Welcome to our new executive director for operations and finance

|, |by

We’ve appointed a new Executive Director for Operations and Finance. Andrea Downey brings with her more than 25 years’ experience of working in both the public and private sector, with previous roles in Network Rail and the NHS, as well as in the publishing and media sectors.  

She will also play a key role in the leadership of our procurement arm, Consortium Procurement, which offers a trusted and compliant service to 400 members nationally.  

Chief Executive Tracy Harrison said:  

“Andrea will play a central role in making sure we achieve the best possible value for members and make maximum use of our resources across the entire organisation. Andrea’s expertise will be a real added benefit to our members, as we work together to influence policy and change people’s lives for the better.”  

As well as her previous roles in the UK, Andrea spent five years working abroad, gaining an insight into different cultures and work practices, and has also acted as a consultant, advising SMEs on finance and change management.  

Andrea Downey, Executive Director for Operations and Finance said:  

“I was attracted to Northern Housing Consortium because of its very clear ethos of making a positive impact. The organisation’s focus on levelling up in the north through social housing improvements is close to my heart; I grew up in a council house and it was a positive experience, and I would like that for others too.” 

Tracy Harrison added:  

“As we start work on a new plan for the future of Northern Housing Consortium and Consortium Procurement we want to grow and support more members than ever before. We will soon welcome a new government and Andrea will help us put the foundations in place at a crucial time for housing in the North.  This includes building relationships with the financial directors of our members, to share experiences and find solutions.”  

National Resident Involvement Conference 2024

| |by

Member engagement manager James Bryson reports from the NHC’s annual National Resident Involvement Conference in partnership with YD consultants 

 Now in its 15th year, this event brings together involved residents and engagement professionals from across the country. As always, there was a wide range of insight from sector leaders, best practice and opportunities for residents to get involved in the most important housing campaigns. 

The first of two days were hosted by Leann Hearn (CEO of Livv Housing and NHC board member) David O’Brien (social housing resident and Chair of Gateway Housing Group). Due to the pre-election period, a number of senior civil servants who had been expected to speak were unavailable.  

NHC Chair, Paul Fiddaman, stepped into the breech to deliver the opening keynote speech of the conference. Looking ahead to the General Election, Paul discussed what the sector wants from a new government, and most importantly, what we can expect. New house building targets, regeneration and rent settlements were all under the spotlight as the conference was teed up for the sessions that would follow. 

The first workshop of the conference was delivered by L&Q’s Fayann Simpson (Chair of Resident Services Board) and Neil Talbot (Director Research and Accountability). L&Q have been looking at how they can improve their relationships with residents and improve services and culture. Taking lessons from the voluntary sector and participatory democracy initiatives, they are building new structures, so the voice of customers has more ways of influencing organisational priorities. 

We also heard from Prima Group, Gateway Housing and MHS Group about some of the brilliant resident engagement work they have been proud to deliver over the last year. With insights on customer complaint handling, door knocking, and tenant satisfaction data delegates were able to take a number of ideas back to their own organisations. 

Day Two, hosted by Liz Cook (NHC Board Member) and Yaw Boateng (Chair, Croydon Residents Panel) was kicked off with Nic Bliss and Fiona Brown presenting on the Stop Social Housing Stigma (SSHS) campaign. In very exciting news SSHS has just launched as a membership organisation that anyone can join, resident, staff or contractor, and get involved in tackling the stigma people in social housing face. Cue a raft of messages in the chat as attendees became members on the spot! You can sign-up here.  

The final workshop of the conference was delivered by Frances Harkin (Head of Services at HACT) who has been working with Shelter to build an evidence base for a campaign to build more social homes. This session gave delegates a chance to feed their experiences of being a social housing resident into the wider research. This project has only just begun, and there are plenty more opportunities for residents to register their interest in taking part. Click here to find out more. 

It is more important than ever that residents have a say in how their landlord operates. As the sector moves to a more resident focused approach, conferences like Resident Involvement continue to be essential in equipping residents with the skills to shape their landlord’s service.    

You can watch the 2-day conference on-demand here.

Heartwarming Homes – working together to make a difference

| |by

The NHC, Placeshapers and Tpas came together to launch the Heartwarming Homes toolkit, to support housing providers to engage with residents about energy efficiency improvements. The project came about following the NHC’s Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury and Placeshapers and Tpas research Residents’ Voices in the Net Zero Journey. Both pieces of work had similar themes around importance of effective communication and engagement with residents.

Project lead Kathy Thomas explains more about Heartwarming Homes.

