The Northern Housing Summit 2024 – Event Write-up

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NHC convenes housing leaders for 2024 Northern Housing Summit

In November, the NHC held its flagship event, the Northern Housing Summit.

Chaired by Mark Easton, the Summit’s focus was on a new Parliament and new partnerships. The event provided attendees the opportunity to discuss the most important priorities for the North’s social housing sector, with the key themes of:

  • new supply and regeneration
  • improving the quality of existing homes
  • reaching net zero
  • the opportunities from greater devolution in the North

Welcoming attendees to Leeds for the event, NHC chief executive Tracy Harrison detailed the early work the new government has done on housing as it attempts to reach its ambitious target of 1.5 million new homes by the end of this Parliament. Tracy also highlighted the work the NHC has been doing to work in partnership with government and NHC members to achieve shared ambitions.

From one Tracy to another, the first keynote speech of the day was from Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin. Mayor Brabin emphasised the importance of devolution in bringing thousands of new homes across the region, with “decisions made for our region, by our region”. She also confirmed that she is committed to delivering 5,000 new affordable homes over the next five years and said that there is potential for at least 38,000 new homes to be built on brownfield land in the region. The mayor also cited the collaborative work of the West Yorkshire Housing Partnership in supporting the devolution deal and transforming the lives of people across the region.

It was a special Summit this year, with cause for celebration for the NHC’s 50th anniversary. Clive Betts, MP for Sheffield South East and former Chair of the Housing Select Committee, provided a keynote address on the last 50 years in housing and looked ahead at the opportunities for the future.

To coincide with the Summit, the NHC launched the early release of a keynote chapter from its annual state of the region report, the Northern Housing Monitor. The chapter, ‘Housing Poverty in the North’ finds that 25% of households are in poverty after housing costs. To launch the chapter, delegates heard from NHC executive director, Patrick Murray, and Onward Homes CEO, Bronwen Rapley, who discussed the research and the impact of housing costs on northern communities.

On to another key theme of the day – meeting the net zero challenge in the North. Delegates heard from panellists Thirteen Group CEO, Matt Forrest; Yorkshire Housing Resident, Steve Mackenzie; and Director of Net Zero Buildings at the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero, Selvin Brown. Matt Forrest provided the housing association perspective on energy efficiency funding and partnership working. Steve, also a The Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury juror, focused on the importance of engaging closely with residents when improving homes, saying that “we’re the ones that live in the homes, live in the areas, it should be about us”.

Selvin highlighted the work the new government has done on net zero funding and the great work being undertaken by housing providers across the country. He announced that in the most recent tranche of the ‘Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund’, there were bids totalling £900m more than the £1.29bn provided in funding, illustrating the appetite in the sector to improve the energy efficiency of homes.

Delegates had the opportunity to hear from Chief Executive of the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH), Fiona MacGregor, who provided a keynote speech on regulation and innovation. Fiona noted the RSH had seen in decrease in the forecast of housing delivery from social housing providers. She also said the recurring theme when providers don’t meet the new consumer standards is the link to poor data-keeping.

The event also provided delegates with a choice of various professional practice sessions focused on key issues for the sector. These were ‘Building Resilience: Developing a response to climate change’, Technology and Health – how digital can enable the sector to do more’, ‘Creating Cultures Fit for the Future’ and ‘Implementing Awaab’s Law’. Social housing tenants, civil servants, housing professionals and NHC partners made up panels for these sessions to discuss these key topics and answer questions.

With quality a key priority for NHC members, attendees then heard from a panel of experts about improving the quality of social homes in the North.

Ruhena Ahmed, Deputy Director of Social Housing Quality at MHCLG; Sharon Kemp, CEO at Rotherham MBC; Louise Bassett, CEO at Gentoo Group; Hull City Council’s Ben Hanson; and the NHC’s Patrick Murray explored the lessons from past quality and regeneration work as well as the opportunities for the future. Ruhena noted the imminent implementation of Awaab’s Law and a Decent Homes Standard coming in 2025.

