NHC comment on Decent Homes Standard consultation
Following engagement with members we’ve submitted our response the Government’s consultation on the proposed new Decent Homes Standard.
Northern Housing Consortium Chief Executive Tracy Harrison said:
“We welcome the government’s commitment to update the Decent Homes Standard and extend it to the private rented sector – a move that will help ensure safer, healthier housing for 336,000 Northern households currently living in non-decent private rented homes. However, significant investment in local authority capacity to enable enforcement is needed if we want to see real change in the private rented sector.
“We have advocated for an updated set of standards. However, we are concerned that the proposed changes will come with a significant price tag for the social rented sector, that is not reflected by the Government’s assessment of costs.
“We are calling on the Government to work closely with our members to understand the true costs of the proposed Decent Homes Standard, alongside other significant changes such as the revised Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards and Awaab’s Law. Only then can the trade off with other priorities, such as building more homes, be properly understood and considered.
“Consultation with members has highlighted that changes to key aspects of the standard, such as the expanded component list and removal of age criteria, will be challenging to implement for social housing providers. That’s why we’re encouraging the Government to work closely with our members to refine the detail of the standard to make sure it offers value-for-money and the best outcomes for tenants.”
You can read the full consultation response here.
NHC submits response to rent convergence consultation
This week, the NHC submitted our response to the government’s consultation on how to implement rent convergence as part of the next social housing rent policy.
In our response we said that we believe convergence should be reintroduced from 1st April 2026, permitted at a level of £2 per week and for at least 10 years in duration, aligned with the wider ten year rent policy of CPI+1%.
For landlords in the North of England, convergence at £2 per week for 10 years would increase total rental income by £1.73 billion. This benefit would be split almost evenly between local authority landlords and housing associations (52% vs 48% respectively).
A policy of £2 per week also ensures that the vast majority of the benefit of convergence can be achieved within the next few years. This means that additional income can be used within this parliament to deliver on several of the government’s housing ambitions, including building 1.5 million new homes and delivering new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards for social homes.
Patrick Murray, Executive Director of Policy and External Relations, said:
Rent convergence is an important lever that will unlock greater investment in new and existing homes across the North. A £2 per week policy would not only deliver greater financial capacity for landlords in the North—it would do so faster, enabling meaningful reinvestment in this parliament. Crucially, a policy of £2 per week over ten years strikes the right balance between enabling greater investment by landlords and ensuring that rents remain affordable for residents.
You can read our full submission here.
Building the Future: Northern Homes, National Ambition
On Monday 29 September, 6:30pm – 8:30pm, we will be holding a joint event – Building the Future: Northern Homes, National Ambition – with Homes for the North at Labour Party conference.
One year into a new government, housing and regeneration are once again central to delivering growth and transforming Northern communities. Planning reform, infrastructure investment and a renewed focus on affordable homes are shaping some of the most ambitious targets in a generation – placing delivery firmly in the spotlight.
The Northern Housing Consortium, with Homes for the North and Muse, are embarking upon a new Inquiry exploring where next for housing-led regeneration in the North.
Our reception will bring together sector partners, parliamentarians, metro mayors and council leaders to discuss how the North is leading the way in turning ambition into action.
Set in the heart of the conference fringe, the evening will offer a relaxed space to:
- Discuss the North’s progress on housing delivery
- Engage with national, regional and local government leaders
- Connect with the housing associations shaping the future of housing and place-making
- Find out more about the new Inquiry on housing-led regeneration in the North
This is a key moment to reflect on what’s been achieved – and to look ahead at how housing can drive growth, renewal, and opportunity across the North.
The reception will be held at PlusDane offices, conveniently located adjacent to the main conference venue.
Any NHC members who wish to attend should email: ellie.nagy@lexcomm.co.uk
GEM bursary “an amazing opportunity to grow, build confidence, and develop new skills”
The NHC is once again partnering with the GEM programme to offer a free place on their housing leadership development programme for someone who lives in social housing and works for an NHC member organisation.
We caught up with Katie Spittle an Investment Planning Officer at the Riverside Group and this year’s GEM Bursary recipient to find out more about her experience of the programme.
