About Us The Northern Housing Consortium represents the views of housing organisations in the North of England. With over 30 years expertise and influence; strong relationships with local and national government; and unrivalled respect and credibility within the housing sector, we are the North’s leading membership body. Our range of services include: • Policy & Strategy • Performance & Practice • Procurement • Conference & Events The Northern Housing Consortium is a not for distributed profit making membership organisation. Full membership is drawn from Local Authorities, Arms Length Management Organisations (ALMO’s), Registered Providers (RP’s) and other stakeholder organisations involved in housing from across the three Northern Government Office regions of the North East, North West and Yorkshire & Humberside. Our primary role is to support and represent our Members, who, between them are responsible for two thirds of social housing in the North. We do this through the provision of a range of products and services aimed at ensuring that the interest of the North are fully consulted, represented and served at sub-regional, regional and national level. Our position of independence; relationships with local and national government; support from our Member organisations, and over 30 years of expertise & influence, has enabled the Northern Housing Consortium to develop unrivalled respect and credibility within the housing sector, and thus we believe we can legitimately claim our role as ‘the Voice of the North’.
Our Membership We offer different types of membership to meet the needs of our customers. Our Membership categories are:
Full Members Members in this category are within the defined Northern region of England and have housing stock and/or a strategic housing responsibility.
Affiliate Members Organisations that wish to access Northern Housing Consortium services outside the defined Northern England region. Organisations will have housing stock and/or a strategic housing responsibility.
Subscriber Members Organisations that support the work of the NHC and that have an interest in the social housing market place. Organisations so not have housing stock.
Partner Members Organisations that the Northern Housing Consortium has jointly developed solutions with and are offered by Consortium Procurement.
At present we have
394
Members of the Northern Housing Consortium.
Full Members:
177
Affiliate Members:
136
Subscriber Members:
43
Partner Members:
38
Governance The Northern Housing Consortium is governed by a Board of Management, which is elected from our Full Members in the North: Local Authorities Housing Associations ALMOs Five Directors are elected from each of the three regions we cover; North East; North West; Yorkshire & Humberside. The Board meets on a quarterly basis to discuss governance issues, the business and performance of the organisation, and to ensure Members needs are met. The Articles require that to ensure suitable geographical representation the Board's Chair and two Vice-Chairs should each be from a different region i.e. North East, North West, and Yorkshire and Humberside.
Our Board Chair:
John Craggs, Deputy Chief Executive, Gentoo
Vice Chairs North West: Yorkshire & Humberside:
Ian Ankers, Director of Housing Services, Bolton at Home Kevin Dodd, Chief Executive, Wakefield & District Housing
Representatives for the North East Cath Purdy, Chief Executive, Housing Hartlepool Chris Smith, Managing Director, Erimus Housing Geraldine Wilcox, Chief Executive, Derwentside Homes Glyn Hall, Head of Housing, Durham County Council John Craggs Deputy Chief Executive, Gentoo Representatives for the North West Bob Taylor, Chief Executive, Knowsley Housing Trust Bob Livermore, Executive Manager, West Lancashire Borough Council Ian Ankers, Director of Housing Services, Bolton at Home Nick Atkin, Chief Executive, Halton Housing Trust Rob Young, Chief Executive, Helena Partnerships Representatives for Yorkshire & Humberside Colin Dales, Assistant Director Communities, Richmondshire District Council Geraldine Howley, Group Chief Executive, Incommunities Harry Dodgeon, Contract Manager, East Riding of Yorkshire Council Kevin Dodd, Chief Executive, Wakefield & District Housing Trust Tom Miskell, Chief Executive, Trans-Pennine Housing Non Executive Directors David Procter, Independent Consultant
Our People Executive Management Team Jo Boaden Andrew Carlin Charlotte Harrison Ian Wright
Chief Executive Commercial Director Director of Policy & Strategy Director of Performance & Practice
Corporate Services Michelle Punshon Tracy Harrison Louise Coulter Lynda Redshaw Kay Fairley Maureen Hanley Yvonne Shipley Yvonne Leonard Rachel Mersh Trish Sleep
