We can provide hands-on assistance to a wide range of housing organisations, with a team of over 60 high-level consultants and associates. Each assignment guarantees single-point accountability: one director will take the lead responsibility.
Our work includes:
Performance improvement and inspection support
Led by Lydia Dlaboha, our mock inspection work includes assisting West Kent Housing Association, the first housing association in the country to gain three stars from the Audit Commission. Elsewhere, our work has helped a number of ALMOs gain three stars, whilst many other organisations have been assisted in moving to two stars. Anna Pattison, Business Manager, provides support in this area. Contact Anna via email anna@hqnetwork.co.uk or telephone the HQN office on 0845 4747 004.
Financial support
Our Finance Director is Steve Partridge, one of the country's leading experts in housing finance, who has spearheaded HQN's input into finance policy at a national level for over five years. Our team of finance consultants offers the full range of financial support to housing organisations, including business planning, supporting authorities through financial change and assisting bids for ALMO and LSVT resources. Finance consultancy is supported by Richard Waft, Business Manager. Contact Richard via email richard.waft@hqnetwork.co.uk or telephone the HQN office on 0845 4747 004.
Asset management
Our experienced team of consultants is led by Wayne Hughes and supported by Linda Spindley, Business Manager. The team has a proven track record in the field, strong project management skills and an in-depth understanding of local authority, ALMO and housing association asset management operations, funding, regulation and inspection. They will provide support tailored to your needs in every area, including stock condition validation, DLO reviews and support, procurement advice, market testing, and much more. Contact Linda via email linda.spindley@hqnetwork.co.uk or telephone the HQN office on 0845 4747 004.
Strategic housing services
Our Director Gill Leng leads our experienced team of consultants working in strategic housing. The range of services we offer reflects the diversity of the strategic housing function. In addition to supporting the development of strategy and policy in all areas of housing (including affordable housing, private sector housing, homelessness and housing support), we offer support to improve performance (including mock inspections). We also work at local, sub-regional and regional level, most recently to develop approaches to value for money and choice based lettings, and undertake research projects that range from assessing the options for intermediate housing to the impact of local government reform. Russell Helms, Business Manager supports strategic housing consultancy and can be contacted via email russell@hqnetwork.co.uk or telephone the HQN office on 0845 4747 004.
ALMO consultancy
HQN has a particular expertise in set-up, having worked with prospective ALMOs from the very first round. We have close ties with the National Federation of ALMOs, and keep abreast of all the issues that matter in the run-up to going live. And we can also assist established ALMOs looking to gain stars. We will help you to figure out how you can improve, whilst still meeting efficiency targets. Our advice is strictly impartial we have no links to any suppliers or purchasing organisations. Our ALMO work is led by our Chief Executive, Alistair McIntosh.
Large-scale research projects
HQN has been commissioned to undertake prestigious research on a range of issues including: assessment of all local authority homelessness strategies for the CLG (formally known as the ODPM); development of housing management specifications for the Housing Corporation; analysis of why landlords improve, and toolkits to stimulate improvement, for the CLG and the HC; inspection of MoD residential holdings overseas for the National Audit Office.
Click here for our consultancy enquiry form
Click here for the list of our associates