A lot has changed in the sector over the last 40 years. George Paterson, Executive Director of Property at Together Housing Group has spent his whole career in housing, and we get to tap into his wealth of knowledge and experience in this episode.
We discover George’s journey through the sector and with Together Housing. He shares with us the organisation’s most significant achievements and the biggest challenges that he’s faced. George also tells us what he feels are the biggest game changers that the sector has seen in the last 40 years.
We ask George how Together Housing is striking the balance between new homes and maintaining existing stock. We touch on the decent homes standard and discuss the potential need for its review. We speak about the professionalisation of the sector and ask George his thoughts on whether or not it’ll fix any of the problems we face.
To Together Housing, the repairs team is the eyes and ears of the organisation. We dive deep into recruitment and why it’s becoming harder to find the right people for trade roles. Skills and attitudes go hand-in-hand, and George gives his insights into how organisations can ensure they’re getting people that are the right cultural fit, as well as having the right skills and attitudes. George shares his thoughts on the values of bringing in fresh faces vs promoting within, and he shares the story of one of the best recruitment moves they’ve ever made.
In this episode, we cover:
- The biggest game changers in the sector over the last 40 years.
- How to strike the right balance between building new homes and maintaining
existing stock. - Do we need to review the decent homes standard?
- Will professionalising the sector solve any of its problems?
- How can people test and ensure they’re getting people that are the right
cultural fit? - The value of bringing in fresh faces vs promoting within.
- How we encourage more people into the sector?
- What’s coming next for Together Housing?