Andy Burham MP was today appointed as Prime Minister, the seventh Prime Minister in ten years.  

Mr Burham has promised to ‘do things differently’ and to take a more collaborative approach to politics. He has pledged to launch a new 10-year plan for Britian later this year, though he was keen to stress he will also make changes from the start, including ending rough sleeping and building more council houses.  

During his leadership campaign, he reiterated his support for devolution and spoke about the importance of regeneration.  

Northern Housing Consortium Chief Executive Tracy Harrison said:  

“We look forward to working with the new Prime Minister to give hope back to forgotten places. A good quality, affordable home is one of life’s essentials. Our Renew inquiry has found that housing-led regeneration can unlock at least 500,000 good quality homes across the North of England. It can bring hope by making sure more people have a great place to live, improving and residents’ health and wellbeing, and generating jobs. Housing-led regeneration – reviving struggling high streets with new homes, developing forgotten brownfield land, and renewing and redeveloping homes that no longer meet the needs of communities – can help bring growth to every postcode.  

“The new Prime Minister has acknowledged the importance of regeneration, so we hope he will seize the moment to build on investment that the Government has already made in housing, with long-term devolved regeneration funding, and support to build local capacity and expertise. Our policy recommendations are about ensuring that regeneration is viable and achievable across the North, which has diverse needs and challenges beyond our cities. As Lara Joyce, Secretary of Gleadless Resident’s Association said, we need “to make it safe to feel hope again”. 

“Andy Burnham is a big backer of devolution, and we know he wants to build on the success we have already seen in the North. In areas where devolution has progressed further, social housing providers and other partners have collaborated and have had real success scaling up what works for communities so more people and places benefit.”  

Many of our members in Greater Manchester have worked closely with Andy Burham during his time as Mayor. Northern Housing Consortium Chair, Chief Executive of MSV Housing, and Chair of Greater Manchester Housing Providers Charlie Norman said:

“It has been great working with Andy Burham in Greater Manchester for the last 9 years, collaborating on a place first and housing first agenda, with people at its heart.” 

The far-reaching role of housing-led regeneration, and the Renew inquiry, and partnership working have been big talking points at the Great Northern Theatre 26.

The importance of housing-led regeneration shone through in the morning. The day opened with a speech from Lord Best who set out how the continued focus on new homes was crowding out regeneration, despite a clear need. However, he was optimistic that the tide was turning, and the Renew inquiry, which he chairs, is a big part of this.

Next up was Patrick Murray, NHC Executive Director (Policy and External Relations) who shared the latest findings from Renew inquiry report ‘Unlocking over 500,000 good quality homes in the North’. He highlighted how housing-led regen is critical to driving growth, and invaluable in making sure smaller towns and places are not left behind. He talked about devolution and how we are already seeing benefits of a more place-based approach. However, he said there is a structural viability gap in the North and this can only be overcome with the right government support.

The next session, chaired by Inside Housing Editor Martin Hillditch, featured a range of perspectives on why regeneration at scale is important. Rachel Dennis Chief Executive, Incommunities said it was vital to address the full picture.  In Bradford, where Incommunities is based, estate regeneration needs greater support to avoid ‘a doughnut of deprivation’ around the city centre. John Johnson Chief Executive, Bernicia Group talked about devolution being a potential gamechanger, but that central government needed to fully trust devolved authorities. Lara Joyce Secretary of the Gleadless Valley Resident Association shared how regeneration gives residents hope but that promises must be kept to avoid breaking residents’ trust. Finally, Phil Mayall Managing Director of Muse talked about why homes are an essential part of creating places people can thrive. However, he said viability challenges and the skills gap were holding things back.

The final session of the morning, chaired by Claire Warren, Chief Executive, Pickering and Ferens Homes covered community-led renewal. The panellists Cedric Boston, Group Chief Executive, Unity Homes and Enterprise, Louise Davies, Executive Director of Communities and Regeneration, Cobalt Housing, Darren Sterling, Assistant Director Strategy and Community Regeneration, Newcastle City Council  and Kemoy Walker, youth ambassador at  MSV Housing, were all clear that to really understand what residents want housing providers need to embed themselves in communities. Housing colleagues should go to where the residents are, for example youth clubs or community events.

