Housing

Government policies have meant misery for millions in fuel poverty, and Conservatives manifesto commitments promise no relief,  argues Ruth London. A different direction is needed, prioritising renewables, insulation, and public control of energy and prices.

Read the Journal papers coming from the PSE research. The latest paper examines how analyses of the micro paradata ‘by-products’ from the 1967/1968 Poverty in the United Kingdom (PinUK) and 2012 Poverty and Social Exclusion in the UK (PSE) surveys highlight changes in the conditions of survey production over this 45 year period in the latest output from the PSE research.

One in eleven people in Britain fear they won't be able to afford their monthly rent or mortgage payments in 2014, according to new research from the campaign group Shelter. The research was based on a YouGov survey of over 4,000 adults.
 
 The findings show household budgets across the country at breaking point, Shelter says. Families are the worst affected, with over 70 per cent of rent or mortgage payers with children struggling or falling behind with their payments, compared with 63 per cent of the general population.
 
 The survey also reveals a worrying trend of people unable to face up to their financial difficulties, with nearly one in five saying they had not opened post if they thought it was a bill or late payment reminder.
 

The coalition's housing policies – including the controversial 'bedroom tax' – have been publicly criticised by a  United Nations Special Rapporteur. Raquel Rolnik was giving her preliminary conclusions at the end of a two-week visit that included meetings with a wide range of interested parties, including coalition ministers and people directly affected by government policies.