding boost will support delivery of around…
Millions of flat owners are another step closer to fairer home ownership, as desperately needed leasehold and commonhold reforms head to Parliament.
Now the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill has been confirmed in the King’s Speech, plans to overhaul the outdated leasehold system are no longer drafts - they are on their way to becoming real laws.
Soon, the Bill will be introduced to…
Today, the government has published the council tax levels set by local authorities in England for 2026-27. This showed that the increase in the national average council tax will be less than the last three years.
The average Band D council tax increase set by local authorities in England for 2026-27 will be 4.9%, the lowest level in three years. The increase was 5.0% last year and 5.1% the year…
Positive coverages features across press this week after MHCLG announced new funding worth over £41 million to support councils across England, as they prepare for their new enforcement duties in the Renters’ Rights Act from 1 May 2026.
With the Act just two weeks from benefitting 11 million private renters in England, the enforcement cash now totalling £60 million will help councils protect…
This week we published our response to the independent Rycroft Review, commissioned to look into foreign financial influence and interference in UK democracy.
We’re bringing in the recommendations to cap political donations of overseas electors at £100,000 a year and banning all cryptocurrency donations - landmark changes to protect UK democracy from the scourge of foreign actors and financial…
Yesterday, Secretary of State Steve Reed announced the government’s new cohesion action plan, Protecting What Matters, outlining a comprehensive approach to building stronger, more cohesive communities across the country.
There has been widespread coverage of the announcement, with Press Association covering the Secretary of State’s oral statement in full. The piece also ran in the…
There has been inaccurate media reporting suggesting former residents of Spectrum Building in Dagenham are being made to pay for the building’s fire safety works. This is not true.
Since the fire in August 2024, the building’s freeholder has gone into administration. The administrators at Spectrum are now in control of the money, including insurance proceeds. It is the administrator's…
The way we vote in person has not changed since 1872. Big changes are being tested in the way people vote at polling stations – helping to make elections more convenient, accessible and better suited to modern life.
What’s changing?
🗳️ Making voting more convenient
Several councils will pilot simpler ways of voting in person , giving people greater choice about **where…
There was significant coverage in the media on our announcements last week to name the areas benefitting through the expanded Pride in Place programme, transform high streets, fund play spaces in deprived communities, and reform the way public bodies work together in different parts of the country by pooling their funding.
On Friday (20 March) we named the 40 communities that will receive £20…
Today, the government announced seven areas proposed as locations for New Towns as part of the most ambitious housebuilding programme in more than half a century.
There has been positive widespread coverage of the announcement with The Timescalling the establishment of the new towns a “housebuilding bonanza”, framing the announcement as part of the biggest housing push in over 50 years. The…
The government is proposing to build seven new towns across England to support the biggest housebuilding programme in over fifty years. This will help more people buy a home and live close to jobs and transport links. In addition, it is also announcing more details about the new National Housing Bank, backed by up to £16billion in funding to support building 500,000 new homes.
🌟**What could…
In just one month’s time, a major shake‑up of the private rented sector comes into force.
From 1 May 2026, the new Renters’ Rights Act will give 11 million renters stronger protections, fairer rules and greater security in their homes. With big changes on the way, now’s the moment to get to know your rights and what they mean for you.
**🔑**What’s changing from the 1 May?
New private renting rules in England are coming on 1 May 2026.
If you’re a landlord, there are some things you need to do to be ready.
The tasks are quite simple but need your attention – and if you have a letting agent you may want to speak to them about the changes.
While most landlords treat their tenants well, the Renters’ Rights Act guarantees protections for all 11 million people who…
Muslims in the UK are facing rising hostility and discrimination, with almost half of religious hate crimes targeted at Muslims, this is at a record level. Many in the Muslim community feel unsafe, unheard, or unsure whether the hostility they face will be recognised or addressed. This hostility also affects people perceived to be Muslim, too. Until now, there hasn’t been a clear, shared way…
There has been widespread reporting across national media this week concerning the government’s announcement on the Flexible Voting Pilots.
The I , Daily Mail and Independent and Metro all reported positively on the pilots, which will see voters able to cast their ballots in shopping centres and at weekends in four areas for the upcoming May local elections. The pieces note…
There has been some national and local media coverage of a major expansion of the Pride in Place scheme, announced by the government yesterday.
The new package is worth up to £800 million, allowing 40 new areas across England to decide where to invest £20 million in their neighbourhood, whether that is rejuvenating their high streets, restoring community spaces, or launching local events.
The…
We have today issued the below statement for immediate use on the local authority elections taking place in May 2026.
An MHCLG spokesperson said:
“Following legal advice, the Government has withdrawn its original decision to postpone 30 local elections in May.
**_“Providing certainty to councils about their local elections is now the most crucial thing and all local elections will…
There has been national reporting today about research from the insurer Aviva claiming one in nine new homes is at risk of flooding.
Some of the figures quoted in Aviva’s research are misleading as they don’t factor in flood defences currently in place. For example, much of the Cities of London & Westminster are in a flood risk area but are defended by the Thames Barrier.
Development is…
