Public Practice, the social enterprise with a mission to build the public sector’s capacity to improve places, is expanding its placement programme to the North of England, to include the North-West, North East and Yorkshire & the Humber regions.

This announcement comes as Public Practice’s national Local Authority Resourcing and Skills Survey finds that difficulties attracting skilled staff is by far the largest recruitment issue faced by local authorities, cited by 79% of the survey’s respondents. Local authority members of the NHC were invited to take part in the survey earlier this year.

Key findings included:

• 79% faced difficulty attracting appropriately qualified or skilled candidates, the most common issue with recruitment by far, nearly 30 points above the next most pressing difficulties cited by around half of all respondents, such as funding, retention, or recruitment delays
• There is a clear demand for built environment skills across the board, with the following areas prioritised by more than half of all respondents:
  • Digital & Data (64.3%)
  • Architecture, Urban Design and Master Planning (62.2%)
  • Environmental Sustainability (60.3%)
  • Ecology & Biodiversity (56.5%)
• As a combined geography, the North has ambitious recruitment plans for the next 12 months.

Public Practice plays a key role in supporting public sector authorities to identify gaps in the capacity of planning and place-shaping teams. The organisation then matches skilled candidates to year-long placements with authorities, which are supported by learning, development and knowledge sharing activities. In February, Homes England with the support of the Department of Levelling Up, Homes and Communities (DLUHC) launched their investment of just over £200,000 in Public Practice, to enable the not-for-profit’s expansion across the country.

This week’s announcement is Public Practice’s first step towards this and emerges from three months of extensive consultation and research to build evidence to shape the direction and approach for how it will expand its programme nationally.

Call for local authorities and candidates

• Public Practice recruitment is now open for placements in the North (North-West, the North East and Yorkshire & the Humber regions) and also in the South East (London, South East and East of England regions) from the 25th of April to the 30th of May.
• Public Sector bodies – including Combined Authorities, Local Authorities, County Councils, and Unitary Authorities – are invited to express their interest here
• Applications from built environment experts with a minimum of three years of experience are invited here.

Pooja Agrawal, Chief Executive of Public Practice, will join us for a 1 hour webinar on Thursday 12^th May to discuss the programme in more detail and invite comments and questions from NHC members. Click here to book your place.

Citizens Advice Gateshead, independent charity and longstanding member of the national Citizens Advice network, has provided first line support to hundreds of families who are already living the reality of the cost-of-living crisis. Chief Executive Alison Dunn is determined to raise awareness amongst policy makers and support services of the real truths behind the ‘heat or eat’ headlines which she sees as a gross oversimplification of a grave situation that’s becoming more serious by the day. 

“Using the term ‘heat OR eat’ gives the impression that people have a choice. That would indeed be a terrible plight on families across the North, but in our recent experience the reality is far worse. Many people simply can’t afford to do either, with demand for food banks rocketing and literally hundreds of people ‘self-disconnecting’ from smart meter utility services every week since the price cap increased.”  

Alison says the charity’s front-line advisers have never seen anything like the range of people who are now facing serious financial difficulties, and the statistics present a bleak picture: 

• Advice enquiries have almost doubled since the same time last year, and worryingly an increasing proportion of people in employment are looking for support. As a charity this is a real challenge as our resources haven’t increased in line with demand.  

• In Gateshead alone we’re dealing with energy enquiries now in the thousands, with an enormous 186% growth over the past 2 years, and the number of people needing support from food banks for the first quarter this year has doubled year on year.  
• In the last month alone our advisers have supported 3 times as many people to access charitable grants compared to the same time last year, and a high proportion of the grants are buying bedding, carpets and curtains as people build their warmth reserves for later in the year. 

But what of the story behind the scenes – what’s the day-to-day reality behind the ‘heat of eat’ headline?  

Fuel poverty is destroying people’s basic standard of living. Watching the smart meter in a tail spin when they boil the kettle, cook a meal, turn on a light, have a shower, watch TV or charge the mobile phone has led to genuine anxiety, and is impacting on everyday life. One adviser reported “I’ve had clients in appointments ask me if they smell bad because they’ve not had hot water to wash so are concerned it’s affecting their hygiene, they are really concerned and anxious about this and it affects their ability to leave the house which is a barrier to them getting help.” 

People facing illness and disability are disproportionately affected by low temperatures and lack of food. One adviser described the experience of a client who is diabetic. “They need to keep their electricity on else their insulin won’t be kept refrigerated making it unsafe to use which is potentially life threatening, but they also need to have food because if they have a hypo this too is life threatening.  They need to heat and eat to protect their physical wellbeing”. 

