Kate Henderson, the chief executive of the National Housing Federation, has applauded the innovative partnerships amongst housing providers in Greater Manchester, after being invited to speak with a consortium, made up of 26 housing organisations.
Kate met representatives from Greater Manchester Housing Providers (GMHP), which was formed in 2012 and collectively play a major role in meeting the city region’s need of 227,000 more homes over the next 20 years. The event was hosted by housing provider One Manchester, a partner in the group, which owns and manages more than 12,000 homes in central and east Manchester.
At the event, Kate was keen to find out more about the GMHP’s relationship with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), how the partnership anticipates the affect Brexit may have on housing in Greater Manchester and Kate gave updates on her priorities for the National Housing Federation.
When speaking about the success of the consortium, Kate said:
“The strategic approach that GMHP has to solving issues in Greater Manchester, not just in the housing sector but across issues such as homelessness, skills and employment, and health, is innovative and refreshing. There is great work going on amongst housing providers and their partners, and much for other areas of the country to learn from.
“You can see that there is a lot of trust within the partnership, and the pragmatic and opportunistic approach to combating these issues is key to the success of the consortia.”
Jon Lord, Chair of GMHP and chief executive of Bolton at Home, said:
“Talking with Kate about how GMHP started, what we’ve achieved in the last two years and our priorities for 2019 really demonstrates how far we’ve come as a partnership. Our relationship with the National Housing Federation is key to facilitating real change, especially when it comes to issues on a national level. It was clear how much Kate values the strides we’ve made for the sector in the region and we’re really glad she made the trip to Manchester, even if the snow did threaten to postpone her visit!”
Following the event Kate was then invited to tour One Manchester’s first eco modular construction scheme, Stoney Gate, in Openshaw. This rent to buy development will launch in April and is built to Passivhaus standards, a model of energy efficiency which can provide residents with a considerable cost saving on energy bills. It consists of 21 three-bedroom houses and is situated on the site of a former Eastlands Homes older persons scheme.