Housing Quality Magazine January 2021

M ISSUE 1: JANUARY 2021 The Shadow Housing Secretary reveals her plans for the job A resident’s view on stigma Special pull-out: Evidence

How will housing fare in 2021?

Sector experts share their insights HOUSING QUALITY MAGAZINE JANUARY 2021

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CONTENTS 5 Welcome 6 News in brief 7 Life in 15 questions 8 In the frame 10 Evidence 18 Interview: Thangam Debbonaire 24 Future gazing to 2021

January 2021

32 Housing’s Next Generation 36 CEO roundtable 38 Comment: Rose Klemperer 40 Comment: National Fire Chiefs 42 Comment: Rebecca Bryant 44 A day in the life 45 Resident’s view 46 The last word

Published by: HQN Rockingham House St Maurice’s Road York YO31 7JA Editorial: Alistair McIntosh Mark Lawrence Janis Bright Email: mark.lawrence@hqnetwork.co.uk Tel: 07523 920010 Advertising: All enquires to: hqn@hqnetwork.co.uk Tel: 01904 557150

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Design: Sam Wiggle

Housing in 2021 HQN has brought together some of the finest minds in the sector to give a flavour of what might be to come, and what the big issues and flashpoints may be.

Published six times a year. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited.

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Interview

Housing’s Next Generation

Evidence

Labour’s Shadow Housing Secretary gives her take on government housing policy, including what she would do if she was in charge.

The inaugural Housing’s Next Generation final did not disappoint – we now have a winner and four other talented finalists.

The latest edition of Evidence magazine, incorporating topical housing research and analysis from leading academics.

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HOUSING QUALITY MAGAZINE JANUARY 2021

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Turning up the heat on housing management 2020 was the year for staying in. This must be the year for going out and about to actually look at your homes. Bask in the vitamin D and go sightseeing. Are you proud of your homes?

Tenants have no power whatsoever and the regulator has no interest in this area. No one wins any prizes for keeping the grass cut and getting rid of bulk rubbish.

That’s why inspection is back on the cards. It’s a

damning indictment that an official with a camera has more clout than a tenant. The issue would never have arisen if MPs did not see what is staring them in the face. It’s a stone cold fact that some estates are shambolic. Equally, cheek by jowl, you do go past very well managed estates.

Leave the office, go round your estate and pick a side. You either want to do this job or you don’t. HQN knows which side it’s on. Do you?

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News in brief Openness and transparency The year of the regulator key to the future The country’s housing providers know that, with the new-look Housing Ombudsman, there’s going to be plenty more naming and shaming.

The first severe maladministration report by the Ombudsman showed the intent, even before the Social Housing White Paper was introduced.

At the time of publication, Richard Blakeway, the Housing Ombudsman, said: “I have been encouraged by the response from landlords in wanting to put things right and hope that by publishing these cases, the learning is shared more widely across the sector to help improve services and benefit residents.”

And it is very much expected this name and shame approach will be adopted even more in the future, potentially even by the Regulator of Social Housing.

But towards the end of 2020, the Ombudsman had already rapidly transformed its output, and with the creation of a Residents’ Panel in 2021, the sector can be sure the issues that matter most to residents are going to be under the spotlight more than ever before.

What a year 2021 is going to be for the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH). The Social Housing White Paper has given it a hundred new jobs to do – and they’re not easy tasks it can add to the day job.

New consumer regulation looking at a whole draft of tenant satisfaction measures are going to be extremely interesting. It’s clear from event appearances since the document’s publication in November that the RSH doesn’t even have a complete handle on what’s going to happen.

There are no timescales and there’s very little detail. Much will be consulted on and a lot will depend on getting the legislation through parliament, when time allows. Jonathan Walters, RSH Deputy CEO, said two to three years for implementation probably wouldn’t be far off.

The consultation gives the sector a chance to shape how these new measures are implemented and what they focus on. We know there’s an increased focus on respecting and listening to tenants,

as well as on anti-social behaviour and repairs.

There’s talk of inspections returning, but in what form? Will these inspections follow the old Audit Commission role or will it be more like OFSTED? So, the sector knows stronger regulation is coming but not even the regulator enforcing it knows what form it’ll take.

The year of the regulator is just about to begin!

Watch HQN TV for a weekly roundup of the housing news

Is Brexit key for social housing?

With supply chains, the workforce, and funding impacted, the government’s going to have to go big in 2021 and beyond if it’s to boost housebuilding.

Help to Buy will only give developers so much and it won’t help those significantly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

On the other hand, social housing... now there’s an

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opportunity.

Invest billions in a social housing programme that will give back in years to come. Create a pipeline of new social housing so strong that companies can invest in a future workforce and building materials.

Reduce the housing benefit bill.

Invest. Create. Reduce. One of those three-word government slogans we can all get behind.

A life in 15 questions Diane Thompson The Chief Executive of Honeycomb Group tells us about her biggest regrets, achievements and how she has found herself in housing.

1. Tell us about your career and how you ended up in your current role As a kid I dreamed of a career in sport, but then reality hit and that became about staying fit, being social, competitive and having fun with friends. So, I got a job at 17. It was a sound grounding at Michelin on how to do a good job. Then I left to support a friend opening their own business and learnt fast about managing in retail – it was fun, but not for me!

I fell into housing with a really good organisation who let me loose to go out and buy a house to refurbish and rent to a local family. I was hooked because I had a job that mattered and made a difference. The rest was about my own ambition and mindset to do and achieve even more, with people taking the time to support and invest in me. I’ve never stopping learning – getting qualified in Housing (MBA), then numerous roles in development, housing, corporate services... all leading to CEO of Honeycomb Group, my dream job!

2. Describe yourself in three words Ambitious, kind, hilarious (well, I think so!)

3. What would you change about yourself?

My really funny feet! But seriously, it’s an ongoing challenge to worry less so I’d change that so I can live in the moment more.

up on wanting to lead a socially minded business. It wasn’t always easy but it’s been incredibly rewarding.

4. Favourite place on earth?

The Maldives, it’s so beautiful and an incredibly peaceful place.

5. Describe your home Modern but lived in, a happy and fun place.

6. What makes you angry?

Judgemental, ill-informed people.

7. Most treasured possession My vinyl record collection. It’s so wide ranging and utterly bizarre with some real treasures in there.

I love my Motown music.

8. Best piece of advice you have ever been given?

Understand yourself first, then you can begin to understand others. It takes a lot to do this – the rewards are incredible if you let yourself go on that journey of self-reflection.

9. If you won £1 million on the Lottery, what would you spend it on?

I’d share it with people I love, travel much more and invest in a charity close to my heart – we must find a cure for Alzheimer’s, it’s just devastating and cruel.

10. Biggest achievement?

Becoming a CEO, never giving

11. Biggest regret?

Spending too much time caring about what others think of me.

12. Most overused phrase?

Being slightly OCD – “kids, can you just pick your stuff up!”.

13. Recommend a book The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown is a life-changing book asking us to join the wholehearted revolution by choosing authenticity and vulnerability through courage, compassion and connection. I love this quote from the book: “May we find the courage to let go of who we think we’re supposed to be so that we can fully embrace our authentic selves.”

14. The best piece of television in the last 12 months?

Gogglebox for the sheer laughter, David Attenborough’s Planet Earth for the incredible insight into our world and our need to value every living thing, and This is Us for an incredible story of three siblings and their relatable family life.

15. Tell us a secret about yourself I’ve represented Staffordshire county in three different sports: tennis, squash and golf. And I’m pretty good at FIFA – although my 14 year old might tell you otherwise!

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In the frame

 Reading delights ForHousing

 Goodies and gifts Bournville Village Trust

Christmas comes early for more than 2,000 children as book packs are delivered thanks to a partnership with the Book Trust.

Bournville tenant Jo Higgins and her family filled Christmas gift bags with a range of goodies to put a smile on the faces of struggling families and single people in the community.

 Garden gifts Calico Homes

 Lockdown love Housing Plus Group

Thanks to an award of £5,000, several sheltered accommodation communities benefitted from a range of new outdoor furniture and gardening resources.

Neighbours in a retirement community found love during the pandemic, with walks taking place closer to the grounds and more time to get to know each other.

 Wonderful waste Thirteen Group  Festive fundraising Beyond Housing The North East housing association brought some Christmas magic into the lives of its customers by raising £1,000 this festive period to create hampers for people most affected by Covid-19.

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Thirteen has opened an environmental centre to transform the way it handles waste. Part of the centre is an ecology centre, which will provide classrooms for local children, beehives, chickens, and bat boxes.

 Flying high Hightown Housing Hightown tenant Charlotte is well on her way to securing her private pilot’s license, having resumed flying lessons after a period of severe mental ill health and hospitalisation.

 Tumbling towers Incommunities

 Street snakes Citizen

Low demand for tower blocks in the area has seen Incommunities take the decision to remove them, replacing them with in-demand family-sized homes.

The housing association partnered with local police to transform a community space into a floor-paint play area for children.

 Sparkling spaces

 Curo Christmas Curo

 Community celebrations

Anchor Hanover Residents and carers recently teamed up to create illuminated spaces inspired by their favourite Christmas traditions.

Elves, sleighs, snowmen, Christmas trees and cosy Christmas homes featured highly on the designs submitted for this year’s Curo Christmas Card competition.

Colchester Borough Homes Mrs Hart was the winner of Neighbourhood Achievement at the Good Neighbour Awards, which celebrates residents who made a positive contribution to their community.

 Smiling Santa Darlington Borough Council Darlington Library got into the Christmas spirit by offering some unique gifts for children in the borough.

If you would like to be featured In the Frame, please email your pictures to mark.lawrence@hqnetwork.co.uk

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EVIDENCE update The latest research and analysis – in plain English In this issue: 10 Welcome 10 Tenants’ experience of social housing in Australia 11 Veterans in housing need: The role of colaboration 12 Achieving zero carbon in existing homes

Issue 29 | January 2021

14 How can we improve the design value of new housing and neighbourhoods 15 Improving our neighbourhoods after the pandemic 16 Social housing and employment

Welcome A new and hopefully better year begins, and in this edition we widen our focus to look at some broader housing-related issues.

