There is an escalating housing and homelessness crisis across Great Britain. This means more people having to endure the hardship and trauma of not having somewhere to call home. This research shines a new light on a group who have been drawn into this crisis, putting them at risk of homelessness in later life. The lives of older people living on low incomes are now becoming defined by struggles to keep a roof over their heads – how to pay the rent, keep warm and buy food. Our research shows some older people are more likely to experience this than others. If you are in a household who is unable to save, if you are experiencing poor health or from Black, Asian and other minoritised ethnic groups background you are more likely to be struggling. Click report image for report.
Fair Funding. It is welcomed that the UK government is consulting on reintroducing a more rational system for allocating funding between councils as part of its broader plans for local government funding reform (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, 2025b). This will include revised and updated assessments of councils’ spending needs, as well as of their abilities to raise revenues themselves via council tax. The above-baseline growth in local business rates revenues that councils have retained since 2013–14 will be redistributed in line with these new assessments. And there will be a three-year transition to the new funding allocations (between 2026–27 and 2028–29), with funding floors capping the fall in funding for those councils set to see a cash-terms reduction under the new system. Broader changes to funding arrangements will see the consolidation of smaller grants into larger funding pots, a review of reporting requirements and statutory duties, and potential changes to how fees and charges for certain services are set. Click report image for report.