With the new government’s headline target for new homes, expert panellists discussed the challenges and opportunities for delivering the homes the North needs and how to make delivery a reality. The panel was made up of Shahi Islam, Director of Affordable Housing at Homes England; Jonathan Clifton, Deputy Director for Homes Ownership at MHCLG; Charlie Norman, NHC Chair and CEO of MSV Housing; Pam Smith, CEO at Newcastle City Council; and Marcus Dixon, Director of UK Residential Research at JLL. Shahi asserted Homes England’s emphasis on placemaking and ensuring the homes we build have a strong connection to their locality. Shahi also confirmed the agency is keen to establish long-term partnerships with local and combined authorities and is committed to the devolution agenda.

In the final session of the day, delegates heard a range of speakers building on the NHC’s Pride in Place research to consider the role of NHC members in the devolution agenda and creating thriving communities. Chairman of Create Streets, Nicholas Boys Smith, explained the Create Streets view on what makes a great place to live. Chair of Placeshapers, Matthew Walker, declared that it’s about the decision being taken at an appropriate level to ensure people’s needs are considered. Jill Summers, Head of Safer and Stronger Communities at Liverpool City Council, explained the work of her team in ensuring that community cohesion is a priority, particularly in the wake of the Summer 2024 riots. To bring the day to a close, Benwell resident Leanne Salem highlighted the community initiatives and support available which allow her community to feel pride in their area and their homes.

 

The NHC would like to thank its sponsors for making the Summit possible: Appello, Campbell Tickell, BullWall, Consortium Procurement, FRC Group, JLL, Locata, Marsh, Mediaworks, Prosper, Taking Care, TSA and Ward Hadaway.

 

If you would like to find out more about the Northern Housing Summit, or be involved in the next one, please contact Kate Maughan, Director of Member Engagement Kate.Maughan@northern-consortium.org.uk

 

A Proud Promise: The LGBTQ+ Housing Pledge

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The LGBTQ+ Housing Pledge, by HouseProud and delivered by Stonewall Housing, is a scheme for social housing providers to demonstrate their inclusion of and support towards LGBTQ+ residents.

Back in 2017, a piece of research called No Place Like Home? found that LGBTQ+ social housing residents experienced a lack of safety and a lack of belonging in their neighbourhoods. 60% of trans respondents felt that their neighbourhood was not a safe place to live as an LGBTQ+ person. Individuals disproportionately reported censoring their homes when preparing for staff visits and felt doubtful of their landlord’s approach to harassment and discrimination.

The LGBTQ+ Housing Pledge was created to address these findings. The scheme is free to sign up to and offers two levels of accreditation: Pledge Pioneer and Pledge Pioneer Plus. Each of these has different requirements centred around themes like inclusion, visibility and co-production. The criteria is flexible and proportionate, and therefore caters to all landlords irrespective of an organisation’s size or geographical location.

By signing up – making the Pledge Promise – you will be spearheading LGBTQ+ inclusion and joining a growing network of organisations proudly taking this step towards equality. You will be working towards a formal recognition of inclusive practice to improve both resident and staff satisfaction.

If you are interested in finding out more, please get in touch with us directly at houseproudpledge@stonewallhousing.org.

 

 

 

£30m allocation for Bradford City Village development

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We are pleased to see the allocation of £29.9 million to Bradford Council through Homes England’s Brownfield Infrastructure & Land (BIL) funding for its Bradford City Village project.

The grant funding will be used to deliver around 1,000 new homes along with retail and leisure spaces including three community parks, right in the heart of Bradford city centre.

In May, the NHC welcomed senior civil servants from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to West Yorkshire for a visit around members’ sites in the region. This included a visit to the Bradford City Village development where MHCLG colleagues saw the plans for the projects and the focus on creating a healthy, sustainable, community-friendly city centre neighbourhood.

Proud to contribute to something meaningful

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We welcomed Rosie Beckford to the team earlier in the year. She is a Procurement & Contracts Officer, working for Consortium Procurement, our commercial arm which delivers compliant, practical, and efficient procurement for public sector organisations.

Rosie shares her experience so far.

 

What attracted you to your role?

I really enjoy the variety of the role – no day or procurement solution is the same and it is very important to me to work in an environment where I am continuously learning.

I am proud to work for Consortium Procurement and Northern Housing Consortium – they have a brilliant organisational model, and I feel like I am contributing towards something meaningful.

