Bursary helps Danielle stitch up success
Danielle was able to buy a sewing machine so she could train to be a self-employed seamstress after…
Dream career in the ambulance service for Bursary winner Simone
Torus tenant Simone is now working for the ambulance service after a £500 bursary helped her complete her training.
Simone is a single mum of two children who both have special needs. Having regularly attended to her children’s emergency medical needs, she developed a passion and drive to pursue a career in the ambulance service. She applied for the £500 bursary to support her to do a First Response Emergency Care (FREC) course and C1 License training to drive an ambulance.
After receiving the £500 bursary, Simone said:
“I have applied for the C1 on my license now, and I can’t wait to start my driver training, which wouldn’t have been possible any time soon without this bursary! I am so happy and grateful to have people supporting and believing in me, and to be chosen for it.
“I am definitely on the right path now and will soon be working and training with North West Ambulance Service as an EMT or training to be a paramedic at Warrington Vale.”
Simone came to speak at our Unlocking Success Bursary lunch to explain how the bursary has helped her. She later updated us that she’s got the job and is now working for the ambulance service – congratulations Simone!
Advocating for a sustainable future which benefits everyone
Steve Mackenzie
Steve Mackenzie is Homes and Environment Champion on Yorkshire Housing’s Customer Voice and Review Committee. He’s a member of the Social Housing Tenant’s Climate Jury, the NHC’s award winning citizen’s jury which looked at how tenants and landlords could work together to tackle climate change.
He was also part of the tenant advisory group for the Heartwarming Homes campaign and took a role in contributing to The Centre for Social Justice’s ‘Better Insulate Than Never’ report in 2022.
Steve has also spoken at a host of conference and events about the importance of working with communities towards a more sustainable future.
What led to you developing an interest in climate change?
Climate change affects every person and yet everything we do affects climate change. The poignancy of this fact very much drives my interest in the topic.
Climate change is happening, and it’s because of this, I’ve held a strong interest in its impact, most notably across the housing sector.
As the industry moves at pace, and the demands for us to decarbonise increase there are many unresolved challenges for the sector. Funding may well have been provided but so have challenging timeframes and a lack of knowledge, skills, and guidance to deliver what is required in housing, at the pace it is required at.
Since 2011, 2.3 million homes have been decarbonised out of approximately 28.4 million properties. That leaves the equivalent of one million homes on average a year or one every two minutes to be decarbonised, but the reality is that we are a long way from achieving those targets!
Better communication is required, as are green skills and education, so we have the resources and knowledge to meet demand. Listening to and championing the voices of tenants will be vital, to understand where the barriers may be for retrofit projects and debunking the myths that might thwart progress or take up. Aswell as working with landlords to share this knowledge.
Being part of a number of housing committees and juries including the Northern Housing Consortium’s Social Housing Tenants Climate Jury, has been invaluable in learning where the gaps are in delivering these ambitious goals. And most importantly making key recommendations that will help drive the housing sector forward when it comes to decarbonisation and net zero.
What do you think are the most important recommendations to come out of the Social Housing Tenant’s Climate jury and Heartwarming Homes?
The projects have led to many positive recommendations for the housing sector, most notably around the importance of communication, collaboration, and dispelling myths.
Social Housing Tenant’s Climate Jury – recommendations
Fundamentally, communication and collaboration is key. For example, if you don’t effectively communicate and understand the needs of your tenants, dispelling myths about retrofit and similar areas, then barriers to change can occur. That and negative media coverage on retrofit over recent years hasn’t been helpful. This is despite many positive project examples. I recall one in Yorkshire for example when completed last year successfully took a home from an EPC rating of F to B! It’s important that we share these stories!
Include your tenants – Another key recommendation is around being inclusive and collaborating with tenants. Not just about retrofit but about the environment. Asking them.. What do they need? More green space? Allotments? Benches to socialise? Because when people feel involved and consulted engagement increases.
