Social Homes for Manchester (SH4M) has been supporting a process in Hulme to explore the possibility of creating aNeighbourhood Plan for the area.
Neighbourhood Plans (NP) give communities power to influence what gets built in their area, how the buildings are designed and where they are sited. This is a good fit with the aims of SH4M, which are to see more community control over planning, and in particular, more housing that meets local need in terms of size, environmental factors, tenure and location.
“Neighbourhood planning provides the opportunity for communities to set out a positive vision for how they want their community to develop over the next 10, 15, 20 years in ways that meet identified local need and make sense for local people. They can put in place planning policies that will help deliver that vision, or grant planning permission for the development they want to see” Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)
Two community meetings, in April and May 2026, were attended by Hulme residents, the local Labour councillors, members of the SH4M coalition and a community planning consultant, Dave Chapman, to explore what would be involved in a NP process, and what could be achieved.
Dave, a chartered planner from Devon, has supported similar projects around the UK and thinks NPs can be a valuable democratic tool. He accompanied residents on a walk-round before the first meeting, to get an idea of the geography and the kinds of amenities and issues that would be relevant for a NP, and afterwards produced a briefing paper outlining next steps.
Since they were introduced by the 2011 Localism Act, most NPs have come to pass in relatively well-to-do rural villages and towns, where the existing parish or town council can be designated a ‘Qualifying Body’ to produce a Plan. In urban areas, it is necessary to first set up a Neighbourhood Forum, which can then apply to become a Qualifying Body in order to prepare a NP for a specified Neighbourhood Area.
In Hulme, the first big decision will be what footprint to choose for the NP. The ward has significant non-residential land, including that occupied by ASDA, the two universities and the science park, and a section of the Oxford Road corridor. A big chunk of Hulme has been defined as City Centre in the new draft Local Plan (with a carve-out for the Aquarius estate achieved by lobbying last year by local residents involved in SH4M), while some of it was previously assigned to a Castlefield Neighbourhood Area, for a Neighbourhood Forum that never got off the ground (and has since lapsed).
Next steps
We are waiting for a meeting with city planners to get their thoughts on the boundary options from a planning perspective. There will then be a well-publicised open meeting to bring together lots of Hulme residents, organisations and businesses, with the aim of agreeing the Neighbourhood Area, establishing a Neighbourhood Forum, and getting ready to submit an application for designation.
Assuming the Forum application is approved (by the Council and an independent planning inspector) – and if we’ve managed to raise a bit of extra funding – the fun can begin!
Preparing a NP should take two to three years, and would have several stages:
Evidence gathering: and analysing data on Hulme as it is today.
Community consultation and surveys: determining the priorities and ideas of those living in Hulme.
Drafting the plan:: establishing a vision, setting objectives and planning policies.
Independent examination: to ensure the plan accords with national and local policy.
Referendum: of all those on the electoral register in the Hulme Neighbourhood Area as to whether the Neighbourhood Plan should be used by Manchester City Council to help decide planning applications.
There is also still time to try to influence the Local Plan itself, when it reopens for consultation next month.
Beyond the Neighbourhood, beyond Hulme… the Manchester Local Plan
The ten-year Manchester Local Plan is currently being prepared, and will go into ‘Regulation 19’, the final round of public consultation, on August 17th, for six weeks.
From July onwards, SH4M is offering to run workshops for any community groups across Manchester who would like to scrutinise the Local Plan and raise objections or submit amendments.
Reflection, learning and generous leadership are at the heart of the ComSavs/CLASS approach. We find our way by feeling the stones and we can only do that by pausing regularly...
The winds of political change were felt through the Council Chamber at Manchester Town Hall on Friday afternoon as the Manchester Social Housing Commission launched their final report and recommendations...
Reflection, learning and generous leadership are at the heart of the ComSavs/CLASS approach. We find our way by feeling the stones and we can only do that by pausing regularly to take stock and think about what we are achieving, how, why, what needs to change, and what new directions and opportunities should we be exploring?
For the last two years we have been supported in this deeper work by the brilliant Nifty Sustainability CIC whose latest independent annual impact evaluation report is now available!
Achieving an increase in Manchester’s social rent housing targets from less than 5% to 21% social rent in all new developments of ten homes or above through Social Homes for Manchester including “What is the City but the People?“community reporter documentary and film screenings.
Supporting community-led dialogues and evidence development for joint submissions from local area teams to the Manchester Local Plan Regulation 18 consultation including achieving the rezoning of the Aquarius estate in Hulme out of the city centre.
Supporting the formation and development of Arbourthorne Community Network in Sheffield and Wythenshawe Central Network in Manchester with ACN now organising around Housing in the footsteps of SH4M and WCN now with 22 organisations and over 130 local residents in membership and organising collectively for a stronger voice for women and families in new local regeneration programmes.
£27,731 of new deposits across the network, a STAR award for Brinnington Savers, and a new savings group launched in Middlesbrough!
Network wide action to save and create new community assets including launch of Mums Mart’s new community space in Benchill (free to use for local groups for ten years); St Cuthberts Communities Together’s redevelopment for a worship space and community hub; and Aquarius Community Savers joinining Friends of Aquarius to save the Aquarius Community Centre for community benefit.
Expanding the leadership (to 54) and Leadership Team (to 8) and deepening our work on diverse and inclusive leadership and organising.
Social Homes for Manchester (SH4M) has been supporting a process in Hulme to explore the possibility of creating a Neighbourhood Plan for the area. Neighbourhood Plans (NP) give communities power to influence...
The winds of political change were felt through the Council Chamber at Manchester Town Hall on Friday afternoon as the Manchester Social Housing Commission launched their final report and recommendations...
The winds of political change were felt through the Council Chamber at Manchester Town Hall on Friday afternoon as the Manchester Social Housing Commission launched their final report and recommendations to a room of over 100 housing and planning professionals, councillors, officers, housing activists, residents and communities.
You can watch clips of different sections of the event using the links at the bottom of this article.
Chaired by The Right Reverend Dr David Walker, Bishop of Manchester, and opened by Cllr Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, the event began with powerful community testimonies. One single mum wept as she described her experiences of fleeing domestic abuse with her two disabled and asthmatic children only to find herself stuck in poor quality damp and mouldy private sector accommodation having to carry her wheelchair-bound child up and down the stairs several times a day to use the toilet in a house with no aids and adaptations.
Vicky Leigh, a Commissioner and Assistant Principal of Manchester Academies Trust, described the experiences of families supported through their At Home project through which they have supported over 300 families. Vicky talked of a family who have been able to stay together in the same community in secure tenancy social rent accommodation in an area where many families have been and continue to be displaced because of the lack of decent and affordable homes. Vicky described Clare as “one of the lucky ones”. She has one daughter in year 10 living at home with her, and two older daughters, one living with her, and another living nearby with her own family in their own secure social rent home. Living close together means they can all support each other with school runs and childcare. On their journey to this situation however, they had lived in such poor-quality social housing that their ceiling collapsed and the bathroom from the flat above fell through into their home.
