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What will be the future shape of the sector?
Former cabinet secretary Lord Andrew Turnbull explains more about a new commission looking at the future of housing associations he is chairing
The past 10 years has seen unprecedented and unpredicted change in the operating environment for housing associations.
Yet the sector’s modus operandi has evolved broadly along the lines anticipated in a report published in 2006 by the Future Shape of the Sector Commission.
But how should housing associations evolve over the next 10 to 15 years?
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Housing associations have a vital role to play in tackling our deep housing crisis. Their evolution from here will impact not just on the sector itself but all those who need it to be a strong and effective part of the housing solution.
How can they respond to the crisis while staying committed to their social objectives and community roots in a post-Brexit economy and a more politically volatile world?
Is further growth of the larger developing associations inevitable? And if so, what are the implications as the sector becomes ever more disparate?
“How can housing associations respond to the crisis while staying committed to their social objectives and community roots in a post-Brexit economy and a more politically volatile world?”
These are some of the questions we want to answer through a new Future Shape of the Sector Commission under my chairmanship.
In 2006 the original commission examined how housing associations should change in their scope, governance and business models, foreseeing a future where some organisations would double in size to own and manage 100,000 homes or more.
With the biggest associations now having reached that milestone, the time is right to look again at what steps are necessary to ensure that change and growth over the coming years are managed effectively and in the best interests of housing association customers, stakeholders and society at large.
This new commission is being led by Network Homes, Clarion Housing Group and L&Q, and steered by a group of high-profile commissioners from within and outside the sector.
Its focus is not just growth, but the complexities and implications growth may bring in its wake for organisations large, medium and small, in the political and economic environment of the 2020s.
“We are keen to engage as wide a range of organisations as possible.”
Our questions and analysis centre on six key areas: governance and regulation, markets and competition, residents and services, geography, transparency and accountability, and reputation and relationships.
Through a call for evidence and a series of roundtables we are keen to engage as wide a range of organisations as possible – from the sector itself to its customers, investors, partners and regulators.
Our final report will be published in summer 2018. We hope this second report will be equally influential in supporting effective change within the sector.
Lord Andrew Turnbull, chair, Future Shape of the Sector Commission
