What immediate action could tackle ‘out of control’ rent prices?

Published

10 months ago

March 21, 2024

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There was more bad news for renters this week as the Office for National Statistics (ONS) released their latest figures on price rises.

Private rent has rocketed again, with the average increase to monthly payments hitting 9% across the UK – despite inflation sitting at 3.4%.

And while average rents went up to £723 a month in Wales – a 9% rise – and £944 in Scotland – a 10.9% rise – the average each month in England reached £1,276 – up 8.8%.

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This is far from a new problem, as according to the ONS; the percentage increase on monthly rents has been gradually rising since May 2021 – following a drop during the pandemic.

There is an ongoing call for more houses to be built – and social housing in particular – but what could be done now to help those seeing their wages increasingly eaten up by putting a roof over their heads?

Generation Rent: ‘Out of control’

Generation Rent, a campaign group representing renters, says the market is “completely out of control”.

Speaking to Sky News, its policy and public affairs manager Connor O’Shea says: “Why are rent rises bigger than inflation? Because they can be.

“Landlords are being told and encouraged to put the rent up by whatever they want as there are so many people desperate for a home.”

Mr O’Shea says renters are being forced to view properties at the same time as other people to pile pressure on to make an offer, told to pay 12 months’ rent in advance to secure a property, and increasingly placed into bidding wars.

The campaigner is also warning of an increasing phenomena of what Generation Rent calls “economic evictions”, where landlords raise rents so astronomically, people are forced to move home.

Cap rents at local wage growth or inflation

The group has a number of policy proposals to help “slam the breaks” on the hikes, including introducing a mechanism where rent increases are capped by either the local wage growth figure or local inflation in specific areas.

They also want to see rent control powers devolved to regional mayors who could bring in measures in hot spots.

“There is an emergency in a lot of these places,” says Mr O’Shea. “The prices are unaffordable across the board, but in the inner cities there are real issues stemming off the back of these rent increases, driving people out of their homes.

“So… we don’t think rent controls should happen across the country, but perhaps in the worst hit areas of London, of Manchester, of Newcastle, wherever it may be, that local authority mayor could step in.”

NRLA: Use tax to boost rental sector

But the chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), Ben Beadle, says the government needs to “play with the tax levers” and encourage more people into renting out homes to prevent further rises.

Speaking to Sky News, he says there has been “white hot demand” in the sector as landlords were “exiting in droves”, but their homes were not going back into the private rental market.

“According to Zoopla, landlords are getting 15 inquiries per property – double what is was before the pandemic,” he says. “So it is like surge pricing for an Uber. If more people are looking, the prices are going to surge.

“And the reason why landlords are exiting at such rates is the growing costs of mortgage rates.”

After the mini-budget of Liz Truss’ premiership, rates rocketed, hitting a high of 6.86% in July last year – compared to 2.34% in December 2021.

And while the rates have begun to subside, an average two-year fixed mortgage is still 5.79%.

The NRLA chief also points to a government move in 2015 to phase out the amount of tax relief landlords could get on their by-to-let mortgages, as well as the 3% stamp duty introduced on the purchase of long-term homes to rent.

Mr Beadle thinks taking immediate action on revising those tax changes would have an immediate impact on the price of rent.

Joseph Rowntree Foundation: The long awaited Renter’s Reform Bill

Senior economist for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), Rachelle Earwaker, accepts there has been “some uncertainty” for landlords, and their costs have increased.

But she believes there is one measure that would “cost the government nothing” and totally change the market.

“Bring in the Renter’s Reform Bill,” she says, speaking to Sky News.

The Conservatives’ proposed legislation makes a number of promises around strengthening renters’ rights and includes a long-awaited ban on “no-fault” evictions, which allow landlords to claim back properties and remove tenants without giving a reason.

