Connect Housing - Homes, Communications, Cultures

Are you interested in becoming a Connect Board member?

Please click below on the following links to access all the information you need to know!

1. Letter from the Chair and Chief Executive

2. Vision and Values of Connect Housing

3. Role Description

4. Board Membership Criteria

5. Board Membership Policy and Procedure

6. Code of Conduct for Board and Committee Members

7. Equal Opportunities Policy Statement

8. Profiles of Current Board Members

9. Application Form

If you have any queries please call Kelly Smith on 0113 236 5105 or David Troupes on 0113 235 0202.

After reading the information above, if you would like to fill in the Application Form, please email your completed form to Kelly Smith.

How Affordable is Affordable?
A Study of Rents in Leeds

Access to affordable housing for households on low incomes is a current, and growing, problem in Leeds and high on the agenda for Connect and all those working to achieve a better quality of life for people in the city. Affordable good quality housing is the foundation for good health, stable family life, supporting educational achievement, promoting access to work and enabling financial inclusion.

Concerns about rent levels in the city, and confusion about the variations in ‘affordable rents’ between providers, prompted the Leeds Collaborative Group – seven housing associations based in Leeds – to commission a study of current and projected rent levels and their affordability. The study was carried out by re’new and the report can be viewed/ downloaded at www.renew-leeds.co.uk. Please contact Kelly Smith or David Troupes on 0113 235 0202 if you would like a hard copy of the Executive Summary.

The study confirmed that Council and housing association rented housing is the most affordable option in Leeds and provides valuable access to well-managed, good quality housing for low-income households. While there is still a gap between Council and housing association rents, these are on course to converge in the next 5-8 years, in line with Government policy. Rents for Council and housing association properties are, on average, less than half the rent of similar sized properties in the private rented sector.

Although the affordable sector is indeed affordable for the majority of low income households, the study found that this is not always the case for the lowest earners (especially households with the lowest 10% of incomes). Given the level of private sector rents, and that home ownership, even low cost options, is way out of reach for these households, the urgent question to address is how households in work on low incomes are to be housed in the future in Leeds.

The Leeds Collaborative Group hopes that this study will clarify confusion around differences in rents between providers and promote discussion among policy makers on the critical issue of affordability of housing for low income households.