Their homes … & Ours

27%

of parents with children aged 21 to 40 still have at least one adult child living at home, according to research by the National Housing Federation (NHF).

Unsurprisingly, two thirds say this is because of the price of housing. 23% say the situation causes them stress.

10 year

high in the number of families being put into B&B accommodation. At the end of June 2,090 families were living in B&Bs for temporary accommodation while councils tried to house them. This is an 8% increase on the same time last year.

B&Bs are supposed to be used only as emergency accommodation and for a short period but a third of the families had been there for longer than six weeks.

65

new homes were started or acquired by councils using money from Right to Buy sales from April to June 2013.

That’s even fewer than the 844 new homes built in the entire preceding year and is despite £129 million worth of sales under the scheme.

The relaunch of Right to Buy, where social tenants can buy their properties at a discount of up to £75,000 (increased to £100,000 in London after an initial low take-up), was supposed to be a solution to the housing crisis.

Unlike under Margaret Thatcher’s original scheme, the income from sales is now allowed to fund the building of new homes. But clearly that doesn’t guarantee building happens.

80%

of market value now counts as ‘affordable’ rent. Tory Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has introduced policy which forces councils in the capital to abide by this upper limit provided by the government, overriding opposition on the London Assembly from those who recognise that this means pricing all but the richest out of London.

5%

rise in house prices in the last year. The average cost of buying a house in England and Wales is now £164,000.

£105m

is how much you’d have to pay to get your hands on what has been called “arguably the best private house to become available in prime central London in the past quarter of a century.”

The mansion, located in central London but away from any roads or public walkways, includes six bedrooms, five bathrooms, seven reception rooms, a 48-foot drawing room and over half an acre of land.

£21,000

was claimed for a move to a new flat by Liberal Democrat MP for Cardiff Central Jenny Willott over the 2012-2013 period.

It would be nice for us all to have that sort of help with the cost of moving house – unfortunately the rest of us have to pay for it out of our existing income – which for MPs isn’t exactly small.

Willott had the highest expenses claim of any Welsh MP with a grand total of £57,384.55.