Driving Digital Transformation in Housing: A New Era for Tenant Engagement

In the fast-evolving landscape of housing in the UK, digital transformation is not just a buzzword but a strategic necessity. Housing associations, traditionally seen as conservative entities in adopting digital technologies, are now at the forefront of this revolution, providing more accessible, efficient, and customer-centric services. A prime example of this shift is the pioneering […]

How social housing boosts our economy – Hays Guest Blog

As homelessness numbers soar and rent prices are ever-increasing, the importance of social housing is more apparent than ever. Currently, almost one-fifth (17%) of households in England live in social housing; that’s four million households. However, a further 1.2 million are still on the waiting list. New laws point to better living conditions for people […]

Summit Sponsor Blog – Locata

Locata offer a suite of web-based Housing Software products all with the unique selling point of being highly configurable, allowing our clients to build the system to their own needs. We’re a not-for-profit company owned by Local Authorities and RSLs, originally developing our Choice Based Lettings Module for these partners. Since our founding we’ve expanded […]

Summit Sponsor Blog – Campbell Tickell

New consumer standards for social housing in England: a brave new world, or business as usual? The truth, as so often, lies probably somewhere inbetween.   The Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 will drive some considerable change in regulation from April 2024, but it isn’t wholesale change. Let’s start by being clear: there’s very little […]

Summit Partner Blog – The Coal Authority

At the Coal Authority, we aim to provide expert advice and creative solutions to governments, public bodies, private organisations and landowners to manage the public safety and environmental issues arising from historical coal and metal mining. In recent years, we have had a big focus on innovation, particularly in relation to our mine water heat […]

Prime minister Sunak’s net zero U-turn and what it means for housing

Last Wednesday, Rishi Sunak announced several changes to the UK’s approach to transitioning to net zero. The measures announced covered a range of topics including electric vehicles, energy infrastructure, consumption taxes and housing. The announcements relating to housing, heating and energy efficiency are laid out below.   Energy Efficiency Strengthening energy efficiency requirements in the […]

Get involved in Black History Month

The UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE) is asking NHC members to get involved in their work to promote this year’s Black History Month. You can contribute in any way you feel most comfortable, and that best represents the messages you wish to convey and stories you wish to share. You can write a […]

RSH Consumer Standards consultation

The consultation on Consumer Standards issued in July by the Regulator for Social Housing (RSH) has been largely well-received by NHC members. The consultation follows the passing of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act and outlines the RSH expectations of the standards customers can expect. Four standards are being consulted on. Safety and Quality Standard– which […]

Reshuffles in Conservative and Labour parties ahead of party conferences

Over the past month we’ve seen Cabinet and Shadow Cabinet reshuffles in the government and the opposition respectively, as both parties prepare for a general election in 2024. Following the resignation of Ben Wallace, Rishi Sunak appointed former Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) Secretary, Grant Shapps, to Secretary of State for Defence. […]

Pride in Place at Party Conferences

Look out for the NHC at Party Conferences over the next couple of weeks where MPs and stakeholders will get a first look at the findings of our exciting new research project: ‘Pride in Place’. The project heard directly from residents on what Levelling Up and Pride in Place means to them, their priorities and […]

Heartwarming Homes is here!

Heartwarming Homes, a brand new FREE toolkit to support you to engage with residents about energy efficiency upgrades has launched.   The NHC, Placeshapers and Tpas have come together to create a free toolkit to help housing providers change the way they engage and communicate with residents about energy efficiency improvements.  Developed in partnership with social […]

The Self Assessment Retrofit Checklist

“This toolkit is an important document, long overdue, and will, hopefully, be taken up across the sector” Steve Mackenzie, Tenant Juror The Self Assessment Retrofit Checklist is a practical guide for housing professionals to support putting residents at the heart of the retrofit journey. It is part of the NHC’s commitment to actioning the recommendations […]

Train People, Generate Ideas, Reduce Carbon Emissions

As the world grapples with the urgent need to address climate change, it is crucial for all sectors to play their part in transitioning to a sustainable future. Social housing providers have a unique opportunity to lead the way in reducing carbon emissions while also addressing the issues associated with social and economic inequalities in […]

HR Manager Kay Wiseman wins Health Advocate of the Year for Sunderland

“Kay’s passion for this project has been clear from the beginning showing outstanding commitment and professionalism throughout her leadership ensuring everyone has the right level of information and is able to contribute equally.” Catherine Wilmot, Executive Director (Operations & Finance) Congratulations to our HR Manager Kay Wiseman for winning the Health Advocate of the Year […]

Upcoming NHC events

Our fourth session in Meet the Net Zero Challenge series focussing the Role of Data, which will explore the crucial role of data in achieving carbon neutrality in social housing. Our speakers will discuss how data-driven solutions can help reduce carbon emissions and create sustainable communities. Further details can be found here. We will also […]

NIFHA Study Visit to the North East

On 29th and 30th March, 31 colleagues from housing associations in Northern Ireland visited the North East to exchange perspectives and best practice around net zero, development, place making and procurement. Coordinated by the NHC and the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations (NIFHA), delegates visited sites across the region with involvement from Karbon Homes, […]

The future of digital in the housing sector

Join Mediaworks and NHC for a thought-provoking roundtable discussion on the future of digital in the housing sector. From self-serve and social listening to the rise of AI, we’ll be exploring the latest trends and technologies that can change the face of the housing industry. These regional events are perfect for anyone interested in staying […]

Rebalancing: Webinar Series & Resource Page Launched  

Whether it’s under the banner of regeneration, placemaking, or Levelling Up, there is now political consensus on the ambition to reduce regional disparities and deliver better homes and places. All political parties are developing their own policies to tackle local inequalities and restore the social fabric of communities. The Spring Budget 2023 confirmed that whilst […]

Get involved – test our retrofit comms toolkit

We’re working with Placeshapers and Tpas to produce a range of resources to support you to communicate with customers about retrofit. We’re looking for social landlords to test the campaign materials from mid-June to the end of August. You might be able to help if: You’ve got live retrofit projects planned over this period. You […]

Locata – Predictive model for assessing future TA need

Councils can now estimate the size and cost of their future Temporary Accommodation (TA) need using a predictive model developed by Andy Gale, one of the country’s leading homelessness experts. It is designed to help housing managers make the case for additional budget or capital resources to help purchase lower-cost TA. This is particularly important […]

Double appointment for Ward Hadaway’s Built Environment Team

Law firm Ward Hadaway has appointed two new solicitors who have joined the firm’s growing Built Environment Team in Newcastle. Based at the firm’s Quayside office in the city centre, the appointments of Philippa Jones and Victoria Chatterton, joining from their previous firms have further strengthened the construction and engineering team, supporting their growing client […]

New Locata Lettings system on show for first time

Locata’s National Users Group (NUG) saw the first demonstration of the new Lettings system at its Autumn meeting. The development work on the new module for the Locata Pro Platform, which is designed to be a replacement product for our current Choice Based Lettings product, has been undertaken by Locata’s strategic partner, Sector, throughout 2022. […]

NHC Chief Executive response to Autumn statement

NHC Chief Executive Tracy Harrison responding to the Autumn Statement: The NHC welcomes the Chancellor’s decision to uprate benefits in-line with rising prices – this will help people through the crisis.  However, we are very concerned that he intends to freeze local housing allowance in cash terms. Our Northern Housing Monitor shows that the proportion […]

Help and advice delivered simply and clearly

My Advice Gateway is a free resource that helps people quickly find information on claiming benefits, accessing help and support and looking for a job or training opportunities. Many of our partner schemes have links to the website allowing their customers to access key financial information at a time of rising costs and economic uncertainty. The […]

Giving officers on the ground control of their IT systems

More and more councils are taking control of their customer facing IT systems and configuring their own workflow processes using Locata’s unique intuitive software. Local authority officers are encouraged to develop their own tasks within the system to suit the processes that work best in their local area. This means that councils do not need […]

Rent Caps – What are the Potential Impacts?

