North Star bridges the gaps and looks to the future
Within days of him taking over as chief executive of the housing association on August 1, 2024, national civil unrest spilled onto the streets of Middlesbrough.
And, almost two years on, that ugly flare-up of disorder β fuelled by national racial tensions β has helped shape the priorities of an βambitious but realisticβ strategy that will take the organisation up to 2031.
“What that first week showed me was that we need to take a strong stand to show our customers, staff and stakeholders what we believe in,” says James.
As a result, an important part of the new strategy is North Star becoming the first landlord to sign a pledge to Become The Bridge β βTo challenge racism together for a fairer, stronger North Eastβ.
Led by the North East Anti-Racism Coalition (NEARC), Become The Bridge is a call to action for organisations to work collectively in taking meaningful, practical action to challenge racism.
“Itβs really important for the North East to be a trailblazer on this,β adds James. “Itβs too easy to be passive on these things, so part of our strategy is to be proactive and take a clear position.”
Indeed, heβs taking a leading role by writing to other housing association CEOs, urging them to sign up to the pledge in a unified demonstration of support across the social housing sector. Consultation and collaboration have been at the heart of formulating the strategy, with North Star listening to the priorities of customers, staff and stakeholders.
Key to the consultation was an βOpen Spaceβ event at Middlesbroughβs Riverside Stadium, attended by staff, board members, and customers, represented by members of the βThe Tenantsβ Voiceβ β a βlightning rodβ that meets monthly and feeds back service improvement recommendations to North Starβs staff and board.
“One of the priorities that came out loud and clear was child poverty,” explains James. “Itβs very evident to staff that itβs a deepening crisis, and the message was that we needed to do more to support some of our most vulnerable customers.”
New data published by the Government, in March, shows that nearly one in three babies, children and young people across the North East were living in poverty in the three years to 2024/25 after the cost of housing is taken into account.
The new data also confirms that 19 out of 27 North East constituencies and local authority areas are home to families where at least one in four children lives in poverty. The highest rates of child poverty (44%) were found in the Middlesbrough and Thornaby East constituency. It is, therefore, timely that North Starβs new five-year strategy aims to make tackling child poverty a priority.
Part of the strategy includes refocusing a well-established community engagement initiative called Heartbeat. Heartbeat connects staff from across the organisation with local communities to work on events and improvements to shared spaces, helping keep customers at the heart of decision-making and service delivery.
Under the new strategy, Heartbeat will now move on to a new phase with an emphasis on tackling child poverty.
“The state of the economy has a huge impact on North Starβs customers, and we are facing an increasing cost-of-living crisis and global uncertainty. Itβs therefore important that we have a strategy thatβs agile and flexible to meet changing needs,” says James.
“We also have to find a balance between ambition and realism. We canβt do everything weβd like to do, so we have to focus on the things that will have the biggest impact. Weβve got a really strong launch pad with our culture and performance, and now we have to use that to maximise the most effective delivery of services as possible.”
North Star is proud to have received sector-leading customer satisfaction scores, but James is determined that the housing association wonβt rest on its laurels.
While personal relationships will remain the βheartbeatβ of North Starβs customer contact, heβs also keen to make the most of what new technology has to offer.
“Weβre working on our approach to AI β how to harness its huge potential for the benefit of staff and customers while not replacing those personal relationships that weβve worked so hard to nurture,” he says.
The recent completion of North Starβs first net zero development in Eldon Street, Darlington, is another example of the kind of innovation that James and his team want to build into the new strategy.
Twelve homes for social rent have been provided on the site of a derelict former snooker hall, using the latest technology to maximise their energy-efficiency and keep energy costs below Β£100 a year. Indeed, Darlington MP Lola McEvoy described the scheme as βa model for the country to followβ.
The brownfield regeneration scheme cost Β£2.8m, with grant support of Β£1.1m from Homes England. Construction work began last March, demand was high, and residents are already enjoying new lives in the homes, with two-bedroomed homes costing Β£110 per week and three-bedroomed homes Β£123.
“What North Star has done here in Darlington is to provide me with a great case study to go back to Westminster and say we need more contracts like this,” added Darlingtonβs MP. “Seeing such high-quality homes delivered at such pace is a real joy because it shows we have a model to fill some of the social gaps.”
And, for James Walder, the development is a shining example of what North Star does best β using innovation to provide safe, affordable homes.
“We have to build on more than 50 years of experience to look to the future and dare to be different, so we can make a lasting difference in the community,” says James.
A BOARD WITH ‘EXCEPTIONAL’ ADDITIONS
NORTH Starβs roots can be traced back more than half a century, and it goes into its new five-year corporate strategy with arefreshed board.
Nicki Clark OBE has been a board member since 2022 and was appointed chair last September. She brings invaluable experience as chief executive of Umi, an organisation that provides business advice and finance to small and medium-sized companies across the UK.
The additions to the board bring significant experience from housing, education, charity, and the wider public and private sectors:
Sarah Roxby is executive director of customers and communities at Vico Housing and has more than 30 yearsβ experience across housing management, supported housing, customer experience, income, and repairs and maintenance.
Richard Fryer is the former executive director of governance and integration at Karbon Homes and has held senior positions in local government. He has extensive executive and non-executive experience in governance, organisational performance and compliance.
Bill Fullen retired in 2023 after more than 40 years in housing, beginning as a voluntary housing advice worker and later serving as chief executive of believe housing. Growing up on a large council estate, he experienced first-hand the impact of good quality homes and community facilities.
A chartered accountant, David Butcher has held senior financial leadership roles across the private and public sectors. Most recently, he was director of finance and university secretary at Leeds Trinity University, overseeing financial strategy, planning and risk.
Deborah Lewis Bynoe is chief executive of The Greatham Foundation which provides person-centred care, support and housing services, particularly for older people and those living with dementia. She has previously held senior finance and business support roles at The Wilf Ward Family Trust, the Great North Air Ambulance Service and Yorkshire Housing.
Nicki Clark said: “Exceptional, ambitious and purpose-driven governance is a key ingredient to North Starβs current and future success. Our new board members bring this in abundance, and Iβm thrilled to be working alongside them and our existing colleagues.”