March 2016
Dear Reader, TOP - images on leftHelp us develop the sector's story
Follow the recent launch of Owning our Future, we are now inviting all chief executives to take part in workshops to look at how we position housing associations in the future.Our Sector Image Review showed that politicians of all stripes were clear that housing
associations would play a key part in Britain's housing future but thought the sector should be more clearly defined, and it was clear that the sector currently has no instinctive political allies. Respondents believe housing associations have a central role to play in driving up housing supply and called on the sector to champion innovation. We now have a window of opportunity to transform how we’re perceived and understood, which is why we have launcehd Owning our Future. Politicians want to see our vision, innovation and ambition, and the public like what they know and want to know more. Central to this is telling a compelling shared story and we’re keen to work with as many of you as possible on this – over the coming weeks and months there will be plenty of opportunities to get involved. We are organising a roadshow of workshops for chief executives with events taking place across the country: 23 May: London, 10.00–13.00 or 14.00–17.00 25 May: Bristol, 10.00–13.00 27 May: Leicester, 10.00–13.00 17 June: Manchester, 10.00–13.00. There will also be a workshop specifically for future leaders on 17 May in Peterborough. We want a broad section of our membership to attend, but places will be limited due to venue capacity, so please reserve yours soon by emailing Wendy Taylor. We will be organising similar events for communications colleagues in the near future – look out for further details soon.
Exclusions from rent cut confirmed in new regulations
New regulations published by the Government this month have confirmed which kinds of accommodation will be exempt from the rent cut.The Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016 received Royal Assent on 16 March. Two days later the Government set out new regulations for social housing rent, and the Right Honourable Greg Clark, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, announced special arrangements for landlords that do not have a standard rent increase date. Earlier this month, the Homes and Communities Agency also published guidance on how decisions will be made on waivers from the 1% rent reduction. The regulations published on 18 March outline some of the detail around the rent cut and, in particular, the exclusions. These are mostly as expected, although they also now include fair rent properties where the rent is below the level set by the formula:
Accommodat ion where t he household income exceeds £ 60,000: This was introduced at a very late stage and in practice is of little value as landlords are unlikely to know which households fall into this category.
Int ermediat e rent : This applies to housing let at a rent lower than the market level, but not for social or affordable rent, and includes key worker schemes and some types of scheme
developed outside the Homes and Communities Agency's investment programme. Specialised support ed housing.
Privat e Finance Init iat ive (PFI) social housing: This exception applies only where the housing was developed as part of a PFI scheme specifically identified as such in the contracts.
T emporary social housing.
Fair Rent propert ies: These are properties with a tenant entitled to a Fair Rent under the 1977 Rent Act, provided the registered Fair Rent is below formula.
Care homes.
Propert ies not meet ing t he usual definit ion of ‘social housing’ in s68 of t he Housing and Regenerat ion Act 2008.
Accommodat ion where t he rent normally payable had been t emporarily waived or reduced.
cooperatives, almshouses and community land trusts.
We have updated our briefing on the practical implications of the rent cut to reflect this new information. If you have any further questions, please contact John Bryant, Policy Leader, on 020 7067 1082.
Starter Homes - your views wanted
The Government has launched a technical consultation on the regulations for Starter Homes and we would welcome your opinions to feed into our response. Last week, the Government launched a technical consultation on the proposed regulations for Starter Homes. We’d like your views to feed in to our response.The consultation document seeks views on the proposed regulations that will support the delivery of Starter Homes following the Housing and Planning Bill receiving royal assent. The key details that will be set by regulations include: some of the elements of the definition of a Starter Homes the starter homes requirement including the number of Starter Homes to be delivered, and the types of site on which the requirement should be imposed the reporting arrangements for Starter Homes delivery. Following our work on the Housing and Planning Bill, we will continue to make the case that it is crucial that local authorities retain the freedom to plan for Starter Homes, shared ownership and rented housing (market and sub-market), based on the evidence in their Strategic Housing Market Area Assessment. This would ensure that Starter Homes are built, but the balance between Starter Homes and other forms of affordable housing would vary according to the needs of different communities. The deadline for the consultation is 18 May and we would welcome your views on the proposed regulations to feed in to our response. Please email Peter French with any comments by 29 April.
