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This document provides the agenda for the meeting of the Specialised Committee on the Implementation of the Windsor Framework on 25 April 2024.

The specialist retail property investment organisation has appointed Gerry Murphy, NHS director and former Deloitte partner, as a non-executive director.

Arguably, there is no one better qualified to join Capital & Regional’s team. Gerry Murphy, who is also set to take over as chairman of the group’s audit committee from Ian Krieger once he stands down on 3rd June, is currently a non-executive director of Currys and was previously senior independent director of Capital & Counties Properties.

Ian Krieger is due to stand down from his role as he will have served his full nine-year term as an independent director of the company.

Murphy is also a non-executive board member of the Department of Health and Social Care, chairs its audit and risk committee and is a co-operated member of the NHS England audit and risk assurance committee.

Commenting on the news, David Hunter, chair of Capital & Regional, has said that Murphy will be bringing great financial expertise to the company.

‘Gerry brings a wealth of retail, property and financial experience from a diverse range of real estate and related businesses, which is directly relevant to our strategy,’ Hunter said. ‘His expertise will be invaluable to the company and its future growth ambitions, and the board and I very much look forward to working with him.’

Hunter added: ‘On behalf of the board, I would also like to thank Ian who has been a highly supportive and insightful board member during a period of significant change for the company.’

Image: Gerry Murphy 

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The Bill is finally set to return to the House of Commons today to receive its second reading, where industry experts have explained a lot of work needs to be done.

Back in 2019, the Renters (Reform) Bill was proposed in a bid to axe section 21 notices, which give landlords the power to evict their tenants on short notice.  So far, the new legislation has been ineffective as a result of delays in Parliament, which have caused more people to be cast out of their homes. Recent figures from housing charity Shelter, found the number of households evicted by bailiffs rose by 39% last year.

However, the Bill was published in May 2023 and is finally due for its second reading in the House of Commons today. But despite progress, various industry experts have claimed major revisions need to be completed before it is made into law.

Darren Baxter, principal policy advisor at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), said: ‘As it stands the Renters (Reform) Bill prioritises placating landlords and backbenches over strengthening tenants’ rights. The Renters’ Reform Coalition is right to highlight the serious inadequacy of the Bill, which has been repeatedly watered down. While its primary aim has been to end no-fault evictions, it offers no clear timeframe or commitment as to when this will be done, reneging on promises made to renters over five years ago.’

The Renters Reform Coalition, which is made up of 20 leading organisations – one of them being the JRF – was created to ensure the new Bill favours tenants’ rights over private landlords’.

Darren added: ‘There is still time to do the right thing. Ministers must table amendments to the Bill that reverse the delay to ending Section 21 or no-fault evictions. The Bill must also limit in-tenancy rent increases to the lowest of either inflation or wage growth to prevent landlords from pricing tenants out of their homes.’

Echoing a similar tone, Anthony Kyriacou, CEO and founder of Krispyhouse, has claimed that currently, the Bill is failing the UK rental market.

‘Despite the plethora of amendments suggested by government MPs and the Labour Party, the Bill in its current state still does not strike the right balance between the interests of landlords and tenants,’ Anthony said. ‘The intention is noble, to give tenants better security of tenure, more certainty over their future in a tenanted property, while trying to ensure the Bill does not make the private rental market so unattractive that landlords don’t continue to leave the market as they have been doing for the past few years.’

Anthony continued: ‘Now spanning more than 112 pages and set for a second reading in the Commons [today], the Bill still fails in its purpose to streamline the needlessly complex property market, while also not meeting the real needs of both tenants and landlords. As drafted, I fear that more landlords will decide to leave the market, leaving tenants in a worse position as stock diminishes, prompting a further rise in rents.’

As well as looking to abolish no-fault evictions, the Bill will also mean tenants won’t be able to give two months’ notice leave until they have been in a property for at least four months. Student housing will also be given a new ground for possession to ensure landlords can retain the annual cycle of tenants.

Despite apprehensions, Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association has said that the introduction of the Bill is great news.

‘This Bill delivers a fair deal for tenants and responsible landlords. In the interests of certainty for the sector it is now time to ensure the Bill passes through Parliament,’ Ben said. ‘For renters, the Bill will abolish section 21 repossessions and fixed term tenancies, introduce a Decent Homes Standard for the sector, a new Ombudsman and Property Portal which landlords will have to join as well as measures to protect families and those in receipt of benefits from discrimination.’

Although, with this being said, Ben also noted that ‘the tenant group, Generation Rent, has rightly warned that landlords selling properties is ‘a leading cause of homelessness.’

Ben said: ‘The only answer to this is ensuring responsible landlords feel confident enough to stay in the market. Greater security for tenants will mean nothing if the rental homes are not there in the first place.’

Image: Heidi Fin

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Freedom of Information statistics are governed by the standards set out by the UK Statistics Authority in their code of practice.

Cabinet Office official statistics are governed by the standards set out by the UK Statistics Authority in their code of practice.

This page gives Freedom of Information statistics for central government bodies from October to December 2023.

Annual statistics on Freedom of Information requests for central government bodies for 2023.

