The Middlemarch Newsletter
9th October 2021
This edition features the housing crisis in holiday hotspots and our podcasts.
The Middlemarch Podcast – Episode 5
8th October 2021
In this month’s episode of the Middlemarch Podcast, Colin is in conversation with Scott Jennings, the Secretary of Student Co-op Homes, a national body supporting the growth of local housing co-operatives for students. Scott talks about his experience of housing has a student in Nottingham and how he helped to create Student Co-op Homes, raising money through community shares to start buying property to lease to local co-ops.
BBC coverage of the housing crisis in holiday hotspots
14th September 2021
“Emma has lived in North Devon her whole life, but now she’s not sure she’ll be able to stay. A few months ago, she was given notice to leave by her landlord but, with rental properties scarce and prices soaring, finding a new place to live is proving difficult. Emma wants to understand the forces making North Devon, along with many rural spots across the country, unaffordable for locals, and how she can reset the balance. She also examines the toll the rise in staycations and the boom in rural living have had on her tight-knit community. Even as she fights to stay in the village where she grew up, Emma recognises it is becoming less and less like the place she loves. But in leading a campaign to help local renters, Emma feels the passion and power of her community once again.”
The Middlemarch Podcast – Episode 4
12th September 2021
In this episode of the podcast Colin is in conversation with Nick Reynolds from the Roman Way CIC, a Tenant Management Organisation in Birmingham, discussing his experience of tenants and leaseholders taking control of services on behalf of the City Council.
New Community Housing Fund
23rd August 2021
The new Community Housing Fund has been launched: £4m to be spent in England by the end of March 2022. Details here.
The Middlemarch Podcast – Episode 3
8th August 2021
In this month’s podcast Colin is in conversation with Alistair Chisholm, an award winning town crier and member of the Dorchester Area Community Land Trust (DACLT). For their first project DACLT are planning to build apartments for local workers in the historic heart of Dorchester, close to the remains of the Roman Walls.
The Middlemarch Podcast – Episode 2
8th July 2021
The second in our series of monthly podcasts chatting with people in the Community Led Housing sector is now available. This month Colin is in conversation with Hazel Tilley, one of the directors of the Granby Four Streets CLT in Liverpool. The CLT has renovated houses which the City Council had originally earmarked for demolition and, in the process, retained the sense of community in a vibrant urban neighbourhood. The photograph (courtesy of Ronnie Hughes) shows the ‘Winter Garden’, formerly two derelict terraced houses, now a multi-purpose community facility.
Spotlight South West
16th June 2021
Alison was interviewed as part of BBC local news item about CLTs in Cornwall and Devon. She appeared in her part-time role as Business Development Manager for the National CLT Network.
The Middlemarch Podcast – Episode 1
8th June 2021
Introducing the first in a series of monthly podcasts where Colin chats to people in the Community Led Housing sector. This month, it’s Liz Maunder, secretary of Norton sub Hamdon CLT and, from 2021, a Middlemarch board member. NSHCLT owns the freehold of 10 affordable homes and runs the local shop and post office. Liz is third from the right.
The Middlemarch Newsletter
30th May 2021
This edition features 11 projects in planning, on site or recently complete; all grant recipients through the Community Housing Fund.
