Failing social housing landlords could face unlimited fines and “Ofsted-style” inspections under a new bill set to be introduced today.
The Social Housing Regulation Bill would award the Regulator of Social Housing stronger powers to issue failing landlords with unlimited fines, enter properties with only 48 hours’ notice – down from 28 days – and make emergency repairs where there is a serious risk to tenants, with landlords footing the bill.
It is being described as a “major reset of power” between tenants and landlords.
With the bill set to be introduced to parliament today, it means that residents will soon be able to demand information and rate their landlord as part of new satisfaction measures.
Not only that, but tenants will also have a direct line to government under the bill, with a new 250-person residents panel meeting up every four months to share their experiences with ministers, inform policy thinking, and ultimately, help to “drive change” in the sector.
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The bill will also remove the legislative barrier that is the serious detriment test, which will make it easier for the Regulator to tackle poor performing landlords once axed, and it will also mean landlords will need to have a named person who will be responsible for health and safety requirements.
Failing landlords could be hit with ‘Ofsted-style’ inspections and unlimited fines under a new bill set to be introduced / Credit: gov.uk
Tenants of housing associations will even be able to request information from their landlord too, which is similar to how the Freedom of Information Act works for council housing, according to the government.
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“In 2022 it is disgraceful that anyone should live in damp, cold and unsafe homes, waiting months for repairs and being routinely ignored by their landlord,” said Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove.
“These new laws will end this injustice and ensure the regulator has strong new powers to take on rogue social landlords [as] we are driving up the standards of social housing and giving residents a voice to make sure they get the homes they deserve.
“That is levelling up in action.”
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It is being described as a “major reset of power” between tenants and landlords / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
The government says the introduction of the bill is the latest step in the mission to halve the number of poor-quality rented homes by 2030, and it will mean that more people get to enjoy the quality of life they “deserve”.
The National Housing Federation also says it welcomes the aims of the bill.
“Having a home that is warm and dry, safe, secure and affordable is the right of every person in this country [and] for social housing providers, this means providing high quality living standards in every home and carrying out repairs on time,” added Kate Henderson – Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation.
New data estimates that 7.3m Oasis fans are set to miss out on 2027 tour tickets
Emily Sergeant
New data has revealed that as many as 7.3 million Oasis fans could be set to miss out on tickets to the band’s 2027 tour.
In case you need bringing up to speed a little, it was announced earlier this week that, following the unprecedented success of the reunion tour, Oasis Live ’25, last year, including five nostalgia-drenched gigs at Manchester’s Heaton Park, Oasis would be hitting the road once again in 2027, and this time around, they’re going BIG.
We’re talking 11 nights at the Etihad Stadium and a return to the iconic grounds of Knebworth for four special shows there too, kind of ‘big’.
The iconic Manchester band will also be taking to a range of other world-famous stages across the globe, including five nights at Glasgow’s Celtic Park, and major cities like Barcelona, Amsterdam, Paris, Rome, and Las Vegas.
But despite the elevated number of dates the Gallaghers and co will be performing, some new data has unfortunately revealed that millions of fans may still not be lucky enough to snag a ticket.
The ticketing system for Oasis Live ’27 is not what it was for the last tour, nor will it be similar to many other tours of a similar scale in the past either, as this time, the band and their promotors are taking necessary measures to ensure ‘genuine fans’ get their hands on the tickets and that dynamic pricing doesn’t creep in.
Instead of going into detail on that now though, you can read our full guide on how to get tickets for the Manchester and Knebworth shows here.
Experts at online ticketing platform TicketSource have analysed the scale of demand for Oasis tickets by comparing the 10 million fans worldwide who queued for the initial release of 1.4 million tickets for their 2025 tour, with the newly announced 2027 tour dates and stadium capacities.
With an estimated 2.67 million tickets available across 38 dates and 11 locations between 21 May and 19 September 2027, Oasis could still face huge demand from fans hoping to see them live.
But research reveals the band would need to play 112 Wembley-sized shows to accommodate everyone who tried to get a ticket in 2025.
The 2027 tour would accommodate just 26.7% of those who tried to get tickets last time, meaning almost three-quarters (73%) of them could miss out, leaving a shortfall of more than 7.3 million fans.
Fingers crossed you’re among the lucky lot that secure tickets, though.
Featured Image – Joshua Halling (Press Image – Supplied)
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Former GMP officer jailed after being found guilty of several online child sex offences
Emily Sergeant
A former police officer from Salford has been sentenced after being found guilty of a string of online child sex offences.
Following a trial back in July, 35-year-old Michael Aspinall was sentenced at Preston Crown Court earlier this week (Monday 14 September) after being found guilty of three counts of attempting sexual communication with a child.
It comes after Aspinall – who was employed by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) at the time of the offences – was arrested in October 2024 by detectives from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU), and was immediately suspended from duty following his arrest.
The investigation began after evidence was obtained that Aspinall had been communicating online with individuals that he believed to be children, but he was in fact communicating with a police officer.
Following this series of interactions, he was charged with various offences.
In addition to his eight-month sentence – which has been suspended for two years – Aspinall will also be placed on the sex offender’s register for 10 years, subject to a five-year serious crime prevention order, and have undertake 20 days of rehabilitation, GMP has confirmed.
He has additionally been added to the College of Policing’s barred list.
An application to request forfeiture of Aspinall’s police pension has also been made to the Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester.
“Aspinall’s offending was clearly unacceptable for any right-minded member of society and particularly inappropriate for a serving police officer,” commented Detective Chief Inspector Gareth Humphreys, from GMP’s Professional Standards Directorate.
“His actions put the whole police service under scrutiny, but thanks to the hard work and diligence of undercover officers, he was arrested, found guilty, and has now received his punishment.”
DCI Humphreys concluded: “[Aspinall’s] actions take away from the hard work of the men and women who work so hard for their communities every day, and it is only right that anyone committing these sort of offences are rooted out.”
Emily Sergeant -
8th June 2022 
