WHBC ranked top in England for social rented completions
Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council’s (WHBC) commitment to building high-quality social housing has seen it rise to the top ranked English local authority for social rented completions outside of London.
The rankings for 2023-24 have been compiled by Inside Housing Magazine, the trade publication for the UK’s social housing sector. Overall, the Council moved up 12 places to 17th in the UK for most homes built.
WHBC completed 159 homes last year, 139 of which were added to the Council’s stock of socially rented properties, with the remaining 20 being used by the Council as temporary accommodation for families in urgent need. The homes completed included 91 at Minster House in Hatfield, a modern high quality complex to support independent living for older residents, and 38 at Fourways House, part of the Council's One Town Centre development that achieved a Secured by Design Gold award for its security features. Many of the new homes have been designed to support the Borough’s climate pledge to be net zero by 2050, by being built with new low energy Nilan units to provide heating and hot water.
Councillor Gemma Moore, Executive Member for Housing said:
“I am delighted that we have been ranked so highly in the Inside Housing Magazine social housing table. Our community is at the heart of everything that we do and that includes building high-quality social and affordable housing. The Council’s Joint Administration recently announced the creation of nicer neighbourhood task force to build on existing vision and priorities and consider new initiatives. We are committed to making our neighbourhoods vibrant, clean and welcoming places to live and visit.”
The full social housing league table can be found on the Inside Housing website (subscription required).