Challenges to leaders promoting innovative and sustainable social housing in the UK

2015 ◽  
pp. 123-136
Keyword(s):  
Social Housing ◽  
The Uk

Community development in the UK: whatever happened to class? A historical analysis

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Craig
Keyword(s):  
Community Development ◽  
Social Housing ◽  
Historical Analysis ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Development Theory ◽  
Political Struggle ◽  
Unequal Distribution ◽  
The World ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Distribution Of Income

Prior to the 1950s, differing strands of what might be seen as community development can be perceived in work by extension officers in colonial settings, as an extension of trades union activism, or ‘community-building’ with a social focus, usually in social housing areas. Yet, despite a common emphasis on poverty and disadvantage, attempts to locate community development within a class-based understanding of, for example, the unequal distribution of income, wealth and power within most societies have been limited. This chapter will trace ways in which the issue of class has or has not been addressed within community development theory and practice, drawing on key texts and experiences from across the world. It will seek to identify the extent to which the mainstream practice of community development, as it has developed, has been able to locate itself solidly within and build alliances with more explicitly class-based forms of political struggle.

Critical success factors of an effective repairs and maintenance service for social housing in the UK

Facilities ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 226-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Tucker ◽  
Martin Turley ◽  
Sam Holgate
Keyword(s):  
Social Housing ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Critical Success Factors ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quantitative Research Methods ◽  
Service Levels ◽  
Critical Success ◽  
Maintenance Service ◽  
The Uk

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the critical success factors of an effective repairs service by initially identifying what the important considerations are. Design/methodology/approach – Using quantitative research methods the study then examines how important each of the factors is considered from the perspective of those responsible for such services in the Northwest of England, the level of implementation throughout the region is also examined. Findings – Respondents felt that all 11 factors are perceived as “very” important but only nine are “always” implemented within their place of work. Sustainability and innovation are identified as the two factors that are least critical. It can also be said that although important and well implemented, the in-house skills factor does not appear to be considered as critical in comparison to the other factors. Originality/value – The UK housing sector is under an enormous amount of pressure to meet the needs of a growing population in extremely uncertain financial conditions. Social housing is a potential solution but providers are currently contending with reduced budgets and cuts to staffing levels together with an expectation that service levels will be maintained and value for money maximised. Repairs and maintenance of their stock is at the forefront of their challenge to meet these expectations and it is therefore vital that the service they provide is effective.

scholarly journals Sustainable built asset management performance indicators and attributes

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 508-522
Author(s):  
Justine Cooper ◽  
Angela Lee ◽  
Keith Jones
Keyword(s):  
Asset Management ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Social Housing ◽  
Housing Stock ◽  
Housing Association ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Maintenance Work ◽  
Social Environmental ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Uk

PurposeThis paper aims to identify key performance indicators (KPIs), and their corresponding attributes, required to successfully manage asset management sustainably in a built environment context. Improving the sustainability of existing housing stock is a major challenge facing the UK social housing sector. There is a lack of support to navigate the growing and often incongruent information relating to sustainable development and how to operationalise it. The problem is twofold; first, the current (single criterion) condition-based approach to maintenance planning constrains asset managers and does not fully address the social, environmental and economic aspects of sustainability. Second, the toolkits available for assessing the sustainability of housing are often generic and are time consuming and expensive to implement.Design/methodology/approachThis paper reports the findings of a participatory research project with a leading London-based housing association, using a series of landlord and tenant workshops to derive a set of attributes associated with KPIs to fully reflect the local requirements of the landlord and their interpretation of the sustainability agenda. Five KPIs are considered to be measurable, directly affected by maintenance work and independent of each other were identified by this landlord (comfort, running costs, adaptability, maintenance costs and community).FindingsThe resulting outputs, in a policy context, will provide a clear route map to social housing landlords of how to improve the sustainability of their housing stock with the additional benefits of addressing fuel poverty and carbon emission targets, whilst at the same time, help create and maintain housing in which people want to live.Originality/valueThe proposed approach is flexible enough to incorporate the individual requirements of landlords and be able to adapt to changes in government policy (local and central) in a timely, robust, transparent and inclusive format.

Realising the Potential of Co-production: Negotiating Improvements in Public Services

2008 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Needham
Keyword(s):  
Social Housing ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Public Services ◽  
User Involvement ◽  
The Uk

The concept of co-production – also called co-creation – is gaining widespread attention as a way to increase user involvement in service provision in the UK. It is usually taken as self-evident that more co-production will improve services. However, it is necessary to be clear about how far and in what ways co-production can improve public services. This article looks at the purported advantages of co-production, and considers how these can best be accessed. A case study workshop involving social housing users and providers, conducted as part of the National Consumer Council-Unison Shared Solutions project, is used to illustrate the need for collective dialogue and deliberation between co-producers rather than purely transactional forms of co-production.

scholarly journals Applying quality function deployment to social housing?

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 422-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katerina Kassela ◽  
Marina Papalexi ◽  
David Bamford
Keyword(s):  
Social Housing ◽  
Quality Function Deployment ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Housing Association ◽  
Professional Services ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Quality Function ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Uk

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on the application of quality function deployment (QFD) in a Housing Association (HA) located in the UK. Facing the problem of improving a company’s performance, practitioners and academics have fashioned and applied a variety of models, theories and techniques. Design/methodology/approach The research questions were developed from a review of the quality and process improvement literature and tested using evidence from field-based, action research within a UK HA company. The case study provides insight to the benefits and challenges arising from the application of QFD. Findings The results provided insight to the benefits and challenges arising from the application of a specific tool, QFD. The primary findings were: QFD can be successfully adapted, applied and utilised within the challenging environment of social housing and other sectors, such as professional services; the model can be modified to use most processes/sub-processes; it must include both external and internal requirements and, to be useful, use more detailed process parameters appropriately. Practical implications The conclusions drawn add to ongoing commentaries on aspects of quality improvement, especially the application of QFD within the service sector. The authors develop questions for future research regarding improvement projects. Originality/value The conclusion proposes that the implementation of QFD should have a positive impact upon a company; if approached in the right manner. It provides a useful mechanism for developing evidence-based strategy of operational change, control and improvement. The research proposes questions for future research into aspects of operational quality and efficiency.

Ownership Transfer of Social Housing in the UK: A Property Rights Approach

2007 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Nygaard ◽  
Kenneth Gibb ◽  
Mike Berry
Keyword(s):  
Property Rights ◽  
Social Housing ◽  
Ownership Transfer ◽  
The Uk

scholarly journals Challenging Racist Violence and Racist Hostility in 'Post-Racial' Times: Research and Action in Leeds, UK, 2006–2012

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-20
Author(s):  
Ian Law ◽  
Jenny Simms ◽  
Ala Sirriyeh
Keyword(s):  
Working Class ◽  
Predominantly White ◽  
Social Housing ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Rural Life ◽  
Concerted Action ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The City ◽  
Housing Estates ◽  
Contemporary Climate

Despite increasing understanding of, information about and official commitment to challenge these patterns, racist hostility and violence continue to have an enduring presence in urban and rural life in the UK. This indicates the paradoxical nature of this racial crisis and challenges for antiracism as a political project. This paper charts how these issues play out at the local level through an examination of a five year process from problem identification through to research, response, action and aftermath from 2006 to 2012 in the city of Leeds, UK, with a focus on two predominantly white working class social housing estates in the city. We explore how embedded tensions and antagonisms can begin to be challenged, while examining how the contemporary climate of austerity and cuts in services, together with prevailing post-racial thinking, make the likelihood of such concerted action in the UK increasingly remote.

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