Richard Houghton Director Valuation Advisory – Affordable Housing JLL (richard.houghton@eu.jll.com) After a long period of guessing and surmising what may unfold, the government finally provided some insight on their directive for rental policy, outlining three options for a social housing rent cap next year. It is certainly not the most welcome news for those pulling […]

Locata guest blog – Turning the TAP on for greater temporary accommodation efficiency

Increasing numbers of councils have been signing up for Locata’s TA – Plus (TAP) which gives officers far greater options managing Temporary Accommodation. TAP is a “bolt-on” to the HPA2 module (Locata’s homelessness system) and provides an expandable workflow platform for Tenancies and Properties that can be easily customised. This means that a local authority […]

Keeping homelessness officers up to speed with HPA2

Locata’s homelessness system is now being used by more than 115 local authorities across the country. The HPA2 system was launched in 2018 to help officers with their new duties under the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017. The system was essentially an upgrade to Locata’s existing Homelessness Prevention and Advice software that had been built 10 […]

Levelling Up Conference: Housing at the Heart of a Rebalanced Country

The February 2022 Levelling Up White Paper has made a start on rebalancing geographic inequalities, however there is much more to be done. Whether it’s ‘Levelling Up’, regeneration, or rebalancing. Whatever we or the Government call it, registered housing providers have a central role to play in working collaboratively across areas and sectors to develop sustainable local […]

NHC appears before Commons Committee

The Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee is continuing its inquiry examining the quality and regulation of social housing in England.  Written evidence has been published, including the written evidence submitted by the NHC. The LUHC’s inquiry is examining concerns about the quality of social housing, with a focus on the ability of the Regulator […]

Melting the money iceberg with Society matters cic

As the cost of living crisis continues to bite, what options does the social housing sector have at its disposal to hold back the tide in the form of practical and effective help? What support can they offer tenants facing the apparent inevitability of debt, and how can they bolster their own defences against an […]

Social Value Conference back for 2022

Now in its eighth year, HACT and NHC’s Social Value conference is firmly established as a must-attend event showcasing the latest thinking from across social housing and beyond. This year’s conference take place Thursday 17th February as a full day online conference and as in recent years NHC members can attend at no extra cost as […]

The 2022 Building Regulation Changes (CO2 Emissions) Policy Brief

Introduction The Future Homes and Buildings Standard is a set of standards that will complement the Building Regulations to ensure new homes built from 2025 will produce 75-80% less carbon emissions than homes delivered under current regulations. Certain home improvements in existing homes will also be subject to higher standards. The Future Homes Standard was […]

New Research: decarbonising social housing in the North East

New research from Northumbria University, commissioned through the North East England Climate Coalition, provides a ‘state of the region’ update on progress towards decarbonising the North East’s social housing stock. The work was funded by the North East and Yorkshire Energy Hub. A team led by Richard Watson, from the University’s School of Architecture and […]

Menopause in the Workplace Training Session

Dr Victoria Miller, Mindcare Consulting I believe that if we are able to talk openly and honestly about menopause then we can bust some myths, think about evidence based treatment, and empower women and organisations through this stage in life. I am passionate about spreading accurate and up to date information on the menopause.  In […]

A visit to the Jubilee Fields Estate with Livin and local MPs

Earlier this month NHC’s Tracy Harrison and Brian Robson joined Chief Executive at Livin Alan Boddy and his team to meet with local MPs Paul Howell (Sedgefield) and Dehenna Davison (Bishop Auckland) at Livin’s Jubilee Fields Estate in Shildon, County Durham. The purpose of the visit was to provide the local MPs with an overview […]

Using brownfield housing funds to boost levelling-up

One of the most encouraging announcements at this year’s Spending Review was the £1.8bn to help deliver homes on brownfield sites. This consists of £300m for locally led projects and a further £1.5bn for housing infrastructure. The NHC has consistently backed the existing £400m brownfield housing fund – £276m of which was allocated directly to […]

Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury Launched with Sector Roadshow

Meeting between July and September 2021, the Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury brought together 30, randomly selected, social housing residents from across the North to learn about climate change and how to work towards net zero at the local level. In November 2020, the Jury launched its report and recommendations to the sector; their views, […]

Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury Webinar Series: “Let’s Take Action and Act Together”

The Northern Housing Consortium has announced the Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury webinar series. The series is designed to build on the Tenants’ Climate Jury project which ran from July – September 2021, exploring the recommendations the Jury produced and the issues raised. Across five different sessions expert speakers, including commentators who originally gave ‘evidence’ […]

Regulation – Call for Evidence

A parliamentary committee has announced an inquiry into social housing regulation, with a Call for evidence on quality of social housing, effectiveness of regulation and on SHWP proposals Call for Evidence – Committees – UK Parliament As you can see from the link, the call for evidence is around the following key questions: How widespread […]

Community is key to a new story on regeneration

Guest blog by Rachael Orr, CEO of PlaceShapers Whenever I spend time with a PlaceShaper member CEO I always ask, “what’s the one thing PlaceShapers could try and do to make your job easier?” One of the most interesting, and challenging answers I’ve ever had was three years ago, from a London based CEO: “you […]

Locata – Giving officers on the ground control of their IT systems

More and more councils are taking control of their customer facing IT systems and configuring their own workflow processes using Locata’s unique intuitive software. Local authority officers are encouraged to develop their own tasks within the system to suit the processes that work best in their local area. This means that councils do not need […]

APPG Housing in the North Leads Way on Green Jobs Agenda with Dedicated Meeting

Next week the All Part Parliamentary Groups representing Housing in the North and Housing and Social Mobility will join forces to host the event ‘Green Jobs, Housing, and Skills’. The event will see Government Ministers, industry stakeholders, and Parliamentarians discuss how to advance the huge job creation potential offered by decarbonising our existing homes. The […]

Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury Completes – Recommendations to the Sector Launches at Northern Housing Summit

With the Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury recently completing, eyes now look ahead to the Northern Housing Summit where the Jury’s recommendations to the Sector will be launched. The Jury brought together 30 social housing tenants from NHC members First Choice Homes Oldham, Karbon Homes, Salix Homes, Thirteen Group, and Yorkshire Housing to question experts […]

Wellbeing series with Mental Health in Business: training and support

We’ve partnered with Mental Health in Business (MHIB) to offer reduced-price training for NHC members.   The team at MHIB have many years’ experience working within the mental health and wellbeing fields, including qualified mental health first aiders, clarity™ certified coaches and Samaritan listeners. Committed to supporting businesses in promoting, improving and raising awareness of the […]

North Homes Retrofit: The Health Dividend

Author: Sue Adams, CEO of Care & Repair England The Covid-19 pandemic has focussed attention on the connections between poor quality housing, people’s health and wellbeing. The pandemic has also ‘exposed and amplified housing-related health inequalities’ [Kings Fund, 2020] and revealed that sectors of the population who are more likely to live in poor housing […]

Heat and Buildings Strategy Published

The Heat and Buildings Strategy has finally been published and will have wide-reaching implications for households, landlords and councils. The package of measures in the strategy amounts to a £3.9bn from Government, of which £450m will be spent on grants subsidising the upfront cost of heat pumps for homes. £800 million has been pledged for […]

