Charities, local authorities and housing associations came together to tackle Homelessness in Leeds earlier this week

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Representatives from Crisis, Youth Homeless North East, and both local authorities and housing associations shared their experiences, latest research and recommendations around tackling homelessness at an event organised by the Northern Housing Consortium (NHC) in Leeds on the 25th November.

Access to housing is a fundamental part of solving homelessness.

There are now 84,740 households, including 126,020 children, living in temporary accommodation – the highest level in more than a decade – while the children’s commissioner calculates there are 92,000 homeless young people in families who sofa-surfed with friends or relatives.

Social housing is part of the solution to preventing and relieving homelessness. Evidence shows that social housing has an important role to play in ensuring that people with a history of rough sleeping never return to the streets by providing stable and affordable homes. However, tackling homelessness continues to be a growing concern and challenge for the sector, mainly due to the shortage of truly affordable accommodation.

Satty Rai, Member Engagement Manager, Northern Housing Consortium said:

“We’re facing a homelessness crisis and to tackle this, a coordinated approach to providing affordable and safe accommodation and tailored support is required to meet people’s needs and help them live fulfilling lives.

This seminar provided an opportunity to delegates across the housing sector and beyond to hear of the issues facing communities and the approaches adopted across the sector in tackling and preventing homelessness.”

The event heard from Crisis representatives who shared early findings from the Homelessness Reduction Act (HRA) Implementation Project, a project to support and monitor the success of the HRA, including providing targeted support to five local authorities and research with six LAs to assess the Act’s implementation.

Also sharing key findings from recent research was Prof Glen Bramley, Institute for Social Policy, Housing, Equalities Research (I-SPHERE) at Heriot-Watt University who talked about the report – Homelessness prevention in Newcastle: Examining the role of the ‘local state’ in the context of austerity and welfare reforms alongside Claire Horton, Improvement Lead, Active Inclusion Newcastle, Newcastle City Council.

Delegates heared about practical initiatives from speakers Marie Smith, Housing Manager at Durham City Council, and Jayne Adamson, Tenancy Sustainment Manager at Believe Housing who talked about their partnership approach including New Start, intensive housing intervention and how the Durham key options (CBL scheme) helps to prevent homelessness. Amanda Bloxome, Housing First Best Practice & Partnership Lead at Liverpool City Region Combined Authority talked attendees through the Liverpool City Region Housing first co production approach and Gareth Clarke, Services Manager at Manchester City Council presented on the Greater Manchester approach to meeting increasing homelessness demand.

In response to reports of increased numbers of young people affected by homelessness also suffering mental health problems, Youth Homeless North East ran a participatory research project. Sharon Brown, Director at Youth Homelessness North East and Andy Hayes, Operations Manager at Home Group shared the approach they adopted as part of the research, the findings of the survey and recommendations based on what young people shared.

The event was supported by Locata, a not-for-profit company owned by local authorities and RSLs that provides a complete range of web-based housing option services including HPA2, the market leading homelessness system.

If you are interested in attending future NHC events please go to our member portal www.mynhc.org.uk.

The NHC also runs a free Northern Homelessness Network for its members. If you would like to attend future meetings please email Matthew Wilson, Member Engagement Officer, Northern Housing Consortium – matthew.wilson@nhc.org.uk.

Lessons from the Early Adopters Group – Building Safety roundtables

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The Grenfell Tower tragedy raised the issue of building safety in tall buildings across the country and with 18 high-rise blocks, Salix Homes, based in Salford, Greater Manchester, has been at the forefront of identifying a new approach for the industry.

As one of three housing providers who are part of the Government’s Early Adopters Group (and the only one based outside London), the housing association has played a key role in advising and trialling the recommendations of Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety.

The critical and wide-ranging review is set to transform how the building industry operates and the Early Adopters have become integral in helping prepare the industry for future reforms and the launch of a new Building Safety Charter. This has included testing how residents and contractors can report building faults in a confidential, no-blame process; the creation and management of digitalised building information; and the development of a new approval process for specific phases of the design, construction and maintenance of high-rise and complex buildings to ensure their safety.

As with many housing providers across the country, Salix Homes has also learnt first hand the challenges associated with the removal of ACM cladding and roll-out of safety enhancement measures across its high-rise buildings.