In the afternoon the focus shifted onto devolution and partnership working. To avoid a post-lunch slump proceedings started with an illuminating conversion between Inside Housing Martin Hilditch and designer Wayne Hemmingway, who famously spoke out against the ‘Wimpyfication of Britain’. The chat covered housing design, the effects of high land values and the role of culture in driving regeneration.

Up next was a panel session about ‘Integrated settlements: Building connected systems for long-term growth’, chaired by Tracy Harrsion, with Ruth Davison Interim Director of Environment and Place, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Ed Ferrari, Research Director, Mosidi, and Tom Hinchcliffe Director of Housing First, Greater Manchester Combined Authority. The panel agreed that we’ve come a long way with devolution, and that integrated settlements are helping deliver a more joined up approach to places. Importantly the discussion focused on the democratic mandate of Mayors and how more accountability should flow to local communities rather than central Government.

This was followed by a panel session on effective partnerships chaired by NHC Deputy Chief Executive James Ealey. Marc Edwards, Executive Director of Property at Gentoo, spoke about the North East Housing Partnership’s collaborative planned investment partnership which is helping North East housing providers save millions on the installation of new kitchens and create local employment opportunities. Shazia Bashir, Partner, Winckworth Sherwood, shared insights on partnerships from a legal perspective. Robin Tuddenham, Chief Executive, Calderdale Council, spoke about the need for local authorities to step forward and take a leading role in partnerships, and to get the balance right between structure and collaboration. Sasha Deepwell, Chief Executive, Irwell Valley Homes shared her experience of being part of Greater Manchester Housing Providers, the longest established housing partnership, and the huge impact it is having.

The afternoon was rounded off with a positive discussion, chaired by Tracy Harrison, about the northern offer and what we’ll deliver together. Nick Atkin, Yorkshire Housing Chief Executive, stressed that the social housing sector has a once a generation opportunity to make a difference and that we’re ready to step up. Tom Bridges Executive Regional Director (North East, Yorkshire & Humber), Homes England spoke about Homes England’s increased focus on placemaking and the opportunities available through the Social and Affordable Homes Programme and the National Housing Bank. Alison Dean Chief Executive Officer, Great Places felt optimistic, sharing examples of work happening in Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire, including bringing disused brownfield land back into use and renewing estates to make sure everyone has access to a good home.

The Great North Theatre showcased some of the fantastic work going on in the North. The message was clear – even more can be done with further support for housing-led regeneration and continued devolution.

The Renew inquiry visited regeneration sites in Halifax to see what can be achieved and where even more can be done. Calderdale Council and Together Housing Group, who have been part of an investment partnership since 2017, hosted the visit.

The first stop on the tour was Boltworks where 122 new Build to Rent flats were built on a disused car park by Placefirst. Viability challenges were overcome through funding, including money from the Brownfield Housing Fund, to deliver good quality homes. This development, which completed in 2025, meets the need for smaller properties in the City ward due to a high proportion of single person households.

Next stop was the award-winning Beech Hill Regeneration project where 106 new affordable homes replaced three tower blocks which no longer met modern standards. In phase two, 70 mixed-tenure homes in the surrounding area were repaired and made more energy efficient. This reinvigorated the area which was becoming neglected and isolated.

After that we walked through the impressive Dean Clough, a former carpet mill that’s now a hotel, gallery, shops, restaurants and offices up to Haley Hill, a trio of 1960s tower blocks.  These homes will benefit from Together Housing’s investment and retrofit work to ensure they remain modern, safe places to live. 

Tower blocks were a hot topic of conversation. Together Housing spoke about their high-rise strategy and how they balance “immediate safety and compliance requirements with long-term investment decisions that deliver modern, sustainable homes and support thriving communities.”

The final stop of the tour was Minster View – a brownfield site which recently went out to market. It is hoped development of the land will contribute to town centre regeneration objectives as well as enhancing the local economy. The tour was rounded of by walking back through the regenerated Borough Market.

Earlier in the day the Renew Reference Group, a group of NHC members coming together to share insight on regeneration, met for a roundtable discussion about the latest findings from Renew, high rise development and the ten-year vision for Halifax. 

The Renew inquiry will visit more regeneration sites over the summer to document what works well and where more needs to be done. Renew is supported by Homes for the North and Muse.