LOCARLA

Social Housing RMI Business Intelligence & other stuff

Scorchio! Either summer has arrived, or this is the beginning of the end of days, either way, the weather has been lovely. And what a month it’s been since we last spoke!

Great news in the spending review with £39 billion being allocated to Affordable Housing, although how much of this is real money is debateable. Whatever, it was still recognition that Social Housing as a tenure is key to housing delivery.

“What have you got for us this month, Gaz?” I hear you mumble, half-heartedly? Well kids, our latest EPC quarterly update is out, and bless my soul, if that wasn’t exciting enough, we have analysis on the millions of UK1 pipeline notices that were posted in March, April & May. Plus, news & tender roundups & reports.

Lastly, we will be in Manchester at the end of June for the unmissable Frankie & The Witch Fingers gig, and, if time permits, Housing 2025. If you would like to chat, join me in a sauna, or receive a signed copy of ‘How not to write a monthly editorial for a below par email on Social Housing Repairs & Maintenance’, by Zemur Gamas, please get in touch.

Now down to business ….

‘Blue links‘ for all and ‘green links‘ are behind login so dependent on your licence.

Welcome, welcome, one and all.

Social Housing EPC Analysis

It’s all News to me!

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Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced a £39bn 10-year investment in social and affordable housing, the biggest in 50 years, to tackle the housing crisis and drive long-term development. Source: LocalGov

The Deputy Prime Minister has urged developers to “get on and build” as councils gain new powers to hold them accountable, aiming to speed up delivery of 1.5m homes and stop sites being left unfinished. Source: GOV.UK

Linc Cymru and Pobl Group, will rebrand as Codi Group from January 1, 2026, following their 2024 merger. Source: Pobl Group

Brent Council was rated C3 for failing to meet consumer standards. In the same update, Metropolitan Housing Trust was rated C2/V2, while MSV Housing improved to C1 following responsive engagement. Source: GOV.UK

Greenwich London Borough may buy 253 homes for social housing under its Housing Our Greenwich plan. Source: Greenwich London Borough

Sage Homes has raised £270m through a sustainable bond to help deliver 30,000 homes by 2030. Source: Housing Today. bLEND priced a £260m 7-year bond, with £150m reserved for future lending to providers like Metropolitan Thames Valley (MTVH) and Leeds Federated Housing Association. Source: The Housing Finance Corporation (THFC). Sovereign Network Group secures £250m from NatWest to build 25,000 homes in 10 years. Source: Housing Executive. Great Places Housing Group secured £225m in loans from Nationwide, NatWest and Santander. Source: Housing Executive. Beacon Cymru Group received £115m from NatWest to build 500 homes and upgrade existing stock. Source: Business Live. Gentoo Group will invest £44m to improve 4,000 homes in Sunderland in 2025/26. Source: Gentoo Group

Birmingham City Council is seeking investors to deliver 6,652 homes in Digbeth. Source: Housing Today. Manchester City Council will build 1,600 homes with new backing from the Greater Manchester Pension Fund. Source: Manchester City Council

Cardo Group has expanded its retrofit services by acquiring SERS Energy Solutions’ operations in England, Wales, and Scotland. Source: Cardo Group. United Living has acquired a majority stake in civils and power distribution specialist Glenelly Infrastructure Solutions. Source: Construction Enquirer

Construction firms made up 18.1% of all insolvencies in England and Wales in March 2025, with 377 becoming insolvent. Source: BCIS. Cladding contractor English Architectural Glazing Ltd has filed an administration notice. Source: Construction Enquirer

Upgrading social homes to EPC Band C could save the NHS £85m a year from 2030. Source: Chartered Institute of Housing. A majority of housing association homes have now achieved an EPC rating of C or higher. Source: Sustainability for Housing. Poor build standards have added £1,000 to new home energy bills since 2016. Source: The Guardian, while new rooftop solar rules aim to reduce costs. Source: GOV.UK

By March 2025, the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund delivered 69,500 measures across 35,200 homes. Source: GOV.UK. The HUG 2 programme installed 17,000 measures in 9,400 households. Source: GOV.UK. GBIS reached 76,900 installations across 60,600 homes. Source: GOV.UK. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme continues to support low-carbon tech uptake in buildings. Source: GOV.UK. Just 1% of homes in England had heat pumps as the main heating source in 2023. Source: GOV.UK. Housing stock in parts of the South West, Midlands, and Yorkshire is more likely to be non-decent than elsewhere. Source: GOV.UK. As of April 2025, 5,052 buildings over 11m still had unsafe cladding requiring remediation. Source: GOV.UK

April 2025 UK construction: approvals up 52%, starts down 17%, awards down 10%. Source: Construction News. Build-to-rent investment jumped 50%. Source: The Construction Index, and England’s housing stock increased by 221,070 homes to 25.6m. Source: GOV.UK. Homes England exceeded its 2024/25 targets. Source: GOV.UK. Meanwhile, construction profit warnings in Q1 matched all of 2024. Source: The Construction Index. Tender price forecasts have been downgraded. Source: Construction Enquirer, though Scottish prices rose 0.9% in Q2. Source: BCIS

Deadly mould complaints in UK homes have surged by over a third, especially in the North West. Source: LBC

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UK1 Pipeline Procurement Statistics – March to May 2025

UK1: Pipeline Notices by Value Range:

UK1: Pipeline Notices Procurement Matrix by Organisation Type and Primary Trade:

Top 20 Clients by UK1: Pipeline Contract Value with Trade Category Breakdown:

Show me the money!

