Section: Registered Social Landlords

Going for Gold

Eighteen housing associations were short-listed as potential winners of the Housing Corporation's prestigious Gold Award 2008.

Now in its third year, the Corporation's popular competition for housing associations has three new themes:

Building Cohesive Communities:
Entrants to this theme must beable to demonstrate creative and effective plans and policies for bringing together people of different backgrounds, beliefs, interests and cultures in ways that genuinely contribute to the strengthening of communities.
Delivering joined up development; and
Entrants to this theme will demonstrate effective and close working relationships with a range of public and statutory partners which collectively improve both the built and social environment for local communities.
Actively linking programmes of development to the provision of services such as education, transport and healthcare - the eventual winners will have done most to ensure their developments are fully integrated with the wider and longer term vision for cohesive and productive neighbourhoods.
Tackling Worklessness.
Entrants will be contributing to the delivery of the national PSA floor target for worklessness and contributing to meeting Local Area Agreement targets for economic development and enterprise.
Partnership working with other bodies will feature strongly and there will be clear and measurable evidence of positive outcomes over time.

Each winning association will receive a prize of £50,000 to fund the knowledge sharing programme, which aims to share the replicable best practices with the sector.

The short listed entrants are as follows:

Building Cohesive Communities
- Ashram Housing Association
- BCHT Group
- Industrial Dwellings
- Old Ford Housing Association
- The Papworth Trust
- William Sutton Homes
Delivering joined up development
- Gentoo Group
- Great Places Housing Group
- Newlon Housing Trust
- Nomad E5 Housing Associations
- Peak Valley (Contour Housing Group)
- Sentinel Housing Association
Tackling worklessness
- Accent Group
- Derwent and Solway Housing Association
- East Thames Group
- Places for People Group
- St Mungo Community Housing
- Wakefield and District Housing

Each short listed association will now showcase their projects to judges and experts. Up to three winning entries in each theme will be selected to receive one of the awards.

Streamlined Annual Efficiency Statements Announced

The Housing Corporation announced that housing associations will be not be required to complete an Annual Efficiency Statement for 2008.

The Statement, which has been a sector requirement for housing associations over the past two years, will this year be collected from data supplied by housing associations in their Self Assessment Compliance submissions.

The AES was originally introduced by the Housing Corporation in 2005 in response to Gershon targets placed on the public sector by central government. Associations will be asked to report on how they have delivered on the figures they forecast for 2007-08 which they reported on in their 2007 return.

Housing Corporation Deputy Chief Executive Peter Marsh said:

"Housing associations have exceeded the Gershon efficiency targets year on year and we are delighted to have secured the Government's agreement to reward strong performance with a lighter touch data gathering regime which will free up more time for registered social landlords to focus on continuing to drive up performance."

Data from the 2008 reports will be compiled with data from 2006-07 and used to report on the sectors achievements over the three year programme of Gershon targets.

News in Brief

It was announced that Birmingham-based Moseley & District Churches Housing Association is to join Accord Housing Group.
After being put under supervision two years ago, Moseley & District's new Board and management team have turned the organisation around. It is no longer under supervision and was given a one star rating by the Audit Commission in May 2007.
The decision to join the Accord Group follows a six-month selection process, involving staff, residents and other stakeholders. The move will bring in significant extra investment to improve the homes of its residents and will help support the future development of the association.
Moseley & District will retain its name, identity and independence within the group structure. Staff will continue to serve residents from local officers. It is likely to formally join the Accord Group in the autumn.
The Accord Group is made up of Accord Housing Association, Ashram Housing Association, BCHS, Redditch Co-operative Homes and the Fry Housing Trust. It has offices in Darlaston, Coventry, West Bromwich, Birmingham, and Redditch.
Hanover Housing celebrated progress on its new retirement development. The development, which is due to complete in spring of 2009, will consist of 76 one and two bedroom apartments, and provide much needed accommodation for older people living in Brighton.
40 of these apartments will be available for rent, with the remaining 36 for sale.
Communal facilities on the site will include a restaurant, hair and beauty salon, a healthy living suite and a cafe to be enjoyed by the entire community. As an ExtraCare Housing estate, it will essentially allow residents to maintain their independence while having access to care and support services.
Hanover Housing is working in partnership with Brighton & Hove City Council to provide this much needed development for older people living in the City.

Section: Registered Social Landlords

Going for Gold

Streamlined Annual Efficiency Statements Announced

News in Brief

Housing Monthly Diary

Reporting on February 2008

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