Full Rent Accounting module launched by Locata

Locata will be launching a full Rent Account module in November, giving officers a single integrated system for the step-by-step management for rent accounting. The system is being built to work alongside Coventry’s new Locata Choice Based Lettings system and is expected to be live by early November. The system integrates with our various Locata […]

NHC welcomes the GEM Programme to work with members

At the NHC, we are acutely aware of the challenges and opportunities for the North of England – in particular, the opportunities presented by the Levelling Up agenda and decarbonisation of housing stock. It is essential that the North’s communities and economy can thrive, with everyone having access to good quality housing and the skills […]

‘No place left behind’ report sets out levelling-up plan

The Commission on Prosperity and Community Placemaking published its final report last week, setting out a plan for levelling-up at neighbourhood level. The Commission, convened by the influential Create Streets Foundation, called for investment in the physical and social fabric of left-behind places. Chaired by Toby Lloyd, former special advisor to Prime Minister, Theresa May, […]

Tackling and Preventing Homelessness – The role of the sector

By Molly Bishop, Strategic Lead for Homelessness, GMCA As perfect storms go, we are in the middle of a pretty big one when it comes to tackling homelessness. The compound impacts of lifting protective COVID-19 policies relating to furlough, Universal Credit and Local Housing Allowance, deepening of Local Authorities’ lucky-dip bidding relationship with Central Government, […]

NHC Business Improvement Services

As we move to a new phase of post lockdown working, many organisations are looking to learn the lessons from the lockdown period. Many of the initiatives and changes to ways of working adopted to deliver services at the height of the pandemic are now part of the way we operate. Our Business Improvement Services […]

Why we joined the Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury – Partner views

With the Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury reaching its halfway point. NHC members and project partners First Choice Homes Oldham, Karbon Homes, Salix Homes, Thirteen Group, and Yorkshire Housing discuss why they got involved, their sustainability journey, and the importance of tenant interaction on climate change.   Paul Fiddaman – Chief Executive, Karbon Homes “It’s […]

Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury Progresses Over Summer

Since late July the Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury has been meeting, hearing evidence and deliberating together to answer the question ‘How Can Tenants, Landlords, and Others Work Together to Tackle Climate Change in Our Homes and Neighbourhoods’. Although the Jury’s recommendations, part of a final report detailing their work, will be launched at the […]

First of its kind Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury meets tonight

The north of England’s first tenants’ climate jury will host its inaugural session tonight. The Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury is made up of 30 tenants from project partners First Choice Homes Oldham, Karbon Homes, Salix Homes, Thirteen Group, and Yorkshire Housing. The project is being led by the Northern Housing Consortium (NHC), which represents […]

Social housing green energy schemes lead way on sector decarbonisation efforts

What do the pioneering ReFLEX Orkney project, the unique ‘Solopower’ solution, and the Government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Demonstrator all have in common? They are either led by or partnering with one innovative energy services company, SMS plc, which is on a mission to support housing organisations with long-term sustainability and fuel poverty targets. The […]

Working together to help build the homes the UK needs

Even before Covid-19, the Government was far from reaching its target of delivering 300,000+ homes a year in England by the mid-2020s[1]. Now, the pandemic has had and will continue to have an impact on the national economy and the practicalities of building new homes[2]. Funding remains one of the main challenges. Availability and terms […]

Decent Homes Standard Review : Update

The Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government’s review of the Decent Homes Standard continues to progress. The first phase – which will run until September – is considering the case for change to the existing standard. Following a meeting in June, last Friday the NHC submitted written comments to Ministry. Our previous submission in […]

New research : operationalising the Green Book

Homes for the North, with support from the Northern Housing Consortium, has this week launched new research on appraisal guidance.  This follows revisions made to the Government’s ‘Green Book’ in 2020 and examines how appraisal guidance can be ‘operationalised’ to reflect levelling up. The research finds that the review of the Green Book will come […]

NHC provide evidence to Commons Net Zero Inquiry

On Monday 12th July, the NHC’s Brian Robson appeared before the House of Commons Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee to provide evidence as part of the Committee’s inquiry into Local Government and Net Zero. As part of a session focused on housing, local government and net zero, the committee covered a wide range […]

Look out for our member perceptions survey

The NHC are embarking on a new perceptions survey to help us understand what we’re doing well, where we need to improve, and where we should focus our attention for the future. As a membership organisation, it is vital that the work NHC does is relevant and adds value to our members. As we now […]

The Power of Action Learning and the Net Zero Agenda

Training and development opportunities for senior leaders   Kate Maughan, Director of Member Engagement, NHC  In 2020, the NHC ran its first Action Learning Set for members, facilitated by Action Learning Associates. While Action Learning is a great tool for any topic, we designed the sets around decarbonisation – the net zero agenda is a priority for our members, and when thinking about new skills, […]

£350m Sustainable Warmth Competition opens for bids

A further £350m of funding is now available to upgrade the homes of low-income residents. Local authorities have until 4th August to submit bids to the Sustainable Warmth Competition – which combines the third round of Local Authority Delivery and the new Home Upgrade Grant scheme. £200m is available through the Local Authority Delivery (LAD3) […]

Partnership Working at a Local Level

Geraldine Howley, Chair of the CIH Governing Board,  GEM Programme Director As a passionate believer in partnership working, I was privileged to be directly involved in the NHC Commission for Housing in the North. Looking back at the five years since the publication of the Commission’s report in 2016, it’s also important to bear in […]

The Northern Housing Summit 2021 – bookings now open!

Northern Housing Summit 2021 – Tuesday 2nd November – AM & Thursday 4th November – AM  Click here to book your place The Northern Housing Summit is back for 2021 as an online event and at no cost to NHC members. Taking place during Glasgow’s COP26 and hosted over two half days, our focus will again be firmly on decarbonisation […]

SMS becomes member of Northern Housing Consortium  

The smart energy solutions provider, SMS, has become the latest Supporter member of the Northern Housing Consortium (NHC) following the launch of its fully–financed and intelligently–operated solar PV + battery storage solution for social housing, Solopower.    SMS plc joins Northern Housing Consortium possessing a long history working with the UK public sector – as well as the wider housing sector – through its range of energy services offered independently and procurable through the Crown Commercial Service frameworks.   These partnerships include the delivery of utility […]

The NHC Northern Housing Summit – Save the date

Tuesday 2nd November – AM & Thursday 4th November – AM The Northern Housing Summit is back for 2021 as an online event! Taking place during Glasgow’s COP26 and hosted over two half days, our focus will again be firmly on decarbonisation and net zero as a key priority for our membership.   Day 1 […]

Northern Regeneration: National Opportunity

Prior to the pandemic, the argument for levelling up the North was largely about inequality: it was recognising the decades of under investment that had led to the North’s economic under performance and was no doubt also driven by the Brexit referendum result, which clearly signalled the frustration and anger felt by those living in […]

Homes England launch Local Government Capacity Centre

Homes England, the Government’s Housing Agency, has launched its Local Government Capacity Centre with a programme of summer learning for local authorities. This will run from 14th to 25th June and includes sessions on brownfield sites, development appraisals and viability, and an update on latest planning policy relating to design. Officers working in local government […]

Two New Networks formed between Northern Housing Consortium Members

In recent months, the NHC has brought together it’s membership of Housing Associations, Local Authorities, and ALMO’s to form two new Networks. The new groups, which will offer members a space to network, share learning, and collaborate, focus on two of the most pertinent issues facing the North’s housing sector today – building safety, and […]