The Westminster-based All Party Parliamentary Group on housing has been looking at employment, earnings and progress in work. And it found the long-term relationships housing providers have with their tenants can underpin high-value initiatives on training and work support. Kenneth Gibb from CaCHE reports.

Then there’s the physical shape of our homes and neighbourhoods. Depressingly little has improved on housing design over the last decade: is it time for national design standards? Chris Foye and James White report on some recent research into why design quality remains stubbornly low.

Coronavirus has of course changed our world, and the adjustments for a post-Covid future continue. That will include creating flexible space in our homes, with good daylight and broadband

access, argues Flora Samuel from the University of Reading. Parks and other green space, and community facilities have become increasingly important, and safe public transport will also be a priority. The move toward local sourcing needs to include local construction companies who could deliver new homes to their communities.

Recent governments have promised us a zerocarbon future, with targets for housing. But how will that be achieved, and when? John Perry assesses the UK’s progress in an extract from UK Housing Review.

And, finally, some good news. Armed Forces veterans’ transition to civilian housing has improved over the last decade. The journey has become smoother with collaboration between agencies and there is support to guide veterans through. But how can this progress be maintained?

Steve Rolfe from the University of Stirling reports.

Janis Bright Editor, Evidence

Tenants’ experience of social housing in Australia Access to social housing in Australia is severely limited and would-be tenants face onerous demands from the system, a new study from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute finds. Equally, market failure ensures there are few pathways out of social housing too.

Respectful and caring relationships between

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social housing providers and tenants are identified as vital. But these types of relationship are too often lacking, the report finds. And the system needs to connect better with other social services.

Full report: https://bit.ly/3noU9UD

Veterans in housing need: The role of collaboration Dr Steve Rolfe from the University of Stirling reports on research examining the role of collaboration in meeting the housing needs of military veterans.

Most people leaving the UK Armed Forces make a successful transition to civilian life. And contrary to common belief, veterans are no more likely to be homeless than the wider population. However, this does not negate the significant challenges that some face as they leave the Armed Forces – for those living in Ministry of Defence (MOD) accommodation, this means finding a new home at the same time as obtaining a new job and building a new social identity. Moreover, emerging from ‘behind the wire’ involves a shift from a single institution to a complex world of multiple organisations, which may or may not work well together.

Unsurprisingly, therefore, previous research and current policy highlight the importance of improving collaboration to address the housing needs of Service leavers and the wider population of ex-Services personnel.

Our study, funded by the Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT), set out to examine collaboration in this context. We undertook five area-based case studies across Scotland, Wales and England, selected to consider the different devolved housing policy frameworks, as well as different housing markets and different levels of military presence.

Within each area, we interviewed key staff from local authorities, housing providers, support organisations and Armed Forces charities (70 in total), plus a number of ex-Service personnel who had encountered housing problems (20 in total).

Transition The findings from our research suggest that the experience of transition from the military has improved over the past decade, since the publication of the Armed Forces Covenant. In general terms, Service leavers are somewhat better prepared to engage with the civilian housing system, and policy developments such as the inclusion of the MOD within the Duty to Refer are enabling a more preventative approach for those who are at risk of homelessness. However, there remain concerns about some Early Service Leavers, who receive more limited transition support from the MOD, and those with other vulnerabilities: “I think it depends on their discharge… if there’s a medical discharge involved then I have found that they kind of bounce from place to place sofa surfing, cause they’re not really sure where to go, especially if it’s mental health related. Sometimes that can be more of a struggle for them.” (Local authority officer, role related to ex-Service personnel) Collaboration For those veterans who do experience significant housing problems, the general picture is one of improved collaboration leading to smoother housing journeys. Developments such as the creation of Armed Forces Champions within local authorities and the establishment of Covenant Groups to bring organisations together have led to increased trust and better working relationships.

Crucially, these steps towards improved collaboration have been underpinned by a shared

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goal, with veterans being viewed by many as the ultimate ‘deserving’ group: “The first thing I always do is just try and, when I’m trying to work in partnership, is just anchor everything in everyone’s values and principles cause ultimately we all want the same outcome, especially in veterans delivery, and then from that place do the work together, and then argue about the money afterwards [laugh]!” (Staff member, Armed Forces charity) Nevertheless, our research highlights the challenges that some ex-Service personnel face in finding their way through the housing maze. For many of our interviewees, the critical factor in resolving their housing problem was finding someone who could act as a navigator, whether from an Armed Forces charity, housing organisation or local authority: “It’s very helpful knowing that you’ve got someone there that’s fighting your corner so you don’t feel like no one cares and you’re on your own… and

that’s all that matters to me, that I know that it’ll all be worth the long wait, headaches and all that, it’ll be worth it.” (Ex-Army, 7-10 years’ service) Key messages Overall, our findings present a good news story – the situation has improved over the past decade, with improved collaboration and transition support, leading to smoother housing journeys for most veterans in housing need. However, there remain some concerns about consistency of support and there is a considerable risk that the developments of recent years may not be sustained. The public and political spotlight is inevitably moving on with the pandemic and the fact that UK Armed Forces are no longer involved in major conflicts. We have, therefore, concluded our report with a range of recommendations to try to ensure that veterans in housing need are not forgotten. The full report, Working Together to Meet the Housing Needs of Ex-Service Personnel: Examining the Challenges of Transition and Collaboration, is available from the FiMT website.

Achieving zero carbon in existing homes In this extract from UK Housing Review, John Perry reviews UK efforts in tackling climate change.

Theresa May’s government set a statutory commitment for the UK to achieve ‘net zero’ carbon emissions by 2050. The 2017 Clean Growth Strategy set an ambition for all homes to be rated EPC band C by 2035, a steppingstone to the full 2050 target.

Currently, 19 million UK homes fall below band C, so 1.2 million must be retrofitted each year to achieve it. The Energy Efficiency Infrastructure Group (EEIG) says this requires annual investment of £5.2 billion, with government funding of £1.7bn leveraging £3.5bn from owner-occupiers and landlords.1 Uptake of energy efficiency measures is highly variable across the UK: annual investment averages £35 per head in Scotland; £23 in Northern Ireland; £17 in Wales; and just £8 in England.2 The chart shows installations of key retrofit measures, revealing the gaps that must be filled to meet the 2050 target. A particularly crucial issue is that fewer than 2% of homes have low carbon heating.3 The government plans to help 12,500 homes a

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year switch to low carbon in 2022/23 and 2023/24, but 1.7 million gas boilers are still being installed annually.

Responsibility for achieving the UK target is split: the Westminster government sets the overall target but devolved administrations are responsible for detailed measures. The government pledged £9.2bn in its manifesto to improve energy efficiency, beginning in 2020/21, but so far has announced plans only for part of this. A £2bn Green Homes Grant in England offers up to £5,000 per house, rising to £10,000 for lowincome households. The chancellor forecasts that it will upgrade 650,000 homes, implying an average spend of about £3,000 per house. While welcome, this still falls well short of the progress needed to meet the target.

In 2018, Scotland published a ‘route map’ to meeting the EPC band C target by 2040, now to be upgraded to a 2030 target. It has various funding programmes such as Warmer Homes Scotland, which in 2018/19 treated 3,818 private homes,4 and area-based schemes run by councils. It has also pioneered the setting of energy-efficiency standards, not just in the social and private rented

Installation of low carbon technologies across the UK

Source: IPPR (2020) All Hands to the Pump. y-axis = No. of installations annually

sectors but – under consultation – a possible standard for owner-occupied stock from 2024.

If this goes ahead, it will require houses to be certified as EPC band C where feasible, when sold or under major renovation. Unlike England, Scotland has a strategy which shows whether the combination of carrots (funding) and sticks (required standards) is delivering the required pace of change. Nevertheless, it is being urged to double public investment in retrofit.5 Wales faces a relatively bigger challenge, with an older stock and higher levels of fuel poverty.

The Review’s 2019 Briefing Paper reported on an independent advisory group on decarbonisation, which called for ambitious steps towards a 2050 ‘net zero’ target.6 While two modest programmes are in place (‘Nest’ and ‘Arbed’) the commitment has yet to be turned into a full delivery programme, although pilot schemes are in hand. A Senedd committee recently called for more concerted action on fuel poverty.7 Progress in Northern Ireland was inevitably delayed by the suspension of the devolved government and it now faces a major catch-up task. The agreement to restore the Northern Ireland Assembly promised targets for reducing carbon emissions but these are not expected until 2021, making the targets harder to meet.

Post-pandemic, there are now widespread calls for a ‘green’ recovery plan and for retrofit to play a key part. The Committee on Climate Change urged the prime minister8 to “use climate investments to support economic recovery and

jobs”. Conservative think tank Bright Blue also called for a “resilient recovery”.9 EEIG says a stimulus package based on retrofit would create 40,000 jobs within two years and 150,000 by 2030.10 CIH and Orbit have joined the call with their new report, Warm homes and a safe environment.11 There is, therefore, a strong consensus that a retrofit programme both contributes to meeting the government’s carbon targets and creates jobs.

The problem is that, so far, the various initiatives fall well short of the scale of effort required.

1 EEIG (2019) Making energy efficiency a public and private infrastructure investment priority.

2 BEIS Select Committee (2019) Energy efficiency: building towards net zero.

3 See https://greenallianceblog.org.uk/2020/05/13/netzero-is-nowhere-in-sight-for-uk-clean-heat-policy/ 4 See https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/blog/warmworkssupporting-households-across-scotland 5 For example, by the Just Transition Commission (www. gov.scot/groups/just-transition-commission/).

6 Decarbonisation of Homes in Wales Advisory Group (2019) Better Homes, Better Wales, Better World: Decarbonising existing homes in Wales. Cardiff: Welsh Government.

7 Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee (2020) Fuel Poverty in Wales. Cardiff: Welsh Government.