 

Describe your typical day?

I work with members to manage the call–off process for frameworks and dynamic purchasing systems.

 

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

The most valuable thing you can give someone is your time.

 

What do you like to do to switch-off?

I’m always content curled up with a book, a cup of tea and my cat. I also love long walks and spending time in nature.

 

How would you sum up working for the NHC and Consortium Procurement, in three words?

Interesting, positive, collaborative.

Partnership working on show as MHCLG visit the North East

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As part of our work to support housing partnerships across the North and work closely with key government departments, we welcomed colleagues from the Social Housing Directorate at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to the North East for a tour of members’ sites.

Emma Payne (Director, Social Housing) and Nick Burkitt (Deputy Director of Affordable Housing Regulation & Investment), who are responsible for the Affordable Homes Programme, spent the day engaging with the North East Housing Partnership (NEHP) with visits to regeneration and development sites across the region.

The tour began with a visit to Livin Housing’s Jubilee Fields Estate in Shildon. The estate is a shining example of Livin’s placemaking approach to regeneration, with a strong focus on engaging with the community and local partners to address estate-wide issues.

Next stop was to Livin’s Laburnum Grove development in St. Helen Auckland, a new 59-home development on brownfield land. All homes meet the Building Regulations Part M4(2) for accessibility and adaptability, and Livin made one home in the development a high energy efficiency demonstrator home in anticipation of a Future Homes Standard.

Midway through the day, delegates stopped for a lunch event with a presentation from NEHP Chair, Paul Fiddaman. With housing association and local authority representatives from across the NEHP in attendance, Paul presented on the challenges and opportunities for north east housing providers in delivering new homes and regenerating communities.

Included in the visit was Karbon Homes’ 750-home Seaham Garden Village development site, with funding for the project coming through Karbon’s Strategic Partnership with Homes England. The development will feature a primary school, health and wellbeing facility, and an innovation centre. Karbon plans to heat the affordable homes using a district heating scheme powered by minewater heat.

Travelling further North along the coast, delegates visited Gentoo’s Cricketers Hill development in North Sunderland. The site was previously a Primary School but was demolished in 2009 and in 2023 the site transferred to Gentoo, with 115 affordable homes now under development. Each home will achieve an EPC A rating, with Air Source Heat Pumps, PV Panel, fill insulation and electric vehicle charging.

The final leg of the visit brought delegates to Bernicia’s Holborn Docks development in South Shields. Bernicia’s 36 affordable homes will be delivered alongside a wider regeneration project on the former industrial site, with South Tyneside Council leading the project with the aim to reinvigorate the brownfield land and deliver high-quality family homes.

The visit provided senior civil servants, responsible for funding and policy decisions – including the delivery of the Affordable Homes Programme – which impact social housing providers, with the opportunity to see the productive work members are doing. It highlighted the great partnership work which is happening across the North to deliver new homes and regeneration projects.

The NHC will continue to engage with civil servants and other key stakeholders to highlight the work our members are doing to transform communities across the North.

 

 

 

Consultations on Rents and Right to Buy now open

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Two key consultations have opened following the Budget.  

At the Budget the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that social housing rents would be permitted to rise by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) +1% for five years from April 2026. This has been accompanied by a consultation into future rent policy, including looking at potentially extending the proposed rent settlement to ten years, something the NHC and other sector bodies have called for.  

The Government also opened a consultation on proposed changes to the Right to Buy. This includes reducing and capping the discounts available to tenants, extending the number of years somebody would need to be a tenant before they could benefit from the Right to Buy, and potentially exempting new build properties from the Right to Buy. The NHC  welcomed these proposals providing a comment in the government announcement.  

We will respond to both consultations and are keen to hear the views of our members on these issues. We are especially interested in hearing how extending the rent settlement to ten years would help members to invest in new and existing properties.  

You will find the consultation on future rent policy, which closes on 23rd December here, and the Right to Buy consultation, which closes on 15th January here. If you would like to share views on either consultation or arrange a conversation, please contact tom.kennedy@northern-consortium.org.uk   

FRC Group: What do we offer?