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Rural Housing Week
11–17 July 2016 Rural Housing Week is an opportunity to celebrate the work housing associations do in rural communities and this year the focus will be on innovation. Rural Housing Week is a week-long celebration of rural communities running from 11 to 17 July. This year Rural Housing Week will take the theme of innovation, providing an opportunity for housing associations to showcase the new and pioneering ways they are working to provide affordable homes and vital services to rural communities across England. We are putting together a pack help you take part in this week, which will include ideas for activites, statistics about rural housing, and templates for press releases and letters to MPs. In the meantime, please start thinking about what your organisation can do during Housing Week and get in touch with Monica Burns, External Affairs Manager, with any questions or ideas.LOWER - images on top
HANA Awards – last chance to enter
Submit your nominations by 1 April to have your finance team recognised at the 2016 Housing Association National Accountancy Awards. On 1 April entries will close for our 2016 Housing Association National Accountancy (HANA) Awards. Now in its fourth year, the HANA Awards celebrate the most innovative and progressive finance teams and professionals in the social housing sector.The awards are free to enter, with 12 categories available: Finance Team of the Year Most Effective Financial Risk Management Approach Outstanding Financial Communications Financial Innovation Best Newcomer Best Value for Money Best External Professional Advisor Finance Director of the Year Best Board Report Outstanding Lifetime Contribution Treasurer/Treasury Team of the Year Innovation in Financial Technology/Software.
As described by previous winners, this is an excellent opportunity for your finance team to get the recognition it deserves.
The shortlist will be announced on 6 May, with the ceremony taking place at the Radisson Blu Portman Hotel in London on the 5 July.
Don’t miss out – book your t icket t o at t end
Make sure you book your ticket to attend the HANA Awards. You can register to attend or contact our HANA Awards team for more information.
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Members wanted for a new communications group
Are you interested in shaping the Federation’s strategy to transform the narrative about housing associations? We are looking for members to join a new group to inform our communications work in repositioning our sector Are you interested in shaping the Federation’s communications strategy to transform the narrative about housing associations? At a time of real change, are you keen to contribute to sectorleadership that helps us own our future as an industry? We are launching a new group that will provide strategic input to help shape and inform the Federation’s communications work to reposition our sector. The group will support us with advice and insight, helping to shape our communications, campaigning, media and influencing work. Its initial focus will be on shaping Owning our Future, our sector-wide strategy that aims to: shift perceptions build the relationships our sector needs develop and tell a compelling shared story show that we can deliver on substance.
The Communications Standing Group is not a governance mechanism, so the onus will be on debate and engagement rather than lengthy papers and minutes. You will need to be able to attend a minimum of three of the four core meetings a year. What we will promise you in return is a dynamic space in which to contribute to Federation strategy development, with high-quality facilitation and support from our staff. This is an exciting opportunity to play a part in the life of your trade body and to shape the narrative surrounding our sector. There is no need for the group to be wholly representative, though the more diversity we have the better. So wherever you are based and whatever the size of your association, we’d like to hear from you. You can find out more about the role of the group on our website. How t o apply
To apply to the group, please fill out this short form. Applications will be considered by a panel of Federation staff, and there will be no interview process. The deadline is 15 April and we will be able to notify all candidates of the outcome by 22 April.
For an informal chat about the group and its work, feel free to get in touch with Octavia Williams, Member Relations Manager, or Rhys Moore, Head of Media and Campaigns.
Pay to Stay consultation
The Government has published its response looking at the detail of Pay to Stay including income thresholds, interaction with Housing Benefit and administrative costs. In January the Government tabled amendments to the Housing and Planning Bill to ensure that Pay to Stay will remain voluntary for housing associations. The policy will still be compulsory for local authorities. In October last year the Government launched a consultation to look at the detail of the Pay to Stay policy, which was announced at the 2015 Budget. The Government consulted on how income thresholds should work beyond the levels set out at the budget, the interaction with Housing Benefit, and the likely administrative costs of operating the scheme.We submitted a response to this consultation and many housing associations also submitted their own responses. One of our key recommendations was that Pay to Stay should remain voluntary for housing associations, so we welcome the Government’s amendments to the Housing and Planning Bill that achieve this.
The Government has now published its response to this consultation. This confirms three key points about the policy:
A taper will apply above the minimum income thresholds. This will be designed to ensure that households at the lower end of income above the proposed threshold will only see their rent rise by a few pounds each week.
The Government will allow local authorities to retain a reasonable amount of administrative costs. The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) are currently working on developing the Pay to Stay policy for local authorities, and further details about the taper, the links to Universal Credit, and what constitutes a reasonable amount of administrative costs are currently being worked out. We are working closely with DCLG and with members to ensure that the scheme DCLG design for local authorities will also work well for housing associations. If you are interested in contributing to this work or have any questions about the Pay to Stay policy please contact Ruth Jacob, Policy Officer.
