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Brian Robson

@brianrobson.bsky.social

1.3K followers 1K following 590 posts

I want more people to live in a decent, affordable home. Don't you? Work: Director Housing & Homelessness, @oak-foundation.bsky.social Dad, bookworm, sedate cyclist | Mackem in North Yorks | Views mine.

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Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · Nov 18

👋 Hello to new followers. My feed is shaping up into a nice mix of people I knew at the other place and new friends I haven't met yet.

Expect housing, homelessness and the joys of living in Yorkshire. Also interested in politics, philanthropy, and regional development.

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Generation Rent @generationrent.bsky.social · 9h

Homes are the foundations of our lives. Evictions shatter those foundations.

Last night the Renters' Rights Act became law, paving the way for the end of S21 evictions.

The Government must bring in the changes ASAP to prevent more renters like Christina experiencing this turmoil.

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Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 21h

There's a bit of it in York but the infrastructure isn't sufficient to get anywhere near Danish use, let alone Netherlands. So much potential tho.

Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 1d

All in for an interesting couple of days at @homelessnetwork.scot's annual conference in the fair city of Perth. Excellent speakers and panel this morning getting things off to a great start 👍

A panel of five speakers at a conference,including the Cabinet Secretary for Housing, sit beneath a sign that reads 'Breakthrough on homelessness in Scotland'

Reposted by Brian Robson

Homeless Network Scotland @homelessnetwork.scot · 1d

As the annual homelessness conference begins today, ScotGov has announced £1.6m for homelessness crisis measures including funding to tackle rough sleeping and support women who have experienced domestic abuse. Read more:

www.gov.scot/news/boostin...

Boosting crisis support

New funding to prevent homelessness and expand emergency grants.

www.gov.scot

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Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 3d

Thanks. Fascinating election and aftermath.

Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 3d

On a recent trip to the States I was under orders from my son to return with a particular YouTuber's candy brand. The Target website could tell me which stores stocked it and exactly which aisle at the store to find it in (which was just as well, as the store was mahoosive)

Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 3d

Useful thread. Is it Timmermans as Min Pres that VVD would object to, or being in coalition w/GL-PvdA generally? Just wondering if that creates an opening for Jetten, particularly if D66 grow further by elx day?

Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 3d

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Sunderland AFC @safc.com · 3d

THAT’S IT!! WE’VE DONE IT!!!!

CHELSEA 1-2 SUNDERLAND!!

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Rónán Hession @ronanhession.bsky.social · 3d

I always liked that Red Hot Chilli Peppers song about that time the singer had a scart issue, written before the ubiquity of HDMI cables.

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Crisis @crisis-uk.bsky.social · 5d

Over the years we've seen how fiddling with targets and putting faith in market forces leads to nowhere near enough social rent homes being built. The stark and shameful truth of this is record levels of homelessness.

Ministers confirm plans to reduce London’s affordable housing quotas

Developers will qualify for fast-track planning status if they include 20% affordable housing instead of current 35% target

www.theguardian.com

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Regional Housing Legal Services @rhlspa.bsky.social · 5d

Philadelphia renters know it, the rent is going up and up, and more and more residents of the city are cost-burdened. RHLS Board member Kadeem Morris of @clsphila.bluesky.social explains what his clients face in the city's tough and increasingly unaffordable rental market.

More Philly renters are ‘scraping by’ each month, saddled by low incomes and higher costs

Philly's median monthly rent increased from 2023 to 2024, while household incomes decreased, according to Census Bureau data. Renters are "cost burdened," spending more of their wages on housing.

buff.ly

Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 5d

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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 5d

From @theathleticfc.bsky.social: In each of the last two Premier League seasons, all three clubs that began as newly promoted sides went straight back down. This season feels rather different. And that means some of the Premier League’s more established clubs are starting to sweat.

The Premier League’s established elite are in real danger, and for one very good reason

Strong starts by the newly-promoted clubs are causing some of the top flight's longest tenants to sweat about their futures

nyti.ms

Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 6d

Brilliant news, Ben - and congratulations to you, Generation Rent and the wider renter rights movement for the energy and persistence you've put into making this day a reality.

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Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 6d

This is a great column. Unrelated to policing, I wonder if the 'small = freedom to experiment and learn avdantages' of academisation that Stephen identifies are now being eroded by the growth of multi-academy trusts. See also : LSVT housing associations merging into larger groups. Etc.

Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 6d

Today's note: some thoughts on Reforming Lessons (the most important book to come out of the 2010 to 2024 period) and some of the lessons for another bit of the state, in this case policing:

Police reform could take lessons from the classroom

Improvement in schools under Tories shows that strong leaders and freedom to experiment matter

www.ft.com

Reposted by Brian Robson

Joseph Elliott @jelliott94.bsky.social · 6d

Rents have increased by a fifth in recent years since Local Housing Housing allowance was frozen, up £210 a month!!

The strain of this freeze on private renters is immense; in April around 40% of private renters in receipt of LHA said they didn't have enough to cover rent.

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Pete Apps @peteapps.bsky.social · 6d

"If you don't get access tomorrow, just put it up on a plain bit of wall, take a picture, it's done... I'm trying to help you hit your targets"

Deeply disturbing audio recorded by a Clarion employee and leaked to Sky News:

news.sky.com/story/dont-t...

'Don't tell anyone': Manager at UK's largest housing association told staff how to fake fire safety notice

A chartered surveyor tells Sky News the consequence of the information not being available in the event of a fire could be "death or serious injury".

news.sky.com

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Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 7d

have you come across the 'Communicare' concept at Killingworth? All gone now and not even much online, but it was a Roy Gazzard concept for community centre/leisure centre/library/health centre and ecumenical church all in one. killingworthparish.org.uk/communicare-...

Communicare Cross - St John the Evangelist

The Communicare Cross originally stood above the Communicare Centre in Killingworth. It is now a focus for Memorial activities in the Parish.

killingworthparish.org.uk

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Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 8d

Very true...!

There have been times in the past when I've been anxiously awaiting test results and I'd have been so cross to have got this instead :(

Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 8d

Think whoever's in charge of the NHS app could do with providing practices with some guidance on what merits a push notification...

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Daniel @deargodwhatnow.bsky.social · 9d

Fascinating insight from the last chair of Northern Rock

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Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 9d

The Julia Roberts commentary took a bit of getting used to, but first few episodes of this are lovely - almost as warm, tender and gentle as the excellent book. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

BBC One - Leonard and Hungry Paul

A gentle, meandering tale of friendship, board games and finding your way in the world.

www.bbc.co.uk

Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 10d

Time we had something similar in the UK? Before - as a nation - we forget that we used to be able to build for folks on low incomes at the scale needed?

(And yes, it was a deeply weird and unsettling time to visit Chicago)

Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 10d

The Museum exists to preserve, promote, and propel the right of all people to a place where they can live and prosper—a place to call home. It opened earlier this year in the last remaining block of the Jane Addams Homes.
nphm.org/about/

Brian Robson @brianrobson.bsky.social · 10d

Last weekend, I had the privilege of visiting the recently opened National Public Housing Museum in Chicago.
Inspirational, and so needed.

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