‘Use our capital’: PfP signals openness to partnerships with smaller HAs
Greg Reed, chief executive of Places for People (PfP), has signalled the major housing association is open to partnerships with smaller organisations in the sector to boost levelling up across the country.
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The group owns or manages around 230,000 homes around the UK, of which around 75,000 are social housing units.
Speaking on a panel session at the National Housing Federation’s National Housing Summit 2022 in Birmingham on Monday (12 September), Mr Reed said that he has offered help to smaller associations, but was waiting for the offer to be taken up.
The former HomeServe UK chief executive, who joined PfP earlier this year, was responding to a question posed about whether bigger organisations are less effective and less connected to their communities.
He said: “When people talk about ‘large housing associations not doing well’, it’s maybe [that they have] lost touch with the community and customers; maybe it’s not a symptom of being large but just not doing things well.
“We’re trying to focus on our existing customers and doing things the right way. The things they say are their priorities are things we then make our priority.
“We say to smaller associations, ‘you can use our capital, we can find a way to help’, [but] I’ve found they either don’t trust you or want your help.
“We can help others, but I need someone to take me up on the offer.”
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Mr Reed added: “We want to be good partners in the sector. I think there are too many people not aligned with want we need to do; we need to collaborate, and where we can [work] with government.
“It’s important we have good relationships with government. One of the special things about the sector is we can do some really big regeneration projects.
“A lot of associations talk about community. We are really well focused to support inclusion and health in the community.”
Bronwen Rapley, chief executive of North West housing association Onward Homes, and chair of Liverpool City Region Housing Associations, said housing associations should be engaging with government on levelling up.
She said: “For me we should be engaging with government and continuing to push the argument [that] capital funding up front is the most economically advantageous way to fund this.”
Update: at 5.15pm, 03.10.22
The story was updated to specify the number of social homes Places for People owns or manages.
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