Pennycook backs new association of housing directors at summit

In July 2024, Inside Housing reported that council bodies were looking into setting up an independent national association of local authority housing directors to foster collaboration and share best practice, which would be similar to the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services.

Housing directors Hakeem Osinaike at Southwark Council and Louise Wood at Cornwall Council will co-chair an ADoH implementation steering group.

Mr Osinaike told Inside Housing it was good to have a “listening government” and a voice to be able to “articulate the issues and asks” around housing. 

He said housing directors are responsible for managing those issues on a day-to-day basis and planning the strategies to tackle them.

“Having a joint voice from those people would only help the government and civil servants plan their interventions,” he added.

Mr Osinaike said the ADoH aims to be the “primary consultative body” for the government on council housing. 

“We’re in a formative period. We also want to influence the professionalisation of housing. Primarily it’s about making sure we’re aligned in how we want to move forward,” he said.

For example, Mr Osinaike explained that the association would want to influence what the new Decent Homes Standard will look like. 

He said: “The [ADoH] will be able to come to a definition of what that should look like, because it shouldn’t be the government that does that for us.

“Decent homes can mean different things in different areas, and there are a number of issues about housing that are like that.

“When we’re talking to government about such things, it means that we’ve come with one voice and we’re not waiting for the government to define it for us.”

Mr Osinaike wants to recruit as many members as possible to the ADoH. “The more people that bring their heads together the better,” he explained. 

Adam Hug, housing spokesperson for the Local Government Association (LGA), said: “In partnership with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the LGA is supporting the establishment of an Association of Directors of Housing in 2025-26. 

“This new association will act as a focal point for the sector to collaborate, network and share best practice more effectively on a range of housing issues.

“The LGA and the association will be announcing further information about the association’s launch date and how it will function in due course.”

The summit on Thursday, organised by Southwark and Sheffield councils, follows on from the inaugural meeting in London last year. 

It brought together more than 200 council leaders, directors and housing experts to discuss the action needed to secure the future of council housing in England.