Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 29/09/2026I think we need to see details of Burnham's proposals on the triple lock - but it does sound like something along the lines that the Resolution Foundation have set out here. Good to see he's made use of the work already done on this, and isn't kicking it into the long grass via a long review. 110
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 27/09/2026We badly need a better system of social care. But how can Burnham possibly hope to build cross-party consensus if he's intending to put it on the ballot paper for the next election? www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cj...bbc.co.ukPM Andy Burnham proposes national care service to tackle "threadbare" social care system - watch liveThe PM says the care service for England, which would be "free at the point of use", would be put on the ballot at the next general election. 4155
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Help to Buy is back! Or rather, a new version - more tightly targeted and less likely to overinflate the housing market. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...theguardian.comAndy Burnham announces new homes scheme for first-time buyersExclusive: Policy initiative for England will help more young people on to property ladder, prime minister tells Guardian 41412
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 24/09/2026New housebuilding figures have been published today - including from the 2025-26 year. They're not where they should be, but have turned the downwards trend upwards. 274
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 21/09/2026I'm certain that no council will have budgeted for its temporary accommodation costs rising by 88% in just 5 years. So they'll be needing to make cuts to other services to pay for it. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...independent.co.ukTemporary housing costs councils £8m every day in new record highOver £8m a day is being spent on emergency provision, new figures show 3126
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 19/09/2026This is a really stark graph. And strongly suggests that the cost of housing is the main factor causing young people to remain with their parents (not choice, culture, lack of partner or online living - all of which I've heard suggested as alternative explanations) 073
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 11/09/2026Excellent thread here on housebuilding rates, and why they're falling - despite the Government's ambition to build more homes. 033
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 10/09/2026This is a really sensible and *cost-neutral* suggestion from the Resolution Fountain here - would direct support where it's needed and ensure everyone can both pay their rent and eat. 131
Reposted by Anna ClarkeThe Housing Forum @housingforum.org.uk · 10/09/2026The Housing Forum has submitted representation to the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget. housingforum.org.uk/housing-solu... 011
Reposted by Anna ClarkeKaren Buck @queensparkkaren.bsky.social · 10/09/2026We’ve seen this movie before. It ends with homelessness, Temporary Accommodation costs crippling local councils, renters in severe financial hardship. That this can be done without huge social damage is the politics of wishful thinking. 810634
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 04/09/2026This is my favourite tip when chairing a panel discussion. "2 minute" opening statements turn into 5-10 each and are always dull. So much better to go straight in with the question you'd most like to ask to each panelist in turn (not necessarily the same one). 160
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 27/08/2026Buried in this article is some good news about how well courts are dealing with the (expected) increase in tenants challenging rent increases since the Renters Rights Act came in - Time to hear cases has fallen to 80 days in July, down from 113 days in May and 172 in April. 1126
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 25/08/2026Press release not quite matching reality here - just 4% of the funding announced today is going to councils to build new council housing, with funding for around 3,000 new council homes over 10 years. So not really the "historic council housebuilding comeback" that some had hoped for. 153
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 25/08/2026I'm really pleased to see this £10bn of social housing grant is now allocated across England. This means councils and housing associations can start cracking on with building these new homes. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...bbc.co.ukMore than 70,000 social and affordable homes to be built across England over 10 yearsFunding has been granted to Greater Manchester, the West Midlands and West Yorkshire as well as £6bn for London. 1133
Reposted by Anna ClarkeAnna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 21/07/2026No, it didn't just take political will - if it was easy to end rough sleeping, we'd have done it by now. Here are a few ways you could try - but all come with downsides... 🧵 5145
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 17/08/2026Press release on the new changes to planning policy now out. We're expecting the details later today. www.gov.uk/government/n...gov.ukFull steam ahead to fast-track more homes near stationsThousands of quality homes to be built closer to stations, cutting commute times and helping families live closer to work, school and transport 52715
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 16/08/2026Nothing in planning legislation can make a non-viable pub viable. It'll likely just mean a closed and vacant pub sits empty for years, or decades, instead of being reused as housing or something else. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...bbc.co.ukChanging pubs into offices or homes to be made harder under new rulesThe rules will come into force on Monday along with other changes to planning policy. 3018445