Decent Homes Review – April Update

The NHC is a core participant in the Sounding Board for the Government’s review of the Decent Homes Standard. We have surveyed members on their views and are continuing to consult members through our regional networks. Here’s our latest update on the Review. As you may be aware, the Review is in two parts – […]

Brownfield Land Release Fund Opens

Last year, the North’s combined authorities were allocated £276m from the Brownfield Housing Fund. Building on that success, at the Budget in December 2020, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced further funding for brownfield land release in areas not currently covered by Mayoral/Combined Authority arrangements. The Brownfield Land Release Fund is being managed by One […]

Levelling Up – Reimagining Town Centres

From our market towns to our major cities, the North is home to a diverse range of town centres with a wide variety of assets and opportunities. But changing retail habits and the impact of Covid-19 pose challenges.  The focus is now on how we can renew and reshape town centres to ensure they continue […]

Influential Select Committee Energy Efficiency report reflects NHC evidence

An influential Conservative-led House of Commons Select Committee has recommended urgent action to improve energy efficiency of homes, citing written and oral evidence provided by the NHC. The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee has this week recommended rolling out the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund and Homes Upgrade Grants ‘without delay’ with funding front-loaded. The […]

Regional climate coalitions gather pace

Regional climate coalitions in Yorkshire & Humber and the North East have gathered pace this month. The North’s housing sector is playing an important role in both coalitions. On 17th March, the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Comission held a well-attended launch event, which is available to watch again on YouTube. The Commission is an independent […]

NHC meet the minister

As part of our efforts to influence housing decarbonisation plans, NHC Chair Paul Fiddaman and CEO Tracy Harrison met with Climate Change Minister Lord Callanan earlier this month.  A former MEP and local councillor in Tyne and Wear, Lord Callanan is now a minister at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The meeting […]

NHC’s Brief Guide to the Levelling Up Fund

The Levelling Up Fund prospectus was published with the Budget on 3 March.  It will invest £4.8 billion in high value local infrastructure. Here are the 10 key things you need to know about the Fund: UK-wide -The Fund is UK-wide but intended for places that need it the most such as ex-industrial areas, deprived […]

Thirteen’s experiences since the roll out of Universal Credit

Susan Borrow, Care and Support Manager (contracts) at Thirteen, reflects on Thirteen’s experiences since the roll out of Universal Credit, the measures we’ve put in place and investments we’ve made to ensure tenants have been able to manage their claims and maintain their tenancies. Universal Credit (UC) has been with us in the Tees Valley […]

Universal Credit – Your Homes Newcastle Perspective

Newcastle upon Tyne was one of the first areas where Universal Credit was introduced, and Your Homes Newcastle have been managing its impact for 6 years. We have seen the progress of roll-out, from minor tweaks around the edges, to significant overhauls in IT systems and legislation. We are now in a position to reflect […]

Changes to the New Homes Bonus – we want your views

The Government is consulting on potential changes to the New Homes Bonus.  The NHC will be responding to the consultation as part of our efforts to make housing policy work for the North, and we’d like to hear member views. The New Homes Bonus was introduced in 2011 as part of the Coalition government’s localism […]

Decent Homes Review – update

The NHC is a core participant in the Sounding Board for Government’s Review of the Decent Homes Standard. The Review is now underway, and the Sounding Board met for the first time in February. MHCLG are running the Review in two phases – the first phase, running over Spring and Summer, is considering the case […]

Select committee recovery report cites NHC evidence

An influential House of Commons committee has cited the NHC’s evidence on net zero and levelling up three times in their latest report on ‘greening the recovery’. The House of Commons Environmental Audit Select Committee, chaired by Conservative MP Phillip Dunne, published their latest report Growing back better: putting nature and net zero at the […]

The Social Housing White Paper – Cautious Optimism for Race Equality

Blog by Positive about Inclusion – consultants. Released in November 2020 the Social Housing White Paper was the long awaited Government response to the Grenfell tragedy. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said that the Paper had been prepared with the ‘views of those devastated by Grenfell in mind’ and set in this context […]

National Energy Action (NEA) and Energy Action Scotland (EAS) survey

Fuel poverty charities National Energy Action (NEA) and Energy Action Scotland (EAS) are undertaking research to investigate pre-payment meters (PPM) and the rollout of smart meters for pre-payment customers. We would like to hear your views through this call for evidence, which aims to collect information to inform this research. In particular, NEA and EAS […]

Fuel Poverty Strategy Published

BEIS has finally published the updated Fuel Poverty Strategy called “Sustainable Warmth: Protecting Vulnerable Households in England.” The new strategy makes 21 commitments to “ensure everyone can afford the energy required to keep their lights and heating on.” It sets out how it will meet the UK’s legal target to “improve as many fuel poor […]

Modern Methods of Construction – time for some honesty?

Synopsis There is a growing body of experience of MMC in the social housing sector now, with a number of Registered Providers in the North having conducted pilot projects, large and small. LHC has worked on hundreds of projects for social landlords all around the UK, totalling more than 5,300 homes to date.  However, it’s […]

Spotlight on complaints about heating, hot water and energy in social housing report

Earlier this month the Housing Ombudsman Service published a report focusing on complaints about heating and hot water, identifying unnecessary delays in resolving issues together with landlords’ management of contractors as particular issues of concern. The report highlights the serious impact these complaints can have on residents, especially when dealing with vulnerable households. The report, […]

New Private Sector Housing module goes live

New Forest District Council is going live this week with a new Private Sector Housing System module from Locata. The system incorporates a caseload dashboard, a private sector properties database as well as full Journal capabilities for surveyed properties linked to homeless cases and housing register applications. The new module will also boast a fully […]

Guest Blog – Contractors called up for new £1.5bn housing framework

LHC is currently in the pre-planning stage of their New Build Housing Construction (H2) framework that will be procured on behalf of SPA, CPC and LHC. It will deliver a range of traditional housing as well as low, medium and high-rise construction, sheltered, student and keyworker accommodation, care homes, and mixed use sites, development agreements […]

Decent Homes Standard – we want your views

The Social Housing White Paper announced a review of the Decent Homes Standard.  The Northern Housing Consortium is pleased to have been invited by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to be a core participant in the Review sounding board. The first phase of the review is considering the case for criteria within […]

Leading housing chief to retire after seventeen successful years

Incommunities Group Chief Executive, Geraldine Howley is getting ready to step down at the end of the month after nearly two decades leading the West Yorkshire housing association. It follows Geraldine’s decision to retire and her leaving comes as the Group gets ready to mark 18 successful years in business. Her long career started as […]

New chair for Northern Housing Consortium

Social Housing membership organisation the Northern Housing Consortium have welcomed Paul Fiddaman as the new Chair of their member-led board. Paul is currently the Chief Executive Officer with Karbon Homes, having previously held Chief Executive roles with Isos Housing and Cestria Community Housing, and brings over two decades experience of the housing sector. He replaces […]

Reaction to Future Homes announcement

Yesterday (19th January) the government published their plans to introduce rigorous new energy efficiency standards to lower energy consumption and bills, helping to protect the environment. The full announcement can be read HERE (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/rigorous-new-targets-for-green-building-revolution Speaking about the government’s announcement on Future Homes and Future Buildings standards Tracy Harrison, Chief Executive of the Northern Housing Consortium, […]

CPC – ENERGY EFFICIENCY

ENERGY EFFICIENCY Are you unsure about who CPC are? Let us explain… CPC is a partnership between LHC & NHC designed to offer each organisation’s current and potential new members an unrivalled range of procurement solutions. Through CPC, Northern Housing Consortium’s clients will be able to access LHC’s suite of frameworks. …still confused? We created […]

Eleven Locata services on latest G-Cloud 12 framework

Locata has once again been successful in applying to join the latest G-Cloud 12 framework. This means that we continue to be an official Crown Commercial Service supplier and our products and services can be bought by local authorities through the Digital Marketplace without needing to go through a full tender process – helping save […]

PRS to face ambitious energy targets?

