the National Housing Federation has outlined the next stages of its rebranding campaign – but promised it will not ask members for further funding.
Subscriptions for last year were raised by 15% to pay for the NHF's "Housing's Better Future" rebranding campaign, intended to refocus the sector and make it more attractive and relevant to people outside social housing.

The launch of the exercise in September last year sparked concern in the sector. Places for People Group was worried that the work would be more about corporate branding than a fundamental debate about the role of social housing.

Places for People initially refused to pay the extra fee money, but relented after assurances that the campaign would stimulate a broad debate about the sector's future.

The fee hike raised £700,000 which NHF chief executive Jim Coulter has insisted is enough to cover the ambitious plan to produce a mission statement for social housing and then implement its recommendations.

Four working groups will now produce the mission statement, to be ready for presentation to a special meeting of registered social landlord chairs and chief executives in the summer.

Sector assured that NHF has enough to cover putting its plans into practice

The groups will include NHF policy team-members and representatives from bodies such as the Council of Mortgage Lenders and the Tenants' Participation and Advisory Service.

The four groups will work out:

  • an economic model for the sector
  • what broad policy changes are needed to reinforce the sector's independence
  • how to maintain the improvement of standards
  • how to maintain the local focus of housing associations.

Coulter stressed this was not solely designed to "examine the issue of stock rationalisation" – although he said this could well be one outcome – but would explore the nature of local partnerships.

Source

Housing Today