Join professionals from across the housing sector to discuss the latest policy updates, share learning and good practice in building safety, and approaches to legislation changes in this one-day roundtable, informed by Salix Homes experience as an early adopter. The session will cover, but not be limited to:

  • Clarification of the Building Safety proposals (based on the understanding of Salix Homes)
  • Outcomes of some of the Building Safety principles Salix Homes have been testing (such as Mandatory Occurrence Reporting/ culture change/ organisational structure etc)
  • Insight into the proposed ‘Safety Case’
  • Future audits and inspections
  • Forthcoming Building Safety Charter

 

Please select your prefered location:

Sheffield City Council, Town Hall, Sheffield, S12HH

GMCA, Churchgate House, 56 Oxford Street, Manchester, M16EU

Gateshead Housing Company, Civic Centre, Regent Street, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, NE81JN

 

 

MyNHC will launch at the Northern Housing Summit next week

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Look out for our new online portal ‘MyNHC’ launching at the Northern Housing Summit (but available to everyone!) from the 5th November. MyNHC will give members:

  • better oversight of how your organisation works with us
  • the ability to book events, pay online and manage event bookings
  • access documentation
  • view procurement information
  • and much more.

If you’re booked to attend the Northern Housing Summit, come and chat to us about MyNHC at our exhibition stand!

Meet the Northern Housing Summit Sponsors & Exhibitors!

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We’re excited to bring you our Sponsor and Exhibitor Showcase for the Northern Housing Summit 2019 which takes place on the 5th November in the Renaissance Hotel, Manchester. All food and drinks will be served in the exhibition area which will be open throughout the event. Come and join us and our other exhibitors in between the main conference sessions.

If you are interested in setting up a meeting with any of the exhibitors mentioned below, please contact our Communications Manager, Claire Henderson.

 

Campbell Tickell – Sponsor and Exhibitor

Campbell Tickell is a multi-disciplinary management consultancy, focusing primarily on the statutory and non-profit sectors. Established for 20 years and operating through the UK, Ireland and beyond, we have expertise in housing, regeneration, social care, sports and leisure, social enterprise and charities.

Our services extend across: strategic and business planning; financial and risk analysis; governance; regulation; business transformation and improvement; mergers and partnerships; development, regeneration and growth; procurement; service user involvement; communications and public relations; human resources and recruitment.

 

UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE) – Sponsor and Exhibitor

CaCHE is a consortium of 14 institutions led by the University of Glasgow.

The centre is a multidisciplinary partnership between academia, housing policy and practice. CaCHE researchers work to produce evidence and new research that will contribute to tackling the UK’s housing problems at a national, devolved, regional, and local level.

CaCHE is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, Arts and Humanities Research Council and Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

 

Locata – Sponsor and Exhibitor

Locata is a not-for-profit company owned by local authorities and RSLs that provides a complete range of web-based housing option services. Built from a core Choice Based Lettings system that went live in 2001, we have since developed a wide range of complementary products and services, including HPA2, the market leading homelessness system and our recent launch – Housing Related Support. We now work with 132 LAs and hundreds of housing associations delivering highly flexible and cost-effective systems and development options.

 

Mediaworks – Sponsor and Exhibitor

Mediaworks have established themselves as a leading full-service digital agency over the past decade, operating across all areas of digital marketing to deliver inclusive, successful campaigns. The Supporter membership with the Northern Housing Consortium is a key relationship for Mediaworks as they continue to deliver digital marketing support to housing associations across the North.

 

Retinue – Sponsor

Retinue offers recruitment services in three key sectors: Healthcare, Social Housing and Local Government. Our expert team deliver a suite of workforce solutions, including Recruitment Managed Services, Recruitment Process Outsourcing, and blended solutions. Retinue can create a more streamlined recruitment service from start to finish, putting in place an efficient and cost-effective recruitment process that delivers an outstanding customer service experience to candidates whilst creating a quality and compliant workforce. Our senior team blends expertise across procurement, recruitment and talent management.

 

Texthelp – Sponsor and Exhibitor

We’re Texthelp, leading accessibility software providers.

Our digital tools support professionals and tenants on their digital journey – increasing levels of engagement, efficiency & equality. Browsealoud makes your website and digital content accessible – enabling tenants to confidently access/engage with your online services and allowing them to easily self-serve.

We also support your housing professionals with Read&Write – a smart toolbar that boosts staff productivity, inclusion and retention. The intuitive features increase digital efficiency for all staff and support those with declared or ‘hidden’ disabilities.