Lina Dowouna and Reverend Kate Gray of Wythenshawe Central Network shared their experiences of tokenistic resident involvement and consultation processes in the latest wave of regeneration in Wythenshawe Town Centre. Reverend Kate explained that Wythenshawe Central Network know their own communities and know what kinds of tools and techniques work best, yet barely any local representatives have attended the workshops and meetings WCN have organised to gather the community’s views and priorities and share inspiring ideas for the future. This needs to change to rebuild trust:
“It really matters that this isn’t being done by the council. That makes a difference to people who feel excluded and done to. And I am sad to say that in the conversations that we have had in Wythenshawe, many local councillors are consistently absent from those conversations. And I want to challenge you to attend, and listen, and take part. That will help build active trust.”
Pledges to action
Bernard Sudlow of Hulme Community Forum and Sue Thomas O’Flaherty of Lifted Carers and Wythenshawe Central Network put a series of asks to key stakeholders who had agreed to participate as panellists at the event.
All panellists including Steve Fyfe for GMCA; Cllr Bev Craig, Leader of the Council; Cllr Gavin White, Executive Member for Housing and Regeneration; Matt Jones, interim Chair of the Manchester Housing Providers Partnership and Charlie Norman, Chair of the GM Housing Providers Partnership pledged to work with Commissioners to establish a Social Homes for Greater Manchester Scrutiny Panel focused on ensuring the Commission’s recommendations are taken forward in Manchester and across GM, that will meet quarterly until the next General Election.
Bishop David thanked Afzal Khan MP and Hannah Spencer MP for their attendance (despite having to leave early for constituency surgeries) and explained he will be personally following up with the Greater Manchester All Party Parliamentary Group of MPs to explore how to advance the Commission’s national policy recommendations.
In addition to participation in the scrutiny panel, Matt Jones Interim Chair of the Manchester Housing Providers Partnership and Charlie Norman, Chair of the GM Housing Providers Partnership expressed their full support and pledged to work with partners to ensure repairs are being carried out in a timely fashion and investment is made to remove dangerous damp and mould; and to ensure that providers are limiting demolitions to cases of last resort.
Cllr Bev Craig and Cllr Gavin White acknowledged that there was more work to do to ensure Manchester City Council works in collaboration with communities when planning for local areas. In addition toparticipation in the scrutiny panel, they committed to working with Social Homes for Manchester to co-create a policy on Community Led Development and expressed their political commitment to achieving a target of 30% social rent in the new Local Plan for Manchester.
Cllr White said:
“When we go to Regulation 19, we need that feedback: give us that evidence to present to the inspector to ensure that we can get the Local Plan through. It is the political aspiration to get 30% social rent entirely but that’s what we need in Regulation 19.”
Addressing inequalities
Dr Cordelle Ofori, Director of Public Health for Manchester City Council, who was invited to share her expertise on the links between health and housing inequality said:
“I am really supportive of this because the Right to Health and the Right to a Home go hand in hand. In Manchester […] between the poorest and the most affluent parts of the city, for boys it’s a 9-year gap in life expectancy and for girls it’s a 7-year gap. That’s completely unacceptable …But the things that make the biggest difference to health inequality are the things that sit outside of health services, and housing is a really important part of that […] If all of your money is going on keeping a roof over your head, you haven’t got much left for everything else. It’s also important for children’s education, it’s important for being able to get more training to move up the job ladder and get a better job, it’s important for so many things.”
Cordelle highlighted Making Manchester Fairer’s three key focus areas of (i) Shifting power to communities; (ii) Tackling poverty including fuel poverty; and (iii) Tackling racism and discrimination. Cordelle highlighted how racially minoritised groups are more likely to live in social housing, more likely to live in poor quality housing, and more likely to be in housing that is overcrowded; and the need to address the particular housing needs of disabled families. She called on all partners engaged in taking this work forwards to think about: what are the implications specifically for different population groups in Manchester amidst these recommendations; and how can we ensure these inequalities are addressed in the actions that are taken.
Celebrations and next steps
Several contributors celebrated the approach that has been taken by the Commission which you can read about in the concluding pages of the main report which shares detail on the methodology, challenges, and success factors as evaluated by Commissioners.
Bishop David thanked colleagues at Manchester City Council for their support and engagement without whom the process would not have been possible and added:
“This has been a really exceptional engagement for me. I have sat on a large number of housing commissions over a large number of years…and yes, you have meetings and you visit a few places, and you produce a report and present your recommendations, and yeah we’re doing all of that. But the distinctive thing about this, is the extent to which it’s been the voices of people living in social housing or living in estates around the city who have driven the process forward. That has been unique. I’ve long been committed to what they call coproduction and codesign, but I’ve never seen it done so determinedly as the Manchester Social Housing Commission has done it.”
The SH4M coalition is the legacy structure which will now take forward the Commission’s findings and recommendations and seek to maximise implementation, working always in partnership with community leaders across Manchester, Greater Manchester and England. The coalition will publish an annual progress tracker each year at least until the next General Election.
Together, Commissioners have met with Ministers, ministry teams, representatives of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Greater Manchester, and special advisers; have submitted written evidence to successive national consultations and audit committees; and have presented evidence to Lords and MPs. Partner organisations such as Mustard Tree met directly with Angela Rayner in 2024 to share on the extent and impacts of the housing and homelessness crisis in Manchester in advance of the April 2025 budget.
Importantly, throughout these engagements we have developed new connections and relationships that have supported ongoing advocacy, parliamentary questions and ministry negotiation on community rights in planning, and new opportunities for joint working, including: the Women’s Budget Group on the gendered impacts of the housing and climate crisis; and the Lloyds Local Collaborations programme.
A key request to the GM APPG is to work with SH4M to establish a working group to advocate for the reforms needed nationally to enable accelerated delivery of ecologically sustainable social rent homes across Greater Manchester. We look forward to working with Manchester City Council and partners across Greater Manchester through the new Social Homes for GM Scrutiny Panel and a wealth of other legacy projects. These include: new neighbourhood planning processes in Hulme and Moss Side; work to explore Community Land Trust pilots in Miles Platting and Wythenshawe; a network of organised communities with a deeper understanding of housing and planning systems and potential community led placemaking innovations just as five Manchester Pride in Place areas have been announced; and a new transparency and accountability data portal project with GMCA. A new Social Homes for Trafford coalition has also launched; and we are keen to share learning with groups across the city-region and nationally.
Social Homes for Manchester (SH4M) has been supporting a process in Hulme to explore the possibility of creating a Neighbourhood Plan for the area. Neighbourhood Plans (NP) give communities power to influence...
Reflection, learning and generous leadership are at the heart of the ComSavs/CLASS approach. We find our way by feeling the stones and we can only do that by pausing regularly...
At our latest quarterly network meeting on 14th May, the Community Savers leadership and CLASS staff team spent some time considering the latest local election results in Manchester, Stockport, and Sheffield; reflecting together on what the results mean for Community Savers own community action.
