NHC 2025 Election of Directors

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The Northern Housing Consortium represents the views of housing organisations in the North of England, with our membership of local and combined authorities, ALMOs and housing associations representing over 9 out of every 10 social homes in the North.  Our vision is our collaborative Northern voice helps members create and regenerate sustainable homes and build resilient, thriving communities.

The overall management and strategic direction of the Northern Housing Consortium is entrusted to the Board of Directors who are subject to election each year from Member organisations.  Membership of the Board is balanced between the three Northern regions and consideration is made of sectoral representation across different organisation types as well as the need for balance across the range of equality categories – age, disability, ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation. We would strongly encourage applications from all backgrounds to support our inclusion and diversity objectives.

Under the Consortium’s governance arrangements, all nominations for the position of Director will be reviewed by the Board (or their nominated representatives), against a Skills Set for Directors to ensure that they meet the Board’s requirement to fill any vacancies – the Skills Set and Board Director Role Profile are enclosed in the Board Director Nomination Pack.

In accordance with a procedure agreed by the Board, we are seeking nominations for up to two new Directors’ places to be filled for the three-year period 2025-2028.  The Director who is also retiring this year but who wish to stand for re-election are as follows:

  1. Pam Smith, Chief Executive, Newcastle City Council

NB The Board have confirmed their support for the re-election of the above candidate.

Should the number of successful nominations exceed the vacancies available, a ballot will be arranged and the results announced for formal approval by the Members at the Consortium’s Annual General Meeting on 20th November 2025.

 

How to apply

 An application form can be obtained from jennifer.gursoy@northern-consortium.org.uk and must be returned by Wednesday 13th August 2025.

If you would like to discuss your nomination for the position of Director, please contact:

Tracy Harrison

Chief Executive

T: 07809659492

E: tracy.harrison@northern-consortium.org.uk

 

Government publishes new five step plan

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On 2nd July, the Government published a new five step plan for social and affordable housing, titled ‘Delivering a decade of renewal for social and affordable housing’.

This high-level strategy sets out how the Government will work with the housing sector to increase the amount of social rent homes and improve quality.

A breakdown of the five steps and their supporting policy initiatives are below:

 

1: Deliver the biggest boost to grant funding in a generation

    1. A ten-year ‘Social and Affordable Homes Programme’ worth £39 billion, which will open for bids this winter, following a prospectus to be published over summer. The plan also confirmed that at least 60% of the next programme will be for social rent, at least 70% will be for outside of London and the programme will be able to support regeneration on sites that deliver a net-addition of units.
    2. This follows the announcement of a new National Housing Bank – a new subsidiary of Homes England which will work with Mayors and local leaders to provide up to £16 billion of financial transactions (loans, equity investment and guarantees) to support the development of 500,000 new homes.

 

2: Rebuild the sector’s capacity to borrow and invest in new and existing homes

    1. A ten year rent settlement of CPI+1% and a consultation on how to implement rent convergence, at either £1 or £2 a week.
    2. Granting social landlords equal access to remediation funding, with an additional £1 billion made available through the Building Safety Fund and Cladding Safety Scheme.
    3. An additional £2.5 billion low-interest loans to support the delivery of new social and affordable housing.

 

3: Establish an effective and stable regulatory regime

    1. The implementation of Awaab’s Law Phase 1 from October 2025, and new electrical testing requirements from November 2025.
    2. Consultations on a new, updated Decent Homes Standard to come into force in 2035, and new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards to be met by social landlords by 2030.
    3. Requirements for senior housing managers and executives to have specific housing qualifications through a new Competence & Conduct Standard from October 2026, following a transition period.
    4. A new Access to Information Scheme, requiring social landlords to proactively publish information about housing management from October 2026, and respond to Freedom of Information style requests from tenants from April 2027.
    5. £1 million of funding for a new Resident Experience Innovation Fund to support social landlords, tenants and tenant organisations to test and scale up new projects looking to deliver better outcomes for tenants.

 

4: Reinvigorate council housebuilding

    1. New reforms to the Right to Buy following the conclusion of a previous consultation, further reducing discounts, granting greater freedom to local authorities over the use of receipts and exempting new build council properties for 35 years.
    2. £12 million for a new Council Housebuilding Skills & Capacity Programme (CHSCP) for local authorities to increase skills and capacity, including in their planning departments and in their engagement with registered providers.
    3. A review of the Public Works Loan Board discounted interest rate for building new affordable housing, which is set to expire in March 2026.
    4. A review of the threshold of homes at which local authorities need to have a Housing Revenue Account.