8 See www.theccc.org.uk/2020/05/06/take-urgent-actionon-six-key-principles-for-a-resilient-recovery/ 9 https://www.wsp.com/en-GB/news/2020/bright-blueand-wsp-net-zero 10 http://www.theeeig.co.uk/news/starstarnewreportstarstar-rebuilding-for-resilience-energy-efficiencys-offer-for-a-net-zero-compatible-stimulus-and-recovery/ 11 https://www.thinkhouse.org.uk/site/assets/files/2209/ cih0920.pdf

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How can we improve the design value of new housing and neighbourhoods?

Dr Chris Foye Local authorities and Dr James White (University Our case studies revealed the day-to-day realities of Glasgow and of chronic underfunding in local authority CaCHE) discuss planning departments. Across the four nations, the recently two of the most significant roadblocks to better published CaCHE report, Delivering design value: design governance were a lack of resources and the housing design quality conundrum, the first inthe retention of specialist employees, including depth, UK-wide study of the housing design and urban designers, with many local authorities development process in well over a decade. increasingly reliant on private sector expertise to Last February, the Place Alliance published plug design skills gaps. results from the first major design audit of newA number of local authority officers viewed build housing in England since 2007. These design governance through the lens of risk. Often indicated that there had been minimal progress the risks associated with approving a poorly with improving design outcomes over the previous designed development were deemed secondary decade. Three-quarters of the 142 developments to other more quantifiable and immediate risks, audited were rated as “poor” or “mediocre”. specifically: the risk of not meeting housing Fast-forward 10 months, and as 2020 drew to a targets; the risk of ‘losing’ a development (and the close, CaCHE launched a complementary report, associated investment and jobs) to a neighbouring which explored why the design quality of new build or ‘competing’ local authority; the risk of losing housing has remained stubbornly low. Wanting to a developer on planning appeal; and, as often to understand what happens on the ground came up in our interviews, the risk of not following during an average housing development process, the advice of highways officers, who frequently we chose to avoid examples of best practice and expect developers to allocate large amounts of instead examined two recently-completed, space for car-parking and roads. ‘everyday’ developments in each of five local authorities – one each in Scotland, Wales and Developers Northern Ireland and two in England. Our results were drawn from policy documents, planning It is widely known that volume housebuilders, application data and site observations, alongside who dominate the marketplace for new homes data from over 50 interviews with the actors and have a razor-sharp focus on profitability, involved in each of these developments, ranging from land promoters to housing managers.

Much of what we found is, to be frank, unlikely to surprise many readers. Delivering design value confirms, with evidence, anecdotal assumptions that we’re sure many in the housing sector probably share about the state of UK housing design.

Below we review our report’s findings from the perspective of three primary actors in the development process – local authorities, developers and Phase 2a at Great Western Park, Oxfordshire, one of our case studies Image courtesy of Gareth Clarke communities.

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use tried and tested site layouts and house types that lack design value. Participants across our case studies reported that larger housebuilders tend to be driven by a profit-focused model and are motivated by identifying ‘the path of least resistance’ to gaining planning permission. We found that volume housebuilders, the leaddeveloper in the majority of our case studies, were particularly resistant to making design investments in areas where land values are low.

Here, they also favoured standard house types because they deliver economies of scale.

In the interviews we conducted with housebuilders and their consultants, ‘viability appraisals’ were typically used to justify lowering the bar on design standards. Participants noted that developers tend to keep viability assessments confidential, thus making it difficult for local authorities to gauge how much to push developers to invest in design – a problem made worse by the fact that local authorities often rely quite heavily on the appraisals conducted by developers, and rarely have the resources to make an independent assessment.

Community We found the planning, design and development process for new housing is mostly ‘top down’ and there are precious few opportunities for genuine community engagement or co-design. In most of our case studies, engagement with local communities tended to be poorly implemented by local authorities and the housebuilding industry

alike, and local authorities and developers were typically all too aware of this failing.

Twelve recommendations In summary, our report concluded that delivering well-designed homes and neighbourhoods is crucial for health and well-being and economic growth, particularly in the context of the climate emergency and the changing socio-economic context we find ourselves in, as we (hopefully) begin to emerge from the pandemic in 2021. To this end, we make a series of 12 policy recommendations.

Our principal recommendation is that the four UK governments should consider adopting minimum design standards that establish basic urban form and site layout parameters that support the creation of sustainable and resilient places.

These standards should be implemented by local authorities using local plans that are much more ‘design-led’ and which set out a clearer design vision for the authority as a whole, incorporating design frameworks for existing neighbourhoods and masterplans for new housing development.

We further recommend that local authorities are better resourced by government to ensure that skilled designers are involved in championing and shaping design outcomes at every stage of the planning and development process.

Full report Delivering design value: https:// housingevidence.ac.uk/publications/deliveringdesign-value-the-housing-design-qualityconundrum/

Improving our neighbourhoods after the pandemic Flora Samuel from the University of Reading examines the changes we need for a better future postcoronavirus.

A recent CACHE report captures what UK policy makers, local authorities and housing providers have been thinking and doing as they try to make sense of the impact of the pandemic on homes and neighbourhoods. It gives an account of the way organisations had to adjust to new ways of working and outlines a number of themes that seem set to grow in importance over the coming year.

Changes to the planning system to accelerate economic growth have been shown not to

work in the past. There was consensus amongst interviewees that planning is much too important to be done hastily. Planning policy and local authorities that focus on wellbeing and placemaking are more resilient to events such as the pandemic, as they already had systems in place that in some way addressed many of the problems that came in its wake.

Resilience starts with the home, its design and its context. Flexible space is needed in all homes as they increasingly become places of work. All homes should have access to balconies, daylight and broadband. Digital inclusion has become a major issue as services are increasingly delivered online.

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Parks, green space and walking routes have been well used during the pandemic. Not only as a place for exercise and meetings with friends, but also as a place of escape from overcrowded and uncomfortable accommodation during the summer months. They have been particularly important to those people who lack garden space or balconies or even windows in their homes.

A statutory requirement for adequate levels of good quality green and amenity space for all new planning proposals is needed across the UK, using a measure such as the Fields In Trust barometer.

The pandemic offers an opportunity to rethink density and the way people move around their neighbourhoods. Travel and health need to be seen as an integrated agenda. Public investment is needed in integrated transport systems to ensure access for all.

The use of local services and materials needs to be encouraged at every level, especially public procurement and in the choreography of our high streets. This includes local construction companies who need support and investment (including the development of safer off site construction) as they are best positioned to deliver new homes to their communities.

Community spaces need to be protected and enhanced. They play a major role in volunteering efforts and in reducing social isolation, and could be expanded to include other purposes such as health education and the support of small businesses. Redundant buildings such as empty office and workspaces, shops and student accommodation needs to be repurposed in a responsible, holistic way that offers spillover benefits to the community; for example, urban

farming (food production being the biggest contributor to climate change).

The way that government and local authorities deliver services needs to be reviewed in light of learning from the pandemic. Advanced budgetary planning is needed for emergencies, enabling national governments and local authorities to act responsibly and efficiently without concerns about who will pay. After years of austerity there is not enough fat in the system to cover such emergencies.

Going forward, the centralisation of services needs to be reconsidered, with the government taking the lead on better dispersion of jobs across the UK, including rural areas, facilitated by digital communication. Dispersed small scale solutions may not lend themselves to current ways of auditing and promoting government achievements in this area (for example, numbers of hospitals built). Other forms of auditing that measure impact more holistically are needed to capture the value of small interventions. Perhaps the most important lesson coming from the interviews is that new administrative groupings are needed in government and local authorities to ensure joined up strategy across the health, social care, transport and planning agendas. Breaking Barriers Innovations are facing this head on.

Most importantly, the climate change emergency has been forgotten. Those interviewed for this report expressed their determination to build back better making good use of limited resources, and there was a wide sense that the disruption to entrenched ways of working caused by the pandemic should be seen as an opportunity more than a threat.

Social housing and employment The All Party Parliamentary Group at Westminster on housing and social mobility has recently held an enquiry into employment, earnings and progress and work for social tenants, writes Kenneth Gibb from CaCHE. CaCHE undertook the research function of the enquiry, which was administered by Communities that Work and Placeshapers. The research was published in October.

The enquiry was twice delayed: the 2019 general election led to the temporary closing down of

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all APPGs throughout the parliamentary system; Covid-19 and the lockdown from 23 March delayed and altered our evidence plans.

However, it was possible to complete our evidence gathering by early September and launch a report by 20 October. The three main elements of the enquiry evidence were: a background research review; more than 60 written evidence submissions; and 11 online or virtual oral evidence sessions. The enquiry was organised around three themes: what are the employment and earnings barriers facing working age social tenants; what works among housing provider employment

and training initiatives; and what is needed to support, maintain and extend the demonstrable gains made?

In undertaking this work we found, echoing earlier work by the Resolution Foundation, that employment rates are lower for social tenants but this is largely explained by personal factors and continuing structural impediments.

Social housing works by allocating people in highest need to low rent secure homes. This in itself explains why this is likely to be the case that there is a need for intervention by, amongst others, social housing providers to help facilitate the journey into work and training, and to help people progress further once they are in work.

We found that the advantages that social renting confers, such as more affordable rents and tenure security, actually facilitates and enables people to get into work. The evidence strongly suggests that the many examples of high-quality provision of employability training and work support indicate that housing providers, with their often close long-term relationships with working age people in the communities, are actually very well placed to help in this regard.

Overall, the enquiry led to a number of recommendations, four of which are highlighted below.

First of all, the enquiry stressed the need for funding continuity and for longer-term programmes of funding. There is particular concern about Brexit and the proposals to use the Shared Prosperity Fund to provide funding continuity. There needs to be clarity urgently about this uncertain situation (something not resolved by the recent Spending Review).

