Greater Manchester communities set to benefit from housing merger plans

Two south Manchester-based housing associations are in talks to merge to help improve homes and housing services and provide residents with better value for money.

Southway Housing Trust and Wythenshawe Community Housing Group (WCHG) could merge later this year creating the largest provider of social housing in Manchester with around 21,000 homes and 40,000 residents.

Financially, the new housing association would be stronger and able to invest more in improving and maintaining existing homes, providing better repairs and housing and advice services to help residents with the rising cost of living.

The new organisation would also be able to build more quality affordable homes for rent and shared ownership.

Between them, WCHG and Southway have already committed to develop 2,700 affordable homes by 2030, and a new combined organisation would be able to surpass this ambition.

The new organisation would also be able to invest more in communities, boosting the £15 million the two have already pledged to invest over the next few years.

The merger would build on the strengths and local knowledge of both organisations to provide services that are more tailored to its communities and are shaped by residents.

A Joint Resident Group, made up of existing Southway and WCHG residents will be established to help shape proposals to ensure the merger plans represent a diverse range of resident voices.

All Southway and WCHG residents will be able to have their say on the plans in June as part of a 10-week consultation.

Southway currently manages over 6,500 homes across Greater Manchester although most of its homes are in south Manchester in Burnage, Chorlton, Didsbury and Withington.

WCHG owns and manages 14,000 homes in Wythenshawe and surrounding areas.

If the merger is approved in the autumn, Nick Crofts, WCHG’s current chair would be the new group chair of the new combined organisation and John Bowker, Southway’s current chief executive would become the new chief executive.

WCHG’s chief executive, Nick Horne, retired at the end of April, and its executive director of finance, Simon Morris, has been acting as interim chief executive.

Southway’s John Bowker said: “This is an exciting opportunity for two successful housing associations with a wealth of local knowledge to come together to provide better and more tailored services for residents across south Manchester and the wider Greater Manchester region.

“As one organisation, we’d be financially stronger and more resilient to increase investment in building and maintaining homes, supporting residents with the rising costs of living and address other challenges facing social housing providers.

“It would be an equal partnership that makes the best use of combined skills and resource to provide better value for money and ultimately, services that are shaped by residents.”

Chair of the Board at WCHG Nick Crofts added: “Throughout this process, we will remain focused on maintaining high-quality services and ensuring residents help shape the future of the new organisation, should the merger go ahead.

“By combining our strengths and experience, we can create a stronger organisation that is better placed to meet future challenges and deliver lasting benefits for tenants, residents and communities.

“We’re committed to keeping strong governance and long-term sustainability at the heart of every decision we make.”