They think it’s all plover – it is now
Playing the field
Mervyn King, the new governor of the Bank of England, must be getting worried. It appears that the services of one member of his Monetary Policy Committee are in such high demand that she may be burning the candle at both ends. Kate Barker, who in April was charged by Gordon Brown with the investigation of constraints to the supply of housing in the UK, is also to head a new financial advisory committee for the Football Association. This is to undertake the small matter of untangling the financial wheelings and dealings behind the scenes of English football.

Where will the poor woman find the time? But King can rest a tad easier – Barker is likely to step down from her role as a member of the Independent Football Commission in order to make time for her other positions.

Loose mouth, tight wallet
Outspoken columnist Julie Burchill, the Guardian’s champion of the people, has put her money where her mouth is and made a donation to Defend Council Housing. The working-class heroine handed over £300 to the pressure group to help pre-empt Brighton & Hove council’s stock options appraisal.

Considering how much national newspaper columnists get paid, I reckon that means she cares about as much for council housing as that other champion of the working class, Margaret Thatcher.

Band on the run
An entirely new form of house music was unveiled last week when one chief executive and his band took to the stage at the launch of Pavilion Housing Group.

The band consists of Pavilion’s chief executive Mervyn Jones, lettings manager Gary Warren, resources director Malcolm Lindo and communications officer Mike Swaddling. I didn’t get to see their playlist, but House of the Rising Sun has to be a hot favourite for inclusion, pop pickers.

Harry Potter and the housing grant
The Housing Corporation has a bestseller on its hands. Its much-discussed consultation document on paying development grant to housebuilders has flown off the shelves.

A call to the corporation last week requesting a copy of the controversial paper was met with a stony silence – apparently they have all been snapped up. Well, I know of at least five developers that are interested in receiving corporation cash, but I didn’t realise demand had been as high as all that.

I’m not Jenny from the block
In an uncharacteristically starstruck frame of mind last week, I reported that Hollywood diva Jennifer Lopez’s home had been accidentally demolished. The building in question, however, was not owned by the star of classic movies such

as Maid in Manhattan but was in fact the home of the non-famous but similarly named Jenny Lopez. Ooops.

It’s grim down South

People in the South might create more wealth, live longer and pass more exams than their counterparts in the North, but they are seriously deprived when it comes to life’s essentials. The latest government research on regional living standards has found that Northerners are far more likely to wake to the sound of woodland birdsong. They are also more likely to escape the heat of a hot summer’s day by taking a dip in a local stream. Useful to know if you find yourself in the Lake District in midwinter.

Source

Housing Today