With rumours rife and budget wish lists being drawn up left, right and centre, it will be interesting to see what the Chancellor announces this autumn in the budget.
As somebody passionate about housing and its impact on society, you can probably guess that my budget wish list is geared around the housing shortage - what we can build, where we can build it and how we can support people into housing and home ownership.
It's been pretty turbulent over the last couple of years in terms of politics, which has had an expected knock-on effect for individuals on housing waiting lists and those wishing to make their first step onto the property ladder. However, I've been pleased to see housing enjoy some of the headlines of late, with the protection of some of the most vulnerable in supported housing; the increased funding pot for social housing and the extension of the government's help to buy scheme.
So why am I here asking for more support? I guess the simple answer is because, whilst these announcements have been most welcome, we'd be foolish to think they'll solve the housing crisis overnight.
Housing associations are ready and willing to contribute to government policy
As a sector, we can reciprocate, we can innovate and we can find new solutions that aren't reliant on government funds. But government support will ensure that our impact is particularly far-reaching.
For example, many housing associations build and sell homes in order to reinvest profits back into the business, to deliver affordable homes and services for those who need them the most. As a sector, we are more self-sufficient than ever before.
Make it easier for associations to secure the land to build on
To amplify impact, there are certain asks of government that, if granted, would enable us to build at an even greater rate to respond to the shortage. Such as strategic land assembly.
Putting land together one piece at a time can be very expensive for developers, but a fund to kick-start the process should deliver a good return in the long-run. We know that government wants to see land being built on, and housing associations play a key role here. Last year, 47,709 homes were started by housing associations. If we secure the land, we will use it efficiently.
We need clarity and new pathways into home ownership
Clarity on voluntary right to buy would also be welcome. The intended rollout and subsequent pause of voluntary right to buy is a clear example of policy impact. I could complain about the amount of preparatory work we did in this respect, but it won't change anything. So instead, rather than sit and wait, we decided we should use it as an opportunity to innovate. As such, we created our own home ownership product to support our customers onto the housing ladder. 'Deposit Builder' allows us to address the aspirations of 87% of our customers who have told us that they want to own their own home, but who struggle to raise a deposit. We can roll this out without reliance on government.
In return for support, we are able to work closely with government and NHS trusts to design and deliver supported housing that improves hospital bed flow and increases independence, thereby reducing 'revolving door' syndrome, especially for individuals with mental health and learning disability support needs.
And we know that customer engagement is key here. It's not something we simply pay lip service to by having a Twitter account. We involve customers in some of the big decisions that we make, such as the design of new mental health supported accommodation and regeneration schemes. This provides us with rich feedback to inform our design plans.
As a sector, we are moving forward, we are increasingly innovative and we can make a big difference.
But we must work collaboratively with government and be involved in conversations in the early stages. It's not an infinite flow of money that we need (as welcome as that might be!), it's about working together to understand how housing associations, as a sector, can contribute to health and wellbeing, employment and skills development. It's about how we can influence savings from different budgets if we have the right level of support, integration, certainty and funding to enable effective cross-sector working to take place.
So my headline ask of Government this budget is simply to talk with us. I think they will be pleasantly surprised at what we can offer in return for their support.