 

Ward Hadaway – Sponsor and Exhibitor

Ward Hadaway are proud to sponsor the Northern Housing Summit, as we have a long standing relationship with the Northern Housing Consortium. With offices in Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle, our social housing team are ideally located to assist across #OurNorth. Our ambition is to support social housing providers through expert legal advice on housing management, to developing new homes and everything in between.

We are keen to engage with attendees at the event, so please drop by our stand and say hello!

 

Airtech – Exhibitor

Airtech has developed a comprehensive service over the last 30 years, which offers landlords solutions to help ensure a healthy home for residents.

As a complete solutions provider, Airtech can conduct a free survey to identify condensation, damp and mould problems within the property; treat and eradicate any existing mould that may be present and supply and install ventilation equipment to reduce condensation and eliminate mould.

Airtech covers the whole of the UK and has worked with over 200 housing providers.

 

Consortium Procurement (CP) – Exhibitor

Consortium Procurement is the commercial arm of the Northern Housing Consortium. All of our surplus is reinvested into our main focus – to represent our members interests and ensure they are heard at a regional and national government level.

We are a not-for-profit membership body with a portfolio of over 400 members across the whole of the UK. We have provided public sector bodies with a compliant and trusted procurement route for more than 20 years. This has led to us collectively saving our members around £10m each year.

 

Consortium Procurement Construction (CPC)

Consortium Procurement Construction is a collaboration between Consortium Procurement and LHC, expanding our offering to members to include a full suite of frameworks to support construction, refurbishment and maintenance of social housing and public buildings, providing MMC solutions and other construction-based frameworks to members.

There are a range of frameworks in the construction, extension and refurbishment category, covering traditional and modern methods of construction, in addition to building consultancy services.

There are specific frameworks for the construction of homes and for non-housing, including schools and community buildings.

 

Dutton Fisher Associates – Exhibitor

Dutton Fisher Associates are one of the leading providers nationally of the levy funded Housing management apprenticeships at Levels 2, 3 and 4. These programmes can be delivered in-house or as open groups across northern England. They are being effectively used by employers to upskill existing employees, as well as developing new talent.

We also offer CIH qualifications from Levels 2-5; Leadership and Management apprenticeship programmes at Levels 3 and 5, as well as CMI and ILM accredited qualifications.

 

Mobysoft – Exhibitor

Mobysoft’s RentSense solution helps deliver time and cost saving solutions, which create tangible ROI for social landlords. RentSense is a cloud-based predictive analytic solution that optimises front-line income management workload, giving officers more time for tenants.

The software helps over 145 landlords maximise income, create efficiencies and mitigate welfare reform. Recent independent research highlighted how RentSense users have lower eviction rates than non-RentSense users and how it helps landlords reduce arrears by £300,000 per 10,000 properties in the first two years.

 

MyNHC – Exhibitor

Look out for our new online portal ‘MyNHC’ launching at the Northern Housing Summit (but available to everyone!) from the 5th November. MyNHC will give members:

  • better oversight of how your organisation works with us
  • the ability to book events, pay online and manage event bookings
  • access documentation
  • view procurement information
  • and much more.

 

NHC – Exhibitor

The Northern Housing Consortium has been serving members for over 45 years, we are a not-for-profit membership organisation encompassing 93% of local authorities, ALMOs and registered providers of social housing across the North of England.

By using our support and procurement services, housing organisations are investing in making the North an even greater place to live.

Come to our stand to learn more about the services we offer, including our Business Improvement Services, designed to provide you with the help and support you require, and provided directly by the NHC and by the specialist expertise of our high-quality associates.

 

Orbis – Exhibitor

Orbis are market leaders in providing one-stop-solutions for property managers looking to secure or re-let their vacant properties. Orbis are longest standing vacant property security specialists, creating the first well known steel screens still used today.

Since 1981, Orbis has continued to develop services to provide peace of mind for property managers, for more information please visit our team or visit our website: https://www.orbisprotect.com

For the latest updates, follow us:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orbisprotect-limited/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/orbisprotect

 

The GEM Programme – Exhibitor

Since 2009 the GEM Programme has been recruiting and developing the future leaders of the social housing and construction sector.

GEM and GEM Talent in House Programmes provide unique and proven routes for you to recruit, develop and professionalise your talent pool.

