Keir Starmer completed his far-reaching reshuffle of his top team this month. Starmer said the purpose of the reorganisation of the Shadow Cabinet was to present a “smaller, more focused” team that mirrors the shape of Government. This is the second reshuffle Keir Starmer has undertaken this year, with new faces appointed to prominent posts in preparation for the next election.

Facing Michael Gove in his new brief at DLUHC will be Lisa Nandy MP, who has been named as Shadow Secretary of Levelling Up, Housing, Communities and Local Government (note that ‘Local Government’ has been added to the shadow title after it was dropped in the renaming of MHCLG in recent months). Nandy takes over from Manchester Central MP, Lucy Powell, who has been moved from the shadow housing brief to become Shadow Culture Secretary.

Lisa Nandy has been MP for Wigan in Greater Manchester since 2010 and has held shadow posts since 2013 in the Department for Education, Cabinet Office, and the Department of Energy and Climate Change. Most recently, she has served as Shadow Foreign Secretary since April 2020. The move to Levelling Up Secretary for Nandy has been understood by some as a demotion but levelling-up is the flagship policy of Johnson’s Government and its delivery will be a key battle in the upcoming election.

Since taking up the role, Nandy has been clear on the importance of her brief to hold the Government to account on levelling-up, telling the Guardian:

“It is the battleground on which the next general election will be fought. It is also the battle for the future of the country.”

When asked in an interview by Kay Burley on Sky News whether the moves in the reshuffle mean that Keir Starmer’s Labour Party is moving to the left or right of politics, Nandy responded “We’re moving North”.

She has been known for her strong voice on left-behind communities and a champion of struggling towns across the UK. In her leadership bid last year, she argued that to deliver change “we have to become rooted in our communities again”. This perhaps makes Lisa Nandy a good fit to take on the Government about their plans to level-up the regions.

The next oral questions in the House of Commons with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is scheduled to take place on Monday 24^th January 2022 and we look forward to tuning in to the first session between Gove and Nandy.

Across the rest of the shadow housing team, Mike Amesbury MP remains Shadow Housing Minister, and is joined by Matthew Pennycook MP (previously Shadow Minister at BEIS), Alex Norris MP (previously Shadow Health Minister) and Sarah Owen MP (also Opposition Whip and currently a member of the BEIS Committee).

Lucy Powell MP had outlined a range of Labour policies on housing and planning during her short stint as Shadow Housing Secretary this year, such as reforming affordable rents to match 30% of average income; building 150,000 social homes per year; ending Right to Buy; giving local authorities new powers to buy and develop land; and establishing a new Building Works Agency. It will be interesting to see how new policies and approaches develop within the newly appointed team.

Moving over to the shadow BEIS team, Jonathan Reynolds (MP for Stalybridge and Hyde) has been appointed Shadow Secretary for Business and Industrial Strategy, with Ed Miliband (MP for Doncaster North) taking up the new title of Shadow Secretary of Climate Change and Net Zero. Alan Whitehead (MP for Southampton) remains as Shadow Minister in Miliband’s team, along with the new appointment of Olivia Blake (MP for Sheffield Hallam). Ed Miliband has been vocal about the Government’s approach to greening the UK’s homes so we hope to see a continued focus on housing decarbonisation in his new team.

Other Northern MPs named in the shake-up include Yvette Cooper (MP for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford) as Shadow Home Secretary, Bridget Philipson (MP for Houghton and Sunderland South) as Shadow Education Secretary, Louise Haigh (MP for Sheffield Heeley) as Shadow Transport Secretary, and Jim McMahon (MP for Oldham West and Royton) as Shadow Environment Secretary.

The Northern Agenda has helpfully mapped out the ‘Northern-ness’ of both the Cabinet and Shadow Cabinet, showing that 16% of Boris Johnson’s top team hold seats in the North while 50% of Labour’s top jobs are filled by Northern MPs.