The programme offers a combination of face-to-face events, mentoring and the opportunity to achieve a CIH Level 4 qualification.
Why did you apply for the GEM bursary?
Over the past four years at Riverside, I’ve often considered applying for development programmes but lacked the confidence to take that step. When the GEM bursary opportunity was announced, I saw it as a chance to challenge myself, grow professionally, and build on the skills I’ve been developing. Although I wasn’t sure I’d be successful, I knew it was the right time to step forward and invest in my potential.
What has been your experience of the programme so far, what have been the highlights?
I’ve particularly valued the GEM Shacks, as they’ve given me the space to reflect on my career path and consider new directions I hadn’t previously explored. They’ve opened my eyes to different areas within the housing sector and helped me recognise how my existing skills are transferable across a range of roles.
Being part of a programme that promotes reflection, and continuous improvement has reignited my passion for working in this sector. It’s boosted my confidence and inspired me to approach new challenges with a more proactive and open mind.
It’s hard to pinpoint a single highlight, as each GEM Shack brings something new and valuable. However, our visit to the Wheatley Group in Glasgow stands out as one of the most impactful experiences so far. The warm welcome we received and the thoughtfully curated programme made a lasting impression.
How to you think the GEM programme will help you develop your role or career?
The GEM programme is already helping me build the confidence and skills I need to take the next step in my career. Through my mentor support, expanding my professional network, and making progress towards my CIH qualification, I’ve gained increased personal confidence and a clearer sense of direction.
It’s made me see my organisation from a broader perspective, encouraging me to explore opportunities I might have previously overlooked. I’ve started getting involved in areas beyond my current role, which has deepened my understanding of the wider business and helped me build new connections with colleagues I wouldn’t normally interact with.
It’s also reinforced the importance of keeping tenants at the heart of our work—something that can be easy to overlook in non-customer-facing roles. It’s encouraged me to explore new ways to connect with tenants and find opportunities within our team to engage with them directly, ensuring their voices help shape the work I do.
What would you say to someone who is thinking of applying?
I’d say—go for it! The GEM programme is an amazing opportunity to grow, build confidence, and develop new skills, all while being supported by a fantastic team. Be open to learning and make the most of every opportunity. I hesitated at first, but applying was one of the best decisions I’ve made. The experience has exceeded all my expectations, both personally and professionally.
Please email Ross Price to find out more about the programme, the deadline for applications is 26th September.
NHC event puts regeneration centre stage in Parliament
The Northern Housing Consortium (NHC) hosted a parliamentary event which brought MPs, NHC members and other stakeholders together. They discussed the need for housing-led regeneration to make sure northern communities can live in safe, affordable homes in places they are proud of.
The event followed recent government housing announcements that have significantly increased investment in affordable housing and provided much-needed long-term funding certainty and clarity around legislation. Regeneration has also featured in the announcements, with confirmation about flexibility in the Social and Affordable Homes Programme for replacement homes. It has also been put forward as a key deliverable in integrated settlements, and the Local Growth Plan is set to support Mayors to boost community-led regeneration.
The NHC plans to launch an inquiry Where Next for Housing-Led Regeneration in the North, supported by Homes for the North and Muse, later in the year to define housing-led regeneration’s role in tackling the housing crisis, delivering growth and building stronger communities. It will look at how the social housing sector can bring maximum benefits to communities through regeneration with current government support and explore how to go even further in the future to meet the needs of the North.
Northern Housing Consortium Chief Executive Tracy Harrison said: “The outcome of the spending review and the recent housing announcements are milestone moments for the social housing sector in the North, which will drive real change. To effectively tackle the housing crisis in the North, housing-led regeneration must sit alongside new housing supply and support to improve existing homes.
“Our research has consistently shown that the North is disproportionally affected by low quality homes with over one million non-decent homes in the North. The problem is most acute in the private rented sector with 27 per cent of homes not meeting current Decent Homes Standards. We’ve also found that there are 126,000 social housing homes in the North reaching the end of their serviceable life. These issues must be addressed if we want to make sure everyone has access to a safe and warm home they can afford.