Regional climate juries in different geographical areas
There have been many positive recommendations from the SHTCJ that will be beneficial across the sector. However, I feel there would be further value in having juries and forums in different areas across the country. The benefit being they will be able to better tailor and respond to the specific needs of their geographical areas.
For example, radon gas has become a key issue in coastal areas such as Cornwall and Devon. Aswell as concerns around coastal erosion and how this is impacting on the corrosion of buildings is something that may be more specific to the area.
Heartwarming Homes – recommendations
Key recommendations from the Heartwarming Homes campaign would again be around the importance of consistency in communications. Using the right language and helping landlords with that so that communications are tailored to different customer groups, which will help their impact. Fundamentally, too it’s about not telling people what to do, but why things need to be done and the benefits short and long term from doing so to increase engagement.
It’s also about being honest first and foremost with tenants and being upfront about the challenges and outcomes that come with retrofit and other such work. Explaining the how, what, and why. Being more personal in approach to encourage buy in and engagement from communities and tenants.
Sharing positive tenant case studies and good news stories on how they are benefiting from changes whether that be from their new heat pump, or the cost savings they are receiving will also be beneficial.
What has been your experience of working with the Northern Housing Consortium on these projects?
It’s been an incredibly positive experience working with the Northern Housing Consortium who have led on some influential projects. The NHC have really helped to unify the sector too, bringing different individuals and groups together from suppliers, members, councils and Government.
As a sector that is ever changing, such projects also demonstrate NHC’s commitment to ongoing learning about the housing industry, and their role in using that learning to guide and inform others.
The NHC are great at keeping everyone informed and up to date with their many webinars and conferences which always have a host of informative speakers. These events are always well attended but it would be great to also encourage more tenants to events too, to learn from and share information with. Not just NHC events but events in the sector more generally.
What do you think should be the key priorities of social housing providers as they work towards achieving Net Zero?
Communication, campaigns and continuity
It comes back to some of the points made earlier, but primarily I feel we need to get more tenants involved in the process. This is especially important if the goal is to retrofit 25,000 properties a week in line with Government targets! So, when a landlord has 30 properties but say may only be retrofitting 10, in my opinion they need to be involving the whole development so they can see what work is being done, why it’s being done and the benefits too. They may have questions which is great and all part of feeding the learning curve. Essentially, it’s about collaborating with local communities outside the scope of what a housing association usually does.
I also believe we should look at streamlining the supply chain and labour market ensuring work is given to local experienced companies and well qualified workers. Developing local apprenticeships and knowledge too will also be vital so that we can safeguard the green skills of the future! And in turn boost those regional economies.
I’d also like to see more regional bodies established that are non-political and made up of local businesses, education providers, suppliers, planners, and residents who can have the autonomy to make decisions for their local areas. Ensuring the consistency, continuity, and longevity needed to have true gravitas and bring social value to each area.
Finally, I also feel a positive public media campaign could be beneficial. Collaborating with the whole sector including local authorities, housing associations, manufacturers, suppliers, and installers to develop a poignant initiative with strong creative and messaging that will increase awareness about net zero requirements, the benefits, and the challenges of the sector too.
Excited about an inclusive future for housing
Member Engagement Officer Ruth Chaplain has been at the Northern Housing Consortium for just over a year. She joined as part of the GEM programme, which offers a graduate route into housing.
Here she shares highlights from her first year in the sector and what her hopes are for housing and communities in the future.
What’s been your highlight of the year?
I have two highlights from the past year.
Firstly, my trip to Amsterdam, with the GEM programme was fantastic. I learned a lot about different approaches to decarbonisation and sustainable communities.
I also made firm friends with my fellow GEMs on the trip. I feel lucky to have a network of likeminded and friendly housing colleagues across the sector.
The second highlight was the Real Homes Real Change showcase launch in the House of Commons, last summer. I had never been in Westminster before, so that felt like a poignant career moment.