A new Government consultation has set out an ambitious proposed trajectory for energy efficiency in the private rented sector. The new consultation, from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), makes range of proposals, including that homes let in the private rented sector from 2025 should have to meet an energy efficiency rating […]

Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Demonstrator

On 8 July 2020, the Chancellor’s Summer Economic Update announced the UK-wide Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Demonstrator (SHDF Demonstrator) to support the decarbonisation of social housing over 2020/21, and to boost green jobs as part of the COVID-19 Economic Recovery Plan. This £50 million programme will support social landlords to demonstrate innovative approaches to retrofitting social […]

‘No place left behind’ Commission – call for evidence

 The Create Streets Foundation has launched ‘No place left behind’, a Commission into prosperity and community placemaking. This is chaired by Toby Lloyd, the former Head of Policy at Shelter and Housing Advisor to the Prime Minister. Over the next year the Commission intends to come up with new ideas to help “level-up” England as part […]

Changes to the Current Planning System – Things to look out for A Ward Hadaway Briefing for NHC Members

The Government’s white paper Planning for the Future has garnered much attention, but a second consultation, Changes to the Current Planning System, was released on the same day and proposes more immediate changes that, if approved, could be implemented before the end of the year through amendments to national planning guidance or by way of […]

Locata’s website redesign includes new video page  

Locata has redesigned its company website and introduced a new page for videos demonstrating its housing software. The new page currently has four HPA2 videos that show how the dashboard and help sites work. Each video is just three or four minutes long so that Locata users can easily get the information they require simply […]

NHC supporter Locata launches two new enhancements

Locata has launched two new enhancements designed to make the management of housing applicants even more efficient and effective. Both enhancements were flagged up and discussed at the Virtual National Users Group in July and are now available to order. Document Uploads The document upload enhancement is already being used by several schemes across the […]

NHC upcoming events

September proves to be a busy month for the Northern Housing Consortium’s engagement activity, with a string of free webinars to support our members across a range of issues. Gathered here in one place for you to look over, please do sign up or pass on to colleagues you think may be interested. #OurNorth Net […]

Team NHC get carbon literate

As part of our commitment to supporting members to improve homes and lives through the decarbonisation of our existing housing stock, the Northern Housing Consortium team has been getting carbon literate! Carbon literacy is an awareness of the carbon dioxide costs and impacts of everyday activities, and the ability and motivation to reduce emissions, on […]

#OurNorth Net Zero partners

#OurNorth Net Zero partners Momentum is growing around the NHC’s #OurNorth Net Zero programme, we are very proud to announce our five partners who are enabling the ground-breaking programme designed to help our members decabonise their housing stock. We’re delighted to welcome: Halton Housing Liverpool City Region Housing Associations Thirteen Together Group Consortium Procurement Their generous […]

Green Home Grants: News on launch of £2bn scheme

Yesterday Government provided detail on how to access the Green Home Grant scheme, which was announced as part of the Chancellor’s Summer Economic Statement last month. The Government confirmed the grant programme is scheduled to go live towards the end of September, and also opened bidding for a £500m local authority-led component. The £2bn scheme […]

Mediaworks Unveils New Digital Experience for Home Group

Award-winning digital marketing agency, Mediaworks, has completed a year-long project with Home Group, the UK’s leading provider of high-quality housing, health, and social care to deliver a new digital experience. The project set out to deliver accessible and personalised online content to Home Group’s customer groups, enabling them to quickly find the information they are […]

Northern Housing Consortium – 2020 Election of Directors

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 96% of social housing in the North.  Our vision is to use our collective voice to have unrivalled influence in achieving housing policy that works for the […]

New for 2020 : Action Learning Sets for Strategic Leaders

Develop your leadership skills, think differently about organisational challenges and come together with strategic leaders from across the sector through action learning. The Northern Housing Consortium is delighted to be working with Action Learning Associates to run a series of Action Learning Sets for strategic leaders in the sector from September 2020. Action Learning Sets […]

MPs call for social housing to be ‘top of agenda’ for recovery

The influential Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee have called for social housing to be ‘top of the agenda’ for recovery. Their new report Building More Social Housing is the culmination of a year-long Inquiry, which included the NHC appearing before the Committee in October 2019. The report’s conclusions include that: At least 90,000 […]

Brownfield boost for the North’s city regions

The £400m Brownfield Housing Fund has now been largely allocated – and the North’s city regions are big winners. The Brownfield Housing Fund was announced at the March Budget – with Chancellor Rishi Sunak commenting it would help “ambitious Mayoral Combined Authorities and local areas to establish housing on brownfield land across the country”. On […]

#OurNorth Net Zero Webinar Programme announced

On the 13th July the Northern Housing Consortium launched #OurNorth – Net Zero at a Webinar where we were joined speakers representing the United Nations, devolved Combined Authorities, and of course the NHC membership. Here, we outlined our commitment to achieving Net-Zero as a core policy objective.  Our long-term aim is to ensure that homes […]

Creating the capacity to deliver on our housing ambitions

On June 24th, over 40 NHC members joined with the NHC and Homes England for a joint workshop on local authority skills and capacity.  The highly interactive session was focused on understanding and responding to local government capacity needs. The Homes England team presented their emerging thinking on the agency’s role in providing the skills […]

Time to put #HomesAtTheHeart of the North’s recovery

Building and improving homes must be at the heart of the North’s economic and social recovery from the coronavirus crisis.  That’s the message from right across the North’s housing sector, and it’s why the NHC was delighted to add our support to the #HomesAtTheHeart campaign being coordinated by the National Housing Federation, CIH and other […]

#OurNorth – Net zero

Decarbonising the North of England’s existing housing stock will be central to the UK’s climate ambitions, with figures from 2017 showing that 26% of all carbon emissions across the northern regions are from our existing homes. Work is under way, Local Authorities across the North have declared climate emergencies and Housing associations and ALMOs have […]

Mediaworks Goes Global With Record-Breaking Short Course

Award-winning digital agency Mediaworks and York St John University have received over 2,500 applications from across the world in just 10 days for their Virtual Digital Marketing short course. At the beginning of May, Mediaworks and York St John University agreed to produce and deliver a shortened introductory version of their MSc course. With businesses […]

Housing’s role in the North’s economic and social recovery

What role should housing play in the North’s economic and social recovery from Covid-19?  Over the last month, the NHC has worked with our members and GC Consulting to think through the economic and social impacts of Covid-19 on the North of England, and consider the ways housing can contribute to the North’s recovery, interact […]

Lockdown and housing conditions : new research project

The NHC is delighted to be working in partnership with the University of Huddersfield on a new research project which will explore the impact of Northerner’s homes on their experience of lockdown. This will include issues like the standard and quality of homes, overcrowding and access to outdoor space. The research team will undertake interviews […]

Safe at home? Property standards during lockdown

This pandemic has shown just how much we all need a safe and secure home to retreat to. But for some of us, staying at home means spending more time in accommodation that does not meet basic standards of decency, risking the health and wellbeing of millions of Northerners. Northern Housing Consortium Member Engagement Officer Matthew […]

Are you making the most of our member networks?

