The UK's most up-to-date social housing and public sector news website
Beth Peakall
Beth is the Managing Director of Transformance Consulting. She helps people in both the private and public sectors to understand themselves and others better. This understanding leads to better communication, better teamwork and better relationships, transforming their performance and, through that, their business. Beth worked in the social housing field in Canada and the UK for 13 years in a variety of management positions. As a board member of Leicester Quaker Housing Association she has also seen housing from the boardroom perspective.
Is lean management the way to save sheltered housing?
February 14th, 2010 by Beth Peakall
The issue of wardens in sheltered housing continues to rumble on. Even though Barnet and Portsmouth Councils have said they will not appeal the judicial review ruling, this only means they will need to redesign their tenant consultation process to take into the account the ruling; it does not mean the warden service will continue. …
Housing apprentices
February 4th, 2010 by Beth Peakall
I attended the low key launch of the housing apprentiship in London, taking place during National Apprentiship week. I hope this route does get consideration by those in housing as they are a way of trying to bring people into housing and into a career. The government is giving grants to employers to take on …
Housing is about people, not property
February 2nd, 2010 by Beth Peakall
I was interested in the article regarding overcrowding in the Somali community in London. I worked with Karin Housing, and I saw the report in its draft stage. Sue Lukes’ comment regarding choice based letting system is true not only for the Somali community but many in the London area. On-line systems seem a great …
What price care
July 25th, 2008 by Beth Peakall
I’ve been perusing the July issues of Inside Housing. The 11th July issue is full of the muddled thinking we are now sadly used to from the government. We see a huge spread on the massive cut backs in Supporting People funding, which is not just cutting back support to the most vulnerable, but also …
Housing Associations to the rescue?
June 19th, 2008 by Beth Peakall
The bad economic news just rolls on and on. It’s been interesting reading the last two or three issues of Inside Housing. Is this the time housing associations - after years of being a political football - gets to be centre stage in an economic recovery? I am intrigued by the idea of housing associations …
Snapping up bargains?
May 17th, 2008 by Beth Peakall
You can’t turn on any news these days – print, TV or radio –and escape the credit crunch and the possible impact on the housing market. I am not an economist, so I’m baffled at times by the contradictory information coming out. I worry that we will, if we are not careful, make the worst …
Quality is cheaper
May 3rd, 2008 by Beth Peakall
Rebecca Mollart makes the point about considering “quality as part of floating support debate”. I work with a number of local councils, and one of them is “time and motion” bound. The floating wardens are given 8 minutes per week per older tenant – that is how their work load is allocated. Having managed a …
Lifetime homes standards
April 11th, 2008 by Beth Peakall
Three cheers - very loud ones - for Bill Randall! In this week’s Inside Housing, his column makes the clear case for lifetimes homes. I would point out that this is not just for home owners - think about the housing management case. How many transfer cases are on your books now because the home …
A good old fashioned talking to
April 6th, 2008 by Beth Peakall
I read with great interest that, according to a Housemark study, that verbal warnings work better than court action in tackling anti-social behaviour. Apparently 85% of cases were successfully dealt with by talking to the person/people involved. Are we REALLY surprised by that? These statistics are borne out in case studies of Victim-Offender Mediation studies …
Neighbourhood reputation
March 23rd, 2008 by Beth Peakall
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation recently researched and published a report called Neighbourhood identity: people, time and place, which looked at three neighbourhoods in Stirling. In essence, it concludes that a neighbourhood’s reputation is set at an early stage and is difficult to change. Is that really surprising? Think of people. Once a reputation is established …
Camden Council gains possession of 100 homes in illegal sub-letting crackdown 
Stockport Homes is one of the best places to work! 
'Self-styled countess' jailed for 200,000 benefit fraud 
Alan Duncan meets Spire tenants 
Professor Peter Roberts OBE becomes chair of KHT 