Having worked hard with the team in the run up, it was fantastic to see the report get such a positive reception. I felt very proud to be the facilitator of new relationships between tenants, housing professionals, civil servants and MPs.
Working closely with Jo Wilson (Head of Policy) and Tracy Harrison (Chief Exec) I found great value and inspiration in collaborating with an influential team of women (not forgetting Brian Robson, too!).
Wheatley Group’s retrofitted Highrise
What is the biggest challenge for the housing sector going forward?
Co-production with tenants presents one of the most significant challenges for the housing sector moving forward. The traditional top-down approach to housing services is increasingly being replaced by a collaborative model that involves residents in the decision-making process. This shift requires a fundamental change in how services are planned and delivered.
Co-production demands effective communication, transparency, and meaningful engagement with diverse stakeholders to ensure that housing solutions meet the real needs of communities.
Embracing co-production means navigating complex power dynamics and fostering genuine partnerships in the community. This can be challenging but is ultimately essential for creating inclusive, sustainable, and responsive housing systems that truly serve the people they are meant to benefit.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from your first year in housing?
I have learned the importance of getting it wrong to get it right.
On a GEM study visit, we visited the BE-ST factory in Glasgow. Here, they take a creative and collaborative approach to solving the problems of decarbonising housing. They provided the facilities for any individual or organisation to develop and test their ideas and materials.
GEMs visiting the BE-ST factory
For example, one particular machine could test different materials to see how well they could insulate a building. When we visited, the material being tested was recycled denim.
This approach to exploring new techniques was refreshing and encouraged people to experiment (and to fail!).
It seems that in the English social housing sector, there is an expectation for organisations to be perfect and get everything right, all the time. This expectation is unrealistic and prevents open conversations that allow us to learn from each other’s mistakes.
It would be great to see more candid conversations about missteps in the process of decarbonisation. The NHC’s new Retrofit Clinic aims to provide that space and to support collaborative solutions. If you’d like to join us, sign up for the next one here.
What are you most excited about for the future of social housing?
Working at the NHC, I have learned about many pilot schemes that are being created in different communities. I’m really looking forward to seeing creative, inclusive, bottom-up housing pilots grow and become more permanent features of housing delivery.
For example, the West Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority and University of Leeds, have created a Safer Parks report. The report identifies key barriers that prevents different communities from using communal outdoor spaces. It provides a guide on how to create green spaces where all women and girls feel they belong.
Another example is AKT, who are a charity for homeless LGBTQ+ young people. They have piloted an innovative housing pathway project, that creates stable housing opportunities for the trans community.
The GEM trip to Westminster
These initiatives have the potential to redefine our approach to housing, offering exciting new solutions to address sustainability and community development. It is fantastic to see these ideas taking root and shaping the future of housing and communities.
The NHC responds to the Homes England Public Bodies Review
The government has published the Homes England Public Bodies Review.
Our Chief Executive Tracy Harrison welcomed the report.
She said:
“We’re pleased to see the importance of Homes England’s role in both place-based regeneration and supporting local places deliver more, better homes, reflected throughout the Public Bodies Review. This was something both ourselves and many of our members stressed throughout the process.
“In particular we are delighted to see recommendations that will help achieve a real step-change in regeneration across the North such as providing longer-term funding for regeneration projects and affordable housing supply, and embedding changes to how value-for-money is measured in order to better support regeneration. We are also pleased to see the Review set out so clearly the impact the changing operating environment for social housing providers has had on development, and the need for DESNZ and Homes England to work closer together to support decarbonising the existing social housing stock. We hope DLUHC press on with implementing the review as quickly as possible.”
The NHC calls on the government to meet Renters Reform Bill pledges
Last week it was widely reported that the government intend to weaken some elements of Renters Reform Bill, through a series of amendments, when the Bill returns to the House of Commons this month.
Principle among those changes is extending the period within which a tenant cannot give notice that they wish to end their tenancy from two to six months. The government also intends to review existing arrangements around landlord licensing schemes overseen by local authorities in line with the reforms made through the Bill.