Our members are at the heart of everything we say and do. We pride ourselves on our ability to bring people together to share best practice, networking opportunities and expert insight from inside and outside of the sector. Last year we engaged with 100% of our member organisations from across the North East, North West […]

Take a look at our upcoming events

We are committed to providing you with opportunities to come together online so we can collectively support each other during this period. We have already held webinars with the Housing Minister, the CEO of the Regulator of Social Housing and the Housing Ombudsman among others. We have been busy planning some further events for different […]

Unlocking Success Bursary Scheme awards 36 tenants

The first round of funding for the Unlocking Success Bursary Scheme has been awarded to tenants from member organisations across the North. The scheme is funded through the NHC’s Charitable Trust and helps tenants across the North develop learning and skills to support future employment. The applications received covered a vast array of support requests […]

Princes Trust Guest Blog – About our programmes for Young People

At The Princes Trust, we have a great team in the North, committed to working in partnership with a variety of organisations, from local authorities to clinical commissioning groups, police and crime commissioners, colleges and in particular Housing Associations just like yourselves.   We already work in partnership with some Housing Associations like Calico in Lancashire […]

Budget 2020 – on-the-day briefing

The Chancellor presented his Budget on March 11th.   Whilst recent events have dwarfed the scale of announcements, it contained some important news for our members. The NHC produced our usual on-the-day briefing after the Budget earlier this month. There were elements to welcome within the Budget – such as the commitment to extend the Affordable […]

NHC welcomes MHCLG officials to Tees Valley

We were delighted to welcome MHCLG Housing Delivery Director Cathy Francis and members of her team to the Tees Valley on Thursday 12th March. Cathy and her team undertook a day-long tour, taking in sites of opportunity, challenge and recent success.  This included: The huge SSI industrial site in Redcar, now in the hands of […]

How the NHC strive to support staff wellbeing

“Our staff are the key to our ability to deliver excellent services to members”. Catherine Wilmot, Executive Director (Operations & Finance), Northern Housing Consortium talks about why empowering staff through training and development is so important to the NHC and how we strive to support staff wellbeing. Having worked most of my professional career within […]

The 5 Step Plan for becoming an inclusive organisation

Paul Fox, Director of Workplace Solutions, Texthelp Did you know that more than 15,000 businesses in the UK have signed up to the Disability Confident Scheme? Disability Confident organisations play a leading role in changing attitudes for the better. They’re changing behaviour and cultures in their own businesses, networks and communities, and reaping the benefits […]

Tenant Panels event summary

Last month around 100 of the region’s engaged residents returned to The Principal York for the Northern Housing Consortium and Tenant Advisor’s 9th Annual Tenant Panel conference. The theme of the day was ‘influencing services and decision makers’ and with a General Election on the horizon, delegates used the day to produce their own ‘Resident’s […]

Northern Housing Consortium Events 2020 – A look ahead

The NHC events calendar starts the new year off on a strong footing with two events looking at Social Value and Housing Strategy. An annual event now in its 6th year, our Social Value conference is run in collaboration with HACT, who have pioneered social value measurement in the sector. With an eclectic programme in […]

A look back at 2019

As attention turns to the year ahead, we take a look back at some of the work our members helped us to achieve in the year 2019. Our work programme has been busy, covering a new corporate plan, a focused influencing agenda and an exciting new collaboration to launch Consortium Procurement Construction, offering our members […]

Northern Housing Summit 2019 Summary

The Northern Housing Summit took place earlier this month, attended by over 180 representatives from housing associations and local authorities. The day had three main themes running throughout – future vision and ambition, quality and place, and capacity, delivery and regulation. Our Chief Executive, Tracy Harrison welcomed delegates to the event, recognising that we face […]

Impact of Universal Credit – Resource Research Deadline Extended

We have learnt through our 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. In order to quantify the extent to which members […]

MyNHC – putting members at the heart of NHC services

Where are we now? I’ve worked in the NHC’s Member Engagement team since 2015, and we’ve seen huge changes during that time, both to the housing landscape and in how we deliver services to our 146 local authority, housing association and ALMO members across the North. We’ve fundamentally changed the way we engage with members, […]

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

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, […]

MyNHC will launch at the Northern Housing Summit next week

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 […]

Meet the Northern Housing Summit Sponsors & Exhibitors!

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 […]

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

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 […]

Impact of Universal Credit – Resource Research Launched

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 […]

Workers waste 30 days per year on email

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 […]

Mediaworks Announced as NHC Supporter Member

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 […]

Guest blog: New Housing Related Support system launched

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 […]

Policy Proposals from Party Conference Season So Far

Conference season is well under way and with a possible General Election looming the three main political parties have been setting out the direction of their housing policy. Below is a summary of what has so far been proposed:   The Conservative Party Though the Conservative Party conference is yet to begin, Esther McVey gave […]

A community-led housing plan that’s fit for the future

Britain’s housing system is not delivering the homes that the country needs or that people can afford. The evidence set out in our bold new Greater Manchester Housing Strategy makes it clear that our broken housing market is directly impacting the lives of many of us in this city-region. The housing crisis takes many forms, […]

Guest Blog – Text Help – Are you supporting Neurodiversity in the Workplace?

Neurodiversity is not just about ‘doing the right thing’ anymore. GCHQ, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Direct Line Group and JPMorgan Chase are actively getting it ‘right’ and supporting neurodiverse employees throughout their employment – benefiting both the employee AND the organisation. Neurodiverse employees with Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Dyscalculia, Autistic Spectrum, Tourette Syndrome and more, […]

Preparing for Hackitt 2019

Steve Douglas CBE, Group Chief Executive, Altair  I’m delighted to chair the annual NHC/Altair Asset Management Seminar once again. It is so important that northern housing providers have as much access to the policy debates on building safety, compliance and regulation, as London and the south providers do. This year’s seminar focusses on trying to […]

Building your brand and developing an Employee Value Proposition

  Finding and keeping the talent your organisation needs to succeed has always been a challenge. A recent CBI survey said that 56% of organisations cannot fill the jobs that they currently have available, and 80% of CEOs said that “Talent” was their single biggest issue, more important than concerns about the economy or their […]

NCH Resident Involvement Conference – 19th June 2019

Blog by officers attending from Sheffield City Council Intro John Three of us from Sheffield City Council had a day out at this conference in June. We are Shahid Khan, Engagement & Development Officer, Waleed Al-Gulaidi, Community Engagement Apprentice, and John Loveless, Manager of the Community Engagement Team. We met Barbara Spicer, Chief Executive of […]

Marking the centenary of the ‘Addison Act’

Today marks the centenary of the Housing Act 1919. The ‘Addison Act’, as it was commonly known, paved the way for large-scale council housing and was driven by Health Minister at the time, Christopher Addison. We were excited to see what our members are doing to mark the occasion, including activity from Sheffield City Council […]

Find out more about our Digital Innovation Seminar

Our Director of Member Engagement, Kate Maughan talks us through the Digital Innovation in Housing Seminar taking place next month. Our digital innovation seminar is taking place on 18th July in Leeds – book your place here. Digital innovation is now recognised as key to an organisation’s success. Whether it’s bringing in new technology, making […]

Crisis communications: what health and safety teams need to know

Dawn McGuigan, Head of Brand and Communications at Gentoo talks through how health and safety teams can work with communications teams in a crisis. I recently spoke at Northern Housing Consortium’s Health and Safety 2019 conference about how communications and health and safety teams can work together to protect the reputation of their organisation during […]