 

5: Forge a renewed partnership with the sector to build at scale

    1. A ‘call to arms’ to the housing sector to demonstrate that they can deliver at pace.

 

The plan also confirmed that the Government will be publishing its Long Term Housing Strategy in the near future.

Many of these policies were included in the Northern Housing Consortium’s submission to the Spending Review, and we are glad to see the progress made by government on directly addressing the housing crisis.

We will be working with our members to respond to relevant consultations and continuing to work with both our members and government officials to ensure that policy supports housing providers in the North to create better homes and places. If you want to inform our response to the consultations, please attend our Disrepair Network on 24th July, and the next ​Policy Network​ is due to take place on the 6th August.

Reforming the Right to Buy

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Last year the Government consulted on changes to the Right to Buy scheme and on 2 July 2025 published its response to the consultation.

The response confirmed reforms to the Right to Buy including:

  • Exempting newly built social homes from Right to Buy for 35 years
  • Increasing the length of tenancy requirements to qualify for Right to Buy from 3 to 10 years
  • Reforming discounts so they start at 5% of the property value, rising by 1% for every extra year an individual is a secure tenant up to the maximum of 15% of the property value; and
  • Tightening the restrictions on properties post sale by increasing the period from 5 years to 10 years that the council has the right to ask for repayment of all or part of the discount; and
  • Extending the period in which a local authority has the right of first refusal so that it applies in perpetuity.

In addition, further policy development and analysis will explore:

  • More effective fraud prevention
  • Reforms to the cost floor to better protect investment in existing homes
  • The current timelines for processing Right to Buy applications
  • How the Right to Buy applies in rural areas.

In a ministerial statement, the Housing Minister said the reforms will “better protect much-needed social housing stock, boost councils’ capacity, and enable them to once again build social homes at scale.” The Government intends to remove the formal one-for-one Right to Buy replacement target  but calls on councils to go over and above replacing sold stock and to play a central role in the commitment to deliver a generational increase in social and affordable housebuilding.

The Government will legislate when parliamentary time allows to bring these reforms into force. More immediately, the Government confirmed that the flexibilities that were introduced in July 2024 will continue indefinitely and, from 2026-27, will permit councils to combine Right to Buy receipts with grant funding for social and affordable housing to accelerate delivery of replacement homes.

 

Health and Safety Hazards in Social Housing: ‘Awaab’s Law’ and Electrical Safety Requirements

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The Government has published phase one regulations for Awaab’s Law and electrical safety in social housing, with a statement from the Secretary of State on 25 June 2025.

The Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025 set out the first phase of the implementation of Awaab’s Law as set out in s10A of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985.

These new legal duties will come into force from October 2025, applying to all registered providers of social housing.

A letter from the Housing Minister to sector leaders confirms the implementation of phase one.

From 27 October 2025, social landlords will be required to address damp and mould using the following procedures:

  • Emergency repairs must be investigated and actioned within 24 hours.
  • Significant hazards must be investigated within 10 working days of a landlord becoming aware of them.
  • A written summary of findings must be given to the tenant within 3 working days of the investigation concluding.
  • If a hazard presents a significant risk of harm, the property must be made safe and remedial works must begin within 5 working days of the investigation concluding, or if for some reason they cannot be begun within that time frame, there is a long-stop of 12 weeks within which works must commence.
  • If the property cannot be made safe in the above timescales, tenants must be decanted at the landlord’s expense until the repairs are completed.

Draft Guidance on the Regulations has also been published and whilst it may be subject to some revision, it is worth considering now.

New electrical safety requirements will come into force in November requiring all landlords to inspect and test electrical installations at least every five years and carry out necessary works. New guidance will be published ahead of the implementation date.

Phases 2 and 3 of Awaab’s Law will be implemented in 2026 and 2027 respectively. The intention is to “test and learn” from the implementation of the damp and mould measures, before Awaab’s Law is expanded to the remaining Housing Health and Safety Rating System hazards (HHSRS) apart from overcrowding.

 

New Government support for councils to increase housebuilding

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A new Council Housebuilding Skills and Capacity Programme (CHSCP) has been launched by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

The new programme will be delivered in partnership with Homes England and the Local Government Association to help support councils increase their level of housebuilding.