Second, it is clear that direct investment by the social housing sector is an important source of jobs and training. For this reason, we support the extensive targeted use of procurement and supply chains to explicitly boost local jobs, training, apprenticeships and the like. Clearly, more investment in social housing governmentsponsored programmes, such as through Homes England and also with help from regulatory standards and expectations, will all assist in this process.

Third, it is clear that there is a spatial imbalance between the extent of specific programmes and their large geography (particularly with DWP initiatives) and with the capacity of housing associations within particular regions to work in collaboration and partnership with other providers of training. We recommend that the

default size for such programmes ought to be the functional labour market area and not any larger.

Finally, we note that there are a number of structural problems beyond the housing sector that require remedy. These are well-known: greater access to affordable childcare; more affordable and improved labour market-friendly public transport routes; enhanced digital connectivity across the entirety of the UK; and direct financial support for people when they start work through temporary additional social security support to ease the transition.

We commend the enquiry report and you can read more about it and its various outputs and activities and watch a short video at the following website: https://www.communitiesthatwork.co.uk/appg/.

JOIN NOW! The Housing Studies Association (HSA) is a UK-wide membership organisation which brings together researchers, practitioners and professionals to promote the study of housing. HSA runs a programme of events including our annual conference and our public lecture on housingrelated themes. The Association also offers: • Events grant scheme enabling members to disseminate and discuss their work, • Seminar Series grant competition • Conference bursaries to early career and/or nonwaged housing researchers and practitioners • The prestigious annual Valerie Karn prize for best paper by an early career housing researcher.

Become a member from just £25 a year and access these benefits plus reduced rates to our events.

See www.housing-studies-association.org Follow us on twitter @HSA_UK.

Evidence newsletter editor: Dr Janis Bright www.hqnetwork.co.uk email: evidence@hqnetwork.co.uk  follow us on twitter @hqn_news

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SHADOW PLAY Thangam Debbonaire was appointed Shadow Housing Secretary in April 2020. Eight months on, she speaks to Mark Lawrence about how she’s found the role so far; the importance of housing to her; and what she would do if Labour were voted into power.

Name: Thangam Debbonaire Constituency: Bristol West Previous roles: Shadow Arts and Culture Minister, Shadow Brexit Minister

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2020 must have been an interesting year cyclical initiatives. to be Shadow Housing Secretary. While But Covid-19 also allowed Debbonaire to the problems within the housing system reflect on her own housing journey, seeing have long been known and debated, the the crisis through a different lens. pandemic highlighted some of the worst of She explains: “Everybody’s got a housing the system and why the safety net so many journey. You live in one for your whole life – rely on isn’t a safety net at all. or if you don’t, that’s in itself defining. This In previous years, the government would year, we’ve all had more time than we ever have plodded on with platitudes about expected to reflect on our own personal ending homelessness, but this year they housing circumstances and how we all had to act with Everyone In. It proved that relate to each other. homelessness could be ended, if only the “For most of us, the whole process of political will was there. lockdown has revealed what’s wrong with Thangam Debbonaire is the Labour MP our housing. Whether or not it’s cold and with the job of showing draughty, or whether the country everything “When you’re talking or not you have outside wrong with the housing space have been defining about climate change system, and how Labour features of the year.” and the pandemic, would fix those problems.

Her other huge two big issues of our First elected as Bristol influence comes from West MP in 2015, she her early years, living in current day, housing was appointed Shadow Sweden and experiencing has a profound impact Housing Secretary in April the approach to housing on both. Fixing them for there.

2020 by Labour Leader Keir Starmer.

And while she knows the sake of both crises is And she says this year the Scandinavian country essential.” has shown that “if you is a difficult comparison were going to design due to differences in a housing system to help our country population and land supply, she’s impressed withstand the worst of a pandemic of a by their approach. respiratory illness, you couldn’t possibly “I was very influenced by the fact council have designed a worse system”. housing could be built with a playground She doesn’t have anything more positive to in the middle and all the kitchens facing say about the way in which the government the playground, so parents could watch has handled the pandemic since. their kids play while they were making their Debbonaire voices her concerns around tea. The way in which different housing is policies such as Stamp Duty, which “doesn’t arranged too, means you can stay in the address the chronic shortage of housing,” same area your whole life.” and how the government has chosen actions Since those early years in Sweden, that “have had odd effects on the housing Debbonaire has risen through the Labour market,” rather than investing in counterranks after previous roles at domestic abuse

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charities and a promising career as a classical the Paper’s biggest fan. cellist.

She expands: “It’s utterly woeful. It’s a And now she’s Shadow Housing Secretary, Social Housing White Paper that promises she’s keen to compose some policies of her no new social housing. It’s astonishing. own.

“There were lots of things that could’ve With the current housing system playing been done to support the social housing a huge role in health and climate change, sector in the White Paper and most of them the Bristol West MP is adamant change must aren’t there. It’s odd to publish without any take place sooner rather than later. targets for how you’re going to build more.”

“At the current time we’re facing a health But her criticisms of the White Paper don’t crisis and so many homes are unhealthy, stop there. She states some of the other already costing the NHS billions – why major omissions: wouldn’t we want to fix that?”

“It feels a bit like a lack of understanding in She adds: “We can’t get to net zero without council housing. It’s been written by people housing and the Conservative government who don’t know how good council and cancelled the Labour Net Zero standard and housing association housing can be and is didn’t replace it. Now they’re talking some – it’s often the best in a neighbourhood. It weird language about ‘zero carbon ready’ feels like a lack of understanding. which doesn’t mean anything.

“There are things in the White Paper “When you’re talking about climate that are good intentions, but where are change and the pandemic, two big issues the teeth? Where’s the enforcement going of our current day, housing has a profound to come from? I’ve said that if I meet with impact on both. Fixing them for the sake of Grenfell United in three years’ time and they both crises is essential.”

One of the big events in the “If you were going to design a housing system to social housing year was the help our country withstand the worst of a pandemic release of the long-awaited of a respiratory illness, you couldn’t possibly have Social Housing White Paper. designed a worse one.”

With it came new regulations; proposals for a beefed-up Housing Ombudsman; and a commitment to tackle issues such as Decent Homes and tenant satisfaction.

“Utterly woeful”, “astonishing” and “odd” are just three phrases Debbonaire uses to describe the document. Safe to say, she isn’t

DEBBONAIRE ON SAFETY “Truly high-quality housing has got to mean safe. So, safe would mean fire safe. That should be fundamental and should be fixed by now. Government missed their own cladding removal targets and have now extended it.

Building safety shouldn’t only mean fire safety and safety of life, although that’s obviously the most important.

It should also mean aspects such as flooding and climate resilience, and the Building Safety Bill is going to present us with an opportunity to do a lot of that work.”

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“Kier said he wants Britain to be the best place to grow up and grow old in and I think housing is absolutely critical in that. I want everyone to have a home that’s genuinely affordable and not pretend affordable, that’s built to last and is climate resilient.” say ‘we’re done’, that’ll be a sign of success.

But that’s not what they’re saying now.

“Of course, that’s the legacy of Grenfell, putting tenants and residents’ voices at the heart of everything, but Grenfell Tower residents being ignored and dismissed before 2017 is part of a bigger problem, and a White Paper isn’t actual action, it’s just a promise.

“We don’t even know what timetable there is – we can’t get that out of ministers. When’s this going to happen?”

She takes a deep breath, clearly getting her frustrations off her chest, and then laughs when asked what she’d do differently, were Labour in power and she was sitting in the housing secretary chair.

“There is the immediate and then there’s the long term,” she explains.

She details “a meaningful eviction ban” she would put in place, as well as the “changes in the social security system and legal system we need” – for example, Universal Credit and Local Housing Allowance uplifts.

But in the longer term, what are her goals?

“Kier said he wants Britain to be the best

place to grow up and grow old in and I think housing’s absolutely critical in that. I want everyone to have a home that’s genuinely affordable and not pretend affordable, that’s built to last and is climate resilient.

“Affordable does not just mean in rent or mortgage, but also in terms of bills. That means retrofitting and energy efficiency, but it also means training people for the skills shortages that we definitely have.

“Then there’s the supply of housing. Social housing stock has declined in the past ten years. It’s down 90% and that’s getting worse.

Social landlords can usually cross-subsidise but with a depressing housing market, that’s difficult.

“We need a really genuine Affordable Homes Programme, not a pretend affordable one, and one that actually invests in our social and council housing.

“Given that poor housing has such a cost for both climate and health, I’d want to be finding ways of making sure there’s health checking and climate checking in every single housing policy decision.”

And while Debbonaire will be waiting in the wings to implement some of these changes, she will have to press the current incumbent, Robert Jenrick.

As she looks ahead to her lobbying, and asked about what successes she might want to see from that probing, she answers confidently: “When you have 130,000 children in temporary accommodation due to homelessness, that means 130,000 children who don’t have somewhere private to do their homework, so they’re going to be slipping even further behind in their education.

“A win would be demonstrating that this is a broken system but a fixable problem and that we, as a Labour Government, would fix it.”

So, plenty to be getting on with. Debbonaire is enthusiastic about her chances of showing up her counterpart and proving to voters that the Conservatives cannot deliver their promises on housing.

With target points such as climate change and child poverty coming down the line too, be prepared for a lot more pressure from the opposition benches on housing policy.

Debbonaire is a shadow that doesn’t seem to be fading any time soon.

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MRI Software’s vision for social housing So, you may have heard about MRI Software’s acquisition of Castleton Technology, Orchard Information Systems and Housing Partners, but what impact does this have on the UK social housing sector?

MRI Software has been built up over five decades, with expertise, innovation and experience firmly rooted in hosted software for the property sector. They are a global company yet maintain local presence and regional knowledge bases in all of the sectors in which they operate. Throughout this growth, their mission has remained the same – to give organisations freedom to transform the way communities live, work and play while elevating their businesses by delivering greater efficiencies.

MRI’s innovation is completely aligned to its customers’ needs, always keeping end-users in mind. They are no strangers to social housing; with a significant footprint in the wider UK residential market, they already serve some major housing providers and local authorities.