We should preface this post by saying that neither Community Savers nor CLASS have any party political affiliation as organisations with charitable objectives organising directly for public and community benefit and not for the benefit of any political parties.
Community Savers Quarterly Network meeting, May 2026
Our discussion took us into three key areas for ongoing reflection and review:
1. Non-partisan voter mobilisation?
One leader recalled seeing people queuing up at the polling stations on election day in days gone by and we all reflected on the widespread disillusionment people feel in communities that have experienced long-term entrenched and intersecting inequalities with poor quality political representation. The local political system is broken when three ward councillors can make or break a community’s priorities for their area (not the case everywhere or in all areas); and when a local councillor is elected with only 9% of the vote of the eligible electorate (as was the case for Miles Platting and Newton Heath ward).
Voter turn out was low in some Community Savers areas but higher than usual in others where there was a sense that Reform had been very organised and mobilised large numbers of their supporters while other parties such as Labour and the Greens had not been able to leverage the same motivation with voters that may have once all voted Labour now split between Labour and the Green party.
Leaders with new Reform councillors felt that people had voted Reform as a protest vote because they were so tired of being let down by their existing councillors and their either continuously broken promises, or worse, complete lack of engagement with the community. Others highlighted low voter turnout in their area is not only about disillusionment but also how many people don’t know how to vote as well as many not having the right ID. Young people leave school with no understanding of the voting system or how to register to vote. Education around this could be a role for Community Savers in future. This could be even more important come the next General Election with the potential for a change in voting age to 16.
Community Savers are looking ahead to the next elections in May 2027 to consider whether there is a role for the movement in non-partisan voter moblisation to re-ignite their community’s passion to represent their interests through the voting system and have reflected that an important route towards that is to increase engagement with community action and the civic life of their area.
2. Youth and family mobilisation
Mobilising more people into community action – making people feel included and creating mutually supportive communities – must include young people and young families, and this has long been part of Community Savers strategic direction including after our interactions with the Youth Federation and Know Your City TV crew in Nairobi. The largest age cohort of our current membership are Over-50s which brings wisdom, experience, and long term knowledge of our communities. However, it is key to engage young people and families in our community action and we are proud of Women in Community Action in Arbourthorne who have managed to do this through the organising they have done over time around Arbourthorne Primary School, from which we have much to learn.
We are therefore really excited to be in the final stages of partnership development with two new projects focused on training up and mobilising young people and women:
Power in Balance is a national youth organising programme for gender equity led by the Advocacy Academy through which we hope to recruit twenty young people aged 18-30 to participate in a programme of community organising training (ten from Manchester and ten from Sheffield) in order to then support them to take action on the issues they care about in Community Savers neighbourhoods.
The Womens Power Project led by the Civic Power Fund aims to address the structural inequalities faced by low income women and the women’s sector by providing capacity building support to key grassroots organisations to enhance their strategic advocacy, campaigning, and governance capacity with a focus on developing their practice as community organisers able to sustain momentum for change by bringing women together and building power from the ground up.
We have applied to participate in both programmes and hope to receive confirmation soon. These have the potential to provide us with new routes through which to engage wider and more diverse groups in community action across our local populations which in turn will lead to a renewed sense of agency to effect change.
3. Political competition is healthy for local democracy
Many leaders reflected that the new political landscape – particularly in Manchester that has long been held almost entirely by Labour – has the potential to bring new opportunities for influence and leverage to communities that have fought hard for many years for their voices to be heard only to be stymied by the party line and Executive directives preventing local flexibility and collaboration.
There is hope that a more diverse mix of representation across the city will trigger a more responsive politics in Manchester and across the UK.
There is also fear that division and polarisation will continue to create conflict and tension within our communities and Community Savers have recently completed a three day programme of workshops with Birmingham Race Action Partnership to deepen and explore our own internal understanding on intersecting inequalities, race, migration, sex and gender identity; and to develop skills for holding conflict, tension, and difficult conversations in our local areas. The Leadership are currently exploring where to take this learning next and how to continue our work together.
One thing is clear: these results must not result in the further stigmatisation of multiply disadvantaged communities. It is the system that is broken, not the people.
Social Homes for Manchester (SH4M) has been supporting a process in Hulme to explore the possibility of creating a Neighbourhood Plan for the area. Neighbourhood Plans (NP) give communities power to influence...
Reflection, learning and generous leadership are at the heart of the ComSavs/CLASS approach. We find our way by feeling the stones and we can only do that by pausing regularly...
Over 70 residents, community leaders, council officers and public provider stakeholders attended the amazing #CommunityPoweredNeighbourhoods event on 17 March 2026 cocreated by Wythenshawe Central Network, Social Homes for Manchester (SH4M) and the We’re Right Here campaign as part of this years’ #GMLiveWellFestival.
It was an absolutely brilliant day full of excitement, hope, innovative ideas and grassroots solidarity!
We were welcomed by John Hopkins Co-Chair of Wythenshawe Central Network who explained our objectives: to bring community-led projects and initiatives together with communities across Manchester and GM – and especially new Pride in Place areas – to share learning, build relationships, and explore potential ideas for their own local areas, including through the launch of two reports:
Andrea Lowman, Director of Development at Wythenshawe Community Housing Group and Commissioner welcomed us to Wythenshawe and shared WCHG’s commitment to supporting community-led innovations in the area.
Anoushka Deighton then told us all about the We’re Right Here campaign calling for new rights and powers that would change where power lies in English planning including the Community Right to Buy and a new approach called a Community Covenant. Anoushka told the story of how she had worked together with other local residents and community leaders to take ownership over Stretford Public Halland how their next steps are to draw up a Community Covenant with Trafford Council.
She handed over to the inspiring team at Market Drayton Community Covenantwho are the first pilot of this approach. We heard from Melanie France, Public Health Principle, at Shropshire Council; Judith James, Parish Councillor, Moreton Saye Parish; and Iana Jacobson, Chair of the Ukranian Community Hub. Three representatives of the Market Drayton and Rural Parishes Community Covenant which has now been operating for 18 months with over 17 member organisations. “This is an authentic, power-sharing group working collaboratively with Shropshire Council and the local community to make decisions that are decided by us, for us!”
This is a pilot project testing the model of Community Covenants and Neighbourhood Governance funded by Power to Change. A Community Covenant is basically a power-sharing agreement between the local council and a network of local community groups and representatives and you can read the Market Drayton Community Covenant here.
We also heard from Dave Baxter atWigan and Leigh Community Charity who told us all about his experience of working to bring five villages together in a former coal mining community to create Abram Communities Together Neighbourhood Plan. This is a mechanism for the local community to make their own plan for their area that becomes enacted as a legal policy instrument within the wider national and local planning framework and sets out the parameters for what kinds of developments can take place. Dave explained that it is a long challenging journey requiring several battles with the council, extensive community consultation, and lots of support from planning policy experts but has resulted in the community having their own local policies for their neighbourhood in Abram Ward.
