Strength in numbers builds more homes
As former Chief Executive of Longhurst Group, Bob Walder was a key ally of NCHA over the years.
Together, the two associations formed a partnership, POD (later named Pitch), based on mutual respect and a drive to achieve more. This benefitted not just NCHA and Longhurst customers, but the entire social housing sector.
During the lifespan of the partnership, we earned fee income in excess of £2.8 million, all of which was reinvested back into NCHA.
Aside from their own development programme, POD/Pitch built many homes for other social housing providers.
One of the largest outcomes from NCHA's partnership with Longhurst was the creation of Blue Skies Consortium. This brought together around 14 different housing associations of different sizes.
NCHA and Longhurst went on to be successful in gaining strategic partnership status from Homes England. This guaranteed thousands of more homes for the Midlands region over the following five years. The partnership between the two organisations has meant that far more people who needed homes got them.
We realised we could effect far more change together than we could separately and by combining our efforts, were able to develop a programme of over a thousand homes per year.
Bob Walder, Former Chief Executive Longhurst Group