Travel costs are no longer viable leading to the need to choose between home or work. Described by one adviser in stark terms: “I’ve had a couple of clients in the difficult situation of not being able to afford the combination of utilities, food, and travel, but if they sacrifice travel they lose their work income – or sacrifice travel to the job centre with risk of sanctions, either of which spirals their situation further, but also don’t want to be unable to wash due to lack of hot water or to go hungry at work/home. I’ve had a client describe to me walking 6+ miles round trip to work daily, waking up at 4am every day to do so, doing a manual job on an empty stomach, then walking home.” Even being able to afford transport home from the foodbank is a prevalent issue people are facing, leading to them going without food albeit a food voucher has been received. 

And all this when the weather is mild … 

Ian Young who is a Consumer Energy Team Leader at the charity believes that as well as needing more capacity in social welfare services such as Citizens Advice Gateshead people need to be helped with energy advice.  

“People are checking smart meters in the morning and find their credit has dropped by £2 even though they aren’t using electricity, so we tell them that charging a phone overnight, or leaving a TV on standby, need unfortunately to be habits of the past, as every unit of energy now costs so much more than it ever has before”.  Ian believes that landlords could play a role in helping with the role out of practical ‘not so obvious’ energy advice to tenants, as in this current situation every little helps.  

But even adopting good consumer habits will only scratch the surface of the problem that’s building at an exponential rate. Arianne Graven, Legal Advice Services Manager at Citizens Advice Gateshead believes that choices are far more fundamental than heat or eat. Her team has seen a significant increase in the level of rent and mortgage arrears people are presenting, as rent payments are being missed to cover the cost of other household bills.  

“The cost-of-living crisis is causing people’s financial situations to spiral out of control very quickly. We used to be concerned about the people who were ‘just coping’ as they were living on a knife edge a lot of the time. Now, not being able to keep a roof over their heads at all is becoming a real worry for families. Even people who were fairly comfortable are having to make such difficult choices to be able to afford their essential costs and utilities.” 

The cost-of-living crisis is presenting far deeper issues for people than whether to heat or eat. Energy prices are having an almost bewildering impact on people’s basic standard of living, and Alison Dunn is concerned that the real implications of the onset of colder weather in the Autumn aren’t properly understood.  

“The thermos flask has now become a staple for families, to avoid boiling the kettle more than necessary. Our advisers are now facing the unenviable task of recommending hot water bottles, layered clothing and wearing hats indoors to prepare people for the very real prospect of no longer being able to heat their homes, instead having to focus on heating themselves. This has really serious implications for people’s wellbeing and everyday family life, and is also likely to result in irreversible consequences for housing that’s susceptible to deterioration through a lack of heat. The whole support system needs to mobilise to get a grip on this crisis immediately.”  

The NHC in partnership with Citizens Advice Gateshead, Money & Pensions Service and Society Matters will be discussing these issues and showcasing approached adopted in mitigating the impact of the cost of living on families, communities and employees, for further information click here for Session 1 and here for Session 2. 

Jayne Graham MBE FIEP 

Commercial Director, Citizens Advice Gateshead  

jayneg@citizensadvicegateshead.org.uk 

The 2020 Social Housing White Paper confirmed a review of the Decent Homes Standard, the first time the Standard has been updated since 2006.  The first phase of the review – focused on establishing a case for change to the current standard – concluded last Autumn, with the NHC having played an active role as a core participant in the Review.

In February 2022, the Levelling-Up White Paper announced a new ‘mission’ to halve the number of non-decent rented homes by 2030, with the biggest improvements in the lowest performing areas. This mission encompasses the social rented and private rented sectors – and marks the first time a decent homes standard has been applied to the whole private rented sector.

Since the White Paper was published, the NHC has engaged with officials at DLUHC working on both the private and social rented elements of this work. It’s clear that ministers want the same standard to apply to both sectors, and are keen to progress the review. We’ve also been encouraged that officials recognise that some of the lowest performing private rented sector stock is located in the North and Midlands – presenting a potential opportunity to progress the improvement or regeneration of these homes, which is a long-standing priority for many of the NHC’s local authority members.

Phase 2 of the review, focused on the development of a new Standard, has now begun, with the Sounding Board the NHC sits on having met three times in April. The intention is to develop a new standard at pace, and for there to be a formal consultation on this proposed standard – possibly as soon as this Summer.