Meet our new executive team

It’s been an exciting time for the NHC! Earlier this month, our Deputy Chief Executive, Tracy Harrison was appointed to the role of Chief Executive, and we welcomed a new Executive Director (Policy & Public Affairs), Brian Robson who joined us from Homes England. The new executive team also includes Executive Director, Catherine Wilmot, who […]

Jo Boaden CBE is given great send off

Earlier this month we marked the retirement of our Chief Executive, Jo Boaden CBE, with a very special reception at the House of Lords. The event was hosted by Lord Best and guests heard from NHC Chair, Tom Miskell OBE who championed Jo’s great work in building the NHC into the organisation that it is […]

Johnnie Johnson Housing and “The Armed Forces Covenant”…

…but just what, exactly, is The Armed Forces Covenant?  Hi, I’m Yvonne Castle, CEO of Johnnie Johnson Housing and a Board Member of our wonderful Northern Housing Consortium. I’d love to hear if you’ve signed the Covenant and what success stories you have! A bit about Johnnie – Johnnie Johnson was a real person.  He […]

Stepping into Housing Leadership

With the NHC set to launch a training programme for new and aspiring housing leaders, Glynis Osbourne discusses the importance of investing in first-time managers. Here are our top 10 reasons to invest in first level management The Northern Housing Consortium and Thinking Success UK will soon be launching their Stepping into Housing Leadership Programme. […]

End of ‘no-fault’ evictions in the Private Rented Sector

In what is described as ‘a generational change’ to the lettings sector, Section 21 evictions, known as no fault evictions, will be abolished under plans to be put out to consultation. The announcement came with no warning and despite considerable pressure from landlord organisations following last year’s consultation on longer tenancies who said that the […]

TV Licensing – Community Relations Team

The TV Licensing Community Relations team was set up to better interact with organisations that play a big part in their local communities. We are committed to making our information accessible to everyone in the community, and we work with a range of organisations such as housing, caring, money advice and multilingual groups to achieve […]

NHC Training Series with Abode

Building on the leadership and management training opportunities running over the course of the year, the NHC continues to partner with Abode – the home of education and training for the housing and community sectors, to offer three courses designed specifically for those on the frontline of housing management. Here, Abode training consultants Gill Bramfitt and Claire Harvey talk […]

Government safety guidance on tall buildings

Advice was published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG)  on 18 December last year on ‘external wall systems that do not incorporate Aluminium Composite Material’ – in other words, buildings where the type of cladding used on the Grenfell Tower is not present. Despite this, MHCLG has advised that there are […]

Thirteen Launching County Durham Employment Routeways for Young People

Thirteen’s employability service has launched a new scheme to support young people aged 16-24 from County Durham into work (funded by DurhamWorks as part of the Youth Employment Initiative). Over recent years Thirteen has extended its employability portfolio, delivering services for both tenants and the wider public.  Our support progressing individuals into work has provided […]

Focus on…. Housing Health and Safety Rating System

Landlords have a legal requirement to ensure that a property is safe before letting it to a new tenant and local authorities have a statutory duty to keep the housing conditions in their area under review. It is now almost thirteen years since the introduction of the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). Introduced […]

Independent Affordable Housing Commission

The new independent Affordable Housing Commission (AHC) is chaired by Lord Best and includes housing experts and parliamentarian commissioners.   The Smith Institute will act as secretariat to the commission and the NHC will be supporting the commission by holding an event on 1 March 2019 (this event focuses on the North East and Yorkshire and […]

Focus On – Housing Health and Safety Rating System

Landlords have a legal requirement to ensure that a property is safe before letting it to a new tenant and local authorities have a statutory duty to keep the housing conditions in their area under review. It is now almost thirteen years since the introduction of the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). Introduced […]

Plus Dane and Refugee Resettlement

  In 2016, Plus Dane, in partnership with SHAP, was awarded the Refugee Resettlement Contract for Halton Borough Council; Halton are a great Council to work with and there was a coalition of the willing. The contract fitted well with the social and moral purpose of our organisation. And so began a new strand of […]

Our continuing support for social housing staff

Liam Gregson, Member Engagement Officer, Northern Housing Consortium With austerity swelling social housing’s role as an ‘ambulance service’ for vulnerable groups, it is unsurprising that the mental health problems faced by residents has come increasingly into focus. Research by the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute has suggested that one in three people living in […]

Guest Blog – Homes England Community Housing Fund

Over the summer Homes England launched the Community Housing Fund (CHF) (£163m). Both phase 1 revenue support and phase 2 capital funds are now open for bids. At Homes England we are supporting community led housing activity and we know through enquiries and actual bids that communities are developing projects throughout the region. An element […]

Mortar or modular? The future of construction of social housing

In this article, Ward Hadaway discusses the renewed focus on modular (formerly known as ‘prefab’) housebuilding, particularly in light of the latest Affordable Housing Supply figures, published on 22 November 2018. The recent statistics The Affordable Housing Supply 2017-2018 figures, published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, show a staggering 78% reduction […]

A Christmas message from NHC Chief Executive Jo Boaden

As 2018 draws to a close, this will be my last Christmas message as Chief Executive of the NHC, as I will be retiring next spring and handing the reins over to our Deputy Chief Executive, Tracy Harrison. I look forward to seeing her take the organisation from strength to strength. In the years I’ve […]

Liz Haworth, Chief Operations & Transformation Officer (Designate), Torus reflects on the potential benefits of amalgamation and some of the lessons learned

The appetite for mergers, group structures and amalgamations within the housing sector does not appear to be slowing, fuelled by the need to realise efficiencies, increase financial resilience and to create the capacity to increase the supply of much needed new homes. As Torus, a north-west based group comprising Golden Gates Housing Trust and Helena […]

Budget 2018 – a look behind the headlines

Tracy Harrison, Deputy Chief Executive, Northern Housing Consortium Last month’s Budget delivered some welcome certainties and a shift in sentiment from government towards working with the social housing sector as part of the solution. The one clear certainty was the commitment to the national supply target of 300,000 new builds a year, this was despite […]

Guest Blog – Growing older is a gift

Yvonne Castle, new NHC Board member and Chief Executive of Johnnie Johnson Housing When we talk about our pending crisis of an increasing population in the UK due to ageing we think about: pressure on the NHS; woeful Residential Care (at Southern Cross, winterbourne view and more recently Allied Healthcare), the scale of dementia issues, […]

Guest Blog – Flood Action Campaign 2018/19

Please help the Environment Agency by supporting their Flood Action Campaign which will launch between now and the end of the year in their next ‘torrential rain window’.  The aim of the campaign is to target and educate 18-30 year olds about flooding and what they can do to minimise damage and any related emotional […]

Mental Health & Housing Summary

With NHS Mental Health Trusts facing unprecedented levels of pressure it’s unsurprising that many in the field are looking for new ways to respond to the challenges they face.  In this environment, it is becoming increasingly clear that housing is a key issue for their service users and that by integrating housing services and expertise […]

Rents for Social Housing from 2020-21

The government has published a consultation on its social housing rent policy from 2020. The document reflects the government announcement in October 2017 of the intention to permit registered providers to increase their rents by up to CPI+1% each year, for a period of at least 5 years. For the first time, the government intends […]

Have you considered pre-owned licences for your organisation?