During the 12 month programme GEMs attend a number of experiential learning events throughout the UK designed and facilitated by the GEM team; they build their networks across the sector and they complete a Chartered Institute of Housing Level 4 qualification.

 

 

Our Executive Director Brian Robson gives evidence at the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee.

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The evening of Monday 21st October saw our Executive Director of Policy and Public Affairs, Brian Robson, give evidence at the second session of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee regarding the long-term delivery of social and affordable rented housing (View the call for evidence here). The Northern Housing Consortium was invited to give evidence following our detailed response to the Committee’s call for evidence on the subject.

The inquiry launched by the Committee aims to “investigate the effectiveness of the Government’s current strategies to boost social and affordable rented housing provision.” The scope of the inquiry will include examining the adequacy of funding levels as well as the programmes designed to stimulate the delivery of homes by local authorities and housing associations. The Committee will also look at the varied challenges faced in different parts of the country. With next year’s Spending Review expected to set long-term investment budgets for affordable housing, the committee’s conclusions will be important in setting expectations.

NHC CEO Tracy Harrison commented: “We have pledged to members that we will ensure our messages reach and connect with decision makers and policy shapers. Our invitation to give evidence to this influential Commons committee is a sign we’re doing just that. Brian did our members proud, by highlighting the ambition that exists in the North and the changes we need to make housing policy work – including increased investment in affordable homes and rebuilding capacity in our councils.”

Brian provided the voice for the northern region on Monday, alongside other representatives from Karbon Homes, Clarion Housing Group, L&Q, Campaign to Protect Rural England and Homes for the South West.

The Committee asked Brian, Victor da Cunha, Chair of Homes for the South West and Matt Thomson, Head of Planning at CPRE a series of questions about the long-term delivery of social and affordable rented housing. Notably, witnesses were asked if the approach to the delivery of affordable and social rented homes should be targeted on the basis of affordability measures, Brian responded:

“We (Northern Housing Consortium) are very concerned with the direction of travel in terms of the geographic targeting of key housing funds; the geographic targeting that was instituted last November for five other key housing funds, excluding the Affordable Homes Programme, means that now only four local authorities in the North of England have access to the lion’s share of those five key housing funds. This is not consistent with the Government’s ambitions to rebalance the economy [and] to see much more growth in the North, in line with the Northern Powerhouse agenda.”

The Committee referenced the £12.8billion additional funding per year required for the sector’s recommended target of 145,000 affordable homes per year, Brian said:

“It is really powerful that we (the housing sector) are united around this single figure. From our perspective, the important thing to note is that the wider sector wants this investment to be made available right across the country as there is affordable need right across the country. In our part of the world, it comes to 19,000 affordable and social homes required each year.”

Some time was spent discussing the capacity of local authorities, Brian outlined that there is still a case for core funding at the next Spending Review for local authority housing and planning services due to the disproportionate impact on the North as well as the difficulties faced sourcing specialist skills. He also highlighted the leading role some Northern authorities are playing in the delivery of new homes:

“Councils that have larger Housing Revenue Accounts (e.g. Sheffield, Newcastle) have been getting on with it and have reached 500/600 homes now. 7 of the 10 biggest local authority housebuilders in the UK are in the North.”

The recording of the session can be accessed on Parliamentlive.tv

 

 

 

 

Impact of Universal Credit – Resource Research Launched

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It has become apparent during our conversations with members in our regular roundtable events that housing providers and local authorities are increasingly having to take up the slack and are investing increasing resources to ensure the smooth running of the Universal Credit system for the benefits of claimants and to maintain sustainable tenancies.

As promised after the publication of our previous research into the Impact of Universal Credit, NHC are continuing to monitor how our members and their customers are affected by the new Benefit system. We have launched a new survey of our members to test the anecdotal evidence we have received; the survey is designed to ascertain to what extent members have had to change the way they work and costs, both in terms of staff time and in terms of financial commitment, to their organisation. We will also seek to collect case studies from respondents to illustrate the housing sector’s commitment to making the UC system work for their tenants.

To take part, and submit your evidence to the research, please click here.

If you have any queries regarding this research please contact Barry Turnbull, Business Intelligence Officer at barry.turnbull@nhc.org.uk

Workers waste 30 days per year on email

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Unproductive Brits ‘waste’ the equivalent of 30 WORKING DAYS per year on their office email, it has emerged.

Office workers typically spend around two hours each day browsing their inbox, according to research.

