Housing group host Dutch visitors
Senior housing officials from the Netherlands have made a fact finding visit to Incommunities to learn more about its work and share experiences.
Incommunities Group Chief Executive Geraldine Howley, senior management and board members including Group Chair Jan Ormondroyd, met their opposite numbers from Stek Wonen, a housing group close to Amsterdam which owns around 6,000 homes.
The visitors heard about some of the current challenges facing housing associations in the UK and across West Yorkshire, discussed governance and asset management approaches and viewed some of the housing group’s latest affordable homes developments in Saltaire and Bolton Woods.
Incommunities managers were also given an insight into the social housing sector across the North Sea and their counterparts’ development plans.
Geraldine Howley said: "We were delighted to again host our colleagues from Stek Wonen and share with them our approach to delivering quality housing, improving people’s lives through initiatives such as our employment schemes and working in partnership with national agencies and the Council.
"It was extremely valuable to hear their experiences of some of the housing challenges in the Netherlands and share ideas."
Incommunities links with Stek Wonen go back nearly 10 years and has involved working exchanges between staff to share know-how about the respective housing issues in the UK and the Netherlands.