For MRI, growing and developing its proposition for UK social housing makes sense for them, for their existing customers and for the wider market. They have so much value to offer – for example, taking their success stories from outside the sector and looking at how they can deliver those approaches or new innovations to social housing providers. Their infrastructure means that they can bring accelerated innovation, integration, servicing and delivery to social housing.

MRI will be building on the fantastic work that Orchard, Castleton and Housing Partners have already done, leveraging the deep domain knowledge these teams have to offer as part of MRI Social Housing. Their staff are MRI’s greatest asset, and these existing local teams will continue to develop solutions for this market.

MRI’s ambition is to become the trusted technology partner of choice for social housing providers. In order to earn that right, they aim to continuously deliver, be open and transparent and partner effectively together, consciously keeping tenant experience at the forefront.

MRI has done a lot of work to-date on analysing their product portfolio and how they can create the best combined solution sets to match market needs while providing continuity of service to existing customers. What they will do is bring more solution choice, more innovation and more integration across their product set. MRI’s ethos is about offering the choice and the flexibility to create a technology platform that works best for each customer.

Their aim is to support and compliment all solutions available to the sector, not to drive out the healthy competition. MRI places tremendous value on integration in parallel with partners, hence its solutions are built on an interoperable, open technology platform. That means they can work with customers’ existing systems while facilitating greater flexibility and freedom.

Over the coming months, MRI will be aligning their teams and processes and customers will continue to see the same familiar faces across Orchard, Castleton and Housing Partners. The team is hosting a number of events to launch the combined offering of MRI Social Housing – these will be open to all housing providers in the sector.

MRI Software is proud to serve the housing sector across the UK and Ireland; as it is such a fundamental part of society and they are committed to serving its community to the best of their abilities with a deep, innovative and accessible technology platform.

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LOOKING TO THE YEAR AHEAD After a year like no other, Mark Lawrence speaks to figures from around the sector as they try and make sense of it all – and how housing may fare in 2021.

“Buckle up, because we may look back on 2020 and see that the challenges we’ve faced this year weren’t half as tricky as those to come.”

HQN has brought together some of the finest minds in the sector to give a flavour of what the big issues and flashpoints of 2021 may be.

And there are many, from homelessness and Universal Credit to housing management and fire safety. But what this year has shown is that housing providers and local authorities are resilient, even in the most trying of times.

There can be no questioning of providers’ social purpose over the course of the past year, with thousands of food packages, phone calls and deliveries being made to ensure they kept safe during the pandemic.

And with a strong emphasis on tenant empowerment in the Social Housing White Paper, it’s likely this work will continue.

One of the strongest responses to Covid-19 was the emergence of the Everybody In programme and the partnership working between central and local government, housing providers, homeless charities, and many other agencies.

And Steve Douglas, Chief Executive at St. Mungo’s, says this is something that must be channelled into 2021.

“We saw what can be done when there is a concerted multiagency response, with the right funding, to help people who are sleeping rough or experiencing other forms of homelessness.

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“There are, however, other challenges still to overcome. The benefit system and local housing allowances do not work for the poorest or those just about managing; a recession will push many more into homelessness; and unless there is a solution after the eviction ban ends in Spring 2021, we will expect many to lose their homes.

“As we move towards a post-pandemic recovery, we should work towards longerterm solutions and multi-year settlements that align funding for homelessness and support services.”

And Rachael Orr, PlaceShapers Director, says the sector and country as a whole will have to work hard to ensure rough sleeping does not become the “enduring housing image of 2021”.

She adds: “700,000 households are already in rent arrears and around 2.5 million households across the UK are worried about paying their rent over the winter according to recent research by the JRF. After the amazing success of the initial Everyone In scheme, the great partnership work it inspired, it is incumbent on all of us to ensure soaring homelessness is not the next casualty of the Covid pandemic.”

And as Douglas mentioned earlier, a lot of that work is going to have to be around ensuring the benefit system is fit for purpose.

Universal Credit has had a lot of critics, and it continues to be an issue going forward.

With a tidal wave of new claimants early in the pandemic, the system coped fairly well, with uplifts of £20 and a raising of Local Housing Allowance rates to 30% of market rents making a difference.

Chloe Fletcher, Policy Director at the National Federation of ALMOs, outlines some changes that need to be made.

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She calls for the end of the five-week wait, saying “it seems particularly perverse to build five weeks of absolute destitution into a so-called safety net”.

She adds: “Our research shows that on average it takes about 18 months for people to clear their UC-triggered rent arrears, with all the stress and worry that entails alongside cashflow problems for landlords.

UC ‘advances’ are simply more debt, and repayment begins immediately from the very first payment.

“Claimants then don’t have enough money for the following month and are caught from that point on in a never-ending spiral of debt and confusion.

“Then there are the benefit caps which can leave households with no help at all for housing costs, however reasonable they may be. In the firing line here are families with more than one child or who have larger social sector homes at official ‘affordable’ rent.”

Another huge piece of this homelessness and welfare system puzzle is evictions. Banned as the pandemic swept through the country, and left in place for six months, there are many parts of the sector calling for a reintroduction of that blanket ban.

Angus King, of the Law Society’s housing committee, says there is need for change.

“Unless long-term plans and investments in the housing sector are made to help tenants impacted by the economic impact of Covid-19, whilst incentivising landlords to keep tenants in properties, 2021 is likely to see a shortage of housing.

“The benefit system and local housing allowances do not work for the poorest or those just about managing; a recession will push many more into homelessness; and unless there is a solution after the eviction ban ends in Spring 2021, we will expect many to lose their homes.”

“Additionally, tenants will continue to accumulate significant rent arrears. This may lead to an increase in ‘no-fault’ evictions and therefore a limited availability of access to justice for tenants. The new possessions procedure is unlikely to be able to tackle this increase in evictions. This will require legislative changes MHCLG has ruled out.”

And on homelessness, King says the failure to build on the Everyone In programme could be dangerous for many.

Calls for government to do more doesn’t stop there. While the impact is well documented on tenants, private landlords also have concerns.

While many have been ostracised for trying to raise rents, threaten tenants, and evict people during the pandemic, many have also lost money and are being forced out of the market.

According to Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, “many landlords have gone the extra mile to keep tenants in their homes throughout the dark days of the pandemic, but some are now struggling to keep their heads above water themselves.

“Data shows landlords have lost up to £437m so far, and in 2021 we will be continuing to campaign for a comprehensive financial package from government to support the sector and allow tenants to pay off rent arrears.

“The Covid-19 crisis put back many of the legislative changes we were expecting

to see in 2020, but as 2021 progresses we expect to see some movement, not least on the Renters Reform Bill, which will see the government eventually abolish Section 21 repossessions.”

Expect the abolishing of section 21 evictions, or ‘no fault evictions’ as they are known, to be a major debate in 2021, with a new renters coalition recently created to give a unified private tenant voice.

And it’s also in this area that HQN Associate Emma Lindley thinks there will be most change in 2021.

She gives her overview: “Will we see the return of the Renters Reform Bill on the Parliamentary timetable in 2021 and with it the end of two-month notices for good and a new requirement for tenancies to be for a minimum of three years?

“And let’s hope we know the outcome of a few recent consultations a bit quicker than was the case with the Social Housing White Paper. If proposals remain largely unchanged, we’ll see preparations for the Future Homes Standard 2025, a national EPC compliance database, a new HHSRS system, and lifetime deposits.

“Of course, we also await what the future of the PRS market will be post-Covid – will the short-term letting sector rebound, how many landlords will exit the market if rent has gone unpaid for many months, will there be a tsunami of evictions resulting in homelessness coupled with cherry picking of tenants for the available properties? And HOUSING QUALITY MAGAZINE JANUARY 2021

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“Unless long-term plans and investments in the housing sector are made to help tenants impacted by the economic impact of Covid-19, whilst incentivising landlords to keep tenants in properties, 2021 is likely to see a shortage of housing.”

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how might demand change as the working from home revolution drives an escape to the country and a race for space?”

Lots of questions as we make our way through 2021 and lots to think about for policymakers as they navigate what could be another fast-changing year.

And what about the key considerations for boards and executive teams as they work out their future and what priorities need to change?

One that won’t have changed from last year is that of safety.

With ongoing slow and poor actions from central government, it’s falling on housing associations and local authorities to have to go it alone and do what they think is right, with or without the funding they desperately need.

HQN Associate Vicki Cutler says ensuring tenants are safe is a “fundamental responsibility of social landlords” and there should be “no excuse” for not meeting fire, legionella, electric, gas, asbestos, and lift safety compliance.

She adds that “competence” is something she believes strongly in and should be heard wider in the sector.

“Whilst everyone is tightening their belt, which is understandable, it should be higher standards as opposed to low cost that are the key drivers to appointing external contractors to deliver services that are required to ensure tenant and resident safety.

“Sadly, far too many times have I seen poor standards that have the reverse effect, and the provider is left picking up the, often broken, pieces at significant cost.”

Cutler’s also keen to see resident engagement move up the safety agenda,

saying “involving the right people in the safety message can and will bring huge benefits to providers who actively work alongside their customers to improve the safety in their homes, communal areas as well as in the wider communities.”

But two issues that are changing all the time are building new homes and decarbonisation. The latter being an issue getting more urgent as the months roll past.

Steve Ellard, Strategic Asset Manager at Beyond Housing, says the sector needs to get to grips fast with this agenda.

“Anyone who thought the decent homes programmes in the run up to 2012 were challenging is likely to struggle with the concept of deep retrofit and carbon-zero at the scale that is being considered.

managers, Ellard summarises: “I’ve long believed that data is the key to effective asset management. The regulator agrees and referenced as much in their Sector Risk Profile.

“The section Stock condition and asset management focussed on the need for associations to have up to date, professionally sourced data.

“Couple this challenge with the longawaited focus on building safety and transparency referenced in the Social Housing White Paper, and I suspect organisations may find their information on fire doors, smoke alarms, and carbon monoxide detection somewhat below expectations.”