Many participants were excited to learn from East Marsh United who had set up their own Community Land Trust and taken ownership of some houses that had fallen into disrepair in an area of Grimsby known locally at the time as “Murder Mile”. Together, local community activists had brought the community together to mobilise around climate resilience (the area is actually marshland) and to demonstrate how to be an ethical landlord amidst so much poor quality private rented sector and run down social housing. Find out more about East Marsh United here.
We also heard all about Our Sale West; Middleton Cooperating; and about Community Land Trusts and Community Led Housing from Rachel Summerscales at GM Community Led Homes and the SH4M Steering Group; and Tom Chance, CEO of the National CLT Network and Commissioner for the Manchester Social Housing Commission who launched the Alternative Models report setting out how Manchester City Council can create a more enabling environment for Community Led Development.
Community land trusts – or CLTs – are democratic, non profit organisations that own and develop land for the benefit of the community. They typically provide affordable homes, community gardens, civic buildings, pubs, shops, shared workspace, energy schemes and conservation landscapes.
The network highlights how CLTs are:
Run by ordinary people: They are community organisations run by ordinary people who want to make a difference to their local community, putting control of assets into the hands of local people. They can be set up by the community or a landowner, developer or council.
Protect community assets forever: They ensure that their homes are permanently and genuinely affordable. CLTs act as long-term stewards of land and the assets on it. They ensure that it is put to the benefit of the local community, not just for now but for every future occupier.
And a worldwide movement: Started by black leaders in the civil rights movement and others in the peace movement in the USA, CLTs are now a worldwide movement. In both urban and rural areas, CLTs are a key part of the future of land, affordable housing and community facilities.
After everyone’s five minute elevator pitches we moved into a marketplace event where residents from different communities including Benchill Pride in Place area were able to network with all these brilliant initiatives and take away learning for their own local community.
The reflections and feedback at the end of the day were overwhelming and there was a sense of new beginnings in the air.
Janice, from Tone and Trim community gym, said:
“I’ve lived in Wythenshawe all my life … I work with young people from aged 3 to working with people from 80, 90 plus. I believe in my area I’m very proud to be from Wythenshawe and Benchill… I’m really proud also to be part of the Dandelion who have supported me to run my own project and I’m also proud of the people where we live because we’ve had to struggle round here to get this (Pride in Place) so I hope this becomes a reality, because it sounds really good. My passion is for the young people, give them what they need, and let us as we get older take the lead and show them the way. And hopefully with support from some of you guys, we can get more information and ideas behind our passion and our vision for our area. I’m really pleased I came today because I didn’t know about half the stuff that was being created already so that’s made me excited”
Joe and Tom had travelled across from Trafford to get ideas for their newly formed coalition Social Homes for Trafford.
Joe said:
“Today’s event has been absolutely brilliant because its an opportunity to network with other people working towards the same goals as us”
Tom said:
“It’s also been really useful to hear from people who are further into their journey because it’s quite early days for us and we’ve been able to go away with new ideas”
Rev Kate Gray from the United Reform Church said:
“In my little group we found out about Pride in Place. We hadn’t heard about what that really means and how that connects with other areas like Abbey Hey and Gorton so we got out the maps and talked about that and made a plan for this weekend to share that with our faith community….And then I really loved hearing about the project East Marsh United and the specific things about housing, being an ethical landlord and also about Community Covenants and Neighbourhood Plans. I loved the reality of it: it took ages! It’s really helpful to hear that. Its gritty, its long-term work. So, ok, “sticking power”.’
There was a consensus that this event was just the beginning and plans are already afoot for:
a joint trip by groups from Middleton, Miles Platting, and Wythenshawe to travel over to East Marsh United
a community-led Pride in Place networking event for all five Manchester areas
and a GM gathering of grassroots-led initiatives focused on innovative means for ensuring community control over neighbourhood planning, housing, land use and community assets.
Community Land Trusts, community-led development, Community-Led Housing, GM Live Well, housing, Manchester, Miles Platting, SH4M, social homes for manchester, Social housing, We're Right Here, Wythenshawe, Wythenshawe Central Network
Social Homes for Manchester (SH4M) has been supporting a process in Hulme to explore the possibility of creating a Neighbourhood Plan for the area. Neighbourhood Plans (NP) give communities power to influence...
Reflection, learning and generous leadership are at the heart of the ComSavs/CLASS approach. We find our way by feeling the stones and we can only do that by pausing regularly...
Latest Commission report calls for renewed commitment to community-led housing
wp_gms | 17 Mar 2026
The fourth and final policy brief from the Manchester Social Housing Commission explores the benefits of community-led models for social rent and regeneration and will be launched at Wythenshawe Central Network‘s GM Live Well festival event today.
Manchester Social Housing Commission is calling for a major expansion of community-led housing and regeneration to bring Manchester up to speed with other major cities.
The Commission’s latest policy brief, “Alternative Models for Social Rent,” argues that giving residents a stronger role in designing, developing and managing homes could increase the supply of genuinely affordable housing while strengthening communities across the city.
The report highlights how community-led models – including housing cooperatives, cohousing, and community land trusts, can rebalance power relations between landlords and tenants, enabling communities to have a more meaningful voice in local decisions and improving health and social cohesion. It urges policymakers to make these approaches a central part of Manchester’s housing strategy. Despite Manchester’s history as a pioneer of cooperative housing, the report finds that Manchester has fallen behind other major cities like Leeds, Liverpool, Bristol and London with community-led housing currently representing a tiny share of the city’s homes.
David Rudlin, Commissioner and one of the founders of Homes for Change housing coop in Hulme said:
“Manchester has a long tradition of residents coming together to provide homes for each other,” the report states. “But these approaches play almost no role in our current housing strategies, despite strong evidence that they have delivered both affordability and wider community benefits in Manchester and across the country.”
Healthy lives – not just bricks and mortar
The report argues that the current housing system treats residents primarily as ‘customers rather than citizens’ with no meaningful voice in decisions about their neighbourhoods.
Community-led housing models change that balance of power by giving residents direct roles in ownership, governance, or management of housing developments. Evidence cited in the report suggests these models can deliver:
High-quality and responsive housing management
Lower rent burdens relative to household income
Improved public health and reduced loneliness
Greater social cohesion and local participation
Protection against displacement and gentrification
Community-led developments also protect land and assets for community benefit in perpetuity, reinvesting profits locally and maintain long-term affordability, helping safeguard homes for future generations.
Four opportunities for Manchester
The Commission identifies four key ways community-led housing could grow at scale in Manchester:
1. Community homes within large developments Major regeneration schemes could allocate a proportion of homes to community-led organisations, allowing residents to co-design or manage housing within large projects.
2. Communities as partners in regeneration Neighbourhood organisations such as community land trusts could play a formal role in regeneration schemes, helping ensure development benefits existing residents and protects communities from displacement.
3. Development on small public sites Small parcels of publicly owned land could be made available to community-led groups, following models already used by other UK cities.
4. “Socialising” existing homes Community organisations could acquire and refurbish empty or poorly maintained properties, bringing them back into use as social housing.
