What issues have we triumphed over in the last 12 months and what is on the horizon?

What part will the combined authorities play in affordable housing across the Midlands?

What might delay the spending of the £39bn afforded to the sector for the next ten years?

We’re a large, registered provider of social housing, and we manage over 50,000 homes across the Midlands. 

In this episode, you join us in the middle of a very important field...one where we’ll soon start building over 200 affordable homes. The site is called Browns Lane and it’s in Tamworth in Staffordshire.

It’s a site that shows that Platform is keen on changing how we approach securing land for affordable housing, in a way that we hope can accelerate what we deliver and exceed our previous standards of the places we create. 

Hosted by Richard Hurst, communications business partner, we asked members of the land and new business team to join us on a sunny April morning to explain to you just what this new approach means... 

As you can imagine, a hefty section of the conference talked about artificial intelligence, and the possibilities it has in changing our sector for the better. The term is being banded around a lot at the moment...sometimes a bit too hastily to attract attention with then little of what we know as AI at the heart of it. 

On day 3 of the conference, we took 15 minutes to sit down with Platform’s CIO Jon Cocker and one of our non-exec board members, Heena Prajapat to talk about it and ask, is it time to redefine AI already??? If you’ve got your own questions, send them to podcasts@platfromhg.com and we can put them to Jon and Heena. 

This Housing Platform podcast is worth subscribing to for our thoughts on many different sector topics as well as sharing practices and experiences to help improve what we do for our customers. 

Hear from apprentices in Grounds Maintenance, Procurement, Gas Engineering, Finance and Customer Experience.

There's also advice and thoughts from colleagues who look after our apprentices and leaders about what the future of apprenticeships looks like.

Thanks to Linda Gittings and Ellie Steel as well as Ground Maintenance apprentice Tyler Bergin-Ruff for their contributions.

You can find out more at Apprenticeships | Platform Housing Group

Hear from Platform's Group Chief Executive Elizabeth Froude on the stakeholders that need to stand up and deliver in the face of one of housing's biggest challenges to date.

To find out more about Platform Housing, go to our website www.platformhg.com.

Chief Executive Elizabeth Froude discusses wow social rent contributes to the affordable landscape – compared to other tenures.

We'll also ask how important is it to Platform across our geography and look at why people are calling for more to built in particular?

Finally, we also cover why is it dangerous to sacrifice other tenures like Shared Ownership for building more social rent.

Chaired by Rhys Moore Executive Director of Impact at the National Housing Federation, Platform’s Chief Executive Elizabeth Froude was joined by Ann Santry, Chair of the Shared Ownership Council, Andrew Taylor, Group Planning Director at developer Vistry Partnerships and Cllr Sarah Williams Deputy Leader at Harringay and member for Housing and Planning. 

This podcast brings you highlights of the speakers addressing the floor and answering questions the audience put across.

As part of our podcast called The Housing Platform, these special episodes by Group Chief Executive Elizabeth Froude will address some of the issues in the sector from Platform’s perspective.

In this episode, we'll discuss section 106 and changing attitudes towards it as a way of delivering high quality housing solutions. We'll look at the current sentiments towards it and what the future holds.

Remember you can find us on linkedin or at platformhg.com if you want to engage further. 

There are a whole host of other topics we’ll be covering including our previous episode which looked at Shared Ownership, and our upcoming discussion about social rent.

Make sure you are subscribed to our podcast...and keep an eye out for other Housing Matters editions of ‘the Housing Platform’. 

As part of our podcast called The Housing Platform, these special episodes by Group Chief Executive Elizabeth Froude will address some of the issues in the sector from Platform’s perspective.

In this episode, we'll discuss the tenure of shared ownership, why it's under threat and why the sector needs it to continue to solve the housing crisis.

Remember you can find us on linkedin or at platformhg.com if you want to engage further. 

There are a whole host of other topics we’ll be covering around section 106 agreements and the role of social rent in solving the housing crisis. 