“The right foundations are in place for the North to hit the ground running. We’re leading the way with devolution, and housing partnerships are driving collaboration. Through our Inquiry, we want to work with parliamentarians, members, residents and other stakeholders to maximise the benefits of regeneration for communities in the North.”
Speakers at the event included Lord Best OBE, DL who set the scene about why housing-led regeneration is a priority for the North and Liz Twist MP and Andrew Cooper MP gave parliamentarians perspectives on regeneration. Onward Chief Executive and Chair of Homes for North, Bronwen Rapley, highlighted why regeneration is a priority for Homes for the North. Managing Director of Muse, Phil Mayall, spoke about regeneration from a commercial view point and his experience of transforming places. Chief Executive of believe housing Alan Smith shared insight about regeneration projects and Chief Executive of Incommunities and Chair of the West Yorkshire Housing Partnership Rachael Dennis talked about regeneration and devolution from a housing partnership perspective.
Bronwen Rapley, Chair of Homes for the North, said: “The Government has set out a transformative vision to deliver the biggest boost to housebuilding in generations. Regeneration has a critical role to play in helping to unlock the delivery of more and better homes. Our research shows that regeneration across the North could support the creation of 305,000 homes, equivalent to 4.3 years of housing supply.
“The North faces a particular set of challenges, from a lack of housing to contaminated sites and ageing homes, that are holding back regeneration. We now have an opportunity to work with the Government to help shape delivery mechanisms that can address some of these barriers. Whilst there are challenges, the potential of regeneration is even greater.
“This inquiry comes at a critical moment and we look forward to contributing to this vital and timely conversation about the role that regeneration has to play in unlocking growth and revitalising communities.”
Phil Mayall, Managing Director at Muse, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with the NHC and Homes for the North on this important inquiry. Against the backdrop of the government’s positive agenda for the industry and the tools which have already been provided to us, we’re at a real moment in time where we can go even further in delivering meaningful change in the North of England.
“Drawing on our decades of experience as placemakers, we’re looking forward to sharing our case studies, lessons, and learnings. With a growing focus also on promoting partnerships as a means to further transform communities, we are excited to offer an insight into how we have been working in partnership with the public and private sector, including through ECF, our partnership with L&G and Homes England, and our plans for the future through Habiko, with PIC and Homes England.”
Further information about the need for regeneration in the North can be found in the NHC’s annual state of the region report the Northern Housing Monitor. The NHC conducted member research ‘Understanding the Need for Regeneration in the North’, which can be found here.
This event supported by Homes for the North and Muse and powered by the NHC’s commercial arm NHC Procurement.
NHC’s Lynda Redshaw awarded MBE as part of the King’s Birthday Honours list
Huge congratulations to our Lynda Redshaw who has been awarded an MBE as part of the King’s Birthday Honours list!
Executive Assistant Lynda has been the backbone of the NHC for 34 years, helping us grow from a team of three to a team of 40+. She is a role model and a prolific charity fundraiser who has raised over £60,000. More recently she’s been instrumental in setting up the Unlocking Success Bursary and has been a big part in its success.
Lynda turned 70 last year but continues to work beyond retirement age and has demonstrated courageous commitment to her role in the face of difficult personal circumstances.
Our Chief Executive Tracy Harrison said:
“I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this recognition than Lynda. Everyone at the NHC is absolutely over the moon for her. She is a well-loved colleague and someone who has made a tremendous contribution to the NHC and the social housing sector in the North.”
Lynda is absolutely delighted – and still in shock – about receiving the award. She is looking forward to attending the ceremony with her family.
I’m sure you’ll join us all at the NHC in offering your congratulations to Lynda!
Northern Housing Monitor finds urgent action needed to address housing crisis in the North
Our new state of the region report has been launched in parliament at an event attended by Northern MPs, members, government officials and other stakeholders.
This year’s Northern Housing Monitor revealed the urgent need for more social housing in the North. It found that there are nearly 500,000 households on social housing waiting lists in the North – a 13 per cent increase on the previous year. The number of households forced to live in temporary accommodation is also rising fast with a yearly increase of around 16%, with over 14,000 children in the region living in temporary accommodation.
