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From the archive - women struggling to reach top housing jobs

Inside Housing looks back at what was happening in the sector this week 10, 20 and 30 years ago

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30 years ago

A bill to require all homes to have smoke detectors fitted had its second reading in parliament.

The private members’ bill was introduced by Conservative MP Alistair Burt, who predicted that the measure could save 300 lives a year.

“On Christmas Day 1984, the celebrations in my constituency were muted. Early that morning, fire had swept through a terraced house in Massey Street, Bury, and taken nine lives including those of four children,” he said.

A report by Bob Graham, Greater Manchester’s assistant chief fire officer, inspired Mr Burt to put forward the proposals. Mr Graham said the best way to reduce fire deaths was to install detectors that could raise the alarm earlier. In 48% of fire deaths, the fires were found more than 30 minutes after they started, suggesting alarms could save lives.

Picture: Getty

20 years ago

Plans to build the Channel Tunnel terminal in London were in jeopardy, which left in limbo tenants whose homes were set to be demolished to make way for the Eurostar – and regeneration for nearby councils.

Inside Housing interviewed Julian Burcher, a tenant who opposed the Channel Tunnel because his home in King’s Cross was due to be demolished. But he was more angry than relieved at the setback, as he had been offered an alternative home that had now fallen through.

Camden Council was relying on the link with mainland Europe to kick-start regeneration of derelict railway lands near King’s Cross, with plans for urban villages and social housing.

Newham Council was also upset at the loss of the proposed Stratford Eurostar station as it was linked to regeneration of more than 300 acres of disused railway land.

Eurostar eventually switched services from Waterloo to King’s Cross in 2007. Stratford International began services in 2009 but never became a Eurostar station. The King’s Cross regeneration, only recently finished, is claimed to add £600m a year to the UK economy.

10 years ago

Women were struggling to crack the glass ceiling and reach top housing jobs, Inside Housing reported in a front page splash.

Women made up 63% of staff at housing associations – but only 37% of senior management and 30% of board members. A similar survey by Inside Housing this year found women made up 37% of executive level jobs and 36% of board members, showing little has changed in a decade. Back in 2008, representation was even worse on councils and ALMOs, where women made up 36% of senior positions.

Inside Housing also revealed that the Housing Corporation had abandoned a target that half of chief executives of the top 200 housing associations should have been women by 2010.

Inclusive Futures

Inclusive Futures

Inside Housing’s Inclusive Futures campaign aims to promote and celebrate diversity and inclusion.

We are pledging to publish diversity audits of our own coverage.

We are also committed to proactively promoting positive role models.

We will do this through the pages of Inside Housing. But we will also seek to support other publications and events organisations to be more inclusive.

Our Inclusive Futures Bureau will provide a database of speakers and commentators from all backgrounds, for use by all media organisations.

We are also challenging readers to take five clear steps to promote diversity, informed by the Chartered Institute of Housing’s diversity commission and the Leadership 2025 project.

Click here to read more or to sign up for more information

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