Make sure you are subscribed to our podcast...and keep an eye out for other Housing Matters editions of ‘the Housing Platform’. 

Analysing all the results are Group Chief Executive Elizabeth Froude, Executive Director of Growth and Development Gerraint Oakley, Director of Land, Partnerships and New Business Kate Ellison; New Homes Delivery Director Paula Heatley and Director of Programme Helen Newbury.

Rich Hurst the communications business partner is your host as the podcast is brought to you from the centre of Manchester during the Housing 2024 conference.

Joining Platform's Executive Director of Growth and Development Gerraint Oakley were:

Laura Shoaf CBE - Chief Executive of the West Midlands Combined Authority

Ann Taylor - Development Director, Savills

David Mawson - CEO Placefirst

Simon Wingate - Partnerships Director at Lovell Partnerships

Kate Ellison - Director of Land, Partnerships and New Business at Platform.

They discussed how elements of partnerships they currently have could change, what else might accelerate delivery, their current challenges as well as future challenges they forsee as well as taking questions from the audience about private capital, defining roles within partnerships and one thing they'd change right now.

At Platform, we're extremely proud of our Trainee Board programme and we've just recruited 5 new members to embark on the two-year course to learn everything there is to know about being on a board.

Hear from the five new members, Laurens, Mikhelia, Heidi, Parham and Nkechi as well as our Executive Director of Corporate Resources, Clare Durnin.

Remember our email to get in touch about anything you've heard - podcasts@platformhg.com

1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men have been stalked at some point in their lives and 50% of victims have curtailed or stopped work due to stalking , whilst it's scary to think that 75% of domestic violence stalkers will turn up at the workplace 

Joanna went through all of this. She was stalked for 2 ½ years and wants to share her experience as a way to help others...so in this podcast, you’re going to hear her story. 

TRIGGER WARNING: THIS STORY IS ABOUT A SURVIOVR OF STALKING, A FORM OF DOMESTIC ABUSE, IT HAS DETAIL ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE ENDURED. PLEASE ONLY CONTINUE LISTENING IF YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THAT. 

At conferences across the Midlands, the information team have held workshops and discussions at key industry events to offer their thoughts on how AI can shape the way housing associations can best serve their customers. 

Chief Information Officer Jon Cocker appeared on stage at Housing Digital in Birmingham and Housing Technology in Nottingham. 

At both events, he discussed the opportunities and risks around AI in Housing, plus at Housing Technology, our Enterprise Architect Rich Hawkes, talked through some case studies of work undertaken so far. 

The housing sector is one place where the scheme really comes into its own, with so many different career paths available. Here at Platform Housing, we have apprentices in many areas of the organisation, from property care & maintenance right through to finance & procurement. 

It’s also becoming more common that current employees have been doing apprenticeships to improve their development, in what’s known as upskilling. 

National Apprentices Week takes place in February and this year the theme is skills for life. 

In this podcast, you’re going to hear from some of the apprentices who joined Platform after leaving school and from people in the business who have taken the opportunity to upskill. In all cases, there are some great stories of people expanding their knowledge and increasing their experience and picking up those skills for life. 

With the problems presented from the risk of damp and condensation mould and with the backdrop of tightened measures and issues around resources, plus a backlog from the pandemic, what have Platform been doing to prepare for this winter? 

Thanks to the work that's been done as part of the Property Change programme and projects that have focussed on key priorities, we're in a much better place to face the challenges of this winter. 

We sat down with Dennis Evans, Executive Director of Property and Linda Colburn, Director of Asset Management to discuss the aims of the change programmes and the results so far. 

In this episode, one of our very own domestic abuse survivors, Karen from Platform's Neigbourhoods team, bravely tells her story in the hope it will help others.

Host Christine Yates is also joined by Kath Dawson, Domestic Abuse and Safeguarding Manager to talk about what the organisation does to help raise awareness and the people we work with.

Platform have launched their new Customer Voice Panel. We previously had a customer scrutiny panel and a customer experience panel who reported to the board. This new panel however represents a change in the way we listen to customers, so we wanted to tell you about it and hear from the people involved. 