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 14/08/2026This is precisely why the government shouldn't be using an emergency alert system for things that -whilst important - are not emergencies requiring immediate action. 1102
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 09/08/2026Actually using prisons to rehabilitate prisoners is a much better solution to overcrowded prisons than chaotic early releases. 0131
Reposted by Anna ClarkeThe Housing Forum @housingforum.org.uk · 22/07/2026The Housing Forum has today published our new Housing Solutions. This sets out the key ways that policymakers and the housing sector can work together to deliver on our ambition of a quality home for all. housingforum.org.uk/housing-solu...housingforum.org.ukHousing Solutions: Practical insights from the housing sector : The Housing ForumThe Housing Forum has today published our new Housing Solutions. This sets out the key ways that policymakers and the housing sector can work together to deliver on our ambition of a quality home for ... 111
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 21/07/2026No, it didn't just take political will - if it was easy to end rough sleeping, we'd have done it by now. Here are a few ways you could try - but all come with downsides... 🧵 5145
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 21/07/2026Interesting that the VAT cut to electricity bills is being badged as cost of living support. It's also very much the direction of travel needed for decarbonisation - making it more financially attractive to move off gas and onto a heat pump. 0182
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 18/07/2026If Andy Burnham (or anyone else) wants to understand the challenges of building more homes, I'd strongly recommend this balanced and nuanced article by @jburnmurdoch.ft.com How to fix the housing crisis - giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... via @FTgiftarticle.ft.comHow to fix the housing crisisDeregulation isn’t enough. Nor is government intervention. We need both 0123
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 15/07/2026These are the kinds of radical environmental policies I'd like to see from the Green Party. Would be so much more helpful for opening up the debate on the pace and route to net zero, than just advocating for a wealth tax that can somehow pay for massively expanded spending. 141
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 09/07/2026China often gets seen as behind in addressing climate change. But having been there recently, this doesn't surprise me - They're really proud of their reforestation efforts, and very much starting to plan for a future beyond coal. 3111
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 07/07/2026All the main parties have now confirmed they're not standing I believe. So Count Binface could plausibly pick up all the anti-Farage voters.... 170
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 03/07/2026I don't think @martinlewis.moneysavingexpert.com should be encouraging people to open Lifetime ISAs before they are reformed - they're a flawed product and too many people can end to losing money on them. Savers race to open £4k bonus Isa before Labour scraps it www.telegraph.co.uk/money/invest...telegraph.co.uk 131
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 03/07/2026New rules to speed to planning for major infrastructure projects come into effect today. www.gov.uk/government/n...gov.ukFastest infrastructure building in a generation as planning rules overhauledNew reforms confirmed today to speed up the approval process for major infrastructure projects. 172
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 26/06/2026It bewilders me how one bit of government can spend years finessing a new policy (mandating solar on newbuild homes), whilst another bit is busy on its own - TOTALLY CONTRADICTORY policy (effectively banning solar on small roofs, and significantly reducing it on all roofs) 🤷 1115
Reposted by Anna ClarkeThe Housing Forum @housingforum.org.uk · 26/06/2026The Housing Forum has raised concerns that new fire safety regulations could make it impossible to fit solar panels on smaller roofs. Increasing distances from roof edges, features and neighbouring properties will reduce the number of solar panels that can fit housingforum.org.uk/the-housing-...housingforum.org.ukThe Housing Forum raises concerns that new fire safety regulations could make it impossible to fit solar panels on smaller roofs : The Housing ForumThe Housing Forum has responded to the Health and Safety Executive’s review of fire safety raising concerns about the impact that the proposed changes to fire safety rules on solar PV could have on fi... 243
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 25/06/2026Was at a great session on the topic of misinformation in social housing allocations yesterday. Key takeaways were that - misinformation is rife - frontline staff do not always know how to combat it -BME staff feel their organisation isn't doing enough to support them. White staff seem oblivious. 12811
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 22/06/2026Oh dear. Andy Burhnam is going to be on a steep learning curve if he thinks the existing £39bn Government funding could be rediverted to fund "the biggest programme of council housebuilding since the Second World War”. - The £39bn (over 10y) would fund around 20,000/yr - In 1954, we built 198,210. 53718
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 18/06/2026Why does it cost more for councils and housing associations to build new homes than it does the private sector? www.insidehousing.co.uk/home/why-is-...insidehousing.co.ukWhy is development more expensive for social landlords?Ahead of her session at Housing 2026, Anna Clarke, director of policy and public affairs at The Housing Forum, discusses a new report it has released. 151
