Housing co-operatives due to meet in Manchester to discuss their role in addressing the housing crisis

Representatives from various housing co-operatives will meet in Manchester in July to discuss how co-operatives can help tackle the housing crisis.  The 21st annual conference of the Confederation...

Representatives from various housing co-operatives will meet in Manchester in July to discuss how co-operatives can help tackle the housing crisis. 

The 21st annual conference of the Confederation of Co-operative Housing (CCH), which takes place on 11-13 July, will look at co-operative housing development and whether the sector can meet the growing demand for affordable housing

Nic Bliss, chair of CCH said: “Does it being our 21st annual conference mean that co-operative housing gets the key to the door? Certainly we are now coming across communities, local authorities, housing associations, developers, national Governments who are interested in exploring how co-operative housing can provide homes for people in these challenging times.

“And there are all sorts of different bespoke approaches to co-operative housing being looked at – for people of different income levels, different tenures, different parts of the country. Our conference, usually a joyful and informative event, will explore how we can turn the ripples of new development into the potential of co-operative housing for all.”

Delegates at the conference will also find out more about the outcomes of CCH’s membership consultation and new membership offer. They will also learn about new co-operative housing as a result of Welsh Government activity and the interest shown by the Greater London Authority and some government officials in the co-operative housing model.

Speakers at this year’s conference include: Prof. Rebecca Tunstall of Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Kieth Edwards of CIH Cymru, Linda Ward of the Phone Co-op, Dr Henry Tam of Cambridge University and Nicholas Gazzard of Co-operative housing Federation of Canada.

As a reflection of the ethos of co-operative housing – each community growing its own individual and bespoke solutions, delegates will be receiving a free moustache.

The CCH works to promote co-operative and tenant controlled housing as a viable alternative form of tenure. In March CCH launched a new guide on developing new co-operative and community-led homes. The guide, created with support from English and Wales housing co-operative organisations, is intended to help community groups, local authorities, housing associations and housing co-ops to explore developing new co-operative and community-led homes.

• Participants can email social housing legal and benefit questions for answering at the conference to [email protected]. Applications for the conference are open until 20 June. Bookings are available online at www.cch.coop, via email [email protected], through post: CCH, 19 Devonshire Road, Liverpool, L8 2TX or by telephone 07940448014.

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