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Housing Professional
The ARK update.
December 2025 |
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Welcome to the latest edition of Housing Professional, our final newsletter of a busy year for housing. Beyond the long-awaited introduction of Awaab’s Law in October and the £39 billion Affordable Homes funding announced in June, 2025 has seen government and the social housing sector commit more serious fire-safety and remediation funding, including a major acceleration plan aimed at tackling unsafe cladding and bringing mid and high-rise social stock up to standard.
New regulations on electrical safety further reflect a broader shift towards raising quality and safety standards for tenants. In many ways this feels like the start of a new chapter in social housing in England.
We’d like to wish all of our readers, clients and colleagues a Merry Christmas, and a very Happy New Year! |
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2025 also saw us celebrate 35 years of ARK Consultancy, with three videos from our founding Directors Jerry Gilbert, John Paterson, and John Fisher. |
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A Christmas Carol for Social Housing |
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By Adam Borrie
ARK Assistant Director
In this thought provoking piece, Assistant Director Adam Borrie uses Dickens’s A Christmas Carol as a way to reflect on how social housing has evolved over the past 70 years.
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Adam looks back at a time when council homes were a mainstream, respected option, contrasting it with today’s landscape of limited supply, growing need and heightened scrutiny over safety and quality.
Adam considers the policy decisions that have shaped the sector, the lasting impact of Right to Buy, and the operational pressures facing providers. Looking to the future, he sets out why maintaining and improving existing homes must be the top priority and why engaging tenants meaningfully is essential for delivering services that meet today’s expectations.
The article offers a clear message for leaders: learn from the past, face the realities of the present, and take decisive steps to secure a better future for tenants and communities.
Read the full article by following the link below… |
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Help us raise funds for Birmingham Care Group as we walk 2.8 million steps in December! |
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| Every December, we embark on our ‘ARK Amble’, a collective effort to walk as many steps as possible while raising money for a worthwhile cause. This year, we’re supporting Birmingham Care Group. Find out more and donate to our JustGiving page via the link below… |
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View Our Latest Video Case Studies |
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We recently filmed two case studies showcasing our work with Oxfordshire based Soha Housing, and Ardenglen, a housing association based in south Glasgow.
In the first video, ARK Assistant Director Luke Beard features alongside Soha Chief Executive Kate Wareing, Director of Housing and Communities Matt Archer, and Director of Property Services Andy Tollett, and looks at our work to help them launch Soha Response, which saw them bring their repairs and maintenance service in-house.
The second video features ARK Assistant Director Kirsty Wells, Ardenglen Chief Executive David Byfield and Director of Customer Services Suzanne Casey talking about our work on Ardenglen’s customer engagement strategy. |
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| We exhibited at HOMES UK at Excel London on 25 & 26 November, part of London Housing week.
We had some great conversations with visitors to our stand, which was part of the CHIC Community Pavilion. |
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Two of our Directors spoke on the Warm and Healthy Homes stage on day one. We had wonderful feedback from several delegates following Luke Beard’s presentation in the session Making retrofit stack up: Unlocking investment through smarter asset strategies, and Helen Scurr gave a great presentation on our experience in delivering resident engagement for Birmingham City Council’s ‘Retrofit Brum’ project in the session How to meaningfully include residents in retrofit. |
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12 Steps Boards Can Take in Response to the RSH Sector Risk Profile 2025 |
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The Regulator of Social Housing recently published it’s Sector Risk Profile for 2025. Boards across the housing sector are navigating a period of intense regulatory, financial and cultural pressure.
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In her latest article, Associate Director Léann Hearne outlines why governance matters more than ever, what high-performing boards consistently get right, and how leaders can respond to the Regulator of Social Housing’s latest Sector Risk Profile with confidence and clarity.
She also sets out twelve practical steps that board members can take to strengthen oversight, improve assurance, and create a culture that supports better decisions and better outcomes for customers.
Read the full article to explore the twelve steps and understand how your board can move from compliant to confident. |
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The ARK Annual ReviewWe are delighted to share our 2024-2025 Annual Review, marking a significant milestone as ARK celebrates 35 years of supporting the social housing sector. Find out more on our website here, or download the full review in pdf format below. |
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| Why Organisational Culture Matters: Building Resilience for Sector Change |
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| Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP) 2026 to 2036 |
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| Preparing for the £39 Billion Funding Round: Why ARK’s Benchmarking Service Is Essential |
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| Decarbonisation Grant Delivery Assurance: Confidence Across Energy Upgrade Programmes |
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