Day: 25 November 2020

Chancellor’s Spending Review pledges money to housing sector

Chancellor's Spending Review pledges money to housing sector

As Chancellor Rishi Sunak addressed the House of Commons this afternoon he began to outline the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on the UK economy. In his address, he spoke about property taxes and ended the speculation that these would be changed. However, this is only a short-term strategy with further considerations being made […]

Regional Spotlight: Historical land contamination in Yorkshire

Regional Spotlight: Historical land contamination in Yorkshire

Yorkshire has a rich and diverse history, which goes as far back as the Vikings, the Angles and the Romans. Yorkshire was a hub of industrialisation, with industries such as textiles, coal, iron and steel forming the base of the industrial revolution in Yorkshire, and the north of England[1]. The remnants of this rapid urbanisation […]

LSB plans to galvanise efforts to reshape legal services

LSB plans to galvanise efforts to reshape legal services

A new report by the Legal Services Board (LSB) gives an in-depth review of the legal services sector following ten years of independent regulation. The State of Legal Services 2020 report is informed by data, evidence and conversations with a wide range of individuals and organisations over the last six months and research by the […]

EWS1 Certificate are no longer needed in some cases

The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors said it had agreed the announcement that buildings without cladding did not need the EWS1 assessments, but it added that it would still need to review the government advice before deciding what guidance to issue to surveyors. Sean Tompkins, RICS chief executive, said there had been an "acute market shortage of fire engineers" to carry out the checks. "We are aware of the severe impact this has had on some homeowners and we agree that buildings without cladding should not be subject to the process," he said. Mr Jenrick also said the government was paying to train 2,000 more assessors within six months to speed up checks on blocks which did have cladding. But some cladding experts questioned whether the £700,000 in government funding would be enough. "Do they think they can just give these people a two-day training course for £350?" said Adrian Buckmaster, director of Tetraclad. "You can't train experience in the built environment."

Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has revealed that homes without cladding would no longer need an ESW1 external wall safety certificate. The safety measures were introduced as a result of the Grenfell tower disaster, following the death of 72 people. Previously people have been refused mortgage on flats because owners have been unable to have the […]