The programme will help:

  • upskill existing council workforces.
  • drive engagement with the new Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP).
  • recruit graduates to specialist roles.

The CHSCP has 3 elements:

 

  • Council Housebuilding Support Service

This new service will be administered by the LGA and aims to work with up to 75 councils this financial year.

It will provide councils with access to training, online tools, and resources to upskill their housebuilding teams. The service will also create a peer-to-peer network to help councils work together to deliver social and affordable housing schemes.

​For more information and to register your interest visit the LGA’s website.

Councils receiving support through the Service should not also apply for grant to address the same issues through the Council Housebuilding Support Fund (see below).

 

  • Council Housebuilding Support Fund

This new £5.5 million fund is available during 2025-26 and has 3 main priorities:

  • ​supporting councils to bring forward bids to the new SAHP more quickly and for greater numbers of homes than might otherwise be the case without access to the Fund.
  • ​supporting councils to maximise the delivery of homes for Social Rent.
  • ​for councils in established Mayoral Strategic Authority areas, to ensure their bids to the new SAHP support the delivery of regional affordable housing priorities​.

For more information about the Fund and how to apply visit Home’s England’s website.

The bidding process is now open and will close on 22 August 2025.

Councils who receive grant through the Fund should not also seek advice to address the same issues through the Council Housebuilding Support Service (see above).

 

  • An expansion of the Pathways to Planning programme

MHCLG has funded the LGA to create two new pathways for councils to recruit graduates to their housebuilding teams.

Councils will be supported to enable these graduates to train for the necessary accreditation to become chartered surveyors or construction project managers.

​The pathways aim to recruit up to 50 graduates in 2025-26.

​For more information and to express your interest visit the LGA’s website.

 

 

New National Housing Bank

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The new National Housing Bank, announced last month, will be a subsidiary of Homes England.

It will manage £16 billion of investment made up of loans, equity and guarantees, looking to support the development of 500,000 new homes. It hopes to accelerate housebuilding and leverage in £53 billion of additional private investment.

The approach will mean Homes England is able to issue government guarantees directly and have greater autonomy and flexibility to make long-term investments.

There will be £2.5 billion of low interest loans to support the building of social and affordable homes.

The Bank will work with strategic authorities and local leaders to establish localised packages of support aligned with housing and regeneration priorities in those areas.

The Government says the National Housing Bank will be able to act as a consistent partner to the private sector, bringing the stability and certainty that housing developers and investors need to make delivery happen. It will also support SMEs with new lending products and enable developers to unlock large, complex sites through infrastructure finance.

A National Housing Delivery Fund will complement capital investment from the new National Housing Bank through £5bn in grant funding for infrastructure and land. This package will drive growth and transform places, boosting housing supply on otherwise unviable large and complex sites. It will also support land assembly, remediation and up-front infrastructure delivery.  

The National Housing Bank is good news for the North. It should boost delivery of new homes, particularly on more complex sites, such as those on brownfield land. Our Brownfield First research has identified that there is capacity for 320,000 new homes on brownfield land in the North, so unlocking these homes is a priority.

For more information visit GOV.UK and read the housing minister’s statement to the House.

Government announces consultation on how to reintroduce rent convergence

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As part of the Government’s new five-step plan for social and affordable housing, published on 2nd July, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MCHLG) have launched a new consultation on how to implement rent convergence.

The Government recently confirmed, as part of the Spending Review, that social housing rents will be permitted to rise by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) +1% for ten years from 2026. In addition, the Spending Review confirmed that there would be a new consultation on how to implement rent convergence as part of the ten year rent settlement.

Reintroducing rent convergence will be optional for landlords, but it will allow rents for properties which have never reached target formula rent to rise by an additional level each year, in addition to CPI+1%. Once the property’s rent reaches the target level, convergence will cease and rents will only be permitted to rise in line with CPI+1% thereafter.

The consultation is running until 27th August 2025, and is seeking views principally on:

  • whether convergence should be permitted at £1 or £2 per week in addition to CPI+1%.
  • whether convergence should be permitted throughout the entirety of the ten year rent settlement or for only a portion of the period.

The consultation documents note that the potential impact of rent convergence would be felt differently across the country, with the average gap between actual rent being charged and target rents being by far greatest in London. In all three northern regions, this gap is lower than the English average, for both housing associations and local authority landlords, but the impacts of rent convergence will impact different providers in unique ways.

