YP Comment: Housing crisis is worsening - Councils spending £2m a day

This shocking figure, revealed today by the Local Government Association (LGA), highlights the pressure that councils, already having to contend with funding cuts, are under. And if ever the Government wanted proof that the housing policy in this country isn’t working then it is laid bare here.

At the heart of the problem is the long-term failure to build enough new homes as our population continues to rapidly grow.

The number of affordable houses built in 2015/16 fell by 52 per cent, reaching its lowest level in almost a quarter of a century.

Meanwhile, the homeless charity Crisis has warned that the number of people in temporary accommodation is rising at an “alarming rate”.

The LGA, which represents more than 350 councils in England and Wales, is urging the Government to free councils from borrowing limits hampering their ability to build new homes, and it is right to do so. There are nearly 75,000 households currently living in temporary accommodation, which is bad for communities and expensive for local authorities.

The LGA’s chairman, Lord Porter, hits the nail on the head when he says a renaissance in housebuilding by councils and a plan to reduce the squeeze on household incomes are both needed if we are to stand any chance of solving our housing shortage, reducing homelessness and the use of temporary accommodation.

Failure to do so will only heap yet more misery on young and vulnerable families across the country and exacerbate a situation that has already reached crisis point.

Balancing act - No ‘spending sprees’ in Budget

With tens of thousands of people protesting in the capital against “yet more austerity” in the NHS, fears over Britain’s housing crisis and concern about the growing number of households struggling to make ends meet, the Chancellor Philip Hammond could be forgiven for sitting a little uncomfortably ahead of his maiden Budget on Wednesday.

Instead he has sought to take the initiative against those who believe throwing more money at a problem is the best solution. Writing in The Sunday Times he said there would be no “spending sprees”, warning that to do so would be both “reckless” and “unsustainable”.

It was an astute move for in downplaying expectations he also brought a measure of realism into the debate at a time when the nation’s finances remain fragile amid the uncertainty of Brexit negotiations.

In all likelihood this will be a low-key Budget with the spending emphasis on key political priorities like the NHS and social care.

This reflects the pragmatism of the Chancellor himself who, since taking over from George Osborne, has proved himself to be a steady hand on the tiller, which is precisely what the job demands.

Mr Hammond will be buoyed by the news that the UK’s robust economic performance is helping drive tax receipts higher and boosting the Government’s books.

This might just provide him with enough wriggle room to bolster the public finances, which would be a welcome fillip as the Prime Minister Theresa May prepares to trigger Article 50.

Ferry disaster anniversary - Zeebrugge’s safety rules legacy

It only took a few moments for what should have been a routine ferry crossing on March 6, 1987, to turn into tragedy. The Herald of Free Enterprise left Zeebrugge harbour in Belgium bound for Dover with more than 450 passengers and 80 crew on board.

Within just 20 minutes the ship had turned on its side, becoming the worst British peacetime maritime disaster in living memory with the loss of 193 lives.

A subsequent investigation heavily criticised the ferry operator Townsend Thoresen and concluded that the bow doors had been left open, causing the roll-on, roll-off ferry rapidly to capsize.

Thirty years on and the name Zeebrugge has become synonymous with the catastrophe that unfolded that evening.

And while it did usher in tighter, far-reaching international ferry safety regulations, this is of little comfort to the relatives of those who perished in a tragedy that should never have happened.