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 15/06/2026A bit of context on Reform's proposals to evict social housing tenants: - 15% of social housing tenants were born abroad (compared with 17% of all households) - Just 7% of social housing tenants had a non-UK passport (compared with 10% of all households) migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/br...migrationobservatory.ox.ac.ukMigrants and Housing in the UK - Migration ObservatoryThis briefing reviews the evidence on migration and housing in the UK, and deals with migrants' use of social housing, private rentals and home ownership. 153
Reposted by Anna ClarkeThe Housing Forum @housingforum.org.uk · 15/06/2026Why do councils and housing associations end up paying more than private developers to build new homes? Our new report argues that procurement processes as one of the most significant drivers of development costs within the public sector. housingforum.org.uk/reports/key-...housingforum.org.ukProcurement – the price we pay….. and the path to improvement : The Housing ForumOur new report – Procurement – the Price we pay, and the path to improvement – sets out how councils and housing associations are paying more than private developers to build new homes due to slow and... 263
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 10/06/2026Strong words from @london.gov.uk here - directly linking the violence in Belfast to normalisation of violence in political rhetoric, including online. 02010
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 10/06/2026With demographic change, concerns about the value of going to university and tighter rules for foreign students, I suspect we'll see more of these applications to convert student housing to other uses. 353
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 09/06/2026Very interested to see that the Government is looking at stamp duty reform. But abolishing it completely could mean Government loses one of the few levers it has to try to stablise the housing market. 🧵 220
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 02/06/2026At an event today with a speaker on business's growing use of AI. They get to a slide comparing household saving levels in 2025 & 2026. Speaker "Er...actually AI made these slides and it's got the 2025 and 2026 labels swapped round.." Not filling me with confidence on the growing AI revolution.... 072
Reposted by Anna ClarkeThe Housing Forum @housingforum.org.uk · 28/05/2026With the Future Homes Standard now launched more people will be living in homes with advanced technologies such as heat pumps, mechanical ventilation systems, and solar PV. How do we build and manage these homes so they work for the people who live in them? housingforum.org.uk/events/susta...housingforum.org.ukHigh Tech Homes - Sustainable Asset Management Series : The Housing ForumFor the first instalment of our newly launched Sustainable Asset Management Series, we are exploring the theme of “high-tech homes”. With the Future Homes Standard now launched more people will be liv... 015
Reposted by Anna ClarkeEmma Monk @monkemma.bsky.social · 30/05/2026Here are the figures comparing UK and non-EU nationals in Jan 2020 and in Dec 2025 In 2025, it was 3.85 million vs 0.37 million So there are actually 10 times as many UK U25s in paid employment as there are non-EU U25s And the VAST MAJORITY were hired after Jan 2020 8/ 114634
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 29/05/2026Despite all its craziness, "Forest City" does seem to be gaining some momentum. 220
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 29/05/2026Government's new towns programme is looking vulnerable to political flux: "Enfield Council has formally withdrawn from the government’s New Town programme, following the election of Cllr Alessandro Georgiou as Leader of the Council" www.enfield.gov.uk/news-and-eve...enfield.gov.uk 200
Reposted by Anna ClarkeTrish Greenhalgh @trishgreenhalgh.bsky.social · 23/05/2026Every summer I repost this article on how to spot drowning. Please read it and pass on. In the last few years I’ve had SIX messages from people who saved a kid’s life after clicking on the link from my feed. slate.com/technology/2...slate.comDrowning Doesn’t Look Like DrowningDrowning is not the violent, splashing call for help that most people expect. 253133969736
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 16/05/2026'Cause nothing says how special England is like copying a slogan from America 🤨 2110
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 15/05/2026Persuading local authorities to take "someone else's" housing requirements has never been easy. One of the benefits of the local government reorganisation is that in many areas, small authorities will be merged with their neighbours, which should give much less of an "us and them" mentality. 022
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 15/05/2026Fundamental problem here is that even if you could do this without causing landlords to sell up (unlikely), there wouldn't be any more housing to go around. Where would the renters who've been forced out by the high rents be living? 430
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 13/05/2026Government had, until now, been saying it would bring forward these reforms to the Right to Buy "when parliamentary time allows" - good to see it's risen up the priority list and was included in today's Kings Speech. 051
Reposted by Anna ClarkeThe Housing Forum @housingforum.org.uk · 13/05/2026We welcome the reforms to the Right to Buy announced today in the Kings Speech. Our recent report called for many of the reforms that the Government has today confirmed it will soon be taking forward in the new Social Housing Renewal Bill. housingforum.org.uk/reports/key-...housingforum.org.ukReforming the Right to Buy : The Housing ForumOur new briefing on the Right to Buy sets out practical steps for reforming the system, including introducing a Buyers' Charter on sales, giving councils the confidence to build, and making this easie... 153
Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 13/05/2026A few interesting bits of the Kings Speech for housing: - "Social Housing Renewal Bill" - which includes reforms the Right to Buy. - Leasehold reforms, including capping ground rents - Cladding Remediation Bill assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a0453...assets.publishing.service.gov.uk 021