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We are FRC Living and we’re experts in providing durable, compliant and fire-retardant furniture, white goods, and accessories for all types of social housing.

Whether its hostels, resettlement properties, temporary accommodation, next steps housing, furnished tenancies, supported housing, market rented properties or key worker accommodation, we can help.

Key services include:

  • Contract furniture supply: We supply all kinds of furniture, white goods and accessories. We deliver nationwide, with core items supplied within five days – and all items are warrantied in social housing settings.
  • Project management: Let us handle installation from start to finish. We can support housing projects of any size, budget, or timeline, with all furniture installed in-situ and all packaging removed for recycling.
  • Starter packs and accessories: From kitchen utensils and cookware to bed linens and toiletries, we provide everything residents need to feel at home from day one.
  • Long-term support: We offer ongoing assistance to help landlords maintain high accommodation standards and minimise relet times.

FRC Living is all about making things easier so landlords can focus on core activities. Simply place an order, and we’ll do the rest.

 

We are Buckingham Interiors and we’re passionate about creating beautiful and functional living spaces.

We specialise in high-quality interior design, bespoke furniture, and accessories for independent living, sheltered living, and extra care housing.

Here’s what we offer:

  • Interior design: Our sector-specific design services blend style, comfort, and aesthetics with practical solutions that cater to the diverse needs of residents, including dementia specifications and dementia friendliness.
  • Project consultation and management: We’re with you every step of the way on new builds or refurbishments. Working closely together, we deliver design-led interior solutions with packages tailored to your project’s unique needs.
  • Furniture supply and installation: We provide high quality, fire regulation compliant furniture, accessories, artwork, and window coverings, all delivered and installed according to your floor plan.

When you choose Buckingham Interiors, you’re tapping into 30 years of experience in design-led furnishings. We’re all about combining comfort, style, and practicality to create living spaces that people love to be in.

 

We are Furniture Flex and we’re here to help landlords tackle the challenges of providing furnished tenancies.

We offer everything needed to turn a house into a home—from furnishings and white goods to appliances and everyday essentials like utensils and bedding—all through flexible, cost-neutral options. Our innovative packages let you choose between rental, purchase, or a mix of both.

Offering furnished tenancies can deliver many benefits, including:

  • Lower tenant turnover
  • Reduced void losses from vacant properties
  • Reduced rent arrears
  • Better tenant engagement
  • Increased demand for hard-to-let properties

Furniture Flex also partners with End Furniture Poverty, using their extensive research to create solutions that help landlords set up furnished tenancies and help tenants escape furniture poverty.

 

We are End Furniture Poverty, and we are the campaigning and social research arm of FRC Group.

Launched in 2015, the initiative was created to raise national awareness of the issue of furniture poverty and to develop scaled solutions to drive change.

Our research helps us dig deep into the causes and impacts of furniture poverty, so we can create evidence-based solutions. We use these insights to fuel campaigns across the social housing sector and lobby local and central governments to improve furniture provision.

Some of our current campaigns include Make a House a Home, which calls for at least 10% of social homes to be furnished, and our ongoing efforts to secure long-term, ring-fenced funding for local authority crisis schemes.

We work closely with a wide range of partners and stakeholders to ensure furniture provision is widespread and accessible. We’re also key players in broader efforts to tackle poverty. We provide ongoing support to social landlords, charities, local authorities, and others to help them set up furniture schemes, making sure everyone has access to the essential items they need for a secure life.

Together, we can End Furniture Poverty.

For more information visit https://frcgroup.co.uk

Maximise Efficiency and Compliance with Our Comprehensive Housing Solutions

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Guest blog by NHC supporter member Locata

Navigating the complexities of the housing sector—compliance with regulations, seamless application management, and smooth service delivery—can be a daunting task. Our suite of integrated solutions is designed to simplify these challenges, enabling housing authorities, providers, and local councils to operate more efficiently and deliver better services.

Lettings: Streamline Housing Allocations

Managing housing applications can be time-consuming and prone to errors. Our Lettings solution simplifies the process, whether you use Choice-Based Allocations or Nominations-Based Allocations. From application assessment to property advertising and applicant shortlisting, our system automates key steps to ensure faster, more accurate matches between applicants and available properties.