The report also highlights the role that regional bodies such as the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and local authorities including Manchester City Council could play in enabling these approaches through policy, funding and land disposal.
Building on Manchester’s cooperative legacy
The Commission notes that Greater Manchester was the birthplace of the cooperative movement and once played a leading role in community-led housing innovation. Today, however, community-led homes account for a very small proportion of housing in the city.
With housing need continuing to grow, the report concludes that empowering communities to play a larger role in housing delivery could help Manchester build not just more homes, but stronger and healthier neighbourhoods. Andrea Lowman, Commissioner, and Executive Director of Development at Wythenshawe Community Housing Group who will open today’s launch event said:
“At WCHG, we are keen to explore how community-led housing can enable residents, councils and housing providers to work together on regeneration that addresses the housing crisis while also creating healthier, more connected communities. As this report states, “If Manchester truly wants to be a city built on collaboration, these models provide a practical way to make that vision a reality.”
Wythenshawe Central Network will launch the report in partnership with Commissioners and the Social Homes for Manchester coalition at a joint GM Live Well Festival event 3-6pm, Tues 17th March, at St Andrews Methodist Church in Wythenshawe today.
Header image credit: Homes for Change housing cooperative in Hulme, Manchester.
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Community-led, housing, Manchester, regeneration, Social housing
Social Homes for Manchester (SH4M) has been supporting a process in Hulme to explore the possibility of creating a Neighbourhood Plan for the area. Neighbourhood Plans (NP) give communities power to influence...
Reflection, learning and generous leadership are at the heart of the ComSavs/CLASS approach. We find our way by feeling the stones and we can only do that by pausing regularly...
At Community Savers, we believe that the people who live in a neighborhood are the best experts on what that neighborhood needs. This year Aquarius Community Savers (ACS) has proven that principle tenfold. Here is a look at what we’ve achieved by working together with many other local partners.
Protecting the Heart of Hulme: Aquarius Community Centre
The Aquarius Community Centre is more than just a building; it’s a lifeline. With One Manchester’s lease ending in 2027, the Friends of Aquarius Community Centre campaign has been working to ensure it remains a community-led hub.
We are thrilled to share that Odd Arts has submitted a formal proposal to take on the lease. Their plan isn’t just about management—it’s a commitment to a “community-led decision-making” model that keeps the power in the hands of residents and local partners.
Members of Aquarius Community Savers and Ageing Well in Hulme
Housing Justice: The Social Housing Commission
Our members, Bernard Sudlow and Sally Casey, have been the voices of the Aquarius estate on the Social Housing Commission. Their advocacy is moving the needle on systemic change:
A Win for Social Housing: Thanks to persistent advocacy, the target for social rented homes in new developments has jumped from less than 5% affordable or social rent to 21% social rent in the draft local plan. We continue to push for the 30% goal advocated for by Social Homes for Manchester.
Defending Our Neighbourhood: We successfully secured recognition of the Aquarius estate as a residential area in the new draft Local Plan for Manchester, a vital step forward in protecting our facilities from being swallowed by city centre expansion.
Knowledge is Power: Training & Exchanges
Building a resilient community requires skills. This year, ACS members completed training in Conflict Management, Financial management, and Fundraising. In July, a highlight was our learning exchange to https://ambitionlw.org/Ambition Lawrence Weston in Bristol. Seeing their success with community-led renewable energy and asset management sparked fresh ideas for what we can achieve right here in Greater Manchester.
Ageing Well in Place in Hulme
The Ageing Well in Place initiative is transforming how we support our older and more vulnerable neighbours in Hopton and Meredith Court.
New staff members: We welcomed Roísín, our Development Worker, in 2025, and we are excited to appoint an Independent Living Worker in Spring 2026.
Health Integration: Our new partnership with Cornbrook Medical Practice ensures that health services are integrated directly into our community work.
The “Naturally Occurring Retirement Community” (NORC) Model: We are bringing services to the people, making it easier for residents to stay independent and connected.
A New Space for Connection
After five years of campaigning, the Hopton community space is finally under construction! While planning delays have shifted the opening date, the vision remains clear. The space will be managed by the newly formed Hopton and Meredith Tenants and Residents Association (HMTARA).
Planned activities include:
The Breakfast Club: Already serving 23 people every weekend (with deliveries for those who can’t leave their flats).
Wellness & Skills: From Tai Chi and music workshops to IT clubs and DIY sessions.
Savings and Safety Nets
Aquarius Community Savers continued to support our community to put away small amounts for particular goals throughout 2025. We now have 35 regular members in the savings club who deposited a total of £7,152 in savings in 2025! We also continue to manage a Crisis Fund for those in urgent need. Whether it’s fuel top-ups, a weekly food shop, or essential furniture, our committee is here to help. Referrals are handled with care and can be kept anonymous.
We are looking forward to continuing this progress in 2026!
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Community Savers, housing, Hulme, Manchester, Social housing
Social Homes for Manchester (SH4M) has been supporting a process in Hulme to explore the possibility of creating a Neighbourhood Plan for the area. Neighbourhood Plans (NP) give communities power to influence...
Reflection, learning and generous leadership are at the heart of the ComSavs/CLASS approach. We find our way by feeling the stones and we can only do that by pausing regularly...
GM Live Well: Reimagining Neighbourhood Regeneration
wp_gms | 07 Jan 2026
On Wednesday 26 November, Ellie and Anne from MPCAN; Lina from Wythenshawe Central Network and Sophie from CLASS presented as part of the #GMLiveWell webinar series. Community Savers were delighted to be invited to contribute to this theme because of the aim to explore why community-led placemaking matters, the conditions that enable its success, and inspiring examples of community-led programmes that are already transforming neighbourhoods across Greater Manchester.
Enabling community-led placemaking
Formal regeneration programmes are rarely community-led. This requires communities to organise from the ground-up so that place-making is driven by communities taking action on what matters most to them. For these efforts to succeed, communities need time and space to form strong and inclusive associational structures; bring diverse local people and groups into dialogue; and form productive and progressive partnerships with public and voluntary sector agencies, authorities and funders/investors who can help them realise their shared vision. Reforms giving more power to communties are also required.
These are the conditions that Community Savers and CLASS work to create. Rather than directing activities, CLASS staff co-create a process with Community Savers leaders that ensures residents, community organisations and faith groups are able to lead local change in partnership with regeneration professionals and public providers. For example, CLASS facilitates peer-learning exchanges and community-led research projects. This approach helps communities build their own evidence on need and learn from others who have taken similar steps.
For community-led placemaking to succeed, residents and communities need time and space to shape priorities and organise collectively, rather than being consulted as individuals. This requires strong infrastructure and networks that enable ongoing dialogue, peer learning, shared organising and collaborative decision-making.