Tell us a bit more about the toolkit:

The Heartwarming Homes toolkit is an easy to navigate website which guides social housing providers through the process of communicating with residents about energy efficiency projects from start to finish.

There are some useful resources, such as template letters, a video tour of a retrofitted home, and template FAQs. However, it’s much more that – if you want to successfully engage with residents you need to look at your whole process, not just the materials you send them.

I worked with a group of tenants, and they were passionate about the need for tailored one-to-one engagement with residents, with someone they know and trust. Everyone has different circumstances, and you need to account for this. We looked at things from a Behaviour Change Perspective, so the toolkit identifies what potential barriers are to having work done, and how these can be overcome.

 

What do you think are the most important lessons from the toolkit?

That a ‘one size fits all’ approach to engagement doesn’t work. Having dedicated customer engagement officers and offering tenants tailored support, for example a loft clearance service for those that need it, requires additional investment but it’s well worth it. It will pay dividends in terms of customer experience, and those residents will share experience with neighbours, friends and family. It also helps avoid costly delays which come with not being able to access peoples’ homes.

 

Heartwarming Homes sounds a collaborative project, can tell us a bit more about who you worked with?

It was very collaborative – the original idea for the project came from the NHC, Placeshapers and Tpas, but a wide range of organisations and individuals were involved in the development and delivery.

As mentioned, I worked with a tenant advisory group which included people who had been involved in the other pieces of work and some new faces too. The insight they gave was invaluable. I also worked representatives from the social housing sector who shared what was working well, and lessons learnt. It was important to get input from both perspectives.

All this was overseen by a steering group, which alongside the three lead organisations included representatives from Department of Energy Security and Net Zero, the Carbon Literacy Project, Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission and West Yorkshire Housing Partnership and more.

 

Has the toolkit been a success?

The website’s had over 9,000 hits and this keeps growing which show’s it’s being used by the sector. Prior to launch we did a test and learn phase with a wider group of sector representatives and residents and the feedback was positive. The message was clear that the toolkit would be used, and the advice was realistic to implement.

What meant most though was the feedback from residents. I’ve pasted a couple of examples below.

“It makes such a refreshing changethat it’s written in ‘speak easy’ language, it’s understandable. It makes it sound totally different to most of the stuff I’ve read before that’s been put out.”

“It takes away any sense of “them and us” which people sometimes have at times of change. It allows opportunities for questions to be asked.”

 

What have been your personal highlights?

I worked with a very supportive manager and was given the freedom to take the project in the direction I felt was right.

I also stepped out my comfort zone and ended up speaking at dozens of events about the project. It was a real confidence booster and has helped me develop new skills.

 

Find out more about Heartwarming Homes at https://heartwarminghomes.org.uk

Member visit to tower block retrofit project

| |by

A group of Northern Housing Consortium members visited Heaton Park Court, a 12-storey tower block in Newcastle upon Tyne currently managed by Your Homes Newcastle, which is undergoing significant energy efficiency upgrades.

NHC members were also joined by RE:GEN, a North East-based contractor delivering the retrofit works, who have extensive experience in delivering similar schemes.

Members heard about the difficulties in renovating a 1960s tower block and the importance of effective engagement and communication with residents living in the building. The need to remain agile was highlighted, so if issues emerge, plans can be amended without negatively impacting the final delivery.

On this scheme it became apparent that the existing electricity supply would be insufficient to power the new electrical appliances and heating systems. This led to changes to plans and the installation of an expanded electricity supply in partnership with the Distribution Network Operator, Northern Powergrid, which has ensured the successful delivery of the project.

The tower block, originally built in the 1960s, includes 72 individual flats. Each flat is receiving a new KERS energy recovery air-source heat pump and new storage heating systems as part of a comprehensive renovation. The exterior of the block is receiving extensive insulation improvements and 312 new energy efficient windows which will reduce heat loss and improve thermal comfort.

Once the work is completed, the block will no longer use any gas, all the resident’s heating and living requirements will be powered by electricity. The heat demand for some refurbished flats will be as low as 15 kilowatt hours per metre square per year.  This compares well with the minimum level set out by government of 90 kilowatt hours for work completed under the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund.

RE:GEN will provide 20 work experience placements and 100 apprenticeship weeks as part of the scheme, supporting the development of skilled labour needed for retrofit schemes in the North East.

The scheme costs £4.1 million and is being co-funded by Newcastle City Council and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund.

This work is part of Newcastle City Council’s wider goal to improve the energy efficiency of the city’s homes and deliver their Net Zero Newcastle 2030 Action Plan. It showcases how existing buildings can be modernised for improved energy performance, reducing bills for residents and carbon emissions.

