The Chief Exec of Bradford-based Manningham Housing Association has said 2025 must be the year for the government to inject real momentum into its housebuilding plans if Ministers are to meet their pledge to deliver 1.5 million new homes by the end of this Parliament.
In a New Year message, Lee Bloomfield reflected on what he called incredible milestones achieved by the MHA over the last year.
Notable successes included being recognised as the first housing association worldwide to win the ISO 30415 accreditation for HR and diversity and inclusion, the launch of a greatly enhanced user-friendly website as part of its digital transformation agenda, and the upgrade of MHA properties with assistance from the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund.
Mr Bloomfield stressed that MHA, managing more than 1,400 homes for 6,000 residents in Bradford and Keighley, was keen to deliver more new homes.
He said: “Last month, we were privileged to host strategy and policy staff from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in Bradford and Keighley as part of the Social Housing Immersion Programme
“We made clear that MHA stands ready to help in any way we can to help the government deliver its promise of 1.5 million new homes within five years.
“Whilst Ministers have faced criticism for the direction taken in some areas of policy, I believe the tone and approach they have adopted in relation to housebuilding has been impressive.
“But with the clock ticking, they must inject real momentum into the process by swiftly enacting the planning legislation they have talked up before getting actual shovels in the ground.
“And signs of delivery must be visible this year, otherwise those who believe that the 1.5 million housing target is fanciful will have added reason to be sceptical.
“A new year brings new hope, new aspiration and new energy – nowhere more so than Bradford UK City of Culture 2025.
“The sincere wish of everyone in the housing sector must be that this new year will herald a new dawn in the delivery of new homes.”
