Fownhope’s Heart of Oak Society traces its roots to the age of friendly societies, when communities provided their own safety net. Its anniversary celebrations reveal a tradition still very much alive, says MARK SEDDON
WHAT will our re-elected Tory party do about the housing crisis? To get the answer, you need to look in the annual report. Not the Conservative Party annual report, but the annual report of Bloor Homes Limited, issued just before Christmas.
It might seem a bit obscure to be looking for Tory housing policy in the accounts of one private builder. But property tycoon John Stuart Bloor owns Bloor Homes. And through his other company, JS Bloor (Services) Ltd, Bloor has given the Tory Party £1.6 million pounds.
The Tory party is funded by property moguls like Bloor, so the party will do what they want.
CAROL WILCOX argues for the proper implementation of the land value tax, which could see unused plots sold off and landlords priced out of landlordism, potentially resolving the housing and planning crises
Our housing crisis isn’t an accident – it’s class war, trapping millions in poverty while landlords and billionaires profit. To solve it, we need comprehensive transformation, not mere tokenistic reform, writes BECK ROBERTSON


