New housing provider consortium set to modernise thousands of homes

Today, the Thriving Communities Consortium, comprising seven small and large English housing providers, has been awarded almost £31million to support the modernisation of thousands of homes across the country, saving customers up to £500 on their annual bills.  

Working together to combine skills, experience, reach, and buying power, the Thriving Communities Consortium aims to act as a ‘force multiplier’ to accelerate efforts to decarbonise and modernise Customers’ homes, delivering retrofit at scale.  

Through its work, the group has also committed to creating new jobs and apprenticeship roles and will also be investing in local community charities and groups to drive social value.

The Warm Homes funding allocation will be allocated across the seven organisations, in line with the recommendations set out in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero funding announcement, to make homes across UK more efficient and affordable to run. Works will include heat pump, solar panel, and new double-glazing installation to improve the properties’ EPC ratings.   

The consortium believes that by joining forces they will be able to drive greater value for money and improve more homes for Customers, faster. To ensure the outcomes of the funding are maximised, the group will introduce a decarbonisation procurement framework providing organisations with access to the appropriate skills and materials required to carry out these projects to a high quality. Furthermore, all consortium members have access to free or discounted training through PfP Thrive to upskill their own colleagues in green skills.  
 
Along with sharing the resources from their supply chains, the consortium believes this has the potential to save over £2.1million in investment costs, and over a quarter million pounds in training, which will be invested back into the programme.  

Chief Investment Officer for Places for People, Tim Weightman comments:  

“Too many homes in the UK are old and poorly insulated, and our organisations see the devastating impact this has on our society, from poor health to impacting people’s access to the job market. A quality home is at the heart of a healthy life. It’s why the Thriving Communities Consortium exists. If we want to reduce the strain on our public services and support more people to be economically active, we need to accelerate our efforts to improve, not just the homes, but the lives of people who live in them.  

“This funding allows us to make homes warmer and reduce Customers’ energy bills, ensuring that families do not have to choose between heating their homes and other essential needs.  

“As a consortium, we will make this grant funding go further. We will create new economic opportunities and through leveraging the support of PfP Thrive, will upskill people in construction and green technologies, building a skilled workforce equipped to tackle future environmental challenges.  

“Without collaborations such as the Thriving Communities Consortium we will not meet the UK’s net-zero emissions target, nor will we finally improve the overall quality of UK housing to improve the health and well-being of people.”    

“With robust asset data, clear delivery plans, and experienced supply chain partners, we are confident this project will improve homes, customers’ well-being, and deliver wider social value to the communities we serve. 

“Not only does this approach deliver the best outcomes; it allows us to collaborate to ensure this vital funding can go further.”  

Justin McCarthy of Paradigm Housing Group said: “We are thrilled to be part of the Thriving Communities Consortium and this successful bid as it provides a fantastic opportunity to further enhance the delivery of our retrofit programme.  Paradigm has made a clear commitment to investing and improving the performance of its homes, as it has clear benefits to our Customers, Communities, and the environment as a whole.  Today's confirmation of funding means that we can accelerate the work that has already begun, increasing the scale of our delivery plan over the next 3 years.” 

Julie Wittich, Chief Operating Officer of Accent Housing comments: “We’re delighted to have been awarded Wave 3 grant funding from DESNZ that will enable us to take Accent’s existing retrofit work further and faster, meaning warmer homes that are cheaper to run for hundreds more of our customers.  

"We’re committed to continuing our investment in our retrofit programme to improve the warmth and comfort of our customers’ homes, as well as supporting customers financially by reducing the amount of energy needed to heat and fuel their homes. This funding will allow more than 400 customers to benefit from energy efficiency improvements that will do just that.  

"We’re excited to build on our wave 2 funding success and look forward to working in partnership with the Thriving Communities consortium, which will play a huge role in tackling fuel poverty, decarbonising our properties, and improving our customers’ lives.” 

Neil Diddams, Executive Director of Property and Assets at West Kent Housing Association said: “We are delighted with the news of this successful consortium bid, which marks a significant milestone in our commitment to addressing the sustainable improvement works to our homes across Kent.” 

Chris Bull, Director of Housing and Property at Papworth Trust, said: “Papworth Trust is delighted to be part of the Thriving Communities consortium. With this funding, we look forward to working together to improve the thermal efficiency of our homes and the beneficial impact that these changes will bring to our tenants and the surrounding environment. We know that having a good quality home is the foundation for those who live in them, allowing them to live well and thrive in their lives. This is particularly important for our tenants, many of whom are disabled or have a long-term health condition.” 

Jo Barrett, Executive Director of Operations at Thrive Homes comments: "We are delighted to have secured a third wave of funding as part of the government’s Warm Homes Social Housing Fund. This grant will enhance our ongoing efforts to install external wall insulation in our homes, significantly improving energy efficiency. By doing so, we aim to mitigate the impact of rising energy costs for our residents and reduce our carbon footprint."  

Gus Desbarats Chair of Eddystone Housing comments: “We are all concerned about getting to net zero, but fuel poverty is also an immediate challenge to our mission of providing low-cost accommodation to older people of limited means. We are a not-or profit, staffed by volunteers and funded by below-market rental income. Our 27 unit housing stock is small but complex with everything from a 17th century alms house to standalone 70’s bungalows by a notable architect. This grant means we can help our residents in ways that simply haven’t been possible before. We especially appreciate the recent rule change that, for the first time, has allowed a very small association like ours to join a larger bid. We also thank Places for People and EON for their support with the bid.”  

The Thriving Communities Consortium was awarded 54%* of the total award from the Government in Wave 3 of the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund which will be match funded by the Consortium. The works will start in March with projects anticipated to be completed by Winter 2028. 

*Actual award was 53.851% and rounded up for purposes of the press release.