600,000 social rent homes in the North have been sold though Right to Buy and only 1 in 7 have been replaced. This contributes to a lack of social housing, increasing homelessness and people in the lowest income group being forced to rent in the private sector where rents are higher and quality is lower. A quarter of people renting privately in the North fall into the lowest income bracket and 1 in 3 children in the North live in households that are pushed into poverty after housing costs.
The Government has committed to the “biggest growth in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation” with an ambitious target of building 1.5 million homes – 370,000 homes per year. This has subsequently seen housebuilding targets increase by 52 per cent in the North. However, the previous Government’s targets were exceeded in the North, so to hit the new targets the delivery of new homes in the North needs to increase by 27 per cent.
The report revealed that as well as a need for more social housing, there is the twin challenge of a need to regenerate our communities with around 27 per cent of private rented homes in the North not meeting current Decent Homes standards. Rates of demolition in the North have dropped by around a quarter since 2019/20 suggesting the worst quality homes are not being replaced.
Tracy Harrison, Chief Executive, Northern Housing Consortium said: “Housing waiting lists are increasing and the number of people forced into expensive and unsuitable temporary accommodation is skyrocketing. 3.6m people in the North are pushed into poverty after housing costs, demonstrating the urgent need for more social housing.
“Housing associations and councils are ready to deliver the homes their communities need and to contribute to Government housebuilding targets and economic growth, but to do this they need the right resources. The Government recently announced a £2 billion top up of the Affordable Homes Programme, something we’d been campaigning for to enable our members to continue building. However, to make a real change, longer term funding is needed to build more homes and improve existing homes and places. Lower land values make building in the North more affordable. We are leading the way with devolution, which means in many areas there is already the infrastructure and collaboration in place to better target funding.
“It is vital that action is taken urgently to make sure that everyone in the North has access to a good quality, safe home. I’m optimistic that with the right support from Government, the social housing sector in the North can make a real difference.”
To make sure everyone in the North has a good quality safe place to call home, we’re calling on the Government to:
- Launch a new ten-year affordable homes programme announced at the Spending Review:
- With flexibility to support housing led regeneration schemes, so outdated homes that are not fit for purpose can be replaced by new homes that meet the needs of communities.
- Greater devolution of funding to make sure it is targeted effectively to meet local needs.
- Targeted support for local authorities to ensure they are set up to build new council homes.
- A dedicated funding stream of at least 1.37 billion over 5 years to support housing-led neighbourhood regeneration in the North.
- This would run alongside the recently announced Plan for Neighbourhoods, which supports social regeneration in specific towns.
- Unlock up to 320,000 homes on brownfield land in the North through a ten-year £4.2 billion programme to remediate all the North’s brownfield land.
- Make quality a priority:
- Confirmation of the new Decent Homes Standard and the right financial support to make sure existing homes meet the new standard.
- Continued investment in energy efficiency, which lowers bills for tenants and improves quality of homes. Previous NHC research found £500 million of retrofit funding per year up to 2030 is needed for the North to upgrade all social homes to EPC band C, and from 2030 to £1 billion per year is needed to accelerate the decarbonisation of the North’s homes.
- Devolved combined funding for housing quality and energy efficiency so social housing providers can work more efficiently, and the funding is targeted where it’s needed most.
- Support for local authorities to drive improvements in the private rented sector.
- Make sure that housing associations and local authorities have the financial stability needed to invest in new homes.
- A ten-year rent settlement at CPI plus one, with the option of rent convergence where needed.
The Northern Housing Monitor, our annual state of the region report is produced by Arc4 and supported by believe housing, Bernicia and Yorkshire Housing. It covers housing and poverty, housing supply, housing quality and regeneration, and net zero and fuel poverty. It is available on the NHC website, alongside the Northern Housing data bank.
Speakers at the parliamentary event included Member of Parliament for Huddersfield Harpreet Uppal, Lord Best OBE DL, Director, Social Housing at Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Emma Payne, Chief Executive of Bernicia Homes John Johnson, and the NHC’s Tracy Harrison.