The Government recently confirmed that the long-awaited Levelling Up White Paper, previously expected before Christmas, will be delayed until January 2022. We will be closely following developments as they emerge on this agenda and making it clear that improving housing quality and supply in the North will be a core component of the levelling-up mission and vital to meet net zero targets.

You can see the full new Shadow Cabinet team here.

Please do not hesitate to follow up on any of this with the NHC by contacting Anna Seddon (Policy and Public Affairs Officer) at anna.seddon@northern-consortium.org.uk.

Dr Victoria Miller, Mindcare Consulting

I believe that if we are able to talk openly and honestly about menopause then we can bust some myths, think about evidence based treatment, and empower women and organisations through this stage in life.

I am passionate about spreading accurate and up to date information on the menopause.  In January 2022 Mindcare Consulting have been invited to discuss menopause and the significant impact on individuals, colleagues and businesses with the Northern Housing Consortium and its members.  We are so excited to come along and have a friendly session – this is not just for menopausal women, but everyone, no matter your sex or age.

Many women do not realise that physical and mental health symptoms are as a result of the menopause. Working in partnership with the NHC as part of their commitment to supporting members’ staff wellbeing agendas, we are delighted to bring you the Menopause in the Workplace Training Session where we will be discussing common symptoms and also understanding psychological coping strategies for women, partners and organisations.  For further information and to book your place click here.

One of the most encouraging announcements at this year’s Spending Review was the £1.8bn to help deliver homes on brownfield sites. This consists of £300m for locally led projects and a further £1.5bn for housing infrastructure. The NHC has consistently backed the existing £400m brownfield housing fund – £276m of which was allocated directly to Northern local authorities – and called for its extension in our Spending Review representation.

The announcement of new funds presents a great chance to boost levelling-up. Housing on brownfield sites can deliver on many of the Government’s levelling-up priorities: restoring pride by tackling eyesore sites, creating opportunity through jobs in remediation and construction, and boosting living standards by creating new homes for sale and rent that cost less to run. If the funds are structured in the right way, they can empower local leaders and communities to get homes built on sites that make sense in the context of local economic opportunities.

So where are these sites, and how should the fund be structured?

Analysis of brownfield registers for the NHC’s Northern Housing Monitor finds over 5,000 sites across the North, of over 7,500 hectares: which together could generate over 300,000 homes –more than a city the size of Leeds. This land can’t meet all the North’s diverse housing needs, but can make an important contribution to housing supply and levelling-up.

Three-quarters of this Northern brownfield housing capacity – over 230,000 homes worth – is located in districts covered by Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCA). That’s why we think it’s important that the new funds have a strong MCA component. Recognising that these areas have already benefitted from the first round of the Fund, we think something like 2/3 of the new funding should be allocated through MCAs. The current Fund has made a real difference in MCA areas across the North – it’s clear that it’s working. Let’s empower local leaders to get more done.

For councils outside MCA arrangements, there has been a national brownfield release fund run on a competitive basis by One Public Estate (OPE). However less than 10% of the funding allocated to date from OPE for brownfield land has come to the North, and almost half of this (£2.4m) was for a single site in the City of York. Four other districts in the North also accessed this funding, but other NHC members tell us they deterred by restrictions on how this fund could be accessed and used.

NHC analysis suggests almost 20% of the North’s brownfield housing capacity – space for 60,000 homes – is located in local authorities which have not so far been able to access either MCA or OPE brownfield funding. These places need a solution, and that’s why the NHC think that – alongside direct funding for MCA areas – there needs to be an accessible route for Northern councils outside MCA arrangements to access funding to cover the additional costs associated with developing on brownfield land, such as remediation and demolition.

We’re also keen to press the case for a revenue element to funding. Every brownfield site is different, and progressing them needs attention from skilled staff, and lots of persistence and determination. With the North having lost half its local authority housing capacity since 2010, providing ‘boots on the ground’ will be an important part of a successful programme.

The NHC is engaging with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on this issue. There’s lots of technical detail to work through, but it’s also clear there’s a real opportunity to build on the success of the existing brownfield fund and use this fresh investment to boost levelling-up. Let’s do it.

