We are pleased that CHIC members are in support of the changes to the Membership Agreement, having approved changes to the Articles and Membership Rules at a General Meeting of members held on 27^th May. These changes simplify agreements for new members to join and ensure that CHIC’s governance now reflects its size and state of operations.

Now we need all members to accept the new arrangements. Many have already done so, but If you have not yet singed the agreement and will be attending the CHIC Conference & Exhibition, an authorised signatory from your organisation can sign a hard copy at the CHIC Hot Desk. The team will also be on hand to talk to you about any queries you may have.

We are looking forward to seeing you if you will be there on the 16^th of June. If you haven’t already booked, it’s not too late to register. Book your place

You can also get in touch with CHIC’s Chief Executive at jfisher@chicltd.co.uk If want to know more OR if the request to sign the agreement needs to be redirected to someone else within your organisation.

Register Now

Less than one week to go!

CHIC’s annual conference & exhibition is almost here, but there is still time to book your free place. All housing and construction professionals are welcome. The conference is chaired by Mark Easton.

This year, delegates can look forward to a great line up of experienced speakers from organisations such as Offsite Alliance, The Regulator of Social Housing, MOBIE and a wide range of other sector stakeholders. Attending will allow you to gain key insights into current asset management and development innovations and to network with your sector colleagues.


Why should you attend?

Thinking strategically will deliver better value outcomes from your asset management and development programmes which is why we have based this year’s content around helping you to look to the future and “Plan Ahead for Housing”

Aside from networking with your sector colleagues, sharing knowledge, expertise and best practice solutions, you can also be sure that you will come away with:

• An understanding of what’s coming up on Regulation, Economic Change, Procurement and Skills Shortages, from our inspiring main session speakers.
• Key sector insights on current issues from the range of topical workshops delivered by expert speakers.
• A deeper understanding of emerging trends and hot topics such as Disrepair, Levelling Up, Technological Innovation, Decarbonisation, and Offsite Construction.

To view the full programme, please click here.

Thank you to our sponsors

Be sure to visit our exhibitors 

A study by Cambridge University and Napier University found that 28,000 tonnes of carbon were saved on two modular schemes in London Factory-produced homes which can produce up to 45% less carbon than traditional methods of residential construction, according to new research by the two universities.

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Under the new Social Housing Regulation Bill, the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) will be given stronger powers to regularly inspect landlords on things such as health and safety and repairs performance.

The length of time the Regulator has to warn organisations about inspections of properties will now also be cut significantly from 28 days to 48 hours.

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In a timeline published on 8^th June, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said bidding for funding for SHDF Wave 2 will open in late August/early September for an eight-week period.

Up to £700m will be made available during the first tranche of wave two, BEIS confirmed, with the likelihood of smaller tranches of funding following this.

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Helping clients address their risk from defective RAAC roofing systems

A number of concerns have been raised in recent years in relation to defective Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) roof planks. Although not highly prevalent in residential properties, they have been found in flat roof structures of various heights, including offices and schools.

Issues with RAAC construction were originally highlighted following a sudden failure, causing collapse, of RAAC roof planks at a school in Kent. In May 2019, the Standing Committee on Structural Safety (SCOSS) raised a safety alert to the industry noting this as an area of concern. In 2021, SCOSS integrated with Collaborative Reporting for Safer Structures (CROSS) and is now operating under that name, continuing to raise awareness on the structural safety of RAAC construction.

Building Research Establishment (BRE) Information Paper IP10/96 highlights the concerns with RAAC roof planks and advises that such properties should be inspected and assessed by a Structural Engineer, with appropriate measures taken to remediate any defects and advise on long term regimes for inspections

Should you have RAAC within any of your assets, or are not sure, we recommend that if you have not done so already, you employ a competent Structural Engineer to inspect the property and advise you.

One of our CHIC suppliers, the Frankham Consultancy Group, offers specialist advice in this area, and the link below gives an insight into the issues and risks.

READ MORE

If you need a review of your buildings and safety risk in relation to RAAC, please feel free to get in touch with one of our Member Services Team at enqiries@chicltd.co.uk to help you access CHIC’s new Consultancy Framework. 

A survey has been launched by The Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee directly towards the people who live in social housing. This survey is to recognise the condition and quality of homes in social housing.

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The head of policy and external affairs at the Chartered Institute of Housing, Rachael Williamson, voices the £1bn increase in the Household Support Fund from next month is not a solution to support low-income citizens as the cost of living crisis and essentials continue to rise.

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As the reformation of innovation and sustainability in procurement is expected in 2023, social landlords are encouraged to be aware of the hurdles within traditional procurement routes before establishing routes to procure an emerging green technology.

Read More 

The government published changes in the Social Housing White Paper with the aim to have a renewed focus on improving the quality of housing.

Read More

Are you seeking a new opportunity?

CHIC has three exciting new job opportunities to join our growing procurement team:

Procurement Manager (Wales)
Procurement Officer (Wales)
Procurement Officer (Midlands)

We are also looking for a Social Value Manager to manage our new charity, delivering CHIC’s social value programme, employment and training.

And due to the expansion of our programme, we are now recruiting a new Head of Member Services to our growing team – ideally Midlands based.

For more information, please drop Allison Price an email at aprice@chicltd.co.uk to find out more.  

CHIC delivers a wide range of PCR 2015 compliant procurement solutions, through frameworks, contracts and a dynamic purchasing system. But we also provide on-going support to members and the supply chain, to ensure that all work together to drive efficiencies from aggregation of demand and through effective collaboration.

Never has it been more important to get the housing sector to work together through effective collaboration. The ‘net zero’ target for 2050 might still seem quite distant, but is this now within the normal 30-year investment planning cycle for a social housing landlord.

What we know is that more investment is needed and each landlord needs to do to their homes will only emerge over the next few years, as their own investment plus net zero asset management strategies are developed and refined. But we already know they will all include:

• Improvements to the insulation of their homes (FABRIC FIRST)
• Investment in new heating systems and renewable technologies (M&E work)
• Significant regeneration – for those homes that are unpopular and that cannot be cost effectively improved.

CHIC sees its role as a Founding Partner of UNZ remaining an important focus for members. Although the sector has come a long way, there is still a long way to go. Decarbonisation was not on the agenda until a couple of years ago, and now it is the ‘buzz word’ for many. Suddenly there seem to be lots of experts in the field but who do not necessarily have the experiences to demonstrate such claims.

By collaborating with like-minded organisations across the housing and construction sectors, we can together unlock what ‘Net Zero’ really means. In turn, CHIC can engage its wide cohort of members and contractor, consultant, supplier and manufacturer partners in the efficient delivery of a whole new chapter of investment in members’ homes, making warmth more affordable for residents and reducing carbon.

We look forward to our continued support to this important agenda and using the wealth of knowledge in the CHIC team, and our position amongst between sector experts to publish useful content for all to benefit. 

USEFUL LINKS

PARTNER DIRECTORY: https://www.unlocknetzero.co.uk/partner-directory/chic-ltd

Our partner directory is where all our decarbonisation related content will be posted onto the hub. Keep an eye out for further reports, case studies and updates from CHIC.

EVENTS: https://www.unlocknetzero.co.uk/events

Here you can find some useful links to upcoming webinars, seminars and conferences where you can learn about the latest developments, including our vey own annual CHIC Conference & Exhibition

If you would like to partner with CHIC in a joint press release on decarbonisation, please send an email to ccoulson@chicltd.co.uk