St Cuthberts Communities Together
“Miles Platting is a place that starts with, and always ends with, community. It’s a place of coffee, crumpets, and conversation where neighbours come together to imagine with hope what their area could become”
Ellie and Anne shared how after a private finance regeneration scheme lost its funding during the 2008 financial crash, plans for new community infrastructure fell through while demolitions and private redevelopments went ahead. In response, the Miles Platting Community Savers group used the Community Savers toolkit to take action. The group started bringing local people, churches and community-led projects together to grieve what had been lost and to create space for collective reflection, helping residents move forward. Building on this shared reflection, they worked with creative urban designers to take practical steps towards rebuilding together. Using large maps of their neighbourhood and participating in walkabouts, they explored their priorities and imagined what they wanted for their local area.
This community-led action has resulted in great success, including £40,000 investment in a new wildlife corridor and the formation of a partnership between Miles Platting Community and Age-friendly Network, St Cuthbert’s Church Council, and the Diocese of Manchester. Together, they are developing a new vision for St Cuthbert’s Church as a vibrant community hub, offering a space for worship, celebration, and connection.
Women leading the way in Wythenshawe
Women are often at the sharpest end of poverty and inequality, while also providing vital support within their communities. Yet, women frequently have limited voice in the decisions that shape their lives and neighbourhoods. Women of Wythenshawe (WoW) was a three year partnership that brought diverse women together to address these challenges.
WoW emerged as a partnership between Wythenshawe Community Housing Group, Community Savers/CLASS, and twelve women-led community organisations in 2022. Together, they built a network of over 40 women leaders, representing a wide range of identities and experiences but united by a shared connection to place and a determination to build a better future for themselves and their families.
Over three years, the solidarity and collective organising led to the creation of Wythenshawe Central Network (WCN). In its first year, WCN has attracted over 130 residents and 22 organisations into membership and gathered priorities from hundreds more. Together, they have shaped a vision for Wythenshawe Civic, which encompasses 600 social rent homes including housing for larger families, older people, and people with learning and physical disabilities; and a participatory governance model for the new Culture Hub that has been proposed for the Town Centre.
When women’s leadership is properly resourced, recognised and grounded in diverse identities and experiences, it becomes a powerful agent of change. By taking action in shaping their communities through a gender-critical lens, women-led networks can challenge place-based structural inequities and drive stronger, fairer, and more inclusive communities that respond to the needs of everyone.
Community Savers are looking forward to the GM Live Well Festival which is taking place between 9-23rd March 2026 and hope to organise a pop up event on exciting alternative models for neighbourhood governance with www.right-here.org. See you there!
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#GMLiveWell, health and wellbeing, Health inequalities, Miles Platting, Social housing, Wythenshawe
Social Homes for Manchester (SH4M) has been supporting a process in Hulme to explore the possibility of creating a Neighbourhood Plan for the area. Neighbourhood Plans (NP) give communities power to influence...
Reflection, learning and generous leadership are at the heart of the ComSavs/CLASS approach. We find our way by feeling the stones and we can only do that by pausing regularly...
Social Homes for Manchester are pleased to announce that Manchester City Council (MCC) passed a motion last Wednesday 16July to increase social and affordable housing targets in the city.
Moving away from the 2012 policy where only 5% of new housing developments of 15 homes or above had to be social or affordable rents; MCC have now voted for a new set of targets under which 21% of new housing developments of 10 homes or above must be social rent.
The original motion was brought by the Lib Dems after a Green Party amendment to a motion in February 2025 endorsing Social Homes for Manchester’s ask for 30% social rent was not agreed by council.
The new city policy will require 30% of all new housing developments of ten homes or more to be ‘affordable housing’ of which 21% should be social rent homes, a further 3% is to be Manchester Living Rent (which means within the Local Housing Allowance threshold), and 6% is to be low-cost home ownership options.
The new targets were a key focus of discussion at the Manchester Social Housing Commission on Thursday when Community Commissioners from Miles Platting, Hulme, Moss Side, and Wythenshawe thanked Executive Member for Housing and Development Cllr Gavin White and all elected members for listening to community concerns on the housing crisis:
“Last year when I walked in this room, I just thought no, it’s just going to be a load of talk, and nothing is going to change. But listening to the discussion around this table now, I just can’t thank you enough for all the hard work that you all do. Thank you on behalf of all the residents, and all the communities.”Zoe Marlow, Wythenshawe Central Network.
Councillor Gavin White said:
“We were pleased to see the council giving unanimous support for our view that 30% of our housing delivery should be affordable with 70% of this being for social rent. We all want to see more social, council, and genuinely affordable housing in our city, to tackle the housing and homelessness we face.
It has been good to engage with and listen to the social housing commission over the last year and ensure that our ongoing response and strategy as a council is truly ambitious to meet the needs of our city.
We are pleased to see the recent announcements by the Labour government of £39bn for new social and affordable housing over the next 10 years, with 60% of that being for social rent – we are already in discussions with government about how we can help with the accelerated delivery of these new social and affordable homes in Manchester.”
Next steps
The local plan with these revised targets and policies will be subject to an 8-week public consultation from mid-September 2025. While recognising this big step forward for the city in addressing the housing crisis, for Community Commissioners and the Social Homes for Manchester coalition, concerns remain about what this will mean in practice.
1. The evidence tells us that 32% of new build homes must be for social rent to address the housing crisis across GM.
Robust research into the housing crisis across England provides clear evidence that we need to deliver 32% social rent across Greater Manchester.[i] TheCommission’s own evidence highlights the cost savings social rent achieves for government and how social rent is the only tenure that can address the crisis of more than 4,500 children in Temporary Accommodation and nearly 20,000 households on the waiting list for a social home in Manchester.
2. There is a groundswell of political will to build higher levels of social rent, and this is reflected in large increases in national grant.
21% social rent is a big step forward that should be celebrated, but we know that what we really need in Manchester is a minimum target of at least 30% social rent. MCC have been making great progress towards building higher levels of social rent even before Rachel Reeves announcement of £39 billion for social and affordable housing, and Angela Raynor’s follow up call for 60% of the homes delivered to be for social rent.
One example is the development of 69 low carbon homes with 100% available for social rent. Another is the planned development on the former Boddingtons site which is set to include 60% affordable housing including 22% social rent with 55% of this funded through grant and 5% funded through Section 106 contributions.
With such a significant increase in national investment and so much political support for social rent delivery at national and city-regional level, why not aim higher?
3. Developers must pay their share
Increased grant rate should not be an excuse for private developers making millions of pounds in profit to avoid a fair contribution to public benefit in the city.
Our comparative table of a range of English cities shows that historically in Manchester developers have been given a free ride when it comes to making contributions for social rent delivery.
In addition to adopting a minimum requirement of social rent homes on all new housing developments of ten units or more, MCC have the power to set a percentage of social rent homes onsite of every new development, which then puts the onus on the developer to demonstrate through transparent viability if this is not possible. It also gives the local authority more weight in the decision.
This would help avoid viability loopholes that many local areas see when negotiating with big developers via Section 106/planning obligation agreements.
Developer contributions could also be used to retrofit existing poor quality/poorly insulated social homes on a case-by-case basis, which would, where implemented, mitigate damp and mould, bring down energy bills, and reduce carbon emissions.