Company Secretary Marketing Manager Marketing Officer Exhibition Development Officer Corporate Support Officer (Human Resources) Finance Officer Finance Officer Corporate Support Assistant Administrative Assistant Corporate Support Officer (Events & Office Management)
Rachel Smith
Corporate Support Officer (IT& Events)
Consortium Procurement Julie Dixon Nicola Hellewell Gill Jackson Jennifer Stevenson Elaine Abrol Thomas Barrett Tim Syass Martin Hankins
Business Development Manager Procurement Manager Business Development Officer Business Development Officer Business Development Officer Business Development Officer Business Development Officer Contracts Officer
Policy &Strategy Satty Rai Sarah Taylor Brian Robson
Policy Services Manager Policy Development Manager Policy & Strategy Manager
Performance & Practice Anna Milner Barry Turnbull Jacqui Grimes Kate Ritchie Nigel Johnston Rachel Collings Stephanie Tebay Jeremy Brock
Research & Intelligence Manager Policy & Research Officer Training & Events Development Officer Performance Improvement Manager Performance Improvement Manager Policy Services Manager JobMoves Officer Housing Training & Events Manager
How do we work? We work within four strategic themes: Investment & Resources Ensuring the North secures the resources required to achieve our ambitions, and supporting housing organisations to make the most of their assets.
Quality of Life Delivering joined up, community focused initiatives with positive outcomes that enhance peoples' lives and wellbeing.
Quality of Place Focusing on providing the knowledge base and tools to ensure housing policy is at the heart of transformational change in the North.
Performance Improvement Working with members to deliver cost effective solutions; transfer skills, and build capacity to ensure housing organisations optimise their efficiency and effectiveness.
How do we deliver our work? We deliver our work within the four themes by offering Members access to the services provided and work undertaken by; Policy & Strategy Performance & Practice Consortium Procurement This document will provide further information and examples of how we deliver our work to Members.
Policy & Strategy Policy & Strategy is the radar of the organisation, ensuring that we are aware of, and responding to proposed changes in the sector and ensuring that we have input on new policies which will affect our Members. We work closely with government agencies such as the Communities and Local Government (CLG) to ensure the views of our Northern Members are represented. We have 6 clearly defined objectives which shape the outcomes of our work; Health Housing & Social Care
Investing in Homes & Communities
Environment
Regulation
Economy, Enterprise & Employment
Social Exclusion
Examples of recent publications:
Age Friendly Communities The ageing population is being described as one of the most significant issues of the 21st century and probably the single greatest challenge facing Housing, Planning, Social Care and Health organisations over the next generation. The Northern Housing Consortium (NHC) has just completed an ambitious project to explore what an ‘age friendly’ community might look like in the year 2020 and beyond. The aim of the project was to provide support services and practical steps for Members to take in response to this dynamic policy agenda. Recent briefing papers: Comprehensive Spending Review 2010 Regional Growth Funding New Homes Bonus Consultation Empty Homes Energy Bill 2011 - The Green Deal Health System Reforms Healthy Lives Brief Benefit Reform Briefing Paper
Performance & Practice Performance & Practice act as the conduit between government and our Members, disseminating information and influencing future policy. We work closely with government agencies such as the Tenant Services Authority (TSA) to ensure the views of our Northern Members are heard. Examples of our work:
Tool kits We supply Members with a range of toolkits to provide practical approaches to the delivery of new initiatives. They often feature case studies from housing providers and are designed to ensure organisations develop internal skills and capacity to adopt and respond to sector changes. Our toolkits include; sheltered housing, assistive technology, customer profiling and age friendly communities.
Northern Silver Screen We provide many opportunities to celebrate success and share good practice. The concept behind the Northern Silver Screen is to use film as a succinct & engaging media for sharing information within the Consortium's membership. We have now hosted our successful Northern Silver Screen initiative three times.