Lara paid a visit to the offices of Platform Housing Group to deliver a talk around her campaign as president of the Chartered Institute of Housing, In My Shoes. 

It was fascinating to have her speak, not only because she makes some interesting points about the lack of diversity in housing boardrooms....but also because she had music and quizzes and prizes as part of her session.  

Fair to say her style and delivery of what can be a tough message for some to swallow hit all the right notes and left our colleagues and no doubt many others with some food for thought.

After the session, we sat down with Lara to talk about her mission and the term she has enjoyed as President of the CIH as well as what else she’ll be working on after her term has ended. 

Remember there are other podcasts in our Housing Platform series that might interest you – including what it means to produce a zero bills home and how the relationship between government and housing is changing. 

www.platformhg.com

www.cih.org

As Platform continues it's ambitious build programme with 1,300 homes started between 2023 and 2024, one way some of these units could cost customers less is using Octopus Energy's Zero Bills concept.

Join Michael Cottrell, Global Product and Partnerships Director at Octopus Energy and Katie Gilmartin, Head of Business Development and Innovation at Platform to talk through what it all means.

We'll discuss the concept of zero bills, how affordable housing could be the gateway to mass rollout and what needs to change for the sector to adopt it.

Just as it's evolving to allow more people to use it as a way onto the property ladder, it's picked up a few naysayers too, so at Platform Housing Group, we wanted to address all the aspects about it in today's market and help you understand why we believe in it so much as a solution to affording your next home.

Host Richard Hurst is joined by Hannah Harding from Platform Home Ownership, who actually has a home through Shared Ownership.

In this episode we address some of the common stigmas around the tenure with experts.

Just as it's evolving to allow more people to use it as a way onto the property ladder, it's picked up a few naysayers too, so at Platform Housing Group, we wanted to address all the aspects about it in today's market and help you understand why we believe in it so much as a solution to affording your next home.

Host Richard Hurst is joined by Hannah Harding from Platform Home Ownership, who actually has a home through Shared Ownership.

In this episode we speak to people who took the opportunity to live in Shared Ownership homes and how it has worked out for them.

Just as it's evolving to allow more people to use it as a way onto the property ladder, it's picked up a few naysayers too, so at Platform Housing Group, we wanted to address all the aspects about it in today's market and help you understand why we believe in it so much as a solution to affording your next home.

Host Richard Hurst is joined by Hannah Harding from Platform Home Ownership, who actually has a home through Shared Ownership.

In this episode we're going to explain what shared ownership is all about and how it works.

Registered providers of affordable housing like Platform work with Homes England to provide grant funding for development to meet delivery targets set by the government.  

On this podcast, Sharon Kenny who is the Assistant Director for Delivery in Affordable Housing is joined by Platform’s Director for Land, Partnerships and Business Development, Kate Ellison. 

Rich Hurst from the communications team sat down to ask all about their roles and the relationships involved... 

In the next 20 minutes we talk about advantages of the strategic partnership, why HE are visiting more sites that are mid-build (4.44), and HE’s recent announcement around supporting Regeneration opportunities (11.56)  plus the challenges both sides see coming in the future (17.20) 

Our 1,304 starts on site puts us in the Top 10 of the developers whilst the pipeline statistics for the next year see us rank 8th overall, with 1,338 homes on the horizon. 

Our 962 completions put the group 17th in the Top 50 and subscribers will be able to look a little deeper into the numbers and how it reflects on the previous year to see what story it’s telling about how social housing is dealing with the various challenges that are facing us right now. 

So we took out ten minutes with Executive Director of Growth and Development Gerraint Oakley to talk about the figures. We sat down during a tiny bit of downtime at the Housing 2023 conference in Manchester. 

We’re discussing how different elements of the business are affected by different events.

We’ll also cover the different themes of Business Continuity Week and how Platform goes about being prepared to keep the business functioning in unexpected circumstances.