However, the survey found around half of this time is wasted by accidentally re-reading messages, needlessly checking for updates and sending emails to colleagues when it is easier to speak to them face-to-face.

The result is around five hours per week, or a staggering 230 hours per year of productivity which is lost.

SoftwareONE conducted the research as part of National Work Life Week, to highlight how a better understanding of IT office suites can transform the work-life balance and productivity of Brits who use a computer for work.

The study revealed one-fifth of office workers confessed their performance at work was hindered by their lack of IT knowledge.

And 15 per cent added they were too shy or embarrassed to ask for help using office suites, causing it to affect their time management.

Andy Dunbar, service lead, Technology Services at SoftwareONE, said: “People constantly check emails when they don’t need to and it is making work harder by unnecessarily taking up time and causing them to lose focus.

“But it needn’t be the case. Collaborative tools like Microsoft Teams, which many office workers have access to but aren’t aware of, make it easy to message, chat or collaborate on documents with co-workers without reverting to email.

“And if email is needed, simple things like only opening up your email once per hour can transform your efficiency.”

It is Londoners who are the biggest offenders, saying they needlessly use up more than 1.5 hours of their working day browsing their inbox – 50 per cent more than those in the South-East and West Midlands.

Computer users in Scotland are the most time efficient with their emails, followed by those in East Anglia and Wales.

The research also found a typical office worker sends 10 emails per day to colleagues when it could be simpler to speak to them face-to-face or instant message them.

And more than half (54 per cent) of those surveyed said that their productivity and focus is hampered by regularly checking their inbox but they felt it was something they needed to do.

The 25-34 age group admit to struggling the most.

They typically send 15 emails per day when it’s easier to speak to the recipient and waste 1hr 20 in their inbox. Almost two-thirds (61 per cent) say their regular email check reduces their productivity.

Andy Dunbar, from SoftwareONE, added: “We also need to look at how maximising the functions of available tools and technology can revolutionise our organisational skills and boost our output.

“Tools like MyAnalytics can help you manage your email usage better by cutting out unproductive use and improving your work-life balance, while Microsoft Teams allow groups of people to work on documents simultaneously from remote locations.

“This helps to empower staff, boost productivity and improve work-life balance.”

In recent years, improved technology has radically improved the Brits’ work-life balance with more and more companies allowing staff to work from home.

Of those surveyed by OnePoll for SoftwareONE, half said their employer will let them work from home for at least one day a week.

However, some respondents still said their employer had an “old fashioned” approach and didn’t allow them to work from home despite technology enabling people to carry out their job to the same level from a remote location.

Others said staff weren’t trusted to work from home and there was the belief they need to be seen to be working. This is despite two-thirds of those questioned saying they could perform their job at the same or higher level working at home.

And 56 per cent said it would be a better use of their time to collaborate simultaneously on a group presentation from individual offices.

SoftwareONE has now developed a quiz to see how productive you are – whether you’re a ninja in the workplace or if you need to boost your office efficiency. Take the quiz here – www.softwareone.com/en-gb/software-coverage/microsoft/office-quiz or find out how you can drive adoption of Microsoft 365 in your organisation by visiting http://www.softwareone.com/adopt365.

SoftwareONE has also been running a series of webinars on this topic. You can catch up with them on demand by registering here. In addition, the company is running a webinar: Goodbye Skype for Business, Hello Teams. Register for that here.

 

Mediaworks Announced as NHC Supporter Member

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Mediaworks has recently partnered with the Northern Housing Consortium (NHC).

As NHC’s Supporter member

The partnership between NHC and Mediaworks will see Mediaworks provide digital advice and marketing expertise within the housing market. Mediaworks will provide sponsorship at trade shows, as well as offering member-relevant advice and insights. The partnership will ensure that members of the NHC have access to leading expertise in the digital marketing world.

Understanding the market

The announcement comes off the back of Mediaworks’ recent success with Home Group, one of the biggest housing associations in the UK. Mediaworks provides extensive digital support for Home Group, which generates valuable experience for our teams regarding the housing and construction market.

Mediaworks’ Managing Director, Brett Jacobson, commented on the promising partnership: “We’re proud to announce that we are now working alongside the NHC as their Supporter member. This partnership will provide members of the NHC with a practical approach to marketing for the housing market, meaning we can help them to improve their user experience, customer service, and digital-led initiatives.”