The same standard is intended to apply to the social and private rented sectors. Perhaps reflecting this, potential new regulatory standards being considered for inclusion in the revised Standard are narrower than previously thought, and largely focused on safety and security. The Thermal Comfort Criterion, which Phase One identified as being significantly outdated, is being considered separately and it seems likely this will be consulted on in parallel with the new DHS. This is in the context of a precious consultation in raising Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards in the PRS to EPC C, and a pledge to consult on an EPC C regulatory standard in the social rented sector.

The Department are also considering the use of guidance and best practice on issues identified in Part 1 of the review, such as green spaces, climate adaptation, digital connectivity, adaptations, and resident/tenant engagement on planned maintenance.

The NHC’s Private Rented Sector Network will be discussing the application of a Decent Homes Standard to the PRS at their meeting on May 17^th, where we’ll be joined by officials from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. NHC members can attend the network at no charge – book your place using MyNHC.

Those interested in the Decent Homes Review can join the NHC’s mailing list for updates – email Kristina.Dawson@northern-consortium.org.uk to join the list.

The NHC has submitted written comments to the Department on the areas being considered for inclusion in the new Standard. We will also be responding to the formal consultation in due course. For any questions about the development of the new Standard, or if you would like the NHC to speak to your team or tenants about the progress of the review, please contact Brian.Robson@northern-consortium.org.uk

Ahead of the Government’s Energy Security Strategy published this month, there were hopes within the housing sector and beyond that BEIS and Treasury would use this opportunity to strengthen their approach to reduce the amount of energy we use by improving the energy efficiency of homes. Unfortunately, these expectations were not met and no new support has been announced.

The NHC’s Chief Executive Tracy Harrison commented:

“The Government have missed the opportunity to use the Energy Security Strategy to double down on efforts to make homes more energy efficient and reduce household bills. The Strategy’s focus on long-term energy supply has overlooked the required additional support to reduce energy demand now by improving the energy performance of homes. We hope to see further plans to accelerate home upgrades and transition to affordable, clean heat as part of the package to address rising energy bills and reduce the UK’s reliance on gas.”

The Government has had a tricky task for some time to respond to continuing rising prices in global gas markets which have been pushing household bills through the roof. This of course has been made even more complex by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the pressure to rebalance global energy markets away from reliance on gas from Russia. While the UK only relies on Russian gas for a small percentage of its energy (4% of total gas supply and 8% of oil demand), prices are still set in these markets so UK households are exposed to the volatility of overall gas prices.

Boris Johnson and his government have been reportedly conflicted on the most appropriate way to address these issues, with the Energy Security Strategy subsequently delayed many times in recent months. There have been varied demands from within the Conservative Party including calls to exploit fossil fuels further such as through fracking and increased drilling in the North Sea, and even to abandon net zero targets altogether. But there were also voices from within the governing party advocating for increased energy efficiency measures to be a key part of the energy strategy. Reports also emerged prior to the Strategy’s publication of Chancellor Rishi Sunak and his Treasury team outlining their reluctance to provide further support to upgrade the energy efficiency of homes.

The outcome of this debate was revealed this month when the Energy Security Strategy was finally published.

What was announced?

The Strategy focussed mainly on energy supply to help the UK reach its target of net zero by 2050 and includes ambitious new targets on offshore wind and nuclear energy. It was reported that plans to expand new onshore wind turbines were dropped from the Strategy due to existing conflict about wind farms within Johnson’s Cabinet. Reaction to this from the energy sector has been widely criticised as onshore wind is an effective short-term supply option and generally cheaper and more quickly deployed than other options, especially compared to nuclear power which is costly and slow to implement.

The overall ambition to align the energy system with net zero in the long-term is welcome. The North is already leading the way on renewable energy, with half of England’s renewable energy being generated in the region.

On low carbon heating, the Strategy announced a Heat Pump Investment Accelerator Competition in 2022 worth up to £30m. This is in addition to the Government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme, opened this month, which will provide grants of up to £5,000 to help with the upfront cost of installing low carbon technologies, such as heat pumps. Further commitment to heat pump technology is welcome but the Accelerator is a modest sum in relation to the Government’s target for 600,000 heat pump installations per year by 2028.

The Strategy also references expanding investment to support the creation of green finance products to “introduce a scheme under which lenders will work to improve the energy performance of the properties against which they lend”.