But despite first being proposed in 2019, it has still failed to make its way through parliament, and it is unclear when the legislation is set to return

Shelter: Limited in-tenancy rises

Shelter also wants to see the government make private renting “more secure and affordable”.

Similar to Generation Rent, the homelessness charity’s chief executive, Polly Neate, is calling for ministers to “limit in-tenancy rent increases to protect tenants from being forced out of their homes by a sudden and unexpected rent hike”.

But the Shelter CEO is joining JRF’s call for the Renter’s Reform Bill to be enacted, telling Sky News the government has to keep its promise to pass a “water tight bill”.

She says: “Private renting has reached boiling point. Decades of failure to build genuinely affordable social homes has made private renting the only option for many, and as a result, competition for overpriced and often shoddy rentals is fierce.

“Landlords can hike up the rent, safe in the knowledge that if their tenants can’t pay, they can issue a no-fault eviction with just two months’ notice and get a new tenant at a higher rent.”

She adds: “Getting rid of Section 21 no fault evictions will mean renters can challenge unfair rent increases without worrying about being slapped with a retaliatory eviction by their landlord.”

Generation Rent’s Mr O’Shea calls the bill the “elephant in the room” on how to fix rising costs, adding: “It is impossible to ignore this problem now. It is actually damaging to the economy as a whole, because if someone is paying 40% of their income on rent alone then they are not spending in other places.”

A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson said: “We recognise the cost-of-living pressures on tenants are facing, and our landmark Renters Reform Bill offers a new, fairer deal for tenants and landlords.”

Politics

Tulip Siddiq boasted of links with ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

Published

2 hours ago

January 13, 2025

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Tulip Siddiq boasted of links with ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

Tulip Siddiq has sought to distance herself from her aunt, deposed Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina, claiming they never spoke about politics.

But Sky News can reveal that in a blog written by the now City minister she boasted about how close they were politically and published photos of them together.

In posts written in late 2008 and early 2009, when she was a Labour activist, Ms Siddiq described campaigning with her aunt in Bangladesh’s general election and celebrating her victory.

Our disclosure coincides with a new report in The Times which reveals how the embattled MP’s Labour Party flyers were found in the palace in Dhaka that belonged to her aunt, who was ousted in a coup last year.

The blog is headed: “Tulip Siddiq, member of the Labour Party action team in Bloomsbury and King’s Cross”, and in a post on January 11, 2009, Ms Siddiq told supporters: “I was really busy in Bangladesh as you probably gathered…

“I’ve put up photos of Sheikh Hasina’s post-election press conference at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in Dhaka.

“The most significant element of this press conference for me was Sheikh Hasina’s insistence that all the political parties in Bangladesh need to work together for the welfare of the country.

“It is no secret that past governments have not worked with the other political parties and we need to change this trend.

“The prime minister emphasised that the Awami League does not support the ‘politics of vengeance’ which is encouraging so let’s hope that a new political culture is created this year.”

She added: “Here’s an action shot of me with the prime minister at the press conference. I’m not sure what I was saying but it probably wasn’t that interesting!”

In a post on January 21, 2009, she wrote: “I was fortunate enough to travel with Sheikh Hasina in her car during election day.

“The prime minister-elect (Prime Ministerial candidate at the time!) drove to several constituencies in Dhaka and stopped quickly at each one to meet the parliamentary candidate or speak to the voters.”

Describing traveling in her aunt’s car, she wrote: “You can see all my photos from election day here… I apologise for the poor quality of some of the pictures. I was taking photos from inside her car which is actually quite difficult!”

“You’ll also see a photo of Dhaka Central Jail. I took that photo because Sheikh Hasina told me that this jail was practically her second home for most of her childhood as her father, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was under arrest for many years.

“She told me that she visited him with the rest of her family every weekend, so it was a very familiar landmark.”

Earlier, on December 29, 2008, under the heading “Victory!”, Ms Siddiq wrote: “The Awami League have won the elections by a landslide! Sheikh Hasina is the prime minister-elect! I am ecstatic!