4. Increased Planning capacity, transparency, and accountability
To maximise the delivery of ecologically sustainable social rent homes we need increased investment in funding for local authority planning departments and capacity building and training for local Planning Committees (something Oxford City Council have done to positive effect).
The Manchester Social Housing Commission are advocating in partnership with others across the country for the protection of community voice and the voice of elected members in planning decisions through the retention of powers of local Planning Committees.
These committees and our Planning Officers need training and capacity building to enable them to understand the complexity of planning issues; to hold developers to account for their obligations; and to implement and enforce planning conditions through to the end of a development process.
All too often developers negotiate their way out of the conditions placed on their planning applications citing a lack of profitability using ‘viability assessments’ compiled by expensive planning consultants.
This must end, and Commissioners continue to work with Lords and MPs to push Government to recognise that they must close the viability loophole and invest in local authority planning departments to ensure they have the expertise, time, and resources to hold developers to account.
Locally, Social Homes for Manchester are asking MCC for a new set of Planning Transparency pages on their website to enable communities to search by ward and at city-scale for local area data on housing need; active planning applications; and levels of social rent requested and delivered through both Section 106 and other forms of investment.
Ward councillors: please make your pledge to demonstrate your support for a target of 30% social rent on all new developments of ten homes or more.
Manchester-based organisations: please demonstrate your organisation’s support for the six asks of the SH4M coalition –join the coalition here.
Our six asks:
At least 30% social rent in all new developments of over 10 units.
Stronger scrutiny and public accountability for the setting and enforcement of Section 106 developer obligations and to focus these contributions on the delivery of ecologically sustainable homes for social rent.
Establish a Commission on social rent housing for Manchester.
Develop a practical strategy for how to increase delivery of Community Led Housing and other community-led facilities including from donations of council-owned land.
Develop a practical strategy for the renovation and transfer of empty homes into sustainable homes for social rent.
Ensure all new build homes of any type or tenure are ecologically sustainable.
The Commission referred to under (3.) already exists and Commissioners are working hard to explore the evidence base and develop recommendations. You can read more about this at: https://www.socialhomes4mcr.org.uk/commission.
Social Homes for Manchester (SH4M) has been supporting a process in Hulme to explore the possibility of creating a Neighbourhood Plan for the area. Neighbourhood Plans (NP) give communities power to influence...
Reflection, learning and generous leadership are at the heart of the ComSavs/CLASS approach. We find our way by feeling the stones and we can only do that by pausing regularly...
Savings, Spaces, and Solidarity: Community Savers in 2024
wp_gms | 16 Jun 2025
We have worked together with Nifty Sustainability CIC on an in depth look at what Community Savers affiliates and partnerships are achieving through our community action with a focus on 2024. Below is an abridged version of sections from Nifty’s excellent independent evaluation report – its a great read!
Community Savers members and leaders bring their time and expertise, life experience, willingness and enthusiasm to the alliance, and CLASS works hard to ensure these are valued and meaningful. CLASS supports Community Savers to develop capacity, knowledge and skills. CLASS nurtures community leaders and creates social and strategic spaces for reflection, learning and relationship building such as the annual retreat. The Community Savers–CLASS alliance is genuinely effective with transparent and authentic leadership and co-governance structures. CLASS also bring a helpful legitimacy to the groups, as well as technical support.
“CLASS come to you. There are other charities out there that support people, but you have to go to them. What’s happened with CLASS is that they meet on your patch, listen to what you need, don’t parachute in, and help you to see that you’ve got the skills amongst you, you’re the experts in the field and it’s just about bringing that voice out really.” Leader interview
Action
Community Savers and CLASS are leading on a variety of innovative activities. However, the building blocks remain the women-led and community-based savings clubs. These are an adaptation of a 30-year strong social movement called Shack/Slum Dwellers International. Stemming from and galvanised by the savings groups, there were no shortage of precedent-setting projects, partnerships, neighbourhood networks and campaigns to explore including Ageing Well in Place in Hulme, Miles Platting Community and Age-Friendly Network, Women of Wythenshawe, and Social Homes for Manchester. These are all underpinned by community priorities and participation and facilitated by CLASS and partners. In addition, community-led learning exchanges lead to knowledge sharing, capacity building and new relationships.
Outcomes
The alliance of Community Savers and CLASS, their approach and their activities are leading to a range of positive outcomes at the individual, neighbourhood, and city-regional scale, which would not otherwise be possible.
Members have more savings, less debt, more resilience to financial shocks
The number of affiliated Community Savers groups/neighbourhood networks remained at 8 in 2024 during a period when CLASS was also coordinating community action of nine member groups in the Women of Wythenshawe network. The numbers of individuals and leaders increased, as did savings turnover both in terms of deposits and withdrawals.
61% of members survey respondents said they would have spent the money they saved through the savings club on other things, and many of these said they would have wasted it on ‘rubbish’ and things they didn’t need and that the savers groups were valuable in reducing this. 52% of members survey respondents said that being a member of their savings group had changed the way they think about how to manage money.
“I’ve never saved before I joined the Dandelion Savers. For more than 2 yrs now, I’ve realised how you can save money. I have £1000 in savings now.”
Leaders have increased skills, employment and personal development opportunities
It is clear from the data that being involved in Community Savers and CLASS work is leading to positive impacts around knowledge and skills, and personal development opportunities. Throughout 2024, Community Savers and Women of Wythenshawe leaders engaged in ongoing skills development from the basics for running local groups like financial management and accounting; health and safety; first aid; and building an inclusive approach for people with diverse needs; to safeguarding, mental health and neurodiversity; and understanding incorporation.
Members have improved mental and physical health
These impacts were reportedly as a result of, for example, having somewhere to go, people to meet, speak to and share problems with, and feeling accepted as part of a community.
“I used to be a recluse and didn’t come out of my flat for 10 years and then I found out about this place and started coming here 7 months ago. If i don’t come here for a week, then come the week after, people say ‘where’ve you been?’ It’s nice to know you’ve been missed.” Savings club member
“I would like to say a massive thanks to Wow for giving us the opportunity to learn new skills that will help us grow and helping us believe that we can make a difference, and to empower us to encourage and inspire others to do the same. WoW is the best thing that has happened to Wythenshawe. Together we are stronger.” Women of Wythenshawe Leader
Increased access to community facilities
The importance of community spaces and facilities came through strongly and some important milestones were reached in 2024 around spaces that Community Savers and CLASS are involved with.
Mums’ Mart finally signed the lease on a derelict caretakers flat in a local church enabling the renovation to get underway. The space was co-designed by local mums and will be free to use for local women’s groups for the next ten years. Miles Platting Community & Age-friendly Network have successfully registered a new CIO, in partnership with St Cuthberts C of E Parochial Church Council, called St Cuthberts Communities Together with a joint vision for a multipurpose faith and community hub. And in Hulme, One Manchester are renovating a 3-bedroom ground floor flat and a caretakers room into tenant-governed community spaces for residents of Hopton Court and Meredith Court tower blocks.
