Author Archives: stevehilditch

This blog post was published on Left Foot Forward yesterday and was written by our regular guest contributor Monimbo, writing as Gordon Banks.  We have made the case for changes in the Treasury borrowing rules many times on Red Brick. We … Continue reading →

Mayor Boris Johnson is good at making a loud noise and bad at delivering anything of any value to Londoners. Yesterday there was a big splash from the final report of his London Finance Commission chaired by Professor Tony Travers. The report, … Continue reading →

There is much to admire about Alan Johnson, although I have disagreed with many of his policy positions over the years. He has always seemed to be a charming yet serious person, with many achievements and a hinterland, a politician with a … Continue reading →

Guest blog post by Romin Sutherland The effect that the Benefit Cap will have on homelessness and the use of temporary accommodation is a complicated and confusing area, but as most of the current legislation remains unchanged, it is possible … Continue reading →

It is forty years since I first met Richard Crossley and we have been good friends and sometimes house mates since. We learned the community development ropes together in North Paddington in the 1970s and have debated the issues around … Continue reading →

It seems like every day I read something about ‘subsidised council tenants’. A number of times on Red Brick we have tried to debunk the fallacies of who subsidises whom in housing and to show that council housing has been running … Continue reading →

The welfare reform debate inside the Labour Party appears to have reached a crossroads ….. again. There are 3 basic positions vying for attention: those that think some cuts and reform are justified because of the deficit; those that think … Continue reading →

The 20th Anniversary of the murder of Stephen Lawrence was an appropriate day for the House of Lords to reject the Government’s attempt to repeal the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s General Duty. It has since been reported that the Government … Continue reading →

George Osborne may have shed a tear for Mrs Thatcher this week, but a reading of the Treasury Select Committee’s report on the Budget should make him feel even more miserable, as serious questions were raised about his biggest-ever housing … Continue reading →

The blurb advertising the upcoming Chartered Institute of Housing London Conference starts with a surprising statement. It says: “Housing is key in delivering the wider economic and social ambitions for London and the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson is committed … Continue reading →