Finally, the reports further confirm that the government does not intend to abolish Section 21 or ‘no fault’ evictions until reforms to the court system have been implemented.
The NHC has consistently supported the aims of the Renters Reform Bill, to improve quality in the private rental sector, and to closer align the security of tenancies offered in the private and social rental sectors. We are disappointed that the government intends to water down the proposals in the Bill.
Tracy Harrison, Chief Executive of the Northern Housing Consortium said:
“We are pleased the Renters’ Reform Bill will progress through Parliament, but disappointed by reports it is being watered down. The decision to delay the abolition of Section 21 evictions effectively kicks the issue into the long-grass and could weaken protections for tenants. Government must set a date when the assessment on the impact on the courts of these changes will be complete.
“Government must also continue with its commitment to apply the Decent Homes Standard to the Private Rental Sector and set out a plan for improving the energy efficiency of private rented homes. Across the North bringing all private rent homes to EPC C will cost around £5.4bn.
“Meanwhile a review of local authority licensing schemes aimed at reducing the burden on landlords could weaken one of the few tools available to improve the quality of private rented homes.
“Our recent Living in Fear Report highlighted the negative impacts of living in poor quality private rented housing. One of its key recommendations was the speedy progress of the Renters’ Reform Bill through Parliament.”
50 Unlocking Success awards to mark our 50th anniversary
We’ve launched a bigger and better version of Unlocking Success, our tenant bursary scheme, with 50 awards to support people living in homes rented from social housing providers to access learning. The number of awards has been increased to celebrate our 50th anniversary.
This year we’re offering a mixture of grants for specific items such as laptops or travel passes, and £500 cash bursaries to support with the cost of learning. The bursaries can be used to cover costs including course fees, travel, equipment, childcare and even living expenses.
Unlocking Success launched in 2019 and has supported 101 people living in social housing with over £36,000 of funding to help them release their ambitions by accessing education or training.
Northern Housing Consortium Chief Executive Tracy Harrison said:
“We wanted to put the people who live in social housing at the heart of our 50th anniversary celebrations. We know that costs for things like equipment, travel or even childcare can be a barrier which prevent people on low incomes accessing training. Our bursary scheme helps ease that burden and has already supported over 100 people.
“It’s always inspiring to hear the difference the awards make. This year we’ve pledged to offer 50 awards and have also opened up the scheme to affiliate members who use our procurement services via Consortium Procurement.”
Last year Simone Blount, who is a tenant with NHC member Torus, received a £500 bursary to help her complete training to join the ambulance service. Since she received the bursary, she’s completed the training and got a job with the ambulance service.
After receiving the bursary, Simone said:
“I have applied for the C1 on my license now, and I can’t wait to start my driver training, which wouldn’t have been possible any time soon without this bursary! I am so happy and grateful to have people supporting and believing in me, and to be chosen for it.
“I am definitely on the right path now and will soon be working and training with North West Ambulance Service as an EMT or training to be a paramedic at Warrington Vale.”
Applications for Unlocking Success awards are now open and will close on 5th July. The application process is quick and easy. Landlords, who are full or affiliate members of the NHC, nominate a person living in a home they own or manage (they do not have to be named on the tenancy but must be aged over 16) for the award, by filling in a short form, which should only take five minutes. The person they’ve nominated sends a short-written pitch or video to explain why they need the funding to support with training or education. You apply via the Unlocking Success website.
The Unlocking Success Bursary is funded through the Northern Housing Consortium Charitable Trust.
The Big Lunch Building Pride in Place
In November 2023 the Northern Housing Consortium and partners published Pride in Place: Views from Northern Communities. As part of the project, residents across the North told us that neighbourliness was central to what made them proud of their areas. People wanted to see more done to support initiatives that promote community spirit, increasing social connection but also tackling loneliness and isolation.
