For the past 45 years Britain has been on a mission - to rid itself of as much affordable housing as it possibly can without replacing it.

And in that mission we have been extraordinarily successful.

The Spending Review is a massive moment for the housing crisis. Here’s why 🧵 The number of social homes - the most affordable housing for rent - has dropped by 25% since 1980, while the population has grown by 14%.

We have sold off 1.9 million social homes largely under Right to Buy, which allows tenants to buy at a generous discount.

The state of some NHS hospital buildings is almost beyond belief, and it’s impacting care.

Floods in maternity wards forcing women in labour to be diverted by ambulance, power cuts in A&E and operating theatres, entire wards permanently closed.

Our latest investigation:

1/4 We gained access to St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington where 2 wards are closed because they’re structurally unsafe.

It’s repairs backlog is £239m but can only spend £7m a year. It was on the govt’s list of 40 new hospitals by 2030, but they’ve been told that now won’t happen

2/4

2 year-old Awaab Isaak died because the home he lived in was unfit for human habitation. His parents complained but were ignored.

This is not a one-off. Thousands of families are living in awful conditions.

This is just some what we’ve found in our 18 month investigation🧵1/16 CROYDON - March 2021

We find residents of Regina Road living in council flats described by @Shelter and others as the worst in Britain. Two independent investigations later concluded families were put in danger and the homes were unfit to live in 2/16

NEW: A coroner has concluded 2 year-old Awaab Ishak died as a result of exposure to mould in a Rochdale Boroughwide Housing flat.

"Action to treat and prevent the mould which caused ...Awaab going into respiratory arrest was not taken."

A gut-wrenching, avoidable tragedy. We have investigated poor conditions in social housing for over 18 months. I have visited countless homes where children live in conditions as bad, and in some cases worse, as what Awaab had to endure.

I can't even begin to imagine how those families feel seeing this news today.

A pensioner breaking down because she can’t pay her bills;

a full-time working mum scared she’ll lose her home;

an 8 week-old baby living in a flat with no heating or hot water.

This is the reality outside Westminster. The first of our special reports🧵itv.com/news/2022-10-1… This is one of the most shocking housing situations I’ve seen:

An 8 week old baby living in a cold flat with no heating or hot water. The previous tenants ran up a debt so the gas was switched off. The family are walking almost 2 hours to get the baby bathed in warm water.

NEW: Head of Ofgem says he will be writing to Rishi Sunak today to inform him the price cap is expected to be £2,800 in October, up from £1,971. "The price changes are genuinely a once in a generation event not seen since the 1970s," says Ofgem CEO Jonathan Brearley.

NEW: Housing Secretary Michael Gove has written to Clarion, the UK’s biggest housing association, “extremely concerned” at the standard of homes and responses to tenants, citing our @itvnews investigation into Eastfields.

He warns he’ll intervene if improvements aren’t made. This is significant. Clarion has continuously said it doesn't have a widespread problem and has even criticised the Ombudsman for investigating it.

In his letter Gove criticises Clarion for its "defensive approach", something we've reflected in our @itvnews coverage of Clarion.

The Welsh Govt has written to all housing associations in Wales in response to our @itvnews housing investigation seeking assurances tenants are not living in poor conditions and that their complaints are being acted upon. They’ll be writing to all local councils seeking the same There are around 240,000 social housing tenants in Wales. The Welsh govt is requesting details of every single unresolved disrepair claim and has set a deadline by the 23rd July. A pretty major intervention.

Three months into our housing investigation, the National Housing Federation - which represents England’s 800 leading social housing providers responsible for 6 million residents - has issued an apology for how tenants have been treated.

Full report here: itv.com/news/2021-06-2… Housing Associations were set to up provide affordable homes for those most in need.

CEOs of the top 10 HAs today earn on average £340,500 a year, the highest earns £436,681. Given what we’ve been finding, I asked the National Housing Fed who represents them if that’s justified?

Every week I visit people living in homes with leaks, mould, damp, overcrowding, holes in the ceilings, rodent problems: conditions their landlords (whether housing association, council, private) wouldn’t tolerate for their families for a single day. One thing stands out: (1/9) The resilience of people living in bad conditions is remarkable, but what often causes the most despair is the way their issues are dealt with (or more often, not):
the way they’re spoken to on the phone, being made to explain their problem for the tenth, twentieth time...(2/9)

As per @MENnewsdesk @JenWilliamsMEN spot on Bolton, the govt appears to have changed the guidance on some lockdown rules in Bedford, Blackburn, Bolton, Kirklees, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside without announcing it... The guidance includes avoiding “travelling in and out of the avoid travelling in and out of affected areas unless it is essential” and meeting outside rather inside.

Unlike schools, nurseries and preschools in England have been told by the government to stay open to all children.

We’ve been looking at some of the significant fears and frustrations facing staff, particularly at private and voluntary providers.

Here are some of the issues👇 Safety

An estimated 31,000 nursery & preschool workers have tested positive for Covid-19 since Dec 1st (source @EYAlliance), that’s 1 in 10.

Nurseries we’ve spoken to say positive cases among staff have soared in this wave, and temporary closures have become more common 2/14

Exclusive: An estimated 31,000 nursery and pre-school staff in England have contracted coronavirus since Dec 1st, @itvnews has learned.

The Early Years Alliance survey shared with us found 1 in 10 tested positive in the last 7 weeks.

48% of staff say their feel unsafe at work. Unlike schools, nurseries and preschools have been told to stay open for all children.

@EYAlliance wants all early years providers to be included in the govt’s programme for regular lateral flow testing and staff to be prioritised for a vaccine in phase 2
itv.com/news/2021-01-2…

At Jeremy Corbyn press conference in Central London. Not been told what it’s about but Keith Starmer is here, so probs Brexit-related. He’s not been seen much with JC during this campaign. Here we go, Jeremy Corbyn alongside @Keir_Starmer and @LouHaigh, shadow Police Minister.

"Can you name a single country that has negotiated a comprehensive free trade deal with the EU in less than a year?"

I asked Michael Gove this question 3 times. He didn't name one. Instead he said people were being "sceptical" and it is "feasible" a deal will be done by Dec 2020 WATCH: David Gauke was a Conservative minister 4 months ago. Today he told me: "The Conservative Party is wanting to take the country in a dangerous direction...abandoning its reputation for economic competence."

He's standing as an independent and now backs a second referendum.

BREAK: The government has told Conservative MPs they will withdraw the party whip and ban them from standing as Tory candidates at the next election if they vote with the opposition to block a no deal Brexit. The plan was agreed after the PM met with govt whips at Chequers today. A senior source from the whips office said: “The whips are telling Conservative MPs today a very simple message - if they fail to vote with the government on Tuesday they will be destroying the government’s negotiating position and handing control of Parliament to Jeremy Corbyn.

NEW: I understand the 1922 executive has voted tonight on whether or not to change Tory party rules to allow a new confidence vote in Theresa May. The votes have been sealed in an envelope, and if the PM hasn’t announced she’s resigned by Friday, they will open it. I’m told by once source the feeling in the room was the rules should be changed.

I understand a group cabinet ministers will go to see the PM tmrw AM to demand she rules out a long extension. Requests have also gone in for her to appear before the 1922 at 5pm. I’m told anger among Brexiters has spilled over & PM will be told they’ll not tolerate a long delay. I’m told by two Tory sources that if the PM doesn’t agree to rule out a long Brexit extension then she will be “absolutely hammered” in front of the 1922 committee. I’m also told one Tory MP is preparing to ask the PM to resign during PMQs if she refuses to rule out a long delay.