You can read more about the scheme here.

Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code

| |by

Social housing organisations are responsible for adhering to the statutory Complaint Handling Code of the Housing Ombudsman. To facilitate this, landlords are required to demonstrate their compliance through a dedicated electronic form annually. This method ensures consistent information collection, enabling the Ombudsman to effectively monitor adherence to the Code, maintain up-to-date records, and gather insights into complaint handling activities to further enhance fairness within the sector.

The submission process has been streamlined to improve efficiency. Landlords are no longer required to submit copies of key documents but are instead asked to provide links to relevant publications. This approach not only simplifies the submission but also aligns with the Regulator of Social Housing’s requirements for Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSM) outcomes. Specifically, landlords managing 1,000 homes or more must submit their forms by 30 June each year. Those with fewer than 1,000 properties should submit their self-assessments either at the time of publishing their TSMs or within 12 weeks following their year-end, whichever is sooner.

To ensure thorough preparation and compliance, landlords are encouraged to visit the Housing Ombudsman’s Guidance website or contact compliance@housing-ombudsman.org.uk.

Key links:

 Submission guidance webpage

Submission on-demand webinar

Meet our Matthew

|, |by

NHC Member Engagement Officer and GEM programme graduate Matthew Johnson shares his experience of joining the housing sector, and what the challenge and opportunities are.

What’s been your highlight?

The highlight from doing the GEM programme, was meeting others from across the sector. I interacted with a range of different colleagues in housing and a diverse range of staff from different organisations. From Policy Officers to Housing Officers, our fellow GEM students were the highlight for me. Talking to others who had just came into housing and their ideas for the sector through the activities we did was really insightful.

What’s the biggest challenge in housing?

For me, it’s capacity and resourcing. In the housing sector there is new regulation being introduced that housing providers are having to react to. Improvements in housing quality, creating better neighbourhoods and safer communities are some of the great areas of work housing associations are investing in to improve the lives of their tenants. However, this, along with the changes in regulation from the Regulator of Social Housing and the Housing Ombudsman means that housing providers are being asked to do more and more which there may not be resources to fully facilitate. This, along with recruitment difficulties (particularly in trades skills) and funding restrictions, means there may be difficulties around capacity and resourcing in future.

One thing I’ve learned:

My main takeaway from GEM is that the housing sector is changing and the relationship between tenant and landlord isn’t as straightforward anymore. In the past, it seems that the relationship was more transactional, there was a tenant who paid rent to a social landlord and in return, they had a house. Conversations in the sector are changing as to what exactly a “home” is. Ideas such as 20-minute neighbourhoods and the necessity of green spaces are changing what social landlords are being asked to do for their tenants. The idea of “placemaking” is a lot more prevalent and is leading the sector to look at what they can do for their more.

What I’m excited for:

I’m excited about the election. Maybe “excited” isn’t the right word, but I’m interested to see what the future of housing could potentially look like. I think regardless of who wins, there will be a slew of ideas coming forward about housing in the coming months, and social housing is going to be a large part of it. It’ll be interesting to see what is implemented post-election.

Wellbeing at the heart of the NHC

|, |by

NHC staff (Left, Kate Maughan, Tracy Harrison, Drew Frame, Rachel Mersh)

From recipe calendars to laughter yoga, wellbeing at the NHC is no laughing matter! Guided by results from an all-colleague survey a volunteer group of employee advocates have put in place a range of initiatives. This includes support for colleagues to get their brains and bodies active, look after their mental health and financial wellbeing, and to have some fun!

The NHC takes a holistic approach to wellbeing with campaigns to encourage colleagues to get outside, sessions to improve sleep, and time to review personal finances, sitting alongside flexible working, health insurance and an employee assistance programme. With support to buy a standing desk, volunteering days in the local community and buddy catch ups there really is something for everyone.

Kate Maughan, Director of Member Engagement and wellbeing group member, said:

“It’s so important to give people time for fresh air and fresh thinking – I think sometimes we underestimate the positive impact it has. Being part of our internal wellbeing group has allowed me to do my part in making sure everyone can get involved. I’ve loved all of our activities this year, but I think my favourite was the year-long exercise campaign: it had something for everyone (no matter how much they love or hate exercise!) and culminated in some of us taking part in the Sunderland City Runs 10K and half marathon, where we raised £635 for the NHC’s Unlocking Success Bursary.”