The Big Lunch, an idea from the Eden Project made possible by the National Lottery, was cited in Pride in Place as national good practice and an initiative for NHC members to get behind.
In this guest blog, Kate Groves at Eden Project Communities shares more about The Big Lunch and how you can get involved…
The Big Lunch 2024 campaign
The Big Lunch began in 2009 and brings millions of people together in their communities to share friendship, food and fun each June. Over 1.3m Big Lunches have taken place to date and the initiative has become the largest community-led fundraiser and neighbourhood get-together in the UK. It’s a lot of fun, but it’s much more than just lunch.
Research shows that The Big Lunch helps build connections, increase pride in place and often sparks further community action. The annual survey following The Big Lunch 2023 revealed that 10.7m people felt they belonged more in their community after taking part and more than £14m was raised for local charities and good causes.
The vast majority of organisers said that their Big Lunch helped bring different generations (95%) and different ethnic backgrounds (81%) together and a massive 11.4 million people said it made them feel less lonely.
The initiative has the ability to cross divides, giving people a reason to come together and connect, with everyone bringing something to the table, be that something to eat, a game to play, a story to tell or indeed the table itself!
After The Big Lunch, many participants go on to get more involved in voluntary work, make improvements to their local area or organise further activities and events in their community.
The Big Lunch is a ready-made engagement tool for housing associations that can help your communities flourish and many are already involved – either organising events for residents to enjoy, encouraging them to hold their own, or providing support and sometimes funding to help communities take part.
NHC member Riverside Group came together with local authorities and a community center in Botcherby, Carlisle, back in 2016 to organise a Big Lunch to bring the local community together following the devastating floods and celebrate the center reopening.
More recently in 2019, L&Q Group hosted a street party that brought 150 residents at a new eco-development site in Erith together, to help residents get to know one another and learn more about their community.
Lucy Chitty, Sales and Customer Services Director at L&Q, said:
“The Big Lunch is a fantastic initiative to promote good relationships and strengthen local communities. We are proud to support our residents to establish the family-friendly community spirit that we envisioned for The Quarry.”
Eden Project Communities, the people behind The Big Lunch, provide a free digital pack with everything needed to organise an event, as well as a communications toolkit to make it really easy for housing associations to promote the campaign.
This year, The Big Lunch is on 1-2 June and they are serving up ideas to help make it the greenest yet.
Find out more and get the comms toolkit
@edencommunities on X (Twitter), Instagram and LinkedIn
Spring Budget 2024
On March 6th, Jeremy Hunt gave his final Spring Budget prior to the next general election. The headline grabbing announcement within the Budget was a 2p cut to National Insurance, but there were still several relevant policy announcements for NHC members.
Members will have received a full on-the-day briefing in their inboxes, breaking down all the Chancellor’s announcements in detail. This can be accessed here, while some of the major announcements are outlined below.
Devolution
One of the most noteworthy announcements in the Budget was that the government has agreed a new Level 4 deeper devolution agreement with the seven local authorities that will form the North East Mayoral Combined Authority. This new agreement will devolve further powers and funding to the North East region, including greater local influence over the Affordable Homes Programme and additional planning powers for the Mayor to be elected on 2nd May.
Additional details were also announced as to how Greater Manchester Combined Authority will progress towards receiving a departmental-style funding settlement in the future.
This came just days after further announcements that Liverpool City Region, and South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authorities will also be signing new deeper devolution agreements, with additional powers and funding going to each of these areas.
Levelling Up and Pride in Place
The Budget included an expansion of the 10-year Long-Term Plan for Towns programme, to cover another 20 towns, including Darlington and Bradford. Each town within the programme will receive £20 million in endowment-style funding and be required to establish a Towns Board which brings together local stakeholders to plan how the funds will be used.
There was also a further £100 million of funding announced for cultural projects, including the British Library North in Leeds, the National Railway Museum in York and National Museums Liverpool – welcome investments in culture-led regeneration.
