Anna Clarke
@annaclarke.bsky.social
7K followers 2.3K following 4.5K posts
Policy and Public Affairs at The Housing Forum. Interested in UK housing policy, planning, economics, housebuilding, energy, social policy. Views are my own. Cambridge based. https://housingforum.org.uk/
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
annaclarke.bsky.social
This can be the case for older people too. My gran shared her pin with her (thankfully lovely) carer for years because she couldn't get to the cash machine any more.
annaclarke.bsky.social
It's the same for landlords. And does mean that small, amateur (lazy) employers or landlords can end up discriminating by choosing people who they think are a safe bet to be British so they don't need to bother with ID checks on the right to work/rent.
annaclarke.bsky.social
ID isn't legally needed for employment. An employer would be breaking the law if they employ someone without the right to work, but they can take a chance if they want. They're not breaking any laws by not checking (and many small employers won't bother for someone who looks/sounds British).
annaclarke.bsky.social
I think you'd be hard pushed to find an ecologist who would claim that the bat structure was the best way to use £100m for the benefit of nature.
annaclarke.bsky.social
Broadly speaking, yes.
annaclarke.bsky.social
I think you're splitting hairs as to whether it's an above-ground tunnel or a structure. This is what it looks like:
Picture shows an above-ground tunnel, built over the railway and big enough for trains to travel through.
annaclarke.bsky.social
That does sound crazy. Though have to say both mine did ski trips (by coach) and learned to ski and absolutely loved it. I can't ski so it was an opportunity I could not easily have given them myself.
annaclarke.bsky.social
I think that's the critical factor really - you have *so* many more hours in the day when your kids leave home and a) don't need feeding and b) don't need anything else either. A great time to take up elaborate cooking if you enjoy it (but less use if you want to model healthy eating for your kids)
annaclarke.bsky.social
I don't think housebuilders want to be in the position they're in - they've had massive extra costs heaped on them in the last few years and the market has stalled. They won't build at a loss.
annaclarke.bsky.social
The ban on non-locals buying newbuild homes of course does nothing to stop people buying second homes - they just buy up the existing housing stock, as older houses tend to be more popular as holiday homes anyway.
annaclarke.bsky.social
So Farage wants to scrap double council tax on second homes - a policy that's been working well to raise more money for councils and also free up more homes for locals. And instead ban new homes from being sold to anyone not already local - a policy shown to grind housebuilding to virtually zero?
annaclarke.bsky.social
Just googled it and yes you're right. Cambridge, where I live, stopped using it last year and I'd assumed that was everywhere, but seems some councils are still using it.
annaclarke.bsky.social
Not any more - Glyphosate got banned.
annaclarke.bsky.social
Students could leave if they wanted. Parents wouldn't be able to get a mortgage to buy a house for their child and friends, and would have to charge rent-controlled rents and not evict (or sell to the child and friends, or to the council). See www.greencoordinate.co.uk/motions/abol...
Abolish Landlords (#10) • Green Party Conference Agenda
www.greencoordinate.co.uk
annaclarke.bsky.social
They seem to be talking about some form of contribution-based ESA.
annaclarke.bsky.social
The savings depend upon how many move to means tested benefits instead though presumably?
annaclarke.bsky.social
Also, not allowed to end tenancies at the end of the academic year, or evict for any reason whatsoever. The students in private rentals would be bought up by councils and become council tenants. Next year's students will be asked to bring tents....
annaclarke.bsky.social
No I think only council would be social (possibly housing association too). So as a private landlord universities would be subject to rent controls, banned from borrowing money to build student housing, and forced to sell the rooms to students at a price that deducts all the rent they've ever paid.
annaclarke.bsky.social
Developed countries weren't flat for 40-50 years. They were declining quite consistently, apart from a few small blips.
annaclarke.bsky.social
I'm Asia it's tied up with a very competitive education system and sense among parents that you need to plough all your resources into one child or they won't succeed. Hugely damaging to the children, as well as putting their society on a fast track towards oblivion.
annaclarke.bsky.social
I'm not sure. Those look like blips to me on what is overall a very clear and strong global trend. Maybe not intractable but certainly in one overall direction currently.
annaclarke.bsky.social
Unlikely. At the moment - for all the tensions over it - migration from poorer countries to richer ones is overall a win win. I can see there being much more tensions when everyone's competing for workers.
annaclarke.bsky.social
World fertility rates are declining too, and fast. So migration is only a temporary patch to solve the high pensioner to working age ratio.