Kay Wiseman, HR Manager and wellbeing group member, said:

“Promoting employee wellbeing plays a huge part in enabling individuals to thrive both physically and mentally. Being part of the wellbeing group has enabled us to raise awareness of a number of important mental health and wellbeing topics.

“I have really enjoyed being part of all of our campaigns but one of my favourites was our ‘Get Moving’ campaign, the main aim of this campaign was to encourage habit-building of moving throughout the day to encourage people to move away from their screens and desks. Throughout this campaign we organised several activities including team walks and a laughter yoga session.”

Last year the NHC achieved a Better Health at Work Silver Award. This followed a bronze award in 2022 and our HR Manager Kay Wiseman winning Health Advocate of the Year for Sunderland as part of the award.

The Better Health at Work Award (BHAWA) recognises the efforts of employers in the North East and Cumbria in addressing health issues in the workplace.

The NHC’s offer to the next Government

|, |by

We’ve launched a new offer to the next government to transform communities in the North and enable thousands more northerners to live in good quality homes.

‘Building the Future of Housing in the North’ outlines our priorities for a renewed partnership between the Government and our members up to 2035. It includes:

  • Refocusing on regeneration – building new social homes and transforming the North’s communities
  • A retrofit revolution to decarbonise the North’s older, colder homes, and to create up to 77,000 good green jobs
  • Making sure everyone across the north has a good quality, safe place to call home.

Tracy Harrison, Chief Executive of the Northern Housing Consortium said:

“Housing associations, local authorities and ALMOs own 1.3m homes across the North. Social housing providers already make a huge contribution to local economies across the North, delivering around 60,000 new homes over the last five years, supporting over 70,000 jobs, and creating great places for people to live.

“However, we need to go much further and faster to tackle some of the challenges we face in the diverse housing markets we have across the North. That’s why we need a new partnership with Government, with a commitment to long-term investment. This will create the certainty needed to deliver new homes, refurbish existing ones, unlock brownfield land for up to 320,000 homes, as well as creating 77,000 green jobs through decarbonising the North’s older, colder homes.”

“There is much to do but we and our members stand ready to work in partnership with the next Government to create great homes, great places, and a new generation of green jobs.”

Our proposals would be delivered by:

Building new social homes and transforming the North’s communities

  • A new long-term Affordable Homes Programme announced in the Government’s first 100 days, with greater flexibility to support regeneration projects, more influence for Mayoral Combined Authorities over where and how the money is spent in local areas, and social rent as the predominant tenure.
  • Delivering up to 320,000 homes on the North’s brownfield land, through a ten-year £4.2 billion fund delivered through Mayoral Combined Authorities.
  • Unlocking more sites and more delivery across the North by ensuring wider social and economic benefits are properly taken into account in all Government funding streams.
  • The devolution to local authorities of key aspects of Right to Buy policy, allowing discounts to be set locally and all receipts to be retained and spent within local areas.

A retrofit revolution to tackle the North’s older, colder homes and create jobs

  • Unlock up to 77,000 good green jobs across the North through a phased 10-year investment in decarbonisation of homes in the North. Government would need to invest £500 million a year to meet EPC C by 2030, and £1 billion a year up to 2035 to make meaningful progress towards Net Zero.
  • Devolve funding for retrofit for all housing tenures to Mayoral Combined Authorities – as part of expanded devolution agreements, to enable a place-based approach to domestic retrofit.

Making sure everyone across the North has a good quality home 

  • A new Decent Homes Standard for both the social and private rented sector to ensure good quality homes for northerners.
  • This should be backed up by a new financial settlement for social housing providers including a guarantee that social sector rents can increase by up to Consumer Price Index +1% over the next ten years, so the sector can deliver the changes needed.
  • Support for local authorities to tackle poor quality homes in the private rented sector, removing barriers to local authority licensing schemes and providing an initial 2-year funding pot for enforcement.

The NHC is also calling for a sustainable financial settlement for local authorities to underpin the vital work the sector does in local communities, as well specific investment to rebuild much-needed planning capacity which has been more badly hit by cuts in the North than other regions.

‘Building the Future of Housing in the North’ is available here.

A privilege to be NHC Chair

|, |by

Geraldine Howley, former chair of the Northern Housing Consortium

Geraldine Howley was chair of the Northern Housing Consortium (NHC) for six years between 2008 and 2014 and was part of the Commission for Housing in the North.

Geraldine has over 30 years’ experience of working in housing and was Chief Executive of Incommunities for 18 years. She is currently a Director of the GEM programme which offers a wide range of jobs and intensive learning experiences in the housing sector across the country. 