Right to Buy receipts
There have also been two significant changes to how local authorities can use the funds raised from Right to Buy sales going forward. Firstly, the ability of local authorities to keep 100% of receipts, introduced in 2023 for two years, has been ended. Secondly, the proportion of a new home that can be funded through Right to Buy receipts was increased from 40% to 50%.
Housing tax changes
The Chancellor also announced several tax changes relating to housing in his Budget. Firstly, the Chancellor chose to abolish the Furnished Holiday Lettings tax regime, which gave short term holiday lets preferential tax treatment. This follows criticism that this tax advantage was having an adverse impact on the supply of properties available for long-term rent. Secondly, the higher rate of Capital Gains Tax for residential property disposals will be cut from 28% to 24% from the 6th April 2024. Social landlords will also see changes to property taxation, with the introduction of a new exemption from Stamp Duty for Registered Social Landlords when purchasing a property using public subsidy.
Housing investments
While the Budget did not make any mention of the Affordable Homes Programme, there were some smaller spending announcements for the housing sector. First among these was £20 million of social finance to support community housebuilding initiatives over ten years. The Budget also included an additional £3 million, matching industry-led funding, to increase capacity in local planning departments in the next Spending Review period.
Overall, while the Budget did have some welcome announcements, especially devolving greater power and funding to the North, it represents another missed opportunity by government to deliver the investment and real change that our communities need. For the Chancellor to truly make a difference for the North’s housing sector, we need to see an ambitious future Affordable Homes Programme, funding to ensure that the North’s housing meets an improved Decent Homes Standard, and a long-term investment in housing decarbonisation. You can read the NHC’s Spring Budget representation here, which contains details on these asks.
APPG for Housing in the North convenes for first session of 2024
NHC CEO Tracy Harrison with APPG Chair Ian Mearns MP
In March, the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Housing in the North convened to host the Parliamentary launch of the latest edition of the Northern Housing Monitor, the Northern Housing Consortiums annual publication of the most-pressing housing issues facing northern regions and the data which underpins them. The meeting was attended by a range of Parliamentarians including APPG Chair Ian Mearns MP, Peers Lord Stunell (APPG Vice Chair), the Lord Bishop of Manchester and Lord Shipley. There was also representation from the Labour frontbench with Shadow Minister for Local Services and Communities, Liz Twist MP, in attendance.
Introducing the meeting under the theme of Northern Housing Priorities for 2024, NHC chief executive Tracy Harrison discussed how the Monitor had established a reputation as the ‘Northern Housing Bible’. Tracy also welcomed the University of Huddersfield’s Dr Tom Simcock, who attended the meeting to present the findings of the recent Living in Fear report which details the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on those living in poor quality private rented housing. Tracy noted that while the data from the Northern Housing Monitor is key, it is also essential to hear about the lived experiences of real people, hence the importance of backing up the Monitor with the findings of the Living in Fear report.
Derek Long represented Northern Housing Monitor authors arc4 at the meeting and provided insights on the key trends and developments for housing in the north as evidenced in the Monitor. Derek noted that the Monitor is a useful resource for regional specific data to identify place-based priorities, while also being useful to present data on the root causes of the housing crisis.
Derek was followed by Dr Tom Simcock, who presented to the Group on the key findings from the Living in Fear report. APPG attendees were in agreement that the findings from Living in Fear highlighted the stark and desperate reality for some people living in the private rented sector amid the rising costs of bills and essentials. Shadow Minister Liz Twist noted the issue at a constituency level of poor quality private rented housing in the North East and the detrimental impact it can have on people’s health – as illustrated in the Living in Fear report.
Further information on the meeting can be found in the APPG Meeting Notes which can be found on the APPG’s dedicated webpage here – https://www.northern-consortium.org.uk/services/policy/parliament/appg-for-housing-in-the-north/
Tracy Harrison with APPG Chair Ian Mearns MP