The result? Reduced administrative burden, quicker turnarounds, and a higher level of service that leads to greater resident satisfaction.

HPA2: Comprehensive Case Management for Homelessness Prevention

In response to the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, local authorities are required to act earlier and prevent homelessness. Our HPA2 system is built to help you meet these obligations, offering powerful tools for case management, tracking prevention actions, and ensuring full legislative compliance.

With HPA2, you can manage cases more effectively, provide timely support, and reduce homelessness in your community by empowering your team to work smarter and more efficiently. HPA2 is packed with features that reduce admin burdens on your team – allowing them to focus on the work which has an impact – prevention and resolution of your clients housing problems.

HRS: Efficient Housing Support Pathway Management

For vulnerable individuals, timely access to housing-related support can make all the difference. Our HRS (Housing-Related Support) solution is designed to streamline referral pathways and manage support services—whether floating or accommodation-based.

With real-time updates from service providers, HRS gives you the visibility you need to track available services and place applicants in the right support pathways quickly and effectively. This ensures a smoother process and better outcomes for both applicants and service providers. HRS is an exceptionally flexible module for managing and monitoring the capacity and work of your commissioned services.

PSH: Simplify Private Sector Housing Standards Management

Managing the private rented sector can be complex, especially with constantly evolving regulations. Our PSH (Private Sector Housing) solution simplifies compliance by incorporating detailed HHSRS (Housing Health and Safety Rating System) assessments and providing tools for managing both statutory and non-statutory case types.

With PSH, you can easily monitor property conditions, ensure tenant safety, and address compliance issues efficiently, all while maintaining high standards and reducing the risk of non-compliance.

Estates: Fully Integrated Housing Management

Effective housing management requires more than just tracking tenants and properties—it requires a connected, comprehensive system that supports all aspects of housing operations. Estates is our fully integrated housing management solution, designed to work seamlessly with key functions like payment processing, financial management, and more.

With Estates, you can easily manage tenants, monitor property maintenance, and handle financial transactions—all from one central platform. The result is a fully connected, efficient workflow that saves time, reduces errors, and improves service delivery.

Why Choose Our Solutions?

Each of our products is tailored to meet your unique needs. From streamlining application processes to ensuring compliance with complex regulations, we provide the tools and support you need to deliver exceptional housing services. With our solutions, you’ll enjoy:

  • Increased Efficiency: Automate key processes to save time and reduce administrative overhead.
  • Enhanced Compliance: Stay ahead of regulatory changes and ensure your organisation remains compliant with the latest laws.
  • Improved Service Delivery: Deliver faster, more effective support to applicants and tenants, resulting in better overall outcomes.
  • Seamless Integration: Our solutions integrate with your existing infrastructure, providing a cohesive, connected workflow.

Ready to take your housing services to the next level? Let’s talk! Our expert team is here to help you implement the perfect solutions for your needs. Contact us today to learn more about how we can support your success.

 

Prosper leading the way in delivering decarbonisation retrofit solutions

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In August 2022, specialist procurement consultancy Prosper launched the first-to-market decarbonisation retrofit and investment work framework.

Fast forward two years and Prosper has now facilitated over 50 contracts with housing providers and local authorities across the UK, unlocking more than £200 million worth of construction opportunities.

The Decarbonisation Retrofit Framework (including refurbishment works) is an all-encompassing procurement solution that covers a range of decarbonisation retrofit works with the option to include standard investment works.

The innovative solution provides the delivery mechanism for a range of retrofit works aimed at insulating fabric-first elements of homes through Principal Contractors who will be able to deliver component schemes or whole-house approaches to include typical cyclical investment works, for example, kitchen and bathroom instalments.

It compliments the works supported through the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (SDF) and ECO4 works, meaning contractors have to be compliant with PAS 2035 installer accreditation requirements and hold Trustmark certification.

Prosper’s staff have extensive experience and have facilitated contracts on properties ranging from 1-bedroom flats and bedsits in rural communities to 4-bedroom homes and multiple 18-storey tower blocks in urban towns and cities.

North Devon Homes are committed to improving the energy efficiency of their homes whilst helping customers to lower their energy bills and keep them warm during the colder, winter months.