And on building, Paul Hackett, Optivo Chief Executive, believes there are “Anyone who thought the decent homes “reasons to be optimistic” about the future of housebuilding, despite programmes in the run up to 2012 were there being threats on the horizon challenging is likely to struggle with the concept such as the end of Help to Buy and of deep retrofit and carbon-zero at the scale that Brexit.

“Housing associations are longis being considered.” term investors, committed to building through thick and thin.

“There is reason for optimism, though.

“And although we saw delays to Government have recognised the need construction in 2020, construction activity is for subsidy in this area and have launched almost back to normal. several funds aimed at tackling inefficient “So, threats aplenty. But, for our part at homes. The fact that the complexity of least, a quiet confidence we’ll be able to ride the main demonstrator fund is such that out the storm.” it has quashed the ambitions of a number It’s the first spark of real positivity about of housing associations is a clear case of the future for the sector but it’s not the last. a swing and a miss. Hopes are high for the Martyn Hague, Director of Neighbourhoods looming decarbonisation fund in 2021.” at ForHousing, shared some of his thoughts But what else is there on the cards for on the future of frontline services. asset management in 2021? With mentions “Lockdown has provided the foundations in the Social Housing White Paper on for a new approach to tenancy sustainment. several areas that impact the work of asset Without the ability to use enforcement HOUSING QUALITY MAGAZINE JANUARY 2021

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action there has been much more emphasis on prevention. Even when the restrictions on evictions are lifted the sector should build on this approach in 2021.

“We need to keep investing in our online offers and improving digital access but crucially we must ensure that tenants are part of the journey – maintaining trusting relationships through constantly communicating and ensuring people are shaping services, not left behind by them.”

And this importance of placing tenants at the heart of what housing does was a integral part of the White Paper.

“We should also look ahead with optimism. 2020 has forced us to think and work differently. New partnerships have emerged, staff and residents across our sector have worked together to respond to the needs of their communities.”

It is something Karen Cooper, Chair of the G320, the body that represents smaller housing associations, says must continue.

“In 2021 there are likely to be two keys areas of focus – increasing poverty/unemployment and an escalation in mental issues. Whilst these have always been a part of our work, I think we will all need to put additional resources in supporting residents (and in the case of the latter, staff too) in these areas.

“The pandemic has refocussed the sector as a whole on resident welfare and the White Paper endorses this shift.

“2021 and beyond will present some real challenges for the sector but it also presents a fantastic opportunity to review how we work with a view to making a real difference

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to our residents.”

Her rallying call for the sector is not too dissimilar from that of Angela Lockwood, Chief Executive at North Star Housing Group.

She notes that already many regions in the North East were struggling at the “wrong end of the deprivation table” and that Covid-19 has only exacerbated that.

But she remains fired up to do what needs to be done.

“We will increase our focus on communities that will need attention like never before and work with them in whatever way is required, because we are deeply connected,” she says.

“Our drive for regeneration will not diminish because we know it is essential for economic growth. We will do all we can to support people into work, claim benefits, manage debt, feed families and we will provide an environment where people can find hope and a way through with dignity and respect.

“We will consider what is needed to tackle increasingly transparent inequality starting with our own organisations. We will forge even stronger collaborative partnerships to enable all of this to happen and will be at our best creatively, sharing solutions and experimenting where needed.”

The other aspect needed to breed confidence is having third parties who are also invested in making the sector a better place and tackling many of the issues.

The Housing Ombudsman is just one of those bodies. They have a “beefed up” remit in the White Paper, and are looking to transform their approach, with some considerable results already.

Richard Blakeway, the Housing Ombudsman, said this about the year to

come: “The White Paper makes clear the importance of our service within the social housing sector and emphasises other significant changes to our powers and role.

“This includes closer work with the Regulator of Social Housing as part of strengthened consumer regulation, raising awareness of redress and supporting the development of the Access to Information Scheme. Next year will be critical for making progress against these objectives.

“To support this, alongside our extensive engagement with landlords, we are creating a new Resident Panel, comprising 100 residents from across England and reflecting the range of member landlords.

“Next year will also see the start of our ‘Meet the Ombudsman’ events, virtually at first, coinciding with our quarterly Insight reports. These events will provide an opportunity for listening and discussion. For us to listen as a service as well as share our learning.”

And while many of these issues are also pertinent in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, they also have their own challenges.

For Wales and Scotland, there are elections to look forward to.

Keith Edwards, HQN Associate, says “if you want to see progressive housing policies in practice” then Wales is where you need to look.

He adds: “Building new social housing, a massive decarbonisation programme for existing homes, and a growing role for associations as agents of recovery will be cornerstones of Labour and Plaid manifestos.

“And there is a real prosect that the next government will bring forward legislation to enshrine the right to housing in law –

a policy which also has the support of Conservatives.”

And this hopefulness is also felt in Scotland, where Sally Thomas, Chief Executive at the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, said: “The pandemic means it’s now even more important that we secure a commitment to build the affordable homes Scotland requires between 2021–2026 – as well as the funding to deliver them.

“We must remain hopeful and connected as we look to 2021. Scotland and its people are going to need the social and economic benefits which only our sector can deliver.”

There is plenty housing will need to be looking at. But 2021 presents exciting opportunities, and housing should embrace that.

It’s fitting that this feature started with a quote from Rachael Orr, Director at PlaceShapers, and therefore should also end with one.

“I think an increasing place-based thinking and approach might further emerge in 2021. This should mean plenty of opportunities for housing associations to show that they are real anchors in their communities and be a central part of our social and economic recovery. Let’s get to it.”

Indeed, let’s get to it.

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TAKING THE CROWN After a long process of presentations, blogs, and then a final pitch to the judges, only one could be crowned the inaugural winner of HQN’s Housing’s Next Generation competition, sponsored by FuzzLab.

T

he inaugural Housing’s Next Generation competition has thrown enthusiastic young housing professionals together as they presented their ideas on how to tackle some of the sector’s big issues.

The competition started with 15 young housing professionals delivering a presentation on one idea that would change the sector for the better.

From there, the eight semi-finalists were asked to write three blogs on a range of topics – from the use of technology in customer service to exploring whether housing has bitten off more than it can chew.

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The final five were then asked to present on how housing can support young people who have been disproportionately impacted by Covid-19.

And it was a fantastic final.

All five were highly commended by the judges, with the panel praising the energy, passion, and pragmatism that was on show.

And with all taking different approaches to the question, it showed the wide range of choices that housing providers have when dealing with this problem, from mental health support to providing a tenure option for those who need it.

1st place: Kathleen Menzies, Housing Services Officer, Link Housing Association Kath was hugely passionate in her presentation and her qualities shone through in the final, with Head Judge Alistair McIntosh praising her energy, saying “she was the business”.

The final topic asked her to consider the impact of Covid-19 on young people, and Kath focused her attentions on youth homelessness and how housing could create a better offer to deal with the issue.

She said part of helping with youth homelessness would be to ensure young people know where to turn when they need housing.

She stated that housing is often thought of as the “fourth emergency service” and while those other services go into schools, so all children know exactly what they do and how to spot them, housing is nowhere to be seen.

She also said there was a need to have young voices involved in the housing system earlier than they are currently, saying it would help with reviews of services, staff and stock.

Kath also came up with several ideas, such as increased use of Housing First, empowering young people, integrating and tailoring services, and building more social housing.

Judges praised her presentation, with FuzzLab CEO, Scott Summers calling it “real solutions to real problems,” while Matthew Walker of Leeds Federated HA said he could “feel your frustration and you believe what you are saying”.

And when quizzed by the judges, her passion came through further, saying there was a need to promote housing as an “anchor institution”, adding that it was a fundamental part of people’s lives. She said: “If you take away housing, you pull someone’s life apart.”

When asked about what she would tell Nicola Sturgeon were she sat with her (2m apart, obviously!), Kath answered: “Build more homes.”

Kath had previously impressed judges in her semi-final blogs, with her forensic look at the questions and different approach to some of the others.

Her third blog on whether housing has bitten off more than it can chew particularly impressed the judges, as she set out some real and hard hitting questions for the sector.

On winning, Kath said: “I was so delighted to be put forward for this competition. The rounds were thought-provoking and challenged me to really consider the topics put forward. In the final, I was glad to be supported by my leadership team; and the topic I presented on, (Youth) Homelessness was a topic any housing professional can get behind!

“I am so thrilled to be crowned the winner of Housing’s Next Generation inaugural competition! The whole experience has pushed me out of my comfort zone – and has inspired me to try and do more, with the support of Link Housing Association.

“I would encourage any young aspirational leaders to participate in future – the whole experience was beneficial for me; and I was glad to be able to speak about All in for Change, a collation of frontline workers and people with lived experience who are working together in Scotland to bring about the change required to end homelessness.

“Thank you to HQN, the judges, Link Housing Association, and, of course, everyone who supported throughout by voting for me!”

“If you take away housing, you pull someone’s life apart”

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2nd place: Jessica Marshall, Environment Impact Coordinator, Orbit Group

“Who is better placed to help young people than social housing providers?”

Jessica used her presentation to outline a new housing offer for young people struggling with the impact of Covid-19.

Commenting that young people were less likely to know their rights or where to turn to, as well as being more likely to be working multiple jobs that are in industries such as hospitality which have been badly hit, she said the pandemic had “accelerated negative situations for young people”.

Her new offer is based around a halls of residence and supported housing hybrid, where young people can have their independence while also getting the vital support they need.

She said: “Who is better to help young people than social housing providers?” adding that organisations could create a platform where young people helped themselves too.

When quizzed further on the idea by the judges, she said it would work a little like key worker housing, with age criteria, and would need to have important links to educational bodies.

Jessica also said the benefits for the future were massive, with support and guidance leading to better tenancy sustainment, fewer arrears, and less need for support.

She was praised for speaking from the heart, not using a presentation, and giving a logical approach.

3rd place: Halisha Kaur, Senior Regeneration Officer, Accord Group Halisha brought passion to the final from the very beginning, giving the first presentation and immediately impressing the judges with her positive and engaging style.

