Housing associations in the Leeds City Region: local economic drivers 05 10 15 25
Did you know that housing associations in the Leeds City Region add 341.5m annually to the Yorkshire and Humber economy? Housing associations are making a significant contribution to economic growth. They own, manage and maintain 115,543 homes in the Leeds City Region area and plan to build 2,578 new affordable homes. House building supports local businesses and boosts the economy, with most of the economic impact retained in the local area. With the introduction of the Single Local Growth Fund from April 15 housing associations are well placed to lever in private investment matching every 1 of investment with nearly 6 of their own resources to build new affordable homes. Supporting local economic growth Housing associations build and manage homes and do much more to support and grow the local economy, meeting LEP priorities. They: -have extensive new build and regeneration programmes, helping the LEP to create the infrastructure for growth and are major local employers and operate in areas where new jobs are needed most -have well-developed training and skills programmes, supporting the City Region s skills aspirations -support local businesses and social enterprises through their supply chains -work extensively in the green economy (supporting the LEP s low carbon priority) and around the digital inclusion agenda -diversify rapidly, entering new markets and acquiring businesses 341.5m CASE STUDY: Wakefield District Housing Wakefield and District Housing manages 31,000 homes, with a turnover of 118.2m. Since April 10 its Community Employment Advisors have helped 388 people into work and 913 into employment related training. The Wakefield Homebuilder Partnership has provided over 2,000 qualifications and offered over 700 people full time sustainable employment. 05 10 15 25 30 35
Building new homes Making an economic impact Housing associations are major players in housing development and regeneration, building a significant proportion of new homes across the Leeds City Region, supporting the LEP s aspiration around creating the infrastructure for growth. Associations are committed to building 2,578 homes between 11 and 15. This will add over 177.5m to the Leeds City Region economy, supporting around 4,136 jobs. The development of new housing supports local economic growth and creates real, sustainable, jobs in the local economy. Every affordable home built creates 2.4 jobs in total in the UK economy. 2.4 Jobs created by every affordable home built Leeds City Region housing associations make an annual contribution of 341.5m to the Yorkshire and Humber economy by: -directly employing 5,500 people and many more in their wider supply chains -recording an annual turnover of 381m in the City Region -managing, repairing and maintaining 115,543 homes across the Leeds City Region, adding 166.5m directly each year to the regional economy -creating 12,127 jobs (directly and indirectly through supply chains) across the UK, producing a total impact of 428.7m CASE STUDY: Incommunities Bradford-based Incommunities manages 22,500 homes and has an annual turnover of almost 86m. It has protected/created over 700 jobs per annum and created 59 apprenticeships. Its Work Where You Live programme has created over 100 business start ups. It has invested 350m in their stock since 03; the programme has included tackling trade shortages, assisting SMEs to access public sector contracts and encouraging businesses to invest in apprenticeship schemes. 05 10 15 25 30 35
Supporting local employment and skills Working together to make a real difference Housing associations are large local employers in the Leeds City Region, spending a considerable amount of money within the local economy and supporting sizeable supply chains. Businesses cannot grow when their employees are unable to find affordable homes in the right places. Housing associations can help the Leeds City Region LEP support business growth by providing a range of housing options. This includes low cost home ownership, market rented housing and homes for outright sale. They work across a range of local communities, including the most deprived neighbourhoods where job opportunities are few and far between. Many housing associations offer training and apprenticeships to their residents and wider communities, and use their supply chains to increase and widen their employment offer. In 11/12 they supported 260 apprenticeships across Yorkshire and Humber. Housing associations play a significant role in driving local economic growth, have access to private finance and hold significant undrawn loan facilities. They are, therefore, able to effectively lever private investment into the area. They are key partners in supporting local authorities, the Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership and other local policy makers to deliver on shared priorities. There are many housing association professionals already involved in this work. As the membership body for housing associations, the National Housing Federation is keen to strengthen relationships. If you want to find out more about working with housing associations to grow the Leeds City Region economy, please get in touch with your local External Affairs Manager for Yorkshire and the Humber: Daniel Klemm T: 07881 857 977 E: daniel.klemm@housing.org.uk 05 10 15 25 30 35
The National Housing Federation is the voice of affordable housing in England. We believe that everyone should have the home they need at a price they can afford. That s why we represent the work of housing associations and campaign for better housing. Our members provide two and a half million homes for more than five million people. And each year they invest in a diverse range of neighbourhood projects that help create strong, vibrant communities. National Housing Federation 25 Procter Street, London WC1V 6NY Tel: 0 7067 1010 Email: info@housing.org.uk www.housing.org.uk Find us or follow us on: National Housing Federation Mixed Sources. Product group from well-managed forests, controlled sources and recycled wood or fibre. www.fsc.org Cert no. SGS-COC-2842 1998 Forest Stewardship Council