In our Spending Review submission and our submission to the Government’s previous consultation on rent policy, the NHC called for both a ten year rent policy of CPI+1% and the reintroduction of rent convergence at either £2 or £3 per week. The NHC highlighted that the reintroduction of rent convergence, alongside a long-term rent policy of CPI+1%, was the only way that social housing finances could return to a financially sustainable position in the long term, opening up additional capacity to invest in new and existing homes.

We will be working with our members between now and 27th August on our response to the new consultation, which can be accessed here. All views and perspectives on this consultation from members are welcome. Please contact Senior Policy and Research Manager, Tom Kennedy, to discuss these issues further at tom.kennedy@northern-consortium.org.uk

If you want to find out more about the recent announcements and contribute to the NHC’s response to the consultation, the NHC Policy team will be speaking at our ​​Policy Network​ which is due to take place on the 6th August.

 

Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards consultation launched

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A long-awaited consultation on new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) in social housing launched last week, with the Government seeking views on proposals until 10th September 2025.

The Government is proposing, as expected, that all social homes will be required to meet a Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard of EPC C by 2030. The EPC system will, however, be different to the one currently in use following reforms to EPCs.

Under the Government’s preferred option, properties will be required to meet a required standard under a primary ‘fabric performance metric’, and one of either a ‘heating system’ or ‘smart readiness’ metric.

  • Fabric performance metric – includes measures such as insulation, windows and doors which increase thermal comfort and reduce heat demand.
  • Heating system metric – includes the hot water and heating systems and potentially cooking appliances.
  • Smart readiness metric – includes measures such as solar PV, batteries and smart thermostats which optimise the home to integrate in a more flexible energy system and benefit from smart energy tariffs.

Exemptions

The proposals include a “time-limited spend exemption”, meaning that the maximum a landlord would be required to spend to comply with MEES before 1st April 2030 is £10,000.  If a landlord spends £10,000 on the property and it still cannot be made compliant, a ten-year exemption will be granted.

Any property that already has an EPC at C or above will be considered compliant with the new requirements until the EPC expires. This will also be the case for any properties that receive a new EPC between now and 1st April 2028.

The consultation seeks views on all of these proposals and more, with further details available here. We will be working with our members between now and 10th September on our response. All views and perspectives on this consultation from members are welcome. Please contact Senior Policy and Research Manager, Tom Kennedy, to discuss these issues further at tom.kennedy@northern-consortium.org.uk.

If you want to find out more about the recent announcements and contribute to the NHC’s response to the consultation, the NHC Policy team will be speaking at our Disrepair Network on the 24th July and the next Policy Network is due to take place on the 6th August.

Further details of the Social and Affordable Homes Programme revealed

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Alongside a raft of wider announcements, the Government last week provided additional details on the future of grant funding for affordable housebuilding. The next grant-funding programme had already been announced at the spending review, but taken together with last week’s announcements, we now have a clearer idea of what the next programme will look like.

The next programme will be renamed the “Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP)” and:

  • Will deliver a total of £39 billion over ten years from 2026 – this is almost double the current level of per year spending (£3.9 billion vs £2.3 billion).
  • At least 60% of the total funding will be for social rent.
  • 70% of the funding will be outside of London reflecting a shift of funding to other areas of the country, like the North.
  • Will support regeneration sites where they provide a net increase of homes on a site, maintaining the regeneration flexibilities introduced into the current programme in 2023.
  • Strategic partnerships will continue through a competitive bidding round opening this winter, including bids for the entire ten-year programme.
  • Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities will be able to set the strategic direction of the programme in their respective areas but there will be no ring-fenced funding allocation for specific regions outside of London.
  • There will no longer be any targets for the delivery of specific types of homes e.g. rural or supported housing.

While we now know a lot about the next programme, there are still areas where we await further detail, including grant rates, how Homes England will work in its new ‘more regional model’, and exactly how strategic authorities will be able to influence programme delivery in their areas. We hope that these details and more will be provided in the SAHP prospectus, due to be published this Autumn.

The Northern Housing Consortium welcomes many of these details and many of them were included in our submission to the Spending Review, including the ability of strategic authorities to influence programme delivery in their areas, the continuation of regeneration flexibilities and ten-year strategic partnerships. We will continue to work with our members and government officials to ensure that the final SAHP prospectus reflects the needs of the North as much as possible.