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A new report from the Living Wage Trust has found that the capital is the region in the UK with the highest number of insecure jobs, with 80,000 falling into the category.

The research, which was published this morning, included analysis from data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS), which found that that workers in London are more likely to have jobs that involve variable working hours or shift work compared to the rest of the UK – 64% of Londoners work these types of jobs compared to 54% outside of the city.

In addition, experts discovered London grafters are more likely to experience shift cancellations – 35% of Londoners with variable hours said they have experienced unexpected shift cancellations compared to 25% of workers within the rest of the UK.

Alone, these findings are far from satisfactory, but paired with the continuing cost-of-living crisis, it makes them all the more devastating. From the workers who frequently experience shift cuts, 92% claimed they don’t receive their regular pay when this occurs, making it even harder to make ends meet.

However, in a bid to provide some support, Citizens UK is calling on the next government to introduce policies that will strengthen people’s rights and access to predictable, sufficient working hours. This would involve introducing a new right to an employment contract that reflects actual hours worked; requiring employers to provide four weeks’ minimum notice of shifts with reasonable compensation for short notice shift cancellations; and requiring employers to provide a minimum number of guaranteed hours. 

Against this backdrop, the UK’s largest people-powered campaign group who work towards achieving equal rights, have also set up the Making London a Living Wage City project, which is working to tackle issues of low pay and insecure work through Living Wage and Living Hours accreditations. It aims to put over £635m back into the pockets of low paid workers and ensure at least 10,000 workers in London benefit from the security of Living Hours by accrediting businesses to become Living Wage and Living Hours Employers. 

Michael, a Driver Fitter who works in the Newham area for Enabled Living – a council owned company which provides a number of services, including medical equipment, to help Newham residents live independently, said: ‘Working at Enabled Living allows me to have a fair wage, rely on secure shifts and I have working hours that help me look after my children and elderly parents. It has changed my life for the better.’

‘I previously worked in retail and often worked a lot of overtime and had much longer days, but everyone was always paid the same, despite extra hours worked,’ Michael said. ‘I was never able to support my family the way I can now. I couldn’t give my daughter the time she needed to learn and develop. The money I earn now has allowed me to pay for extra curriculum tuition for my daughter, which has allowed her to pass her 11+.’

Michael added: ‘I don’t think she’d be in that position if I wasn’t working for a Living Hours employer. Having decent and regular hours has allowed me to plan ahead for the future, this helps not just myself but my family too.’

Gina Rodriguez, a previous hospitality worker and leader on the Making London a Living Wage City Steering Group, said: ‘The issue of low pay remains so close to my heart. It makes me sad to know there are people right now who are living how I was 15 years ago – working hard but still in poverty. With the cost-of-living crisis, too many low-paid workers are worrying about whether they can afford to turn the heating on during winter or if they’ll be able to afford groceries. This shouldn’t happen in one of the richest cities in the world.’

Image: Raul Varzar

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A topping out ceremony has been held in Manchester at the Government Property Agency’s (GPA) First Street government hub to mark the building reaching its highest point.

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Savills Financial Consultants has helped a Manchester-based housing organisation secure three new deals worth £284m with Santander, NatWest and ABN AMRO.

Great Places Housing Group have recently outlined plans to invest and deliver much-needed affordable properties in communities across the North West, Yorkshire and Derbyshire but, there was one minor factor holding them back, money.

However, Savills Financial Consultants have stepped in and helped the group secure three new deals. Funding of £109m and £100m has been agreed with existing lenders Santander and NatWest Bank and a new deal has been struck with ABN AMRO worth £75m. All loans are revolving credit facilities (RCFs).

Each of the three RCFs contain sustainability-linked performance measures which will provide a reduced interest rate if Great Places meet agreed energy efficiency targets on new and existing homes.

Mike Roche, director at Savills Financial Consultants, said: ‘We are delighted to continue and develop our relationships with NatWest and Santander and welcome ABN AMRO as a new banking partner. We received strong interest from the banking sector for this transaction and it is pleasing to move forward with sustainability-linked funding. Thank you to the Great Places team and Savills for their insight and support.’

‘There were a significant number of moving parts with these deals, so it is a testament to the Great Places team that they have been able to handle the process so diligently,’ Mike added. ‘The Savills Financial Consultants team has really enjoyed helping Great Places secure this increased financial capacity at the right pricing to help deliver their aims.’

Great Places’ current plans include further increasing resources to improve property conditions and customer services, as well as ambition to develop around 9,000 new affordable homes during the period 2020-30.

Martin Skinner, relationship director at NatWest, said: ‘We are a major lender to the UK affordable housing sector and are delighted to continue to support the important work of Great Places in providing much-needed social housing to the region. The RCF structure, coupled with sustainability-linked performance measures, will lead to more energy efficient homes across the North West, Yorkshire and Derbyshire.

‘We are proud to have announced that in 2023 we completed nearly £3bn of new funding to help more people and families have access to housing. We support around 200 housing associations across the UK and are proud to announce our ambition to provide a further £5bn in funding to support the housing association sector by the end of 2026.’

Image: Great Places 

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