The Northern Housing Consortium has announced the Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury webinar series. The series is designed to build on the Tenants’ Climate Jury project which ran from July – September 2021, exploring the recommendations the Jury produced and the issues raised. Across five different sessions expert speakers, including commentators who originally gave ‘evidence’ to the Jury, will discuss examples of what the group felt represented good practice in decarbonising homes as well as the wider implications of retrofit and climate change the Jury highlighted as core concerns.

The Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury brought together 30 social housing residents, randomly selected, from across the North to learn about climate change and how to work towards net zero at the local level. In November 2020, the Jury launched its report and recommendations to the sector; their views, as social housing tenants, as to how tenants, social landlords, and other place-based organisations can work together to tackle climate change in our homes and neighbourhoods.

Around ¼ of the North’s carbon emissions come from our existing homes and to meet the challenge of net zero, over 1million social rented sector homes across the North will require retrofit measures. Northern Housing Consortium members know that tackling climate change is as much a tenant engagement issue as an asset management consideration, and that a positive resident experience is a central contributory factor to the long-term success of retrofit works.

Commissioned by the NHC alongside First Choice Homes Oldham, Karbon Homes, Salix Homes, Thirteen Group, and Yorkshire Housing; the Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury was designed to bring tenants into the heart of this discussion.

The Jury’s work is brought together in this final report and series of 19 recommendations. Over ten weeks, and 30 hours of deliberation, the Jury heard from and discussed climate change with invited experts from organisations like The Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment, the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers, National Energy Action, and representatives from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The Jury were also able to question Lord Callanan, Minister for Business, Energy and Corporate Responsibility, as part of the process.

The detailed recommendations contain a number of practical suggestions to the sector as well as longer term ambitions to ensure social housing leads on tackling climate change through good quality retrofit programmes and creating greener healthier neighbourhoods.

They underline the sense of urgency felt by the group, an emphasis on ensuring high standards, a need to develop considered retrofit strategies over the medium-longer term, suggestions as to how communication can be made more honest and transparent, how the sector can be upfront on costs both now and in the future, the value placed on collaboration and pooling risk and reward, and finally how the sector as a whole, both tenants landlord officers, can improve its knowledge on both renewable heating technology and climate change more broadly.

Details of each session, including a link to register your attendance, can be found below.

The Cost of Retrofit and the Energy Transition:

Wednesday 26^th January, 14.00 – 15.30

The Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury identified retrofit as not just a potentially disruptive process in of itself but the source of various financial questions tenants have that if gone unanswered can cause confusion and anxiety.

Government funding is available for the installation of works but won’t cover every home, what other funding or income streams are available and how will this information be communicated to tenants? Equally, as homes move onto renewable heating sources, is the wider energy transition ready to keep electricity affordable? And most importantly when, if ever, will tenants to called upon to contribute through their rent?

This session will explore the financial considerations of retrofit and the energy grid’s move towards renewables with a specific focus on the potential impact on tenants.

Retrofit Standards & Accreditation: Towards Getting it Right First Time

Wednesday 15^th February 2022, 14.00 – 15.30

As part of the Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury discussions were held with residents who had lived experience of their home being retrofitted. Both positive and negative experiences were heard about the quality of installation.

This session will explore the Jury’s desire to see the sector ‘get it right first time’ when it comes to housing retrofit. A series of speakers will discuss the current accreditation regime for retrofit works and case studies will be given from across the NHC membership. Presentations will be given covering projects achieving the highest standards but also how communication is key when certain properties demand an alternative approach.

The Resident-Centric Retrofit Journey

Wednesday 2nd March 2022, 14.00 – 15.30

From the beginning the Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury prioritised conveying how retrofit works impact tenants in the most practical sense; how tenants first learn of energy efficiency and renewable heating technology, how long installation takes, what happens to and in the home, what measures (e.g. insulation and heat pumps) look like and where are they actually installed, what it means for how the home is heated following installation, and how tenants will adapt their heating use in their day-to-day lives.