“I’ve been on the campaign trail with Sheikh Hasina all day so I don’t really have the energy to write much more but I will do so tomorrow.

“However, I can’t resist uploading a couple of photos. This is Sheikh Hasina’s face just before she heard the results from an unwinnable constituency.

“Here she is after she heard that the Awami League hard work had paid off in that seat.”

The Times reports that political literature of Ms Siddiq, Sir Keir Starmer’s anti-corruption minister, was found at the heavily guarded palace in Dhaka, covered by dust and debris.

At the top of a staircase were items produced by Ms Sidddiq. One was a thank you note to local Labour Party members following her election as MP for Hampstead and Kilburn.

Another was her annual report for 2022, inviting readers to learn about her help for those affected by the cost-of-living crisis.

The new disclosures will pile further pressure on Ms Siddiq and lead to further calls on the prime minister to sack her.

Many Labour MPs believe her ministerial career is now hanging by a thread.

On Sky News earlier, cabinet minister Peter Kyle told Trevor Phillips Ms Siddiq was right to submit herself to an ethics investigation over corruption allegations and strongly hinted she would be sacked if found to have broken the ministerial code.

Asked whether she should stand down until she is cleared of impropriety, Mr Kyle said: “I think she’s done exactly the right thing. She’s referred herself that the inquiry needs to go through. I think that that’s the appropriate way forward.

“I’m giving it all the space it needs to do. I’ll be listening for the outcome as the Prime Minister will be.

“There was a process underway and we know full well it will be a functional process, and the outcomes of it will be stuck to by the prime minister and this government, a complete contrast to what we’ve had in the past.”

Sky News has approached Ms Siddiq and the Labour Party for comment.

Politics

Even if Tulip Siddiq resigns, the damage may already be done to Sir Keir Starmer

Published

2 hours ago

January 13, 2025

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Even if Tulip Siddiq resigns, the damage may already be done to Sir Keir Starmer

There comes a point in the arc of most political scandals after which a resignation risks prompting more questions than it answers.

The danger for Tulip Siddiq – and by extension Sir Keir Starmer – is that threshold may about to be passed, if it hasn’t been already.

In other words, if she goes now, plenty will wonder why it didn’t happen sooner and why Downing Street allowed the story to gather pace and inflict further damage before acting.

The answer to this is partly because nothing has emerged so far that’s such an explicit rule break that it would trigger an automatic sacking or resignation.

That means the affair still resides – just about – in the box marked “looks bad” rather than the more sinister one marked “is bad”.

The standards adviser has been asked to “establish the facts” – a classic political technique to try and smother a story by announcing an inquiry.

What are the allegations against Ms Siddiq?

The allegations centre on financial links between Tulip Siddiq and political allies of her aunt – the former prime minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina.

Ms Siddiq currently rents a £2m house in north London owned by a businessman with reported links to Ms Hasina’s Awami League party.

She also owns a flat in central London that the Financial Times reports was gifted to her by an ally of her aunt.

And she was registered at another London property that was transferred to her sister in 2009 by a lawyer who has represented Ms Hasina’s government.

Cabinet minister Peter Kyle told Sky News the outcome of that exercise “will be stuck to”, meaning the junior Treasury minister will be relieved of her responsibilities if a breach of the government’s code of conduct is identified.

But some within Labour are contrasting this case with the rapid resignation of Louise Haigh as transport secretary after Sky News revealed she had pleaded guilty to an offence in court shortly before becoming an MP.

They suggest the key difference is that Ms Haigh was relatively left-wing and at odds with some in Downing Street, while Ms Siddiq is a constituency neighbour and ally of the prime minister.

“Keir Starmer has been consistently ruthless against people perceived to be more on the left of the party and very lenient with people perceived to be more on the right of the party,” said former Jeremy Corbyn adviser Andrew Fisher.