Housing Standards Handbook goes digital
Our good-practice guide to design quality for affordable housing providers is now available for digital download.Our Housing Standards Handbook reflects latest standards and best practice following the recent Housing Standards Review. This best-practice guidance: considers the role that standards play in securing the quality of new build housing is easy to navigate with high-quality illustrations breaks down the standards to show whether they are applied nationally or locally features a checklist in the appendices containing all the standards listed in the book. The digital version is bookmarked so that you can easily navigate between sections of the
publication, and contains a wealth of useful hyperlinks so that you can access external references instantly Produced with Levitt Bernstein, this handbook is particularly aimed at housing associations, local authorities and other affordable housing providers. However, it will also be useful to designers and other members of the project team, suitable for students, and valuable to anyone with an interest in housing. Visit the Housing Standards Handbook publications page to find out more, including the option to ‘look inside’ before you purchase.
Housing Finance Conference
Read the highlights of this year's event and secure your place at the 2017 conference at 2016 prices. Earlier this month over 1,000 housing finance and sector professionals attended our Housing Finance Conference and Exhibition. The conference was a great success, with sessions covering efficiency, governance, accounting and much more. Our new exhibition seminars were a huge hit, with practical sessions providing detailed advice that delegates could take back to the office. You can see a snapshot of what happened in our conference gallery. An exclusive video of the event will also be released shortly; in the meantime we’re pleased toshare some excellent feedback: 99.5% of delegates were satisfied with the conference overall 98% of delegates were satisfied or very satisfied with the programme 98.4% of delegates were satisfied or very satisfied with the new venue. Housing Finance Conference and Exhibit ion 2017 Next year our Finance Conference will take place on 22–23 March 2017. We’d love to welcome you next year, so we are offering you a Trust Ticket. This means that – for a limited time only – you can book your place for 2017 and you’ll only pay 2016 prices.
Book now quoting FIN0317EM1.
If there’s a topic or a particular speaker you would like to see at the 2017 event please get in touch. Otherwise, keep up with the latest announcements on our Twitter page.
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HR in Housing Conference and Exhibition
14 April, London This event combines crucial updates in employment law with a chance to learn the skills needed to engage staff, measure impact, embed organisational values, and attract first-class candidates.European Responsible Housing Awards 2016
These awards are an opportunity for housing associations to showcase their corporate social responsibility on a European stage. The European Responsible Housing Awards 2016 provide an opportunity for public, cooperative and social housing organisations to showcase their socially innovative practices, on a European stage. Organised by Housing Europe, Delphis and the International Union of Tenants, the second years of the awards aims to celebrate corporate social responsibility in the housing sector. The five award categories are: 1. Economic responsibility and sustainability 2. Local social sustainability 3. Environmental sustainability 4. Good governance and fair relations with stakeholders 5. Responsible human resources management. Nominations will be judged by a jury of key European stakeholders. They will assess how each example of good practice contributes to the corporate social responsibility of the organisation nominated, and aligns with the principles of the European Responsible Housing Code of Conduct. The deadline for applications is 13 May. More detailed information, including the link for applications, can be found on the European Responsible Housing Initiative website.Views
Voluntary Right to Buy: the one for one replacement challenge
Kevin Rodgers, Chief Executive, WM Housing GroupHousing associations are championing apprenticeships to change
lives and boost businesses
Nadhim Zahawi MP, the Prime Minister's Adviser on ApprenticesRun for Homes is a platform to inspire
Andy Williams, Director of Neighbourhood Services, Liverpool Housing Trust Get involvedHousing Association National Accountancy Awards 2016
5 July, LondonNational Housing Awards
8 September, LondonMember groups
ConferencesHR in Housing Conference and Exhibition
14 April, LondonNational Voluntary Right to Buy Conference
27 April, LondonAffordable Home Ownership Conference
26 May, LondonCompany Secretaries' Conference and Exhibition
14 June, LondonHealth and Housing Conference and Exhibition 2016
20 September, Birmingham24housing's Young Leaders Experience 2016
21-22 September, BirminghamDevelopment, Asset Management and Maintenance Conference
and Exhibition 2016
21-22 September, BirminghamAnnual Conference and Housing Exhibition 2016
21-23 September, BirminghamTreasury Management Conference 2016
6 October, London Offers and servicesGuardian Jobs
My Home Contents Insurance
Phoenix Software
Publications