This session will bring together good practice from customer-centric retrofit projects across all tenures. Speakers will discuss good practice in first introducing renewable heating technology to tenants and how residents are supported to ensure new heating systems are used as intended. Presentations will also focus on how planning, coordination, and communication can work towards managing and mitigating disruptions to tenants’ lives.

Expanding Climate Education in Social Housing: Carbon Literacy Amongst Officers and Tenants

Wednesday 16th March 2022, 14.00 – 15.30

 The Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury felt strongly that the knowledge they had gained in earlier sessions on climate change played a contributing role to their understanding on the need to retrofit homes. The Jury would like to see the sector explore ways that this kind of knowledge can be spread as widely as possible to both tenants and officers.

This session will explore the ways in which landlords are communicating with their tenants on why retrofit works are taking place, and how they can be part of the process. Themes will include choosing the correct medium to convey the message, ensuring no one is left behind in receiving this information, and how as a whole a proactive and knowledgeable sector can showcase the best of the social housing sector.

Retrofit to Regeneration: Tackling Climate Change and Building Communities

Wednesday 30th March 2022, 14.00 – 15.30

 As well as discussing climate science and the decarbonisation of existing properties, the Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury also considered ways in which housing retrofit can be one part of a move to make their neighbourhoods more environmentally friendly, happier, and healthier places. The Jury identified tackling climate change in homes and neighbourhoods as a way of bringing all place-based agencies together and improve collaboration.

This session will offer examples of projects that can complement housing retrofit work and transform whole neighbourhoods. Speakers will also discuss the Jury’s desire to see outdoor and communal spaces used to improve not just the environment but our health and ability to socialise with each other; net zero as community building.

Guest blog by Rachael Orr, CEO of PlaceShapers

Whenever I spend time with a PlaceShaper member CEO I always ask, “what’s the one thing PlaceShapers could try and do to make your job easier?” One of the most interesting, and challenging answers I’ve ever had was three years ago, from a London based CEO: “you could stop ‘regeneration’ being a dirty word.”

It’s a good job I never promise I can deliver on that one thing. But I do think the policy environment in the last year is charting the path to helping him with this challenge.

If we are to win the argument that regeneration is central to levelling up, to restoring so many so called ‘left behind’ places, indeed to de-toxifying the term, then central to our case are the stories of great people, much loved places and prioritising often overlooked social infrastructure as highly as we do physical infrastructure.

I was fortunate to serve as a Commissioner this year on the Commission on Prosperity and Community Placemaking. Its final report, No Place Left Behind, made a number of recommendations about how we can better trust communities to lead change in the places they love – for example a mass transfer of ownership of empty shops, buildings and public spaces to communities and local businesses, through a new Community Right to Buy.

But what also stood out for me was the role of housing associations in supporting these community organisations to deliver their work, and to scale their reach and ambition. In so many places the catalyst for growth, the organisation willing to take on some of the risk, was a place based social landlord. They build homes yes, but their role in supporting social infrastructure, from libraries to youth clubs, may be just as pivotal in making the case for regeneration that works.

Place-based social landlords are experts on the place they work. Their staff and residents are the local communities. They know what they need to make places better, from mixed tenure housing to new parks and community centres.

So as civil servants continue to ponder if there is a positive future for regeneration policy, I think they need to do three things.

Firstly, they need to ensure any regeneration scheme starts with local communities and anchor organisations with a seat at the table when decisions are made, not just when the consultation phase on already agreed plans begins.

Secondly, they need to prioritise investment in social infrastructure far more highly – in line with what communities say they need.

And finally, we need a new role for Homes England, who should be empowered to employ more staff and make more decisions at a regional level, reviewing their remit to focus on regeneration and long term placemaking and allocating long term funding to allow housing associations and others to drive regeneration and renewal in homes and neighbourhoods.

In communities across the country, we have the experts on regeneration, and they are showing and telling a new possible story. Now we need to trust them, support them and deliver what they know they need.