The Autumn issue of WHQ is out now. The print magazine is on its way to subscribers and everything will be going online in the next few days.
The cover story features our theme for the issue: energy for Wales. Whether it’s combating climate change or tackling fuel poverty, building more sustainable homes or finding new ways for communities to benefit from renewable energy, there are already strong links with housing and regeneration and huge potential for them to grow in future.
Contributors include Shea Jones on the potential of renewable energy for Wales, Kevin Bygate on the ‘homes as power stations’ collaboration between Pobl and Swansea University, Rob Proctor on community share offers and David Bolton on energy efficiency.
Our other main feature by Joe Earle, Debbie Green and Karel Williams argues that housing associations need to rethink the role they play in their local economies. They focus on the foundational economy – the everyday things in the public and private sectors that make life possible and employ up to 45% of the local workforce in Swansea Bay.
Wales is leading the way on homelessness in the UK, according to the latest edition of the Homelessness Monitor. Beth Watts looks at how our legislation is paying dividends and why there are still areas of concern.
This issue of WHQ also focuses extensively on governance and regulation. In addition to our regular Regulation Update from Helen White and Board Diary from Tamsin Stirling, contributors include:
- Nick Ramsay AM on the Public Accounts Committee’s verdict on the regulation of housing associations
- Joy Kent on why the debate about paying board members needs a different starting point
- Mike Gaskell and Tom Wainwright on why the mutual model developed by Merthyr Valleys Homes has potential for more housing associations and local authorities
- Ceri Victory-Rowe on the review of governance by the Regulatory Board for Wales
- Thomas Lambourne on a project to foster greater tenant participatory working in Welsh housing association communities.
Community Housing Cymru holds its annual conference in mid-November and we have a sneak preview of some of the sessions on offer from Steve Richards on Brexit, Gordon Perry on devolution deals in England and Victoria Ford on digital technologies.
You can catch up on all that, plus all our regular features, with a subscription to WHQ. Find out more details about subscribing here.
Sometimes it can be hard for a print magazine that comes out every three months to keep up to speed with fast-changing news at the best of times.
When events more so rapidly that the week after the magazine has gone to press sees a welcome u-turn on the LHA cap in the UK and a worrying budget development on Supporting People in Wales, that applies more than ever.
However, that’s where the WHQ website comes into its own and traffic has never been busier than in the last few days.