A counter to this is that Ms Siddiq is not a cabinet minister.

That said, she does oversee efforts to combat financial crime, money laundering and corruption – three activities she is now finding herself linked to, albeit in a different country.

The fact she pulled out from the chancellor’s trip to China this weekend also opens an easy attack line that the story is already stopping her from doing her job.

So where does this go now?

There is a chance that something may emerge that forces an immediate departure.

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Engaging the standards adviser may also backfire if a technical breach potentially relating to declarations or conflicts of interest is found.

But a third option is potentially most damaging for the government – that Ms Siddiq becomes politically paralysed by the volume of stories surfacing and is forced to step down simply to stem the flow.

Politics

UK to ‘mainline AI in the veins’ under new plans from Sir Keir Starmer

Published

2 hours ago

January 13, 2025

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UK to 'mainline AI in the veins' under new plans from Sir Keir Starmer

The government will “mainline AI into the veins” of the UK, with plans being unveiled today by Sir Keir Starmer.

The prime minister is set to promise investment, jobs and economic growth due to a boom in the sector.

It comes as his government battles against allegations they are mismanaging the economy and stymied growth with the budget last autumn.

The government’s announcement claims that, if AI is “fully embraced”, it could bring £47bn to the economy every year.

And it says that £14bn is set to be invested by the private sector, bringing around 13,000 jobs.

The majority of those would be construction roles to build new data centres and other infrastructure, with a smaller number of technical jobs once the work is finished.

Sir Keir said: “Artificial Intelligence will drive incredible change in our country. From teachers personalising lessons, to supporting small businesses with their record-keeping, to speeding up planning applications, it has the potential to transform the lives of working people.

“But the AI industry needs a government that is on their side, one that won’t sit back and let opportunities slip through its fingers. And in a world of fierce competition, we cannot stand by. We must move fast and take action to win the global race.”

The prime minister added that he wants Britain to be “the world leader” in AI.

The government announcement said: “Today’s plan mainlines AI into the veins of this enterprising nation.”

To achieve this, the government will implement all 50 recommendations made by Matt Clifford following his review last year.

This includes creating new AI “growth zones” – the first of which is set to be in Culham, Oxfordshire, where the UK’s Atomic Energy Authority is based.

These zones will get faster planning decisions and extra power infrastructure.

The government also wants to increase UK computing power 20-fold by 2030, including by building a brand-new supercomputer.

Labour cancelled a planned supercomputer when it entered office, as it claimed it wasn’t funded. The new venture is expected to be a joint public-private project.

The government says its plans will have three pillars. This includes laying the foundations with new AI growth zones and the new supercomputer.

The second is to boost AI take up by the public and private sectors. New pilots for AI in the public service are set to be announced, and Sir Keir has written to all cabinet ministers, telling them to drive AI adoption and growth.

And the third pillar is keeping ahead of the pack, with the government set to establish a “team” to keep the UK “at the forefront of emerging technology”.

The announcement was welcomed by a slew of technology bosses.

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Chris Lehane, the chief global affairs officer at OpenAI, which released ChatGPT, said: “The government’s AI action plan – led by the prime minister and [Science] Secretary Peter Kyle – recognises where AI development is headed and sets the UK on the right path to benefit from its growth.

“The UK has an enormous national resource in the talent of its people, institutions and businesses which together, can leverage AI to advance the country’s national interest.”

The shadow secretary for science, innovation and technology, Alan Mak, said: “Labour’s plan will not support the UK to become a tech and science superpower. They’re delivering analogue government in a digital age.

“Shaping a successful AI future requires investment, but in the six months leading up to this plan, Labour cut £1.3bn in funding for Britain’s first next-generation supercomputer and AI research whilst imposing a national insurance jobs tax that will cost business in the digital sector £1.66bn.

“AI does have the potential to transform public services, but Labour’s economic mismanagement and uninspiring plan will mean Britain is left behind.”