Last year, our client was successful in securing funding from SHDF wave 2 to enable them to upgrade 120 properties to an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of band C or above.

They engaged Prosper to facilitate the procurement of this 2-year project, accessing the Decarbonisation Retrofit Framework – Lot 8 South West, offering a direct award to supply chain partner, LivGreen.

Works have now been successfully completed on the first site at Tewsley Close in Bickington, which involved upgrading four blocks of flats and eleven bungalows, all of which had night-storage heating.

Improvements have included the installation of PV panels to the flats which will provide free electricity and can be diverted to high heat retention storage heaters which are more economical to run and can be boosted by the PV panels during the day.

The properties have also benefitted from having external mineral wall cavity insulation removed and replaced with better performing thermal bead. Upgrades have been made to windows and doors and assessments indicate that the properties are now performing above EPC C rating, with some achieving a rating of band B.

Earlier this year, Golden Lane Housing accessed Prosper’s Decarbonisation Retrofit Framework and has successfully completed the retrofit of 36 homes across the North West.

Our client provides safe, supported housing for people with a learning disability and autistic people and worked in partnership with RE:GEN North West to deliver the improvements, focussing on upgrading homes with energy-efficient measures and modernising key facilities.

The works included external, cavity wall, loft and roof insulation, the fitting of air source heat pumps, insulated external doors and A+ windows and upgrading of heating controls. Prior to the works, the EPC rating of these properties were D, E and F but are now performing at EPC C and B.

The retrofit project plays a critical role in helping Golden Lane Housing meet its long-term sustainability commitments. By focusing on energy efficiency, the project supports the organisation’s goal to significantly reduce its carbon footprint by 2030, as part of its broader sustainability strategy. The successful completion of the retrofit is a key step in fulfilling these ambitious targets while enhancing the value and quality of its housing portfolio.

 

Melissa O’Donnell, Director of Property and Sustainability, said:

“Golden Lane Housing is delighted with the success of the retrofit works completed on 36 of our properties across the North West of England. By incorporating innovative energy-efficient measures such as air source heat pumps, enhanced insulation, and A+ rated windows and doors, we’ve significantly improved the energy performance of these homes, with EPC ratings rising from D, E, and F to C and B. These improvements not only help us meet our long-term sustainability goals but demonstrate our commitment to enhancing the comfort and affordability of our tenants’ homes.”

Rod Brasington, Chief Executive of Prosper, said:

“At Prosper, we support our local authority, housing association and supply chain partners with end-to-end solutions that achieve scale, compliance and cost-efficiency.

“We are delighted to have played a significant part in the successful procurement of contracts on behalf of North Devon Homes and Golden Lane Housing and to hear about the positive impact these works have had on their housing stock and their tenants. These two projects demonstrate the scale and complexity of the contracts we can facilitate.

“The successful implementation and delivery of our first decarbonisation retrofit and investment work framework has proved to be extremely popular with over 50 decarbonisation contracts to the value of £200 million placed through it.

“The experience we have gained from the delivery of this framework, has helped to further strengthen our position in the market with the forthcoming rollout of a new Decarbonisation and Investment Installation Works framework, which will coincide with Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund Wave 3 applications.

“The initial decarbonisation retrofit framework will still run concurrently with the new framework and landlords will be able to utilise either framework. Applications to return tenders closed in October 2024 and we received over 60 submissions, which demonstrates Prosper’s market-leading position in the Decarbonisation market and the appetite for contractors to be awarded a place on this framework.”

 

The framework covers regional lots across the North East, Yorkshire and The Humber, North West, East Midlands, East of England, South East, South West, London, West Midlands, and Wales.

The new framework will provide landlords with an innovative and compliant ‘one-stop-shop’ solution route to delivery through appointed Principal Contractors and coincides with Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund Wave 3 applications, offering traditional investment works to deliver component schemes or whole house approaches.

Typical works covered under the framework will include internal and external wall insulation, ground source and air source heat pumps, electric heating solutions, PV systems, ventilation systems, roofing works as well as traditional works such as the installation of new kitchens and bathrooms, replacement of windows and doors and solutions to tackle damp and mould.