She said that young people were currently having an extremely tough time – from being labelled ‘snowflakes’ to being the age group most impacted by redundancy due to Covid-19.

She presented a list of hard-hitting mental health statistics too, saying it was really important to help young people with their mental health. For example, 70% of 18-24 year olds are experiencing more anxiety, she said.

Halisha said housing can and should be playing a leading role in helping.

Volunteering opportunities, mental health support, investment in their future, and diversity are all key ways in which the sector can be supportive.

The creation of an under-35s group that will allow young people to “share experiences and learn from each other” was a key pillar of this plan, with peer to peer support being noted as a useful avenue.

She said: “If we have a platform for the youth of the sector, that will resonate. We have a duty to make ourselves known.”

She said this group could be nationwide and enter schools and colleges to show that housing is a “good profession to join”.

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“We are not all in the same boat”

4th place: Natalie Makin, Energy Services Team Leader, Stockport Homes Natalie was the last of the presentations in the final but didn’t disappoint the judges with her ideas and presentation.

Setting out that “the impact on young people could be one of Covid-19’s most damaging legacies”, she said there was need to reverse the impacts on social interactions, ASB, food and fuel poverty, and the impact of pressures at home.

Natalie said housing was “ideally placed” to help with all of these issues, claiming that organisations could adapt delivery to improve youth engagement, maintain a presence in the area, mental health support, and referrals to other services.

She stressed the second point in that list – maintaining a presence – as being massively important, while communicating clearly so that the young people being helped get the right services.

Natalie urged the sector to not only develop existing collaborations but also create “exciting new collaborations” and to tap into other organisations’ specialisms. She said if the sector pulls together “it can support more people”.

She also made the case for housing to get more of a presence in local schools and colleges, saying this could help develop skills such as understanding bills, reducing energy, and much more.

“The impact on young people could be one of Covid-19’s most damaging legacies”

5th place: Harry Forshaw, Youth Volunteer Coordinator, Poplar HARCA

“If we can foster and nourish these communities, it will benefit everyone in the long term”

Harry used his experience in his day job to delve deeper into the impacts on young people, highlighting that those from a BAME community or who identify as LGBT are more likely than the average young person to be negatively impacted.

He added that many young people living in poor conditions means that it is not just education and employment that is impacted but it also increases the likelihood of catching Covid-19.

Harry created an idea called CODE, which he believes will help housing organisations develop an offer for young people: • Consultation with young people • Outreach – directly engaging on their terms • Diversification – bringing minority communities in • Empowerment – allowing young people to create positive change.

He said that by using the above model, housing could “create the leaders and change masters of the future”.

He added: “If we can foster and nourish these communities, it will benefit everyone in the long term.”

Harry believes there is a need to turn frustration into “positive actions” and said housing can bring young people into the decision making at a much earlier stage.

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Responding to a changing world As housing emerges from 2020 a little bruised but fighting on, HQN pulled together some chief executives from across the sector to take a look at the future, including the decarbonisation agenda, housing management, and the Social Housing White Paper.

What do you get when you have eight chief executives on a Zoom call together? A CEO roundtable of course!

Chaired by Alistair McIntosh, HQN Chief Executive, the leaders debated all sorts of issues and ways in which the sector could achieve some of its aims.

For example, there was some disagreement on the way forward in decarbonisation, with various areas of the country needing different things at different times.

Other areas of discussion were around safety, building new homes, and the future of frontline services.

Of course, there couldn’t be a discussion without talking about responses to the Social Housing White Paper, with participants sharing their views on the increased regulations and how certain measures will be implemented.

Take a look at the video on the opposite page to watch the roundtable unfold.

In association with

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A list of the participants Chair: Alistair McIntosh, HQN Helen Evans, Network Homes David Done, RHP Chan Kataria, emh Group Cym D’Souza, Arawak Walton Paul Smith, Elim Housing Victoria Slade, Cynon Taf John Verge, Golden Lane Housing

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COMMENT

Building safety: the gold standard Rose Klemperer is a senior associate in the housing corporate and governance team at Penningtons Manches Cooper.

“And industry must be in no doubt that it is not enough to wait for the Bill to become law before they implement changes; we expect them to start taking action now.” – Dame Judith Hackitt.

The publication of the Building Safety Bill (the BSB) and the Social Housing White Paper (the SHWP) and the launch of the Building Safety Fund (the BSF) mean that all housing providers, and asset management teams in particular, should be taking some immediate actions.

The SHWP proposes an overhaul of the Regulator of Social Housing’s current consumer regulation regime. The key points of the SHWP are addressed in our article here. The BSB has been heralded as the biggest improvement to building safety in nearly 40 years and, when enacted, will see regulatory changes throughout a building’s lifecycle. The BSF provides £1 billion to assist with the remediation of unsafe cladding systems on buildings over 18 metres.

The Regulator of Social Housing has told the sector in no uncertain terms that it should be on top of building safety regulation. So, what do housing providers need to do to prepare for forthcoming changes and get on the front foot when it comes to building safety?

1. Understanding your stock and data assurance: • The BSB will introduce new provisions targeted specifically at protecting residents of high rise buildings. If relevant to your properties, have you considered what the proposed recommendations and requirements under the BSB will mean and how to meet these, including the appointment of an ‘accountable person’ for higher risk buildings?

• How does your board have assurance that the stock data being presented to it is accurate and up-to-date? Do any processes and/or procedures around stock data need to be updated or amended?

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2. Applications under the BSF: • If you’re proposing to apply for funds under the BSF, the deadline is 31 December 2020 and it will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

• If you have applied, how is the application progressing? Several of our clients are finding it challenging to obtain the survey reports and tender returns required to meet the ambitious timeframe set by the BSF, encountering delays with the BSF’s response times and gaps/conflicting information in the application guidance.

3. Residents’ engagement strategy: • The BSB, if enacted in its current form, requires the ‘accountable person’ to maintain, alongside a safety case report (essentially a document demonstrating the building is safe for occupation), a residents’ engagement strategy. This will cover resident engagement and complaints handling. This should be considered in parallel with changes in the new NHF Code of Governance 2020, a strengthened Housing Ombudsman Scheme and Complaint Handling Code, and the transparency and accountability proposals surrounding resident engagement contained within the SHWP. Despite competing priorities and risks, it is clear that resident safety cannot be compromised. Providers must ensure they are clear on their health and safety responsibilities, including for building safety, and that they can evidence compliance and are already preparing for the upcoming requirements.

With such high stakes, providers cannot afford to gamble.

Penningtons Manches Cooper is an international law firm with a large social housing sector offering across England and Wales.

Our fire safety team, headed by Peter Massey, is engaged with investors and providers of housing across the sector to ensure they met these requirements head on and can assist you to streamline your processes to ensure you approach the issues is a systematic and manageable way.

Having acted on numerous portfolio reviews, we can also assist you to prioritise and tailor your investigations to be as efficient and cost effective as possible.

Showing high standards through accreditation Congratulations to all the organisations below who were accredited or re-accredited in 2021, showing they are leading in the sector in all manner of fields, including Income Management and Repairs.

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IT: TOR ACCRCED ONTRAC DLO /

To find out more about our accreditation services please contact Anna Pattison on 01904 557197 or anna.pattison@hqnetwork.co.uk HOUSING QUALITY MAGAZINE JANUARY 2021

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COMMENT

The future of building safety It has been over three years since the tragedy at Grenfell Tower and progress has been slower than many in the sector would like.

Here, Dan Daly, Head of NFCC Protection Policy and Reform Unit, outlines what changes are needed in 2021.

Following the tragic Grenfell Tower fire, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) has engaged closely with government and other key stakeholders on the building safety programme. Significant action is being taken forward to help deliver safer buildings for residents.

Whilst we have broadly welcomed the changes that have been announced so far through the Fire Safety Bill and the draft Building Safety Bill, we have also expressed frustration at the pace of remediation to date.

Supporting government The NFCC has an important role to play in both supporting the government with our technical expertise and understanding of the sector, and, where we do not think the legislation goes far enough, or more clarification is required, to continue to challenge and push for changes.

One of the areas that the NFCC is helping to bring about the needed improvements is through its Chairing of The Fire Protection Board. The board launched The Building Risk Review (BRR) Programme to improve understanding of and help reduce the fire risk in high-rise residential buildings.

The programme, supported by government funding, aims to “significantly increase the pace of inspection activity across high rise residential buildings to ensure all have been inspected or reviewed by the end of 2021�.

In March 2020, the first Building Risk Review exercise (Phase one) focusing on ACM buildings was

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successfully completed by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs). Phase two of the BRR is well under way and working towards completion by the end of December 2021.

This information will then be shared with government partners to inform other work across the Building Safety Programme, including the prioritisation of buildings in scope for safety cases under the new Building Safety Regulator when it is established.

We have huge sympathy with residents in buildings with non-compliant cladding systems and inherent building deficiencies; this situation is not the fault of residents, nor is it the fault of fire and rescue services who are doing their best to mitigate the risk.

New guidance In October, a group of professional organisations, led by the NFCC, updated the simultaneous evacuation guidance, introducing a number of key changes.

The guidance reinforces the expectation that building owners should move to install common fire alarms as quickly as possible to reduce or remove the dependence on waking watches.

It also provides a clear distinction between waking watch and evacuation management as separate roles, and emphasises that residents can carry out waking watches and/or evacuation management duties so long as they are appropriately trained.

The guidance also provides new definitions. Shortterm: the time required to formulate a longer-term remediation plan as soon as practically possible, and no longer than 12 months; and temporary: nonpermanent measures implemented to mitigate an unacceptable risk in a building, as an interim measure, adopted for the safety of residents while works to rectify the identified fire safety failings are carried out.

Whilst publishing the updated guidance was an important step, we are now looking at how we can best raise awareness of the changes.

The overriding priority for NFCC for the future of building safety is to make sure there is change in the way that buildings are constructed, refurbished and managed safely.

