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Holding post …

Posted on 20 February 2025 by David Cowan

Apologies but I've had the dreaded lurgy this week and have just about managed to do my teaching but not write a post.  I plan a post about a Housing […]

While Rome burns …

Posted on 7 February 2025 by David Cowan

It has been a pretty depressing and stressful week at Cardiff University.  The financial model of higher education across the UK has been broken for a while, and colleagues in […]

Cross-referencing

Posted on 31 January 2025 by David Cowan

In the spirit of blogocracy, I plan also to signpost to other blogs where issues of relevance to Wales are discussed.  Here is a non-inclusive list: The Housing Studies Association […]

Poverty and housing (and questions about “Help to Stay”)

Posted on 31 January 2025 by David Cowan

Two reports have caught my attention this week and they overlap in terms of tone and content.  The first report is the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report on Poverty in the […]

Universal Credit diversionary/recoupment payments to landlords

Posted on 24 January 2025 by David Cowan

Nearly Legal has written up the important JR in Roberts v SSWP EWHC 51 (Admin), a decision of Fordham J (Links to NL's blog).  I'm not going to repeat that discussion, […]

Housing Justice in a Time of Austerity?

Posted on 24 January 2025 by David Cowan

In this more reflective blog, I want to pick up on something I wrote a while ago about decision-making and the lack of challenge.  The title to this blog picks […]

Home: The Key to Hope / Cartref: Yr Allwedd i Obaith

Posted on 10 January 2025 by David Cowan

I attended the inspirational opening of this amazing Crisis exhibition, curated by South Wales Skylight and Sponsored by Julie James (the former cabinet secretary for housing, now the Leader of […]

Renters Rights (or when renting discrimination becomes a constitutional issue)

Posted on 13 December 2024 by David Cowan

Back in September 2024, Jayne Bryan (the Cabinet Secretary for Housing) laid a Legislative Consent Memorandum before the Senedd seeking consent for certain provisions of the Westminster government's Renters' Rights […]

Damp and Mould Complaints

Posted on 6 December 2024 by David Cowan

I've been listening to Dan Hewitt's podcast, The Trapped, this week.  It's a pretty depressing listen and, in a way, it tells us nothing we don't already know.  What is […]

Thinking about the Private Rented Sector

Posted on 6 December 2024 by David Cowan

The Senedd's Local Government and Housing Committee report on the private rented sector ("PRS"), which was published in October 2024, makes for quite depressing reading.  The report reminded me about […]