Mums’ Marts new women’s spaceis free for local women’s groupsfor the next ten years!
“This community has been stripped of all its assets – the swimming pool, the library, you name it, it’s gone. But now we’ve got so much hope that through St Cuthberts Communities Together we can have a space where we can socialise, worship, maybe space for the NHS, maybe some housing. Big plans! And CLASS helped support us with that” Leader interview – MPCAN
Women of Wythenshawe
The Women of Wythenshawe network is doing amazing work and being part of the network is having positive impacts on people’s confidence to act on their ideas. Groups and organisations are working together more which means signposting can be effective between groups and services. WoW have united around four priority areas for community action on gendered poverty – domestic abuse, women-led social enterprise, SEND education and social housing provision.
“CLASS have done something very unique I think. Because they have spoken to the local women about what the needs are. So, you know the big ones are housing, disability, domestic violence, and they’ve looked at those and it’s three separate groups because it’s three separate issues. However, they’re all interconnected but you almost can’t have this big umbrella of going ‘right let’s deal with them all’ because every one takes such a lot of knowledge, experience, time. So, by having the three and then pulling them together we can all help each other. So, the housing team are fighting for better housing and accommodation for disability but also for women fleeing DV… So we’re all working together” Partner interview
The work on housing was a catalyst for the development of Wythenshawe Central Network which has become the legacy structure for Women of Wythenshawe. Wythenshawe Central decided to affiliate with the wider Community Savers network in October 2024.
“I’m most proud of the connection we have made with so many women in Wythenshawe and the Wythenshawe Central Network that has come out of it. And now we are engaging the community in the development of the town centre. It feels like we are the bridge between the developers and the community and sharing all the information.” Leader interview
Social Homes for Manchester
The Social Homes for Manchester campaign coalition was catalysed by Community Savers mobilisation in 2023 and launched the Manchester Social Housing Commission chaired by the Bishop of Manchester, Dr David Walker, in 2024. The Community Savers leadership felt they had reached a stage of development where they wanted to join their voices together across the city. Together with partners, they have made the following six requests of Manchester City Council:
At least 30% social homes included in all new developments of over 10 units to be enacted in local policy and enforced through the setting and enforcement of section 106 obligations.
Stronger public accountability and scrutiny for the setting and enforcement of developer obligations to build new social housing
Establish a Commission on SocialHousing for the City of Manchester.
Develop a practical strategy for thepromotion of Community Led Housing.
Develop a practical strategy for the renovation/transfer of empty homes into homes for social rent.
Ensure all new developments are climate and nature friendly
Community Commissioners are a core part of the process and include women of different ages from different parts of Manchester and those who have made Manchester their home from different backgrounds. They are the ones who have been organising in their local areas and encouraging people to talk about the issues that are affecting them, and they are shaping the agenda of the Commission for example by making sure housing provider accountability and scrutiny is included alongside increased numbers of social housing. They bring diverse experience and expertise into the room and add weight and legitimacy to the process.
“The fact that we’ve got people from the communities sat on the coalition and the Commission – but particularly the Commission – alongside some incredibly influential individuals. I think that speaks for itself.” Partner interview
“I’ve learned where to go, and who to approach, and what to say to the people that we are asking things from, whereas two years ago I wouldn’t have had a clue about any of what we are doing now. I’ve learned how to understand the jargon, how to approach things, how to be in the room with so many highly qualified people, but feel that I belong there which is very important because people like me don’t usually feel they belong in that room.” Leader and Community Commissioner, Wythenshawe
In November, Community Commissioners Thirza of GM Tenants Union and Zoe of Wythenshawe Central and Dandelion Savers gave powerful testimonies in the House of Lords to launch the Commission’s five urgent national policy asks. And residents and community leaders from Hulme, Miles Platting, Moss Side, and Wythenshawe have drawn on several years of local organising as well as more recent community workshops September-December 2024 to draw together local priorities for housing and local development. They presented these priorities to senior officers in Manchester City Council’s Planning department in January 2025 in anticipation of the new Local Plan for Manchester in 2025.
“The booklets we’ve produced have been helpful for when I’m talking to our local members about things in their ward and when social housing projects come up… the Commission has articulated the evidence across the city… I work with all the Councillors to make the case for that. So I think the Social Housing Commission has helped with that evidence.” Commissioner, Manchester City Council
“When someone living in social housing expresses something related to whatever that topic of conversation is, people really switch on and listen because I think most, if not everyone else at the table doesn’t live in social housing and I think it’s important to kind of counterbalance this sort of abstractness of policy by having that real world perspective to ground us.” Commissioner interview
Learning and Next steps
CLASS and Community Savers have carried out extensive reflection and learning together throughout 2024 enabling them to develop a new three year strategic plan which is available for download. This sets out the current organising context they are negotiating and a series of strategic objectives and priorities for 2025-2028.
The Community Savers groups are having positive impacts at member, household and group levels around saving money and building financial resilience, as well as connecting members of the community, reducing isolation and supporting wellbeing. CLASS is meeting these groups ‘where they are’ and working with them to explore relevant opportunities for skills, knowledge and capacity building, which is developing confidence and encouraging members to develop local activities and interventions to make their communities better for those that live there. CLASS is also working hard to develop partnerships with organisations that have shared values around relevant issues such as social housing, domestic abuse and ageing well to focus on progressing these agendas together.
“CLASS have actually pulled together independent groups that were working in silos and brought them together as a unified group.” Partner interview
All the while, ensuring community voices are being meaningfully included in conversations and governance spaces, which is valued across the board.
“I think it’s important that there are groups that can help give a voice to people but also help organise so that in terms of the formal levels of governance locally and nationally there is a place round the table for everyone.” Partner interview
Positive feedback loops are developing whereby Community Leaders feel more confident and empowered through having their voices heard and their place at the table and so are creating and leading more ambitious agendas for change.
“…it’s genuinely innovative, and I genuinely believe that if more communities have this opportunity you could start to see a profound shift in the voice and power and democracy that communities have. But it’s more than that, because the way CLASS do it, they really engage with the council and other services and make these services listen to tenants and engage with tenants. I don’t think you could ever really capture the impact fully of how this approach influences the culture of the sector.” Partner interview
CLASS and Community Savers are delighted with Nifty Sustainability CIC’s evaluation of our work and impacts in 2024! With the chancellor’s announcement of £39 billion for social and affordable housing on 11th June it could be that the hard work of housing justice coalitions across the country may be about to pay off. But the devil will be in the detail. What is needed now are clear targets for what proportion of new build homes will be developed for social rent!
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evaluation, housing, Hulme, impact, Miles Platting, Mums Mart, outcomes, Social housing, Women of Wythenshawe, Wythenshawe
Social Homes for Manchester (SH4M) has been supporting a process in Hulme to explore the possibility of creating a Neighbourhood Plan for the area. Neighbourhood Plans (NP) give communities power to influence...
Reflection, learning and generous leadership are at the heart of the ComSavs/CLASS approach. We find our way by feeling the stones and we can only do that by pausing regularly...
May 24, 2026
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