Kate Maughan, Director of Member Engagement at the NHC, also highlighted the benefits to its members following the partnership, saying: “We’re excited to announce Mediaworks as a new NHC Supporter. Supporter members bring external expertise and allow us to broaden the support we can offer to our membership of housing organisations across the North. In an increasingly IT-driven environment, we’re really looking forward to working with Brett and the team at Mediaworks to share digital solutions and help our members to make the most of their digital presence.”

Guest blog: New Housing Related Support system launched

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Locata is ready to roll out its new Housing Related Support (HRS) system across the country.

The new launch was created in partnership with housing practitioners from Cheshire East who wanted a way to link applicants directly to support services.

The system went live in Cheshire East four weeks ago and acts as a referral portal for 10 services from four different providers.

It has already processed almost 500 applications for supported services (189 accommodation units and 155 floating support units) and placed more than 360 service users in support.

“HRS does exactly what we needed it to do by giving referring agencies one portal for applications for accommodation or floating support,” said Nic Abbott, Cheshire Homechoice Team Leader.  “It means we can clearly monitor our service providers contracts and report on their performance.

“Locata worked closely with our team to ensure that the system met our requirements and in true Locata style it has provided a simple solution to a complicated problem.

“We are quickly informed of voids and can in turn quickly fill them again taking account of our own priorities.  We are already saving time and money and seeing a more fluid turnaround of supported units in Cheshire East.”

The cloud-based software is available through G-Cloud and uses the successful HPA2 framework as its foundation, ensuring officers and clients enjoy a familiar and intuitive online experience.

The system seamlessly passes clients to the right support provider which can then give them the service they require. Each local authority can have as many providers as they wish on the platform and registrations can be accepted from multiple sources.

The HRS system is configurable so that potential partners can use the in-built flexibility to create a version of HRS that suits their needs.

The next system to go live will be in Monmouthshire.  They took a slightly different approach and wanted a time recording element incorporated so they can track the time a customer spends in support and the time that a support worker spends supporting customers.

Thanks to the inherent flexibility in HRS, this function is being built and will be delivered soon. One system, two very different partner outcomes.

To find out more, please contact Locata at info@locata.org.uk

Member Engagement Dinner with Martin Hilditch – Editor of Inside Housing

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Thursday 19th September 2019 – York

 Members were joined by Editor of Inside Housing magazine Martin Hilditch in York on Thursday 19th September as part of a series of member engagement sessions organised by the Northern Housing Consortium. We run a range of senior member engagement sessions, and all full member organisations are invited to at least one of these every year.

 Key Messages: 

  • Inside Housing wants to hear from Northern members to be able to ensure that coverage is balanced and Northern issues are addressed.
  • Concerns regarding the post-Brexit environment remain important for members and Inside Housing aims to track the policy direction of potential future governments as well as how members are preparing for, and responding to, any developments.
  • Members and Martin agreed that the issue of affordability should be placed firmly back on the agenda within the sector.
  • Concerns regarding the capacity of local authorities were raised as a priority for both members and Inside Housing, as well as the Northern Housing Consortium.
  • The regeneration of “left behind places” was discussed with members focussing on communities in areas with a high number of privately rented homes.
  • Issues surrounding fire safety and regulation, and the implications for members, remain on the agenda.

 

Contact address for further information regarding this event:

anna.seddon@northern-consortium.org.uk

 

 Further Information

 Northern Housing Consortium’s Chief Executive Tracy Harrison began the conversation by outlining the importance of being able to constructively craft the message that the sector, and Northern members in particular, want to communicate.

It was stressed that this ability to be able to effectively tell the story of members’ experience is particularly pertinent during this period of unprecedented uncertainty. Martin Hilditch echoed this approach, outlining Inside Housing’s “open door” policy which enables members in the North to influence the focus of coverage in the magazine, he has previously written about this here.

He emphasised that the nature of Inside Housing’s research and analysis will be developed around the issues that members’ themselves have identified and their ideas on the best ways in which to frame them. Discussion moved to the main priorities of Inside Housing for the next 6 months and members’ responses to these, a summary of the discussion is set out below.

 

Affordability

Conversation between members and Martin centred heavily around affordability, Inside Housing are keen to get the issue of affordability back on the agenda with the aim of being able to lead the conversation on this.