A PDF guide to contract management on Locarla.

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Fresh tenders continue to fuel activity across the social housing sector – bringing forward major contracts in repairs, regeneration, and retrofit as authorities press ahead with delivery.

Setting a new national benchmark, Crown Commercial Service has opened an £80bn market engagement for its Construction Works and Associated Services 3 & ProCure 24 framework, consolidating national frameworks for construction, infrastructure, offsite solutions, and NHS capital projects.

Scotland sets the pace this month as LHC Procurement Group is laying pre-tender engagement for the £750m Public Buildings & Infrastructure Framework (PB4), alongside the upcoming £100m Doorsets, Fire Doors, Communal Doors and Access Controls (FD9) Framework both set to reshape public buildings and infrastructure.

Driving forward, Procure Plus Holdings Ltd has issued a £600m Framework for the Supply of Low and Zero Carbon Technologies, covering supply and distribution of LZC technologies for social housing and public sector properties across the UK.

Westminster London Borough has unveiled a £500m market engagement for its Housing Repairs and Works Contracts, to manage 23,000 homes with services spanning repairs, voids, mechanical, electrical, heating, and major works.

Reinforcing long-term asset resilience, Aster Group has launched a £495.26m PIN – Strategic Alliance notice to deliver planned works across 37,000 homes.

Driving repairs transformation, Orbit Group Ltd. is engaging the market on a £375m procurement for Repairs, Maintenance and Voids across the Midlands, South, and East.

Edinburgh City Council is pushing forward with a £160m Housing Capital Multi Trade Works Framework energy improvements, and retrofit projects across mixed-tenure housing stock, building toward a greener future.

Targeting compliance and safety, Anchor Hanover Group seeks providers for a £133.33m Fire Risk Assessment Remedial Works contract across four regional lots in England.

In a city centre revival, Sevenoaks District Council is on the lookout for a development partner to deliver its £125m Redevelopment of the Land East of Sevenoaks High Street – reviving public realm and delivering new residential units including a leisure centre.

Driving regeneration ambitions, Bedford Borough Council is procuring a £120m Development Partner to Deliver Mayes Yard’s Renewal, combining housing, commercial space, and civic facilities as part of its wider town centre plans.

Preparing for a major refresh of housing stock, Pembrokeshire County Council has launched a £90m market engagement for its Minor Works Framework, spanning responsive repairs, voids, roofing, adaptations, and planned works across its estate.

Turning its focus to electrical safety, Southern Housing has issued an £80m contract notice for Periodic Electrical Inspection & Testing (EICRs), split into three geographical lots, ensuring compliance and contingency across its housing portfolio.

Advancing gas safety and compliance, Portsmouth City Council is preparing a robust £65m Term Service Contract for the Servicing, Maintenance and Compliance of Gas across 17,500 homes – designed with flexibility to accommodate future growth and decarbonisation.

Aiming for streamlined delivery, Amplius is seeking market input for an upcoming £41.66m Kitchen and Bathroom Refurbishments procurement targeting supply and installation.

With an eye on end-to-end repair solutions, Southampton City Council is seeking a single provider for the Provision of Voids and Major Repairs through a £30m contract, spanning everything from roofing and flooring to electrical, gas and civil engineering works.

In pursuit of its net-zero ambitions, Suffolk County Council has announced a £30m Warm Homes Retrofit Framework, supporting whole-house energy upgrades and renewable installations in pursuit of net-zero ambitions.

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The Other League Tables

Along with our main monthly league tables, ❲see below❳, we also produce tables based on the following trades: Retrofit, Asbestos Survey, Fire Risk Assessment, Water/Legionella & Stock Condition Survey. ❲Premium Clients, click here for the PDF❳

Top of the league in each table are ….

Retrofit:

Wates Group

Asbestos Survey:

Environtec

Fire Risk Assessment:

Frankham Consultancy Group

Stock Condition Surveys:

Savills (UK)

Water / Legionella:

Aquatrust Water & Ventilation

May League Tables

Built Environment Contracts

The trades we cover; Responsive Repair, Planned Works (Kitchen/Bathrooms & Doors/Windows), Gas Servicing/Central Heating, Voids, Fire Safety & Roofing.