Kenneth Kerr, Alan Boswell and Gregory Simon Causer attended court yesterday morning in relation with suspected fraud of £3.5million at failed housing association Ujima. All three men have pleaded not guilty to the accusations involving the housing association which collapsed in 2008.
The three will stand trial on 23rd January 2012. A further case management hearing was also set this morning for 23rd June 2011.
Rose Avwunu, 53, is being accused of two counts of money laundering and will appear at Isleworth Crown Court on 4th July 2011. Her co-defendant in the case, which relates to an alleged £208,000 fraud at Ujima, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison after being convicted of seven counts of money laundering.
Police are still trying to trace Ms Avwunu’s husband George, who absconded from bail shortly after being arrested in connection with the fraud.
Green Home Tax Breaks
Greg Barker, Minister of State, has reported that The Department of Energy and Climate Change is lobbying for tax incentives to encourage green building and retrofit projects.
The Minister stated that incentives for retrofitting were ‘absolutely a priority’ for DECC in the run up to the Budget, but that no decisions had been made on this. ‘The chancellor has got to make those decisions,’ he said yesterday, whilst speaking at the Ecobuild conference.
It has been reported that George Osborne is considering a stamp duty rebate for householders who join the government’s green deal programme, which provides private sector loans to finance energy efficiency improvements in domestic properties.
Mr Barker also said he was ‘actively involved’ in talks with the Treasury about simplifying the carbon reduction commitment, which caps the amount of carbon organisations, including local authorities and larger housing associations, can emit using a system of permits.
He stated that the CRC was ‘a straight unapologetic tax take’, but said that the system which he inherited from Labour was far too complex for the industry.
The Energy Bill contains provisions for councils to force private landlords to use the green deal to improve their stock, however there is no legislation for owner occupiers.
Source: Inside Housing, 2011
For more information on the housing industry, please visit http://www.housingjobs.org.uk/
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