Homelessness minister Barbara Roche may be vertically challenged but she's certainly not short on wisecracks.
At a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Homelessness and Housing Need, the pint-sized politician began her speech by thanking the organisers for the height-adaptable microphone – before commenting on her previous jobs as small business minister and minister for growth.
Confused? You will be
Charity Shelter has very kindly launched a website to guide confused housing professionals through the implications of the Homelessness Act.
Apparently, though, it's not just local authorities who are finding the new law a little confusing: civil servants have also been among those logging on to the site.
If they don't understand it, what chance have the rest of us got?
The direct approach
Has the Labour Party lost its direction? In Blackpool, this appears to be quite literally the case.
Members of the press arriving at the Winter Gardens conference centre on Sunday evening were surprised to find that not a single steward knew the whereabouts of the press office – rather surprising, for a party which swept to power on the back of a healthy relationship with media spin.
Still, at least no one had any trouble finding the bar.
Initial impression
ALG, GLA, LGA – it's no wonder most people are confused by the number of acronyms in local government circles – and none less so than Chesterfield councillor Terry Kendellen, chair of the Labour Housing Group.
Kendellen, chairing a fringe meeting, proudly introduced speaker Tony Newman, chairman of the ALG, by announcing that he was from the LGA.
Teething trouble
Criticism goes with the territory when you're a politician, but Social Animal did think it was rather unsporting of one conference heckler to call for housing minister Tony McNulty's resignation at the MP's first housing fringe meeting since taking on his elevated role …
A safe seat
Source
Housing Today
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