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HOUSING QUALITY MAGAZINE JANUARY 2021

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COMMENT

Social Housing White Paper shows ASB must be a priority

Rebecca Bryant OBE, Chief Executive at Resolve, looks at what the government is planning to introduce to tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB) and how housing can get ahead of the game.

By now we’ve all had a chance to digest the Social Housing White Paper – but what does it mean for our sector?

Hopefully, it means assistance and a recognition that ASB must be tackled within our communities.

But we cannot be complacent.

These have been difficult times for our profession. ASB cases have risen dramatically since lockdown began. Police reported that incidents of ASB between March and May 2020 more than doubled from last year.

Our research backs that up, with 30% of respondents saying ASB has got worse since the first lockdown and 55% telling us that more needs to be done to tackle it in their local area.

The Social Housing White Paper should be encouraging news for ASB professionals. ASB features heavily in the document, being mentioned no fewer than 26 times!

This will no doubt push this issue up the agenda for leadership teams and boards.

Specifically, the encouraging signs are that the White Paper

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states that government will clarify the roles of agencies involved in tackling ASB and signpost tenants to those agencies that can give them the most appropriate support and assistance when faced with the menace.

That could be a huge help, as our research tells us that over half of all ASB goes unreported at all, with just 7% reporting it to their housing association or landlord.

This must improve, as under proposals set out in the document landlords will need to measure ASB performance as part of big changes to the regulator.

With ASB at the forefront of public and political thinking, it’s important we demonstrate the impact we can have.

There are powers available to organisations to deal with ASB in the community. However, the latest report from the Civil Justice Council (CJC) highlights that they’re not being used to their potential.

The report highlighted how people who commit ASB often face jail, or no action is taken against them. Neither outcome is often desirable and there is a middle ground.

Positive requirements can change behaviours and should be imposed more to change attitudes and behaviours.

Indeed, among the CJC report’s recommendations are widening the scope and provision of the NHS Liaison and Diversion Service, to ensure a joined-up approach by local agencies to tackle the underlying causes of ASB. Let’s hope our next research shows a drop in ASB figures.

What does the White Paper say about ASB? The White Paper makes it clear ASB is one of its priorities, with it mentioned as part of the new Tenant Satisfaction Measures .

In the draft set of Tenant Satisfaction Measures, it reads that the “number of complaints relating to antisocial behaviour, relative to the size of the landlord” would be included, as well as “tenant satisfaction with landlord’s handling of ASB”.

There will also be considerations for other teams in the organisation: “We are mindful that the design of a neighbourhood or estate, and the homes within them, can also be a factor in local levels of crime and anti-social behaviour.”

In a summary of ASB, the government adds: “We will make it clear to tenants who can give them the most appropriate support and assistance. This will include information on the Community Trigger.”

It adds: “We will work with the National Housing Federation and Local Government Association to encourage social landlords to inform residents of their right to make a community trigger application, and where appropriate, that they act as an advocate in supporting tenants to take an application forward with the relevant authority.”

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A day in the life of...

Jo Sylvester Tenancy Enforcement Officer & Cuckooing Champion Ongo

Employee since: March 2012 Location, location, location: North Lincolnshire Previous Employment: Housing Officer, Ongo

Morning person 06:30 I am definitely a morning person, so even my annoying alarm tone doesn’t dull my mood. It’s straight up and on for me, with a cup of tea in hand of course.

08:45

Every day is different My original plan is to get to work and catch up with admin but sticking to a plan is a rarity for me. My first job is to visit a victim of cuckooing, who the day before was luckily stopped from withdrawing money.

09:30

Spotting the signs I had been to see this tenant previously and it was clear he was vulnerable.

He explained he was lonely, and who the people taking control of his money and home were.

10:30

Head to HQ Back at Ongo House, I spend time preparing reports for multiagency meetings and presentations to deliver at local conferences. I also catch up with the team, prepare Notice Seeking Possessions and compile witness statements for upcoming court cases.

12:15

Keeping it local I like to support a local café in the town centre at lunchtime. Today was a take away as I’d arranged plain clothes door knocks with police officers, on an estate where drug dealing was occurring.

14:00

An afternoon of evidence With the help of my amazing colleagues and Humberside Police, I supported a victim of cuckooing, and obtained enough evidence to warrant further investigations.

16:00

National award news Being met by “Congratulations Jo!” on every floor of the office made for one of my favourite days at work. I’d just found out that my team had put me forward for “Project of The Year” in the national Resolve Awards, and I’d been shortlisted. I was overwhelmed and super proud of us all.

My perfect day:

18:00

Time to talk I arrived home to tea on the table and a celebratory glass of wine. Over tea my partner Matt and I always talk about our day, good and bad. This helps to leave the day behind and supports good mental health.

My perfect day would be very simplistic. I would start by having a lie in and a cup of tea in bed to help me wake up. Since moving away from my home town I love to get together with friends, which very often results in food and drink options, and 20:00

Calm before the storm of course a good ol’ fashion chin wag. On Matt was watching the football, so I took the opportunity to an evening it would be settling down on play Lego Star Wars on the Xbox. After a long day I love nothing the sofa with a movie and putting more than playing this game – I find the virtual smashing up of the surround sound on to get items very therapeutic. This was the calm before the storm of the full effects. Perfect! what I anticipated to be a super busy tomorrow.

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Resident’s view How to tackle social housing stigma?

By Bob Skipp I’ve been a social housing resident for However, the key most of my life. I’m also a Regional Scrutiny is that everyone one Committee member at my housing needs to tackle it. It’s association, Clarion, as well as a volunteer not just the responsibility of for many other community initiatives. That’s tenants or landlords alone. It has to be a almost 72 years of experience living and group effort where all stakeholders have a working in a social housing environment hand in gradually changing the reputation many people in the UK unfortunately view associated with social housing. Small steps negatively. like working to instil pride in the area by Social housing for many years had residents taking care of their community and stigma attached to it, which has been a landlords addressing resident issues goes a perception that’s difficult to shake, and has long way. For instance, I once visited a friend a direct impact on the residents. I love my in Liverpool who lived on the social housing community and I strive every day to find development called The Eldonian Village. ways to help my neighbours. On my estate, Just a small thing like naming the area as a there’s a good mixture of social and private ‘village’ rather than an ‘estate’ immediately tenants and of people from all walks of life. changed the perception to the public.

Something I’m sure you’ll find is the same in The need to tackle stigma became non-social housing communities. The only apparent through feedback received from difference between the two is that there’s a workshop held at a Clarion resident always been a stigma attached to social housing estates and the “However, the key is that everyone one needs to people who live there.

I remember one occasion when tackle it. It’s not just the responsibility of tenants or I was walking home and came landlords alone. It has to be a group effort.” across a lady who’d parked her Range Rover in the estate and was dumping her rubbish at the side of the engagement day in late 2018. To address road. I asked what her what she was doing the issue, Clarion has set up a project group and the excuse I got was that it didn’t matter with other housing associations, local because it was “just a housing estate”. This councils, and sector groups like HQN and type of sentiment surfaces in small things the Chartered Institute of Housing to drive like the way people react when they find a collective voice on the subject of stigma out where you live, or how you’re treated by countrywide. I’ve seen things have improved people in public services, to extreme cases over time, as my area was once seen as like the lady with the Range Rover. For years undesirable, but by working together with there have been programmes and articles Clarion and other residents, we’ve been put out by the media that portray negative able to change perceptions. This isn’t going images of living in social housing, which is to be easy but by working as a collective then accepted as fact by people who don’t voice to promote the positive contributions know any different. social housing residents make to their Stigma is like the elephant in the room; communities and society, we can fight the it’s there but no one wants to tackle it. stigma.

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The last word How PA Housing is using lockdown lessons to help communities bounce back

By Dilip Kavi, CEO of PA Housing

“It is my firm belief that these relatively small steps are crucial in tackling inequality and helping deliver on our social and charitable purpose as a housing provider.”

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It goes without saying that 2020 will be a year none of us will ever forget.

As a housing provider with 5,500 of our 23,000 homes in Leicester, we had the experience of operating in a city that was the first to be placed into an extended local Covid-19 lockdown. What lessons have we taken from this and what are my personal reflections as a CEO? My mantra throughout the pandemic has been to have a constant dialogue – with our customers and also with our local authority partners and suppliers.

We have used these insights to shape our response in Leicester and in all of our communities across the Midlands, South East and London.

So, what has been our approach?

First, we have stress-tested our business planning to ensure we remain in a strong financial position to be able to continue to deliver for our customers.

A key focus for our board continues to be the impact on residents’ income – especially those facing financial hardship.

We have worked hard to identify and keep abreast of resident needs right across our customer base. It has become clear that, as identified in the government report, BAME customers have been disproportionately affected by the virus.

As a result, we have been able to focus our interventions where we know they will have the most benefit. For instance, we have donated £50,000 to charities operating foodbanks during the pandemic. We gave £20,000 to the

Trussell Trust through the sectorwide More Than Homes campaign, and £30,000 to local charities in Leicester and the East Midlands that provide food parcels for BAME communities.

It is my firm belief that these relatively small steps are crucial in tackling inequality and helping deliver on our social and charitable purpose as a housing provider.

Going hand-in-hand with this approach is the work we have done to review and update our corporate plan in light of Covid-19 and also what we expected to be in the Social Housing White Paper – just published in November. Our corporate plan sets out some largescale steps we are taking to support our communities. For instance, we have committed to double our housebuilding to provide 6,000 more homes by 2030.

Of course, we could do none of this without our amazing people.

Throughout the pandemic, we didn’t make any redundancies due to Covid-19 or use the furlough scheme – and this stance remained the same in lockdown 2.0. It is perhaps a cliché, but I firmly believe happy staff equals happy customers.

The Covid-19 pandemic has blighted all of our lives, but our responsibility as a social housing provider is to support our communities to bounce back.

In doing so, our aim is to tackle inequality and poverty, helping create more resilient, happy places for our customers to enjoy their lives.

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