Networks Understanding that people learn from and with people, our ever developing range of networks provide unrivalled opportunities for our members to debate key policy agendas, shape future strategic developments and share best practice. We provide a range of options, from sub regional networks and strategic/organisational groupings, through to thematic practitioner networks.
Employment Mobility Study The Northern Housing Consortium is working with Communities and Local Government to deliver a 12 month pilot scheme delivering advice to social housing tenants on mobility moves within the North to enable employment opportunities. ‘Job Moves’ is a job related mobility pilot is focussed on mobility options available to social housing tenants in the North needing to move home in order to take up employment elsewhere in the region.
Performance Improvement Interventions We provide a range of services aimed at helping our Members to improve their organisational performance and prepare for inspection. Our approach is different to other consultants as we focus on helping Members to build their own capacity to continually evaluate and improve.
Service Analysis A service analysis is not just part of inspection preparation it is vital to know how well your service meets the needs of its customers and how these are integrated within your organisation. We work with staff, customers and other stakeholders to determine how your service is currently delivered and received.
Systems Thinking We can help you to analyse your systems in a different way, challenge your thinking, lower costs and transfer knowledge to your staff to improve services. This will challenge the way that you think, and empower your staff to engage in what matters for your customer and work more effectively.
Peer Reviews Our peer review service will provide an effective method of assessing how well a service area is delivering, enabling your organisation to gain valuable experience of preparing for inspection, and staff involved increase their knowledge of areas where improvements are needed.
Conferences & Exhibitions From small intimate workshops to national conferences, our programme of events covers the range of issues within our four themed work areas: Quality of Life, Quality of Place, Performance Improvement and Investment and Resources. The content is uniquely designed to benefit housing organisations and the people within them. Our conferences and seminars attract speakers including government ministers, senior civil servants and leading practitioners, offering delegates the chance to debate national issues within their home region.
Corporate Events Northern Housing Consortium organise an extremely popular suite of Corporate Events, including our annual End of Summer Ball, Golf Day and Christmas Lunch. These events are designed to provide our members and partners with the opportunity to network with their colleagues from the Social Housing sector in a relaxed and informal environment. Usually involving exhibition and sponsorship opportunities, the events' proceeds are used to support the Chair’s charities.
Member Dinners We believe we are unique in our ability to bring together full members and senior government officials for these small, informal dinners, with the opportunity to have full and frank discussions.
Consortium Procurement Operating on a national level, Consortium Procurement is the collaborative purchasing arm of the Northern Housing Consortium, responsible for the development and delivery of business solutions to meet the needs of its membership. These solutions are compliant with European procurement directives and accessible by any current or future Consortium Member organisation. The frameworks we offer include: Tenants Contents
Bill Payments
Insurance Gas Servicing
Grounds Maintenance
Fire Safety
Choice Based Lettings
Digital Aerial
Community Alarm
Upgrade
Maintenance
Adaptations
In 2009/10 our procurement frameworks saved Members;
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ÂŁ15,321,241
Communicating with Members Website Our website provides full details of the work we are currently undertaking to represent our members. Use the site to keep up to date with the latest housing news; view details of our forthcoming events and book a place online; review current job vacancies, and view key information on our member organisations.
Ezine Our email newsletter, Ezine, is a subscription publication available to all of our members on a fortnightly basis. Ezine contains the latest information on our own work, along with updates and commentary on developments within the sector. It also provides us with a forum to celebrate the achievements of our members. Northern Vision Newsletter We produce a twice yearly hard copy newsletter, Northern Vision, providing you with a forward look at the major initiatives we’ll be working on over the next 6 months, and helping to familiarise you with the team that are here to support you.
For further information on membership of Northern Housing Consortium, please contact; Louise Coulter, Marketing Officer louise.coulter@northern-consortium.org.uk
Northern Housing Consortium Limited Websters Ropery Ropery Road Deptford Terrace Sunderland SR4 6DJ 0191 566 1000 www.northern-consortium.org.uk