 

Can you share some highlights from your time as chair of Northern Housing Consortium?

It was an absolute privilege to be chair of the Northern Housing Consortium and to work with likeminded people who have the will, enthusiasm and energy to make a difference in the North.

One of the highlights during my time with the organisation was our influencing role and the way we were able to develop relationships with politicians locally, regionally and nationally.

We visited Downing Street to make a case for rebalancing funding for housing in the North, collaborating with organisations like the CBI to meet MPs together and the events we held, like our conferences and round tables, gave us a great platform to talk directly to senior politicians.

I think that success was partly due to the fact that NHC is seen as a welcoming and fair organisation that wants to listen, learn and engage.

The introduction of procurement frameworks which, over the years, have also been extremely beneficial providing members with great value and helping them drive efficiency across the North by providing access to a wide range of quality services and suppliers. All of this has meant housing organisations can be more efficient and make savings which ultimately benefit tenants.

At the end of 2016, after 18 months of consultation and research, the NHC published the report of the Commission for Housing in the North. Its aim was to understand issues for housing in the North and identify practical solutions to enable growth and regeneration in the North.

Do you think the findings are still relevant today?

I think there’s been a step change in that there’s now a recognition that northern housing markets are different from the south and one size doesn’t fit all. The importance of regeneration is on the agenda and people are now talking about place making.  We have a lot to offer in the North such as affordable land and great rural areas. Whilst house values differ from other geographical areas, what remains is the potential the North has as a fantastic contribution to growth.

The levelling up white paper and devolution have certainly been catalysts for change but that said there’s still a way to go.

We made the case for the fact that housing is instrumental for economic growth and the whole of the economy, and that the North has a huge amount to offer. Now we need a holistic, national housing strategy with regional strategies that link into it – and devolution will make a difference here, with decision-making being brought to a regional level.

If there’s a change of government coming, let’s hope housing will be a priority.

 

What do you think should be key priorities for housing in the North over the next five years and the next 50 years?

Issues which will be a challenge for the North both in the short and long term include carbon reduction but it’s something we’ve got to tackle, and we must start now.  Part of this will be linked to retrofitting and ensuring we have the right resources and that we are implementing that effectively. We also need to continue listening to the customer and adapting and changing our services in line with their needs.

In addition, we should be constantly looking at how we can increase housing supply within the restraints of affordability and availability of skilled labour.  Things like the rising cost of materials will also have an impact.

We need to continually work to be smarter and more efficient in how we build and of course we have to listen to customers and adapt what we do to meet their needs.

Fuel poverty is a big issue now and I hope it won’t still be the case in 50 years’ time.

Whatever the timeframe, the focus should always be about housing supply.  Having sufficient and affordable homes for people in the right places and making sure that the homes we already have are decent and fit for purpose.

 

What do you feel the role of NHC is and what enables them to drive the changes that are needed?

I don’t think there is any other organisation in the North that represents the whole housing sector in the same way, spanning housing associations, local authorities, collaboration with the private sector and the voices of tenants. The Northern Housing Consortium are a strong voice for the North and their impact I feel can be broken into three key areas:

  • Influencing role – a voice for the North with government and key parties
  • Helping organisations become more efficient – through their procurement framework offering.
  • Events – Their events and roundtables are fantastic, bringing people together to discuss relevant issues as well as providing an opportunity to listen and learn from members and subsequently feed that back into the services and support they provide.

In essence, the culture of the organisation is all about having a can-do approach and it’s a way for people to come together, learn from each other and drive change.  It’s a body that can be a strong voice for housing across the North and which has a real influence with government.

 

And what gives you the most pride when you look back at your time in the housing sector?

Do you know what it’s a simple one. Essentially, it’s about seeing our work change communities for the better. Because what we do is about so much more than bricks and mortar!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inside Housing events

| |by

Members are meeting with Inside Housing editor Martin Hilditch for an honest conversation about the issues affecting housing providers and local authorities in the North.

This month we held a breakfast in Newcastle and a dinner in Liverpool, and a further dinner will take place in Leeds in July.

Hot topics have so far included Tenant Satisfaction Measures, regulation and professionalism. There was also discussion about the green skills gap, devolution, and stronger partnership working between local authorities and housing associations.

These events are part of Influence North, where we offer members the opportunity to meet with influential people in the sector to share challenges in a Chatham House environment. Key contacts from every member organisation will be invited to at least one of our Influence North events throughout the year.

If you would like further information contact Director of Member Engagement Kate Maughan – kate.maughan@northern-consortium.org.uk.