The Heat and Buildings Strategy committed Government to incentivising electrification through the rebalancing of levies on household bills that currently favour the use of gas. The Energy Security Strategy commits to publishing proposals on how to make this happen by the end of 2022. This is a hugely important step in the decarbonisation process to ensure that technologies such as heat pumps, which are powered by electricity, are cheaper to run in the long-term.

The Fairness and Affordability Review promised in the Heat and Buildings Strategy aims to address this affordability point. We urge Government to bring this review forward as soon as possible to ensure the transition to clean heat does not raise costs for low-income households.

What was missing?

In the introductory section, the Strategy outlines that the “first step [to reducing household bills] is to improve energy efficiency, reducing the amount of energy that households and businesses need”. The document later states that the “majority of our homes are energy inefficient” and “improving the efficiency of our homes could reduce our heating bills by around 20% and reduce our dependency on foreign gas.” The NHC strongly agrees with this assessment that we need to reduce the amount of energy we use in the first place, but the Strategy fails to back up these premises with further support to deliver on them.

The Strategy goes on to outline previous announcements by Government on energy efficiency, including the support announced in the Heat and Buildings Strategy, the work carried out so far through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, the expansion of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) to £1bn per year, and other existing measures.

We know that levels of fuel poverty have been rising and are expected to continue to rise this year with a further price cap increase to come in October. Communities in the North are particularly vulnerable to these continually rising costs as the North started with higher-than-average levels of fuel poverty. The Energy Security Strategy was the next opportunity after the Chancellor’s Spring Statement for Government to minimise the impact of rising bills and prevent households having to make difficult financial choices between heating their homes and other essentials.

The Northern Housing Monitor showed that 270,000 homes per year in the North will need to be retrofitted until 2035 just to reach the Government’s own EPC C target (the energy efficiency benchmark). There is still a lot of work to do across tenures to achieve this.

The Climate Change Committee (CCC) is Government’s independent advisor on tackling climate change. The CCC’s response to the Energy Security Strategy is also one of disappointment in relation to the lack of ambition to reduce energy demand. The CCC have praised the ambition to accelerate plans to secure clean, green, homegrown energy, especially on offshore wind. But they commented the Government will need to do more in the coming months on energy efficiency to cut energy bills for households.

In a response to an urgent question from Baroness Hayman on the Strategy not going far enough on insulation schemes, BEIS Minister Lord Callanan told the House of Lords: “It would have been good to have gone further, but the Treasury would not support it.” It is disappointing that the efforts of BEIS on this agenda have been largely disregarded by Treasury at this stage.

The North is already leading the way on renewable energy, the region now has the potential to lead the way on energy efficiency improvements and heat pump installations. An inclusive approach to housing decarbonisation would reduce household bills, cut carbon emissions, create new green jobs in the region, and lead to better health outcomes.

We will continue to work on behalf of our members to accelerate the harnessing of these benefits in the North, especially ahead of this winter, to support the creation of sustainable homes and communities across the region.

Read the full Energy Security Strategy here.

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

As part of its commitment to promote the work of the Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury, and begin a dialogue as to how the social housing sector can implement the Jury’s recommendations, the Northern Housing Consortium recently arranged the Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury Webinar Series. Recordings of the series are available for all NHC members to watch now via the below link.

Across the different sessions expert speakers, including commentators who originally gave ‘evidence’ to the Jury, discussed examples of what the Jury felt represented good practice in decarbonising homes as well as the wider implications of retrofit and climate change highlighted as core concerns.

The webinars looked at:

• The resident centred retrofit journey – highlighting good practice from all tenures, the small details needed to ensure all possible disruption is mitigated against and tenants assured, and the new roles housing providers are investing in.
• Expanding climate and decarbonisation education in social housing – including a focus on the rise of carbon literacy training in the sector, the innovative approaches to engaging and informing our communities, and the role of industry in ensuring the user journey in renewable heating technology is as smooth as possible.
• Tackling climate change and building communities – considering ways in which housing retrofit can be made one part of making neighbourhoods more environmentally friendly but also happier, healthier places. Speakers discussed improving collaboration between all community stakeholders, projects complementing retrofit work with wider neighbourhood transformation, and how housing providers can lead the way in opening up and maximising community green spaces.
• Creating good green jobs at the local level and ensuring opportunity for all – building on the Jury’s desire to see housing providers working with business, education, and Government to drive job creation in green industries and the roles that will decarbonise the built environment. Speakers discussed the central role housing providers can play as anchor institutions, large employers in their areas, and organisations with a vested interest in investing in people as well as place.

The Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury Webinar Series can be viewed HERE.