Industry stalwarts stress need for coherent approach at Housing Today meeting
West Midlands housing providers must unite or they risk making regional housing tensions even worse than they already are.

This was the message from the region's housing professionals at a Housing Today event in Birmingham on 12 November.

A five-strong panel told an invited audience of 60 people that councils and registered social landlords should adopt "mutually beneficial" business plans to tackle the region's problems.

Steve Gregory, executive director of urban form at Sandwell council, said: "We need to find issues and strategies the whole region can get behind. We often end up fighting among ourselves and lose impact – this has to stop."

He said previous attempts to develop a more coherent approach had floundered because some areas didn't get involved.

Brendan Nevin, director of the Stoke-on-Trent housing market renewal pathfinder, said: "There is still no clear vision for the Black Country and north Staffordshire. The region is fractured and a lot of people have been left on the wrong side." But he said some local areas could benefit from their proximity to growth areas and the south of England.

They also contrasted the problems of low demand and deprivation faced in some of the region's areas with the issues associated with a buoyant housing market in others.

Tom Murtha, chief executive of Keynote Housing Group, said race relations was one of the biggest issues the region faced: "We operate in areas where, in 10 years' time, the black and Asian population will be majority not minority customers," he said. "We must look hard at the business case in these areas."

The meeting was sponsored by social housing maintenance provider Connaught Properties.

Source

Housing Today