Margaret Beckett

Conflict? What conflict?

To believe some headlines, one might think that the private rental system is one in which disputes between landlords and tenants are two-a-penny, perhaps not helped by cases such as that earlier this year of a letting agency...

Labour MP caught telling fibs to constituents?

Interesting blog post about my former local Labour MP, Clive Efford (I've moved). The MP for Eltham sent a letter to a constituent saying that he couldn't possibly sign an EDM because he is a Parliamentary Private...

Janet Street-Porter: I fear 'Healthy Towns' are just another fad

I broke my ankle at the start of the summer, and am trying to lose the weight I gained. My doctor in Yorkshire said I was "obese". This chap is what I'd call morbidly thin. Addicted to running, he spends lunchtime pounding over...

Family housing awarded £2m grant

Oxfordshire councils will receive nearly £2m to encourage the building of more family and first-time homes, the government has announced. The Housing and Planning Delivery Grant will provide additional direct funding to...

'Council homes for life' reviewed

Ministers may review the entitlement of council house tenants to keep their subsidised home for life amid pressure over long waiting lists. Housing minister Margaret Beckett is examining options to deal with the shortage of new...

Councils to receive £100 million to boost drive for more affordable homes

Councils will get over £100 million tomorrow to help maintain the drive for more affordable homes still desperately needed, Housing Minister Margaret Beckett announced today. The 2008-09 Housing and Planning Delivery Grant will...

Obama journey to power followed

Barack Obama's US election victory and his moves to assemble a team to help him govern continue to interest the papers. The Daily Telegraph quotes Mr Obama's aides paying tribute to George Bush's efforts to ensure a smooth...

Alexei Sayle: A comrade in Bloomsbury

Alexei Sayle greets me with a friendly handshake. We are in his spacious ground-floor flat in a fine town house in Bloomsbury. I comment on the blue plaques which adorn the neighbouring houses at frequent intervals. "Yes,...

Margaret Beckett "snubbed" over caravan brief

She is one of the country's leading caravan fans and has written enthusiastically about the "spontaneity" of her preferred form of holiday. By Patrick Hennessy, Political Editor However, it appears Margaret Beckett has been...

Only one ecotown is viable Government finally admits

By Christopher Hope and Louise Gray Demonstrators express their anger over proposed eco towns Just one of the 12 sites of proposed eco-towns is officially ranked as "generally suitable" for the controversial housing schemes by...