Date published: 18 April 2023
WYHP is working to increase the supply and quality of affordable housing in the region.
By joining the partnership, Stonewater will work alongside local authorities and other housing associations to identify opportunities for new affordable housing schemes in West Yorkshire, as well as improving existing properties and services.
The partnership also puts focus on regenerating local communities, working collectively towards vital environmental goals, and enabling residents to achieve and thrive through employment, health and wellbeing support.
Sue Shirt, Chief Customer Officer at Stonewater, said: "We are delighted to be joining the WYHP and look forward to working with our new partners to deliver affordable housing and provide support, inclusion and opportunity for the people of West Yorkshire.
"The housing crisis is a national issue, and we believe that by working collaboratively, we can continue to develop solutions that help more people to access safe, secure, and affordable homes and beyond.
"Working together with our partners will enable us to help contribute to local economies, push forward with low carbon ambitions and ensuring that local people are connected to jobs, skills development, wellbeing services and overall opportunity."
Helen Lennon, Chair of the West Yorkshire Housing Partnership welcomed Stonewater. She said: 2We’re really pleased to have Stonewater on board.
"We know West Yorkshire needs more affordable homes, so growing the partnership will enable us to build more over the next few years and provide better services for customers. Last year we delivered 797 new homes and we have thousands more on the way.
"We’re really excited by the energy and commitment that has developed since the partnership was formed and we look forward to working with Stonewater to improve the lives of people living and working across the region."
Stonewater owns more than 1,200 homes across West Yorkshire and is also developing several additional sites across the region. This includes the regeneration of the former Leeds College campus to provide over 150 new homes as well as the creation of 140 affordable homes on the former quarry site at Flanshaw Lane in Wakefield.
In 2022, Stonewater and West Yorkshire Combined Authority were jointly awarded £310k from the government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) to carry out external and internal insulation works needed to bring the homes up to the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating C.
Sue added: "At Stonewater, we are committed to building communities where people can thrive, and we believe that by joining WYHP and continuing our relationships with other key organisations in the region, we can make a real difference to improving lives of the 2.3million people that live in West Yorkshire.
"The Partnership also gives us opportunity to collaborate with the West Yorkshire Mayor to make targeted change to policy and provision that will enable the region to continue to succeed."