ValueLicensing are pre-owned Microsoft licencing specialists based in the UK. We support both the Private and Public Sector to save up to 70% on their licensing requirements. For over nine years, 3,300 businesses throughout the UK and Europe have benefited from purchasing pre-owned licences from ValueLicensing, representing a total saving in excess of £20 Million. […]

NHC consults with members on the social housing green paper

Along with the rest of the sector the Northern Housing Consortium had been anticipating the publication of a Social Housing Green Paper for some time.  So, when the document was finally released on 14th August, it was important for the NHC to bring members together and take full advantage of the opportunity to give detailed […]

Rural Housing for an Ageing Population Write-up

The Northern Housing Consortium (NHC) was delighted to join Lord Best and a variety of stakeholders in delivering the recent Rural Housing for an Ageing Population Conference.  Alongside ADASS, Housing LIN, and the LGA, the NHC welcomed over one hundred delegates to the Harrogate Convention Centre to explore the opportunities and challenges of providing fit-for-purpose […]

Social Housing Green Paper – A New Deal for Social Housing

The long awaited, much trailed Social Housing Green Paper announced by the former Secretary of State for Housing as a “wide-ranging, top-to-bottom review of the issues facing the sector” and by the current Secretary of State as “a landmark opportunity for major reform” was finally published on 14 August. It was published alongside: A Review […]

Homes England Guest Blog

Remember that there are increasing opportunities for affordable housing through the remaining unallocated funding within the SOAHP – Shared Ownership Affordable Housing Programme. Partners are therefore encouraged to speak to Homes England Contract and Relationship Managers at the earliest possible opportunity to discuss project requirements and grant needs to be taken through continuous market engagement […]

Another Successful Resident Involvement Conference

Over the past year Government policy has understandably turned to focus on the social housing sector and particularly the needs of residents. Against this backdrop, a strong attendance of over 100 tenants and housing staff attended the National Resident Involvement Conference in York to make sense of the recent changes in housing policy as well […]

Homes England’s Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme

The Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme is open for bidding – funding is available for a range of tenures. We offer increased flexibility in 18/19 and beyond – using our land, working in collaboration and encouraging new entrants into the programme. Talk to your Homes England Contract Manger or email Victoria.Keen@homesengland.gov.uk for more details. […]

APPG Housing in the North discusses housing for older people

Chief Executives from the NHC membership were present at the last meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group Housing in North (APPG HiN) to hear how innovative approaches were being used to support older people to live independent lives.   APPG HiN Chair Ian Mearns MP also welcomed Lord Best, who updated attendees on the APPG […]

Safety in Neighbourhoods Network

For over 18 years the Northern Housing Consortium’s Anti-Social Behaviour Study Group has provided an invaluable forum for stakeholders to meet, discuss, and develop the services they provide. Group members, taken from the NHC membership and beyond, have heard from expert speakers outlining the changes and challenges brought about by government policies.  These have included […]

The North West Housing Forum – Event Write-Up

Despite the terrible weather conditions that blighted the final week of February, a strong group of intrepid adventurers braved the elements on the 27th to attend the North West Housing Forum’s Debate on Regeneration. The Forum, which is supported by the NHC, brings together the housing officers, Board Members, and Elected Members of the North […]

CIH Rethinking Social Housing Project Update

Melanie Rees, CIH CIH’s Rethinking Social Housing project is now in full swing. Formally launched in January, we wanted to get a national debate going about the role and purpose of social housing – and we’ve been blown away by the response we’ve had!  We developed a toolkit to help people to hold their own […]

Is planned maintenance value for money?

Now there’s a question to get the brain cells working. For many, to even question the assertion that planned maintenance delivers value for money is heresy. But is it?  Given that the vast majority of social housing has been modernised in the last 15 years and most have “reasonably modern” facilities, is continuing with component […]

7th Annual National Tenant Panels Conference round-up

        In November 2017, the Northern Housing Consortium (NHC) welcomed more than 100 delegates to our 7th Annual National Tenant Panels Conference Focusing on the voice of our customers — Innovation, efficiency and effectiveness in partnership with Yvonne Davies at Tenant Advisor. The event was chaired by Tom Miskell, Chair of the NHC […]

A Christmas message from the Chief Executive

As 2017 draws to a close, I am sure we can all agree this has been a very turbulent year for the housing sector; a year with many positives including more recognition of the importance of housing, but with the awful tragedy of Grenfell never far from our thoughts. We saw the Government focus on […]

Homelessness

Homelessness Code of Guidance – we want your views

The Homelessness Reduction Act recently became law and is due to be enacted in April 2018. The Draft Homelessness Code of Guidance provides direction on how local authorities should meet the requirements of homelessness legislation and has been updated to include information on the Homelessness Reduction Act.  The revised draft guidance is now open for consultation until […]

Ward Hadaway

GuestBlog: Ward Hadaway brief — consultation on draft homelessness code of guidance

DCLG publishes consultation on draft homelessness code of guidance The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has published a draft statutory code of guidance which will accompany the Homelessness Reduction Act (HRA), due to come into force in April 2018. The DCLG has now published a revised draft the Homelessness Code of Guidance (“Code”) […]

Comparex

Guestblog: Support your digital transformation with centralised software procurement from COMPAREX

  As housing associations battle reduced government subsidies and increased regulatory requirements, they face an uphill struggle to increase productivity without a significant outlay. One way in which organisations are looking to increase output and reduce expenditure is through digital transformation. By updating processes related to IT and procurement, housing associations and housing groups in […]

Guestblog: Texthelp – Digital inclusion builds stronger foundations for housing associations and protects revenue

More services like Universal Credit are being transferred online – but at what cost to providers and end users? Mark McCusker, CEO of assistive technology specialists Texthelp highlights the importance of digital inclusion for housing associations and their residents. To describe the ongoing rollout of Universal Credit as an interesting challenge for UK housing associations […]

Guestblog: Ward Hadaway – Disrepair

In its guest blogs, NHC Supporter Ward Hadaway offers the legal perspective and some guidance on some of the social housing sector’s most pressing issues. In this edition: disrepair. Asset management is a fundamental issue for Registered Providers – the quality and quantity of their housing stock have a direct impact upon their finances and […]

Abode logo

Guestblog: Abode – Back to Basics?

Building on the leadership and management training opportunities running over the next few months, the NHC has partnered with Abode – the home of education and training for the housing and community sectors, to offer three new courses designed specifically for those on the frontline of housing management. Here, Abode training consultants Gill Bramfitt and […]

HCA

Guestblog: Ward Hadaway – Social housing risk profiling

In its guest blogs, NHC Supporter Ward Hadaway offers the legal perspective and some guidance on some of the social housing sector’s most pressing issues. In this edition: social housing risk profiling. What are the main financial risks facing social housing providers? This is one of the things which the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) […]

DCLG offices

Guestblog: Ward Hadaway – The DCLG Building Safety programme

In its guest blogs, NHC Supporter Ward Hadaway offers the legal perspective and some guidance on some of the social housing sector’s most pressing issues. In this edition: the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) Building Safety programme. The Grenfell Tower tragedy has focused attention on the quality and safety of high-rise buildings across […]

The Return of Customer Profiling

Customer profiling has climbed housing providers’ list of priorities again recently after an apparent lull. More than ever, finances are tight in our sector and providers must be sure that resources are targeted where they will make the greatest impact. Painting a detailed picture of customers can help do that. From a purely commercial perspective, […]

Data Blog – Shifting Tenure Patterns in the North

In February’s Housing White Paper the Government moved away from its broad focus on encouraging home ownership, something that was front and centre of the David Cameron administration, in favour of helping to fix the housing market so that more people across the country can have the security of a decent place to live. We […]

Estate Regeneration Funding Announced

More than 40 housing estates across the North are set to benefit from a significant investment from the £32 million pound Estate Regeneration Fund to help kick-start their regeneration. The funding awards for northern registered providers, which account for 42% of all the bids, represent a significant investment in regeneration in the North of England […]

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