Martin’s main focus regarding this topic would be to ask the following question: “What is affordable housing and what is it there for?”. He was clear that this would include grappling with what affordability means to different regions within the UK. Members used this time to raise issues about social housing and discuss with Martin how these themes were best framed in the housing media. This was discussed through an exploration into Inside Housing’s coverage of the 100 year anniversary of the Addison Act earlier this year and how this was able to engage central government about social housing.

Martin outlined that this campaign was extremely effective in sending out a positive message about social housing that heavily involved the voices of communities by celebrating local achievements. The response received by the magazine shows that these positive messages gained a wider reach with a strong level of engagement. Affordability is also high up Northern Housing Consortium’s agenda with research due to be published in the coming weeks.

 

The Political Landscape and EU Exit

Unavoidably, Brexit remains high on the agenda for the housing sector with Martin open to ideas from our members about current issues of most concern and those for the future. This links back to Tracy’s introduction about the uncertainty of the spaces that the sector, and other sectors, are operating within and how these are best covered by Inside Housing. Tracy outlined the concerns about the current geographical differences in development across the UK and how Brexit will affect this. Members discussed these themes with a focus on local economies, many of which are low-wage, unstable and heavily reliant on a few major employers in the area. Lenders are now taking a proactive approach to understanding the extent to which the local economy will be exposed to the effects of Brexit. Discussions included the example of Nissan in Sunderland with members stressing how many people’s livelihoods are put at risk should relations between Nissan and the local area drastically change, as well as potential lenders’ attitudes towards this.

It was acknowledged these concerns about the post-Brexit environment rely on the direction that government will take on housing as well as other areas such as welfare policy. This will be determined by the outcome of a prospective General Election and the policies that the prevailing government will embark upon. Martin noted the current administration’s focus seems to have been solely on home ownership so far, which Martin has previously written would be “terrible news for those most in need of secure, affordable housing”.

More recently, Esther McVey’s first speech as Housing Minister at the RESI Convention this month further hints that government policy will focus heavily on home ownership. Members expressed their concerns about the effect of the policies of this government or the next regarding issues such as Universal Credit and precarious employment contracts on tenants. This will affect areas of the UK in different ways. More clarity regarding potential housing policy in the future will come in the coming months when parties have had their Conference and during the run-up to a possible General Election.

 

Council Delivery and Partnerships

Martin discussed at length the priorities of Inside Housing regarding local authorities with the aim of research and analysis being able to identify the skills that already exist and locating the gaps where further skills are needed. Members agreed that there needs to be a focussed campaign on this as partners are not always able to fill the gaps left by the cuts to council’s powers and funding. This issue is particularly connected to members’ in the North as there is a high number of Band A homes that do not generate as much income for local authorities as other regions to be able to fund the services needed in local areas, especially for more vulnerable tenants and the impact on health and social care. A key concern is local development and the lack of local authorities’ capability; the Northern Housing Consortium are currently working with researchers to be able to quantify councils’ capacity and explore how this has disproportionately affected the North. Martin agreed that there needs to be coherent research of this nature, adding that the subject of “left behind places” requires robust but sensitive attention from both within and outside the sector.

 

Fire Safety

Inside Housing’s “End Our Cladding Scandal” campaign was successful in reaching audiences outside of the housing sector, which Martin notes is sometimes difficult to achieve. It focussed on empowering local voices and putting pressure on local politicians which in turn received coverage in the local and national press. A broader campaign regarding fire safety has followed.

Pete Apps (Deputy Editor of Inside Housing) spoke at length about the pressures that regulatory changes may put on members such as the costs of retrofitting sprinklers which, due to funding, could affect the development of other areas of concern. Members said they were uneasy about the current lack of consistent messaging when it came to fire safety, particularly regarding a “stay put” or evacuate policy that has been central to the post-Grenfell discussion.

Inside Housing agreed that there is a lack of objective advice on these issues and commented this is frequently discussed at their Fire Safety Network. Pete discussed the current government’s focus on the new build sector and how the fire safety issue may not be at the top of their agenda but predicts that it will not disappear. Martin and members added that these conversations would also have to include questions about sustainability and long-term investment in safe, decent and energy efficient homes in the North.

The Northern Housing Consortium thanks Martin for speaking at such a fantastic event for our members where we are able to help set the agenda for the sector and ensure the voice of the North is heard. Inside Housing continues to support the work taking place in the region, please look out for future events with Martin and other senior sector figures.