Welcome to our new executive director for operations and finance

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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.”  

The NHC’s offer to the next Government

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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.

NHC brings Pride in Place to Downing Street

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Our chief executive Tracy Harrison attended a reception of the Town Board Chairs at 10 Downing Street.

The reception was held to induct new Town Board Chairs into the programme by meeting each other, ministers, and introducing them to groups who will be essential to work with in the development and delivery of their programmes – such as the NHC and its members. Along with Levelling Up Minister Jacob Young MP, attendees heard from Towns Unit Chair Adam Hawksbee.

The theme of the reception centred around pride in place, funding, crime, arts and culture, and community engagement. Tracy attended to represent the NHC’s Pride in Place work, which speaks to many of the issues being addressed through Town Boards and the Long Term Plan for Towns.

We continue to engage with DLUHC and the Towns Unit to ensure that our members and their tenants’ voices are heard. We also hope to see the findings from our Pride in Place report continue to influence the government’s plans on increasing pride in local areas. Read ‘Pride in Place: view from Northern communities’ here.

50 Unlocking Success awards to mark our 50th anniversary

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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.

APPG for Housing in the North convenes for first session of 2024

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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