By Steady State Manchester The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has announced that the launch of a redrafted Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF) has again been delayed.  Here's why.   1) GMCA now thinks 175,000 houses could be built on available land.  Most of this is "brownfield" sites but some is on green belt [see …

By Richard Goulding and Sophie King   We are undoubtedly witnessing “a moment” in the history-making of community-led housing in the UK.  Where has it sprung from? Where is it going? What are the motivations behind new forms of political support on left and right, from the centre, and at the local level? What would …

Please enable JavaScript LinkEmbedCopy and paste this HTML code into your webpage to embed. By Siobhan Donnachie (@Siobhan_e_d) Summary: TUUK and GMHA are organising Renters’ Forums across the city to push for a renter-led policy response to the crisis of private renting. Rather than a disorganised left lamenting the death of a well funded social …

We’re seeking a Project Coordinator! Passionate about working to address the housing crisis in Greater Manchester? Want to be part of the movement for change? With the fight for our decent, secure, affordable housing more urgent than ever, Greater Manchester Housing Action (GMHA) is looking to engage a freelance coordinator for our Let’s Talk About Housing …

For years Manchester City Council (MCC) has had a chilling effect on any signs of life in the community-led housing (CLH) movement. Now, suddenly, it is counted among the Greater Manchester (GM) councils whose doors and ears are open to ideas for new, creative and democratic forms of housing. MCC's new Director for Housing and …

By Tom Moore (@Tom_Moore85 )   Community land trusts (CLTs) have been celebrated as a potential model for neighbourhood revival in areas of disinvestment and neglect. In the face of concerns about communities in many cities being displaced by rising land values, advocates hope that CLTs can also provide a way of enabling existing residents …

By Jon Silver (@InvisibleMapper)   With thousands of housing units being built in across wards including Deansgate, Piccadilly and Ancoats, central areas of Manchester have now become a key investment ‘hot-spot’ for profit-seeking finance that cares little for local communities. This rampant speculation, surge in international investment and links to rising rents, displacement, homelessness and …

By Dan Wilson Craw (@danwilsoncraw) Generation Rent   After reports in the Sunday papers, late yesterday afternoon the Ministry of Housing published its long-awaited consultation paper on "Overcoming Barriers to Longer Tenancies in the Private Rented Sector". It allows us a moment to celebrate the first success of the End Unfair Evictions campaign: an acceptance by …

By Carl Makin (@carlmakin)   “When people feel supported by strong relationships, change happens. And when we make collaboration and connection feel simple and easy, people want to join in. Yet our welfare state does not try to connect us one to another.” [1]   Loneliness is a constant and growing social problem, and attention …

By Jacob Mukherjee Generation Rent   Landlords can remove tenants without giving a reason. That’s unfair and it needs to change. Most of England’s 11 million renters are on contracts with fixed terms of six months or